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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Information Memorandum 06-07-1996r' JUNE 79 1996 UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS 1. COUNCIL MEETING SCHEDULE: JUNE 19 7:00 P.M. REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING City Council Chambers JUNE 26 7:30 P.M. SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING City Council Chambers 2. COUNTY ROAD 9 CONSTRUCTION PROJECT PUBLIC NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING. MONDAY, JUNE 10 7:00 P.M., . Attached is a copy of the letter sent to residents about the project meeting. (M-2) 3. COUNCIL SUBCOMMITTEE ON CITY CENTER, MONDAY, JUNE 10, 4-6 P.M., Bass Lake Room. Information on the meeting is attached. (M-3) 4. ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE, TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 6:00 P.M., Hadley Lake Room, Lower Level. Note time change. Agenda is attached. (M-4) 5. PLANNING COMMISSION, TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 7:00 P.M., Council Chambers. Agenda is attached. (M-5) 6. PRAC, THURSDAY, JUNE 13,7:00 P.M., Mooney Lake Room, Upper Level. 7. MEETING CALENDARS - The June, July, and August meeting calendars are attached. (M-7) �: • `fin::.... NfiJv. "�:'..• -r °.v''':a<iri: ail": .. �3c�:.;�.;..; ::;:,.,:: ::..��1'?:.•:::...::::::,X45.,6:rA�'•`;•r`'='-Jj'•v':)axt'Sf .::.....----.,,:...i:.'�i:.,.tttdm„..:c:,.,.;:,c•::h•.,..:::tt ?cc•. wxooank:.••:::::::; ...:•:..•. ¢ .,,. _:v'• ...,,,• .:r.wwtwaw.rc.nm:?•xm!a:•.n.<+aoo-o-xrxxe.. a:iRc...a ”' 1. EXTENDED HOURS PROGRAM: CUSTOMER CONTACTS THROUGH MAY 1996 Through May, 718 customers have taken advantage of the City's extended hours on Tuesday evenings. This averages almost 33 visits each Tuesday, close to the 32 average contacts through the end of April. The month of May itself had an average of more than 45 contacts each Tuesday. Extended hours inspections in the field have more than doubled again, from 8 in April to 18 in May. 2. MINUTES CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION MEMO June 7, 1996 Page 2 a. April 24, 1996 Plymouth Advisory Committee on Transit (PACT) meeting. (1-2a) b. May 14, 1996 Environmental Quality Committee meeting. (I -2b) 3. NEWS ARTICLES, RELEASES, PUBLICATIONS, ETC. a Notice and registration form for LMC Leadership Institute seminar on "Authentic Leadership: The Key to Making Policy Decisions as an Elected Official," July 25-26, at Rutger's Sugar Lake Lodge, Grand Rapids. (1-3a) b. Guest column from the Plymouth Sun Sailor, written by Human Rights Commissioners Mitzi Heath and Jeff Richards. (1-3b) c. USA Today news story about Minnesota efforts to restrict tobacco sales to minors. Public Safety Director Craig Gerdes is quoted in a section featuring Plymouth's efforts. (I -3c) d. Executive summary of the Builders Association of the Twin Cities urban land supply analysis with recommendations for managing growth. (I -3d) e. Special edition of the League of Minnesota Cities' Friday Fax with a summary of action in the U -S West lawsuit against the City of Redwood Falls. (I -3e) 4. CITIZEN COMMUNICATIONS POLICY - CORRESPONDENCE a. Letter from Public Safety Director Craig Gerdes to Lance Garrison responding to concerns about pedestrian and bicycle safety in the vicinity of County Road 101 and 24h Avenue. Attached is Garrison's original correspondence. (I -4a) b. Response to Jim and Mary Tegan from Public Works Director Fred Moore to their letter about MNDoT's plans for Highway 12. The Tegans' original correspondence is attached. (I - 4b) c. Response to Leo and Helen Hauser from Public Works Director Fred Moore to their letter about MNDoT's plans for Highway 12. The Hausers' original correspondence is attached. (I -4c) A status report on correspondence is attached. (I-4) 5. CORRESPONDENCE a. Letter to the Mayor from Frank and Margot Knoll praising the work of the Plymouth Fire Department when the Knoll family home burned in May. (1-5a) b. Thank you letter to the City from Plymouth Civic League Treasurer Sue Jackson, for the City's contribution supporting the Music in Plymouth program. (I -5b) c. Letter from Manager Dwight Johnson to City of Medicine Lake Mayor Tom Schrader informing him of the formation of the subcommittee on the South Shore Drive safety concerns. (1-5c) Dwight Johnson City Manager M -z May 31, 1996 «PIN » «NAME Ciiv OF PLYMOU?FF «ADDRESS 1 » «CITY», «ST» «ZIP » SUBJECT: COUNTY ROAD 9 CONSTRUCTION - TRAFFIC CONCERNS CITY PROJECT NO. 402 Dear Property Owner: As you are aware, County Road 9 was closed on Tuesday morning of this week between Glacier Lane and Polaris Lane. While detour routes and road closure signs were put in place, there was an element of the traveling public that either ignored the signage or failed to understand its message. In response to the traffic problems and concerns realized after the first day of the road closure, additional signage has been placed at various locations on both ends of the project. Hopefully, this additional signage will convey the proper message and direct traffic in a more orderly manner. I would also like to inform you that the City will be adding even more traffic control, particularly along the 42nd Avenue/43rd Avenue route along the north side of County Road 9. This will include temporary "All -Way" stop signs and additional "No Outlet" signs on those streets that are now dead -ended at County Road 9. In addition, the City's Public Safety Traffic Enforcement Unit will be closely monitoring the area with two police cars during the next week to discourage through and speeding traffic. We have scheduled a public neighborhood meeting for June 10, at 7:00 p.m. here at City Hall, 3400 Plymouth Boulevard, to ask you how these additional traffic control measures have been working and if further measures should be taken. One possible measure for assuring that through -traffic is stopped would be to close the