HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Minutes 01-31-2001 SpecialAdopted Minutes
Special Council Meeting
January 31, 2001
A Special Meeting of the Plymouth City Council was called to order by Mayor Tierney at 5:50
p.m. at the Plymouth Creek Center, 14800 34th Avenue North.
COUNCIL PRESENT: Mayor Joy Tierney, Councilmembers Slavik, Black, Stein, Harstad, and
Hewitt. Councilmember Johnson arrived at 6:05 p.m.
STAFF PRESENT: City Manager Johnson, Assistant City Manager Ahrens, Public Works
Director Moore, Finance Director Hahn, Park and Recreation Director Blank, Public Safety
Director Gerdes, Community Development Director Hurlburt, and Deputy City Clerk Hoffman.
The purpose of the meeting was to establish the City Council's goals and priorities for 2001-
2002.
City Manager Johnson reviewed the progress made on the goals and priorities established for
2000.
Assistant Manager Ahrens recommended that the Council should create a list of five to ten goals
and priorities from the list submitted by the Council and staff. Following that, she suggested the
Council discuss future trends within the city.
Discuss Possible New Priorities
The Council reviewed those priorities submitted from council and staff:
1. Complete review of Study Area C.
2. Update Subdivision Regulations.
3. Develop policies for housing and industrial development bonds.
4. Work with developers proposing new housing development to implement the City's
goals for affordable and life -cycle housing, including local TIF districts.
5. Review of select ordinances — fence height, speed humps, accessory apartments and
architectural guidelines.
6. Consider green building codes.
7. Study future use of the area bordering southeast Medicine Lake
20-30 years out and how do we get there?)
8. Consider how to effectively use the Planning Commission
since the Council overturns many decisions; define their relevance.)
9. Northwest Greenway — approve plan, begin acquisition.
10. Implement City Center Streetscape Plan.
11. Resolve parking situation at LifeTime Fitness/lee Center.
12. Add third sheet of ice at ice arena.
13. a Implement Water Resources Plan - Parkers Lake/Medicine Lake improvements.
13. b 40% improvement in water clarity in Medicine Lake (alum treatment)
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Special Meeting of January 31, 2001
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13. c Implement Surface Water Utility Fee.
14. Develop incentives to landowners to restore wetlands/wetland buffers.
15. Millennium Garden.
16. Amend tobacco compliance procedures.
17. a Water system improvements - water tower, treatment plant expansion.
17. b New well on land south of CR 9 and north of Lancaster, include noise abatement for
homes south of Lancaster.
17. c Improve drinking water quality/taste.
18. Fire Department - implement recommendations for staffing, duty crew, response,
creative recruitment, staffing structure.
19. Review ordinances: accessory apartments and architectural guidelines.
Combined with Item 5.
20. Pedestrian crossing over Highway 55.
21. Pavilion at West Medicine Lake Park.
221 Telecommunications; Channel 12; maintain franchise fee.
23. Improve programming on Channel 16 - too much bulletin board time. Improve audio
on meetings.
24. Develop traffic safety program: collect and analyze traffic accident data, department
reviews, and citizen participation.
25. Address staff vacancies, retention & unmet expectations. Removed.
26. Continue with E -government improvements and Web site redesign and expansions.
27. Work with schools on improving their local government curriculum.
28. Evaluate needs for new water tower, fire station, garage for public safety, public golf
course.
29. Upgrade intersection -County Road 9 and Nathan Lane.
30. County Road 47; move up on CIP; city/county ownership.
31. Hilde Performance Center.
32. Acquire land for 10 playfreld.
33. Plymouth Transit Hub.
34. Eliminate special assessments for reconstruction.
35. Build a skatepark higher than 3'.
36. Consider feasibility of building a hospital in Plymouth (55/494 area).
37. Study whether to consider smoking ban in restaurants.
38. Implement program to replace "Job Fair" to increase transit ridership.
39. Citizen education
Councilmembers and staff voted for projects or goals on the list which have not already been
started, or may require renewed emphasis. The following goals and objectives were ranked
highest:
1. Implement Water Resources Plan - Parkers Lake/Medicine Lake improvements.
2. Resolve parking situation at LifeTime Fitness/Ice Center/ add 3`d ice sheet.
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3. Traffic Safety Program.
4. Acquire 10`h playfield site.
5. Water system/water taste improvements.
6. Affordable life cycle housing opportunities.
7. Expand transit opportunities.
Councilmembers discussed goals listed as Items 6 and 7 on the list. Councilmember Harstad
supported a transit hub, while Mayor Tierney believed that would be unlikely.
Community Development Director Hurlburt said that staff works to encourage affordable
housing. She said City funding could be an element in the future. Responding to Council
questions about density levels to create more affordable housing in the developing areas of
northwest Plymouth, she said density should be predictable, and should not sacrifice quality of
homes, or a loss to the local environment. She said it would be difficult to bring down housing
costs without some sort of direct local subsidies. Most opportunities for funding require a local
match.
Motion was made by Councilmember Harstad, seconded by Councilmember Johnson; to place
the top seven ranked goals and objectives on the list, as well as to reaffirm on—going goals for
projects underway. (These priorities are Items: 1, 2, 3, 9, 10, 13c, 15, 16, 18, 26, 29, 31, 35, 38,
and 39.)
Councilmember Johnson stated her opposition to using significant local tax dollars in an effort to
encourage affordable housing programs. It can cause a shift and make housing unaffordable for
others. Several members concurred.
Mayor Tierney agreed it is important to work with Metropolitan Council programs, but those do
not help meet affordable housing needs outside the urban service area.
Councilmember Johnson urged efforts to seek outside funding programs for housing as well as
transit.
The Council then voted on the motion. With Black, Stein, Harstad, Johnson, and Tierney voting
yes, and Slavik and Hewitt voting no, the motion carried.
Visioning.
The City Council and staff discussed trends they see in Plymouth. The council also discussed
what they would not like to see happen in Plymouth, in an attempt to create a longer -range vision
for the City.
Councilmembers noted the trend is toward an aging population living in Plymouth. They also
discussed trends toward smaller and attached housing being developed. They discussed efforts to
maintain quality housing stock in the city, as housing rehabilitation demands increase. They
discussed making efforts to use TIF money revenues for housing rehabilitation and development.
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Assistant Manager Ahrens noted the increasing diversity in the population of Plymouth.
Councilmember Johnson stated it is important to retain local control and direction over the City's
future.
Study Session Topics
Councilmembers reviewed a list of possible study session topics in order to select one or two that
might be added to the agenda for the Special Council Meeting scheduled for February 6. In
addition to the Fire Department organizational structure, they added the following discussion
topics:
Fence Heights and regulations
Consider Plymouth history book for 50`h anniversary on May 18, 2005
Quarterly check-in with City Manager
The meeting was adjourned at 9:40 p.m.
Kurt Hoffman, Deputy Clerk