northerly -through route with the installation of barriers on 42nd Avenue between Orchid Lane and Minnesota Lane north of County Road 9. This could also be done on 39th Avenue between Minnesota Lane and Harbor Lane south of County Road 9. Your opinion on this possibility will be requested at the June 10 meeting. PLYMOUTH A Beautifu[P ate ?o Live iann PI Ymni ITH R(N 11 F\/ARf1 . PI YhAni ITH hAInI1\I1ZQ0TA S;FAA7.1AA) . Tci rounKIC fai M cnn Gnnn h SUBJECT: COUNTY ROAD 9 CONSTRUCTION - TRAFFIC CONCERNS Page Two While many residents will experience additional local traffic due to the necessary local road closures and local access needs, hopefully, the additional traffic control measures will improve the initial traffic problems. Don't forget the City's County Road 9 Hotline Number, 509-5514, for the latest up-to-date status of the project and if you wish to leave comments. Sincerely, &a4u Ji /. 44-uAu-, Daniel L. Faulkner City Engineer enclosure cc: Dwight Johnson, City Manager Craig Gerdes, Public Safety Director Fred G. Moore, Director of Public Works (Y) qOV 3 Meeting Reminder City Center Subcommittee (Mayor Tierney and Councilmembers Lymangood, Black and Preus) Monday, June 10 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. City Center Bass Lake Room (lower level) Representatives from the Beard Group and Frauenshuh Companies will be present to answer questions about their responses to the City's RFQ for the retail/entertainment site in City Center. Please bring along your copy of the RFQ responses, which you received Wednesday night. Questions? Call Anne Hurlburt at 509-5401 m-4 ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMTTEE MEETING Plymouth City Hall Tuesday, June 11, 1996 Meeting No. 50 — 106&P -M AGENDA 6:00 Call to Order 6:05 Approval of Minutes as Received 6:10 Announcements and Visitor Recognition 6:15 Reports / Up -dates: 1. Surface Water Management Plan. • Review preliminary draft. _ 2. Review of fertilizer sale and collection day. 3. Choose theme for Music in Plymouth and sign up. • Environmental Health Display - David. • EQL Mobil Display. 7:15 New Business: 1. Define a sustainable community (see attached definition). 2. Impact on Plymouth: readings report: • Paul - Common Ground • Rita - Aquatic Vegetation • Bridget - Green Up Landscaping • David - Water -wise • Mary - Green Heart • Martin - Common Ground and Reusables • Bob - Green Cuisine 3. How to establish natural areas in private Plymouth property. 8:30 General Discussion: 1. Geese control. 2. French Regional Park & Stenciling Program. ** Future discussion: 1. Review City ordinances and policies as they relate to environmental concerns. 2. Check ECQ's progress and propose a "State of the Environment". 3. Review City -Council's priority future action towards preserving the environment. 8:59 Adjourn: PLANNING COMMISSION AGENDA TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 1996 WHERE: Plymouth City Center 3400 Plymouth Blvd. Plymouth, MN 55447 CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS CONSENT AGENDA All items listed with an asterisk (*) are considered to be routine by the Planning Commission and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a Commissioner, citizen or petitioner so requests, in which event the item will be removed from the consent agenda and considered in normal sequence on the agenda. 1. CALL TO ORDER 7:00 P.M. 2. PUBLIC FORUM 3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 5. *CONSENT AGENDA A. Welsh Companies. Planned Unit Development Final Site Plan Amendment for a 2,242 square foot expansion for the Protein Design Labs located at 3955 Annapolis Lane North. (96069) 6. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. Scherber Partnership Properties c/o Loucks & Associates, Inc. Planned Unit Development Preliminary Plan/Plat, Rezoning, and Conditional Use Permit for 34 single family detached lots for property located north of 39th Avenue and west of Dunkirk Lane. (96005) B. James R. Hill, Inc. Planned Unit Development Preliminary Plan/Plat, Final Plan/Plat, and Conditional Use Permit for 46 attached units located at the northeast quadrant of Vicksburg and Shenandoah Lane. (96065) C. Francis Aihe. Variance to encroach seven feet into the required 25 foot rear yard setback. The Variance would allow construction of a two-story addition for property located at 12400 -28th Place North. (96066) D. The Westwind Group of MN, Inc. Site Plan Amendment and Conditional Use Permit Amendment to add a children's play room area and remodel the existing Burger King facility located at 10000 Rockford Road. (96070) 7. OLD BUSINESS A. Zoning Ordinance Update - Examples of Side Yard Setbacks. 8. ADJOURNMENT 1.0 C*N � � � � ƒ � ¥ 00 - _■., „ -s■. -:„ ® § �_:, §k § 2)? . ,n � . "§ 00 q \--mum § f -_;, §� \|� > q! §! mm §k m f / . m o - m f 4 . � OEM ANNIK ISL �L rloo tn F M; GL Gi S CnI . .ei ... C2 A x � ar U 81 Ell o �u o � � 5 S �--� N M p S, o c7 aG ya 8 8 $ g �--� N N fi ISL � � 14.0 OIN (01IN � � � � ES: M-0 � -0 � CO) o 9 _ . f # . � . - n f 4 _ rA 00 in ■ / E 0. /I 93 I- � §j5 00 / . . . ZOE : NO, a f--,�■ R ® o £ & k ° 2■- & w w « - - � / ... ƒ ..; �-=-n / ■._��; 0 ... f 4 -0 � PLYMOUTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON TRANSIT April 24, 1996 PRESENT Representing MCTO - Hugh Hudson Representing National School Bus Company - Dave Johnson Representing City of Plymouth - John Sweeney Consultant for the Plymouth Metrolink - George Bentley Mike Cagley, Herb Miller, Patty Hillstrom I. INTRODUCTION OF PATTY HILLSTROM John Sweeney introduced Patty to all members present. II. MEETING MINUTES The minutes for the March 27 meeting are unavailable. III. RIDERSHIP STATISTICS FROM GEORGE BENTLEY George distributed ridership graphs and stated that system ridership went down to 18,963 although in March of 1996 there were only 20 days compared to 23 days in March of 1995. He said over the course of the year it will average out. Metrolink mirrors the system ridership graph and Dial -A -Ride is down below 3,500 for March which historically is a good month. It is the lowest it has been since 1992 for the month of March and he is not quite sure what the problem is. All routes including Dial -A -Ride are being monitored and we will have feedback on that soon and as a result be able to correct some critical elements. The decline in ridership also compounds the passenger subsidy problem. John Sweeney commented on the fact that there were not a lot of complaints and it is not obvious what the problem is. George reported that the ridership graph indicates decreasing ridership. It has gone down for the first three months so far. Usually this is the busiest time of the year. • Dial -A -Ride Dial -A -Ride ridership is also down and has not rebounded like it should. MINUTES - PLYMOUTH ADVISORY CONEMT EE ON TRANSIT _ Z aa, April 24, 1996 i Page 2 • Plymouth Metrolink - Route 91 The year to date subsidy per passenger for Route 91 is $3.94. The concern is decreasing ridership. Other ratios on route 91 are pretty good but could be a little bit better. Everything would improve with ridership increases and we will be dealing with that. • Plymouth Metrolink - Route 92 Subsidy per passenger so far this year has been $5.28 but in March it was $4.88. Ridership on Route 92 has gone up from 3,140 to 3,207. Riders per day show an average increase of eleven. There are as many people on the reverse commute as Dial -A -Ride. John Sweeney stated that he and George Bentley have met with some people that are involved in placing employees and there is another meeting scheduled in a couple weeks. Also, they are going to start doing some marketing of the system including working with employers. There have been a lot of changes in the area north of Bass Lake Road (Nathan & Trenton). Select Comfort and several others would like us to provide more service. A rider survey and service monitoring will show where people are getting off. Ridership seems to be more consistent on an average rather than seasonal as in the past. • Plymouth Metrolink - Route 93 So far this year Route 93 shows a $2.11 per passenger subsidy. This is excellent for an express route in suburban areas. Ridership on this route also is down but it is difficult to tell in March because of the fewer number of service days. • System Cost Summary Reports George said to keep in mind that the vehicle capital figures are higher on Route 91 because there are actually more total hours on Route 91 than there are on Route 92 or Route 93. This does not really impact on the total cost subsidy per passenger figures even though they are reflected in the deficit figure that is shown. John Sweeney stated that LSA Design is evaluating the Park & Ride lots to determine the future needs and are doing a license plate survey of the lots to determine where the riders are coming from. The Park & Ride lots tend to be full. We may also be losing people from the overall count because they are going to the Plymouth Road Transit Station or other transit stations. O:%EM%TRANSn WACf1MBAMESW2 M[N.DW MINUTES - PLYMOUTH ADVISORY COMNM7EE ON TRANSIT April 24, 1996 23 Page 3 We are now in the process of submitting applications to the Met Council for capital bonding dollars. One proposal would be to redo the Park & Ride lot at Highway 73 and Highway 55 to make it more accessible. Another proposal would be to redo the Park & Ride at Four Seasons Mall. The success of getting the funding is unknown at this time because it is a totally new process. IV. CONSOLIDATION & RENUMBERING ON ROUTE 92D & ROUTE 93 FOR STATISTICAL & REPORTING PURPOSES George and John have been working with MCTO trying to get the subsidy per passenger numbers down on Route 92 and in evaluating this the analysis showed that Route 92D which is the only reverse commute route which is run solely by MCTO was designed to be an integral part of the 93. It makes Route 93 run more efficiently and if we drop Route 92D it would actually increase the cost to operate Route 93. Rather than doing that, we have decided the best approach would be to renumber Route 92D as Route 93R. John has a call in to Steve Mahowald regarding what has to be done and how schedule revisions will be affected. A suggestion was made that it coincide with the route changes taking place in Minneapolis. It would be a good time because passengers will be looking for changes system wide at that time. George Bentley said the next task would be to get ridership up on Route 91. We want to try and head off potential problems due to high subsidies. V. IDENTIFICATION OF AREAS OF CONCERN AND/OR RECOXD4ENDATIONS Herb Millers' Comments • A Route 93 rider said that it seems like the buses seldom drive on the shoulder between Highway 394 and 36th Avenue on Highway 169. It seems like the bus sits in traffic forever. Comment was made wondering if drivers are not using shoulder because it is not marked. • The 25 cent fare hike was not well received. • The 91's wait until a certain time to leave as opposed to making a connection with a MCTO bus. On the 71D out of downtown the 5:08 was late as they had to change buses. By the time they arrived at the parking lot the shuttle had taken off. Supposedly, the driver on the next route said that the driver had talked to dispatch and dispatch told him to go. There was some confusion making the connection between two vehicles. We were getting complaints because the first bus would 6:%ENO%TRANsrivAemniurE ,A-24mnN.DDc MINUTES - PLYMOUTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON TRANSIT �-f 7 a April 24, 1996 loom Page 4 come and the shuttle would take off. Then when the second bus came there would not be a shuttle there waiting. If the 71B shows up first passengers jump on that one and if its one of the others they will get on that even though it may get them there a few minutes later. • On the 19th of April the 6:00 p.m. 91A had a radiator problem. Passengers were given free rides downtown. Mike Cagleys' Comments • Now that we've gotten through the worst of the slushy weather he suggested we get the windows washed and scrubbed. VI. TRANSIT REDESIGN & PROPOSED PERFORMANCE STANDARDS George Bentleys' Comments • George referred to page three of performance standards handout and stated that the figures are based upon 1994 data so that the numbers will be different when they get the actual 1995 numbers plugged in. • After the Met Council calculates the average for all of the routes within a particular that category (express, suburban local & urban local mutes) any routes that are 20 % to 35% over the peer average are subject to quick review. Minor modifications may be made by the system operator. 36% to 60% over peer average will be considered for more significant changes or perhaps subcontracting. More significant changes are not defined. If it falls within the final category which is more than 60% over peer average they will mandate that you either restructure or eliminate the route. • On the succeeding pages you will find that Route 91 falls into Threshold 1 on express and Route 92 falls into Threshold 2 if you use the 1994 numbers. The 1995 numbers will probably be somewhat worse than the 1994 numbers were, so if we make this change Route 92 will be OK and we can concentrate Route 91. • Our biggest problem with the suburban local category is going be with Dial -A - Ride. It shows Plymouth Dial -A -Ride at $5.49 before the contract rates were changed in 1994. When National and the City changed the rate structure it lowered the rate for express and raised it for Dial -A -Ride and consequently boosted the subsidy up to approximately $9.00. That will put us immediately above Threshold 2 and possibly over Threshold 3. We do have to deal with that immediately before O:MM%TRANSITIPACrNMQ4 VPES1424MIN.DOC MINUTES - PLYMOUTH ADVISORY COMIV9= ON TRANSIT April 24, 1996 a Page 5 the Met Council gets involved in the process. In analyzing the numbers, George thought that part of the problem could be that we're losing passengers to the Park & Rides on 394. • Those that operate paratransit operations that are not within regular funding categories of the region are supposed to be funded at a 60-65% rate. The remainder comes from local funds. First the average rate of all suburban local services is determined. Under the 1994 calculations that would be $5.20. Any subsidies up to the $5.20 per passenger figure the Met Council will pay 100%. After that, they won't contribute anything. One exception to that is that they will mitigate the impact by additional funding to make sure the individual impact from year to year is no greater than a 10 % loss in actual funding. We are not technically in this category right now, however, if things do not go the way we would like them to go and Metro Mobility has to be funded by us and the Met Council refuses to classify it as a Metro Mobility trip then it would fall into this category and we would be operating a non ADA paratransit service. VII. FARE INCREASES SCHEDULED FOR JULY 1, 1996 Met Council has voted to increase fares effective July 1, 1996. They have not finalized youth fares yet. This will increase revenue by four million but is projected to lose 1.8 million riders which is a decrease of 3 %. Fare increases are as follows: 1. Single Ride Cash Fare - The base fare will stay the same. Base fare plus peak goes up 25 cents. Base fare plus express charge off-peak stays at $1.50. Base plus peak plus express goes from $1.75 to $2.00. 2. Convenience Fares - Single rate of $1.55 will now be $1.82. The monthly pass will now cost $76.00 which will be good for 31 days from day of activation. Computer will imprint on card and calculate expiration date. They will be going from 10 -ride punch ticket to stored value tickets. You will swipe the card and it will automatically deduct the ride from the ticket. One problem is that you won't know what you have left until you are down to the last $5.00 of stored value. The new equipment (trim unit) will be installed in the buses and drivers will be trained within the next few weeks. A meeting should be held with Dave Johnson and John Mathews to discuss installation of fare boxes in the Metrolink vehicles. G:WNG\TRANSnVACr%MR YrESW-24MIN.DGC MINUTES - PLYMOUTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON TRANSIT April 24, 1996 1-28 Page 6 3. Employer Convenience Fares - A 10% discount will be given on fares if the employer purchases fare tickets. This will give riders a break and also a tax break for employers. Kathy Tinglestad will work on publicizing this. VIII. INTEGRATING NEW MINI COACHES Dave Johnsons' Comments • National will train the drivers and will begin to integrate the new buses next week. • A short rod was used instead of a long rod in the air leveler on the first new bus. This will be changed. IX. PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION PLANS FOR CTY. RD. 9 John Sweeneys' Comments • County Road 9 will be closed this summer for reconstruction. This will have an impact on Route 91 CD. Closure will begin the end of May and continue through the end of the year. Some rescheduling will need to be done on certain routes affected by this construction. The PACT meetings will now be held on the fourth Wednesday of each month. The next meeting is scheduled for May 22, 1996 at 7:00 p.m. in the Engineering Conference Room (Hadley Lake Room) on the lower level of Plymouth City Hall. Respectfully submitted, Patty Hillstrom Committee Secretary a:IENG%TRANSnVACr%MENUrESW-?AMIN.DOC .L. t - 2b ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COM[ IITTEE Meeting No. 49 Tuesday, May 14, 1996 7:00 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT: Bridget Jodell, Paul Liebman, David Shea, Mary McKee, Bob Swanson, Rita O'Donnell, Staff Ex -officio Shane Missaghi, Ex -officio John Barten, Hennepin County Council Member Ginny Black. MEMBERS ABSENT: Martin Frank, Staff Ex -officio Eric Blank, Dan Faulkner OTHERS PRESENT: Mark Peterson, Mark Lohmeir, SEH, Marsha Videen, Jim Helseth, East Parkers Lake Improvement Association The minutes from the last meeting were corrected and then approved by the committee. Prior to the meeting, Rita made two announcements. The first was volunteer recognition (thanks!), and the second was that David Shea was to be the chair for this meeting. OLD BUSINESS JTpdate on the Surface Water Management Plan. Mark Lohmeir, SEH, distributed to the committee a packet that included a revised schedule and action plan, monthly EQC meeting deliverables, groundwater framework, proposed action plan to complete plan components, groundwater framework, and the status of GIS mapping project. Discussion followed concerning several of these topics. Concerning the lake management plan, Mark mentioned that a goal will be set for each lake as a 5-10 projection including costs and impact. On the plan outline and format, several questioned on how the plan will be used. Shane iterated that different departments will use different parts of the plan. For example, drainage maps will be used by the city engineers. Committee members offered the following questions: if water quality issues identified, will treatment facilities be recommended? how will flooding problems be identified and handled9 have we gotten feedback from other cities that have implemented similar plans? how will natural parcels be identified? what is the EQC involvement? what is the impact of potential new zoning? and are these schedules realistic? Others offered this additional feedback: make sure the plan is easily understood, table of contents clear with proper labeling. David also offered that automation should be kept in mind, such as potential creation of a "home page" on the internet. Ginny mentioned that a council work session needs to be built into the plan. G:NENG\W r'RQLTY%MINUTMMINS- II.DOC PAGE NO. 2 Fertilizer Symposium 2nd NSP rely: Marsha reported to the committee an overview of the recent NSP meeting with East Parkers Lake association. She recapped that NSP felt that it was necessary to do the treatments that they had done, and that they will probably continue to do them in the future. Most residents felt that the chemical treatments were too harsh. However, some members of the committee mentioned that if these treatments had been done all along instead of all at once, it probably would have been more acceptable. Also, ultimately, this type of treatment can be beneficial. NSP stated that they would involve the residents in the future when they are planning further treatments. David reported to the committee on a fertilizer symposium that he had attended. David said this was an excellent presentation and the handouts were informative. He mentioned that this type of presentation would be excellent for cable tv and could build interest and awareness. Update on stenciling project: recycling and fertilizer sale 60 catch basins were stenciled on May 11th by the Boy Scouts. This activity is available as an ongoing project. Shane requested volunteers for the fertilizer sale on Saturday, May 18th. Recycling event will be held at the same time. Shane distributed invitations to the Annual Park Tour, Pollution Prevention conference in June, and the Minnesota office of Environment conference in the fall. DNR public hearing on vegetation control: Rita reported this has been rescheduled to September. This topic was tabled to the July meeting. Rita will continue to monitor and report to the committee. NEW BUSINESS Pike Lake water skiing request: Mark Peterson, Parks, requested the committee's input on a dispute concerning water skiing on Pike Lake. Briefly, Pike Lake resides in two cities, both Maple Grove and Plymouth. Originally, a 15 mph ordinance had been imposed and agreed by both cities. Some of the residents have requested that this 15 mph limit rule be rescinded. The DNR does not recommend skiing on this lake due to the shallowness of this lake. Both cities must agree in order to rescind this ordinance. After much discussion, the committee recommended and approved the following: based on available information of water environmental quality impact, , the EQC recommends keeping the 15 mph limit on Pike Lake. Paul abstained from voting noting that several legal questions needed to resolved prior to making a recommendation. PAGE NO. 3 • i 17 Mark also informed the committee about a "showcase pond" site that should be ready by July. David mentioned that this may be a good opportupity to revisit Plymouth's weed ordinance. Sustainable community definition: David expressed concern that this topic has been tabled at past meetings. Is there a better time to discuss? Should a meeting be dedicated to this issue? If necessary, should a task force be formed? It was agreed that this would be discussed at next meeting. All agreed to meet at 5:00 p.m. rather that the usual 7:00 start time. GENERAL DISCUSSION Mary questioned what would be displayed at the Music in Plymouth event. David recommended an environmental health display that he had seen. Shane stated that the budget is due in June. How much money should be allocated? Ginny mentioned that a matching grant would be an issue if no matching budget is available for the sustainable community program. Ginny and Shane will discuss further. The meeting was adjourned at 9:55 p.m. Minutes submitted by Kathleen Reagen. a 0 a • C9 .. O LIN �00 - ox g sags trosau Wto n$taaauo; uopns8a .� q3 Item put mm 2=ld I------------------------------- Is yhoI C a ti I � •� I 4D i o WT -4 04 o 0 al abo $,� o I Cl ,� I F � ti � • � O u � � ,� av T� c, yL° I oy•~" I V m� '7 G•a '� I •'? t�W.� a �i L g ! �CO. 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O N 0 b �« d, k M TOO many treesnorth of City Hall) your city Tree Preservation ordinance could be mistaken for some with a replacement ratio re - being Cut down Third World nation whose econ-: quirement of 1.5 inches of tree k d' +----- ld for every inch expect omy is dependent on the quic lame Turns out all To the editor. sell-off of its_ natural resources removed. Wayzatans Your city is a depressing or the quick clearing of land to I'm surprised yo i - rs, place to travel through. From grow food for starving multi tolerate this un swere dead wrong the beginning of my route to tudes. struction oft ;Srf6ra1 e- : Highway 12 alter work on Bass Lake Road to Your city ordinances protect- sources. Perhaps th efer the You made up nearly the end on Plymouth • ing natural resources must be . roar of heavy equip ent and the the negative be& Boulevard, I see the results of exceedingly weak and slanted to smell of diesel exhaust to the plained all the fs the past, and witness the ongo- the interests of"developers." Ev- song of birds and the smell of you knew abou ing destruction due to current idence the boundary of the damp leaves. was that it was g deforestation projects in your multi -acre clearcut just north of Perhaps they prefer parking million, drive a city. Bass Lake Road and east of lots and endless retail expan- the center of Lon What with all the chip piles, Quinwood. The northern bound- sion to the more sublime experi- place about 50 st uprooted stumps, log stacks ary of this clearcut stops at the ence of nature. the sake of slice (May 1, Plymouth Boulevard) Maple Grove border. Maple Mark Fickes off a half-hour cc and burning slash piles (April, Grove has a relatively strong Maple Grove "You did , nc MnDOT, in its b promised to mal • • experience as s] Hum'a'n Rights'.Commission has as p oducedla in a pretty blue ction: Your Right addresses need for toleran'ethe b When, it do much about the Education is key group and so on. Education, which reduces displaced by nes These experiences are associ- prejudice, also can lead to con- tion, but it conn in healinghums ated with prejudice later in life. flict resolution and better work- formation aboul These unhealed hurts from ing and living relations. such. You are c childhood affect us and our opin- Empowerment, which comes placement hom( By Mitzi Heath ions in adulthood. In many in- about through prejudice reduc- furnace and.a k and Jeff Richards stances, these prejudices are tion, can help build coalitions only that, but y( Guest Columnists transferred to our own culture. among diverse groups to acco . forbidden to I When a person expresses plish mutual goals. a dwellinggot not Are you prejudiced? Have you prejudice, it is usually as a re- The Plymouth Human Rights those amenities ever been a victim of prejudice? sult of being hurt, and he or she Commission is strongly commit- If you live, in Do you know. prejudice when is trying to fit in. ted to assisting the community your.home has i you experience it? ' :` fine of the methods to over- in overcoming prejudice and into'the path of Prejudice is defined as a pre-' come prejudice is to heal our helping residents become allies. proposal, you m conceived judgment or opinion own hurts. Doing so removes the ' If you feel you are a victim of about the diffi without just grounds or suffi- barriers that prevent us from prejudice or would like more in- another home i cient knowledge. listening and interacting with : formation on this topic, please . "similar price. A Studies find that most people others. The kills of listening, contact the Plymouth Human `; smart`to be cor experience some form of mis- accepting and working together Rights Commission at 509-5052. there is not muc treatment during their child- with others whose life experi- Mitzi Heath and Jeff j`' Richards Long Lake, and hood due to age, sex, race, reli- ences differ from ours can be are members of the Plymouth dinance requi: gious group, ethnic or cultural learned. Human Rights Commission. chase I enough course before : home insideits • • r neeCleCl the people kind Chee'.L,,., cheering senio s have that kind . The .other a .know when . B Jan Gra self-confidence 'in .young chil- against the pry Y� Y . ' wonderful roa Contributing Columnist `dren = family children orneigh- l nearly $10 mill itil bor children. -'Children succeed nea new 12 This is the time of year so ' in their efforts when they feel p many families of school-age chil- supported. Praising grandchil- bioto nic highway dren become even busier. Scout dren for." their good efforts en- Surely m service road.'] recognition programs, confirma courages them to learn, to try scratch, I want tions, school athletic contests, and to do more. Jan truck patrollii school music concerts and the Complimenting children on a stretch, ready like all seem to be scheduled job well done helps them feel Gray changing a tir ready now. pride. 'It helps to be specific in Senior Services Program Manager coolant or solv What does it matter to seniors praise so children know when foreign phrase,, and grandparents? A lot, be- .they deserve praise. Caution Times crosses cause it matters to the children. must prevail when making com- low open Grandparents can help instill parisons between bothers and sisters or other children. Keep snow p praise focused on what they do, my tires when • • 1 T __.....� OT Close, but no cigar. A Camel billboard is legal distance from a St Paul school but is still visible. Snuffing out teen -agars' cigarettes Minnesota's strict laws otter others a blueprint By Doug Levy USA TODAY MINNEAPOLIS — Fear of a $3,000 fine and a year in jail is enough to make store clerk Mollie Torjesen and her colleagues check IDs every time a young customer wants to buy a pack of cigarettes here. Even though the typical teen tells her to "go to hell" when she refuses to make an illegal sale, she holds her ground. w Torjesen says. The law is the "What we want is law: no sales of to - total compliance, bacco products to r anyone under 18. ,, con �ance says compliance," Y And besides, she says, teens are y too young to un- r derstand the risks Gerdes of efforts to of smoking. "I cut tobacco sales ( care very much to minors. The i ' Smoking is bad sellers are art of 1 P for you." Niiii:ie3^�??s our community." i and at :east 47 �d comm:init:es Close, but no cigar. A Camel billboard is legal distance from a St Paul school but is still visible. Snuffing out teen -agars' cigarettes Minnesota's strict laws otter others a blueprint By Doug Levy USA TODAY MINNEAPOLIS — Fear of a $3,000 fine and a year in jail is enough to make store clerk Mollie Torjesen and her colleagues check IDs every time a young customer wants to buy a pack of cigarettes here. Even though the typical teen tells her to "go to hell" when she refuses to make an illegal sale, she holds her ground. The store owner "doesn't want us to go to jail," Torjesen says. The law is the "What we want is law: no sales of to - total compliance, bacco products to . 1 not periodic .; anyone under 18. ,, con �ance says compliance," Y And besides, she says, teens are •, Plymouth, Minn., too young to un- official Craig derstand the risks Gerdes of efforts to of smoking. "I cut tobacco sales ( care very much to minors. The i ' Smoking is bad sellers are art of 1 P for you." Niiii:ie3^�??s our community." i and at :east 47 r)rhpr Hinrfrnm comm:init:es rom-WWWWx COM THURSDAY, MAY 30,1996 have !asl coned local solutions to a national problem. Figures out last week show youth smoking is at a record 35%. Despite adult smok- ing hitting all-time lows, more kids are smoking now than at any time since the 1970s. The Minnesota efforts seem to be paying off, and other states are watching to see what works. The Centers for Disease Control and Preven- tion reports that 3 out of 4 teens nationwide can buy cigarettes illegally, but a recent Minnesota survey finds the illegal sales rate in that state is 49% or less. "They card everywhere, • says Zoe Kardasis of St Paul, who at 21 has to carry her ID when- ever she wants a pack of cigarettes. She thinks it's a good thing.and hopes it deters some teens from following her lead. In Plymouth, Minn., the city council declared 1,4reducing tobacco sales to minors as a top goal for the year. Public safety chief Craig Gerdes P / y m 0 worked with more than a dozen local tobacco merchants to write a law that bars vending ma- chines and requires sellers to check IDs. Because the community got together and agreed that teen tobacco use was a problem and that fighting it would also help reduce other risky behaviors, merchants were willing to coop- erate, Gerdes says. This plan gets better results than occasional "stings" by a state or federal agency. Only 360 of Plymouth stores made ille- gal sales during a recent compliance check "What we want is total compliance, not peri - Please see SMOKING, Page tD► Aaron a=c 9r �� Sting: g. star. 16, wcrks `cr a program Etat monitors ccmcfiarce with age restricticns. O ace•ov�t off~ �a>y$ �. Qabb3E=61 fficocm A _ 755' 8 O-'1 C A C..� a>o .� K ov«, Ea o�5 let�=�g �g•S- 481 vc WV cc 4) d ae ESram �� ..•v ° Role ami2TH 8 O E s FiV y Yfi � V aWm� a_a Is gra a �s �- 020 wlag�p O >�� "G'• •� Co �V1 06414 2016 re �oom�«`SFec,aOraDw �3�.�1�• -°C «p+ m O'd� own 10 a Lis If lit I is9mo 1.�ycd ��� a •° °'' ''' O CL �: �i'•o�0 Dari Y��o'8•`°v0cv�° �a $��a -a 8 1364 fig 8 r e. $ . e°� E3 ffi E .�+ - �S 9 V i+ : 4Coo �x��-� iia �•��co y ffi 4041 IUDIA s�ao�°c�� �°°E �d•v ffiv�3 , 8 �•11m. 0 fi�9„$ o'er ' 6 >1a R1 coo Is All A P91 Cs �RR ° `'�_ >+� -� �., ffi s OR Vii`� y ffiS' CPQ �• g o.0 s .. o.�g ����� � d��� O ���5���9��p+���E� b���d d���gii 0 = ffi a ,S a o r ti G ��$HEN", �'o�a'ia+>'�"$f�°1 � . uI 1�� ll Int, 111*111. � � � �1_ ��11 091 '6�' ..- :� 1,34 Prepared by -- Dahlgren, Shardlow & Uban, Inc. Larkin, Hoffman, Daly & Lindgren, Ltd. Doherty, Rumble & Butler In Conjunction with: Bugbee, Anton 8& Associates, Inc. Boland 8& Associates, Inc. The Maxfield Research Group Bonestroo, Rosene, Anderlik Associates Mona, Meyer McGrath & Gavin/Shandwick Diddams Consulting ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 1'0*34 This report and study have been funded by the Builders Association of the Twin Cities (BATA. BATC BOARD OF DIRECTORS BUILDERS Todd Bjerstedt Dean Flackey Kent Jefferson Gary Laurent Jean Mason Bruce Nedegaard Curt Ostrom Lowell Pratt Chuck Ryan Curt Swanson ASSOCIATES Richard Berg Marty Christianson Deborah Earl Duane Meyer Michelle Olson BATC LAND USE TASK FORCE Dan Herbst,'Chair Terry Forbord Peter Gualtieri Hans Hagan Jim Johnston Gary Laurent Bruce Pankonin Jim Stanton Dennis Chuba Joan Archer Karen Christofferson Public Policy Director CONSULTANT TEAM Dahlgren, Shardlow, and Uban Larkin, Hoffman, Daly & Lindgren, Ltd. Doherty, Rumble & Butler Arthur Andersen, Inc. Bugbee Anton & Associates, Inc. Boland & Associates, Inc. The Maxfield Research Group Bonestroo, Rosene, Anderlik Associates Mona, Meyer McGrath & Gavin/Shandwick Diddams Consulting Executive Summary Purpose - Need for this Report BATC sponsored this report for several reasons: ❑ There is a shortage in urban residential land in this Metro Region that artificially escalates the cost of land ❑ Shortages in the supply of urban residential land coupled with the increase in prices for this land, result in limited housing choices for our generation, our parents, our children, and our grandchildren ❑ When available land and choices are limited, sustaining the environment also becomes more challenging ❑ These limitations cost taxpayers increased dollars (current land use patterns have placed in jeopardy an estimated $1.5 billion of taxpayers money) ❑ High development costs and limited choices increase sprawl Objectives of this Report ❑ To show the need to limit unnecessary urban sprawl (urban sprawl is the random development of unsewered large lots and the non-contiguous, leapfrog development of sewered subdivisions that create physical and social barriers to the orderly and economical extension of urban services) ❑ To document the amount of available urban residential land in comparison to that needed for the region's future population ❑ To examine the relationship between land supply and the cost of housing ❑ To analyze and illustrate the significant barriers that limit the region's growth options and to share this information with the Metropolitan Council and others working to guide the future shape of the region ❑ To provide information about the total contribution that housing makes to the regional economy. Executive Summary Guiding Principles BATC believes that there are a number of guiding principles which should serve as the cornerstones of the regional growth management system: First, the region must strive to use its land resources and existing infrastructure efficiently, avoiding wasteful duplication wherever possible. Second, in order to provide an adequate supply of affordable housing for our growing population and to foster reinvestment in the core of the region, market forces must be given primary consideration. If there isn't a solid market demand for the types, location and cost of housing to be built, no amount of subsidy will be able to produce a desirable regional system. Third, governmental regulations, from minimum lot and house sizes, park dedication, street standards, public facility exactions, and wetland, woodland and other environmental protection requirements, all increase the amount of required land and the costs of housing construction. The fourth guiding principle is that an adequate and diverse housing stock is a prerequisite to the sustained economic prosperity of the region. Simply stated, if housing is not available for the area's diverse labor force, business growth, job creation, and a healthy regional economy will not be sustained. Executive Summary How Much Land Is Needed to Accommodate Projected Household Growth to the Year 2020? The Metropolitan Council expects 80% of the projected new households (264,000) will be located at -the developing -edges of -the -region.-T-his will require.132,000 acres of land at a net density of 2 units per acre. GROWTH COMPARISON ::::.::....ctual Chan e.. .....:....:Pro g::::.::.::.::::::::::.:::::::.:1.:::::::::::::::::.::::.::..:...._..... ected.CLan e::::::::>:::: ;;,:::>at 1.o ::.;::.:;:.;,;:.;:.;::>;.::::.:;. Ill 1- 9 5 - 200 <'>>> Population 575,000 650,000 uLolds ........:> se 0 Employment 640,000 380,000 • 1995 Met Council Projections ❑ 80% of 330,000 households = 264,000 households expected at the developing edge of the region. ❑ 264,000 households at 2 units per acre =132,000 acres of land needed Executive Summary Determination of Available Land within the MUSA The approach taken in this study relied upon the assumption contained in the Metropolitan Council Report to the Minnesota Legislature, "Growth Options for the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area" (January, 1996), that 80% of the regions growth in the next 25 years will occur at the developing edges of the Metro Area. Using this growth assumption, 23 developing communities partially inside and partially outside the existing MUSA (Figure 1) were selected for this study. All of these communities are experiencing growth and are considered `developing' according to the Metropolitan Council. Although there are a few additional communities with land both inside and outside the MUSA, it was determined that the selected communities would give the best representation of land supply in the developing portions of the Metropolitan Area. We found a total of 15,956 acres of unplatted residential land and an additional 10,676 vacant platted lots within the MUSA of these 23 communities. Executive Summary 2.3d U1tiMUSA The U1tiMUSA boundary represents a line surrounding the area which can be served by existing or planned Metropolitan Council wastewater facilities. One of the first attempts to define an ultimate service boundary was in "I 968. That boundary was based primarily on planned facilities, new service areas, and estimated populations. In subsequent years, facilities were constructed to serve this estimated increase in population. This BATC study cites the UtliMUSA in Figure 2, as the area which could be reasonably served by the existing Metropolitan Wastewater Treatment System. Areas beyond the boundary could be served by new regional systems - separate from the Metro System in place today. The U1tiMUSA is based on the following general criteria and assumptions. ❑ The U1tiMUSA boundary follows watershed boundaries. ❑ If the majority of a community is within the major watershed and regional service area, the remainder of the community will also be included in the U1tiMUSA. ❑ Communities currently served outside major watersheds via lift stations and force mains will continue to be served. ❑ The capacity of the metropolitan sewage disposal system is defined by critical components or "bottlenecks". A bottleneck is considered to be an incorrectable obstruction. Examples would include a required treatment plant expansion or a major interceptor reconstruction. The former may be a bottleneck because of regulation constraints and the latter because of economic constraints. Executive Summary Barriers to Urban Development Utilizing the U16WSA defined above, we analyzed the feasibility of extending the existing MUSA out to the UItiMUSA. This area of potential MUSA service between the existing MUSA and the U1tiMUSA became the `study area' (Figure 3). First obstacles to the orderly extension of the current system into this study area were identified. Obstacles were defined as land uses that would remain undeveloped or would substantially add to the cost to extend municipal services through or around. The first obstacle identified was parks (Figure 4), next industrial and public lands "non-residential" (Figure 5), then wetlands (Figure 6), and finally large lots (Figure 7). The composite of all of these barriers is shown on Figure 8. STUDY AREA 550,619 260,554 290,064 * The total is less than the sum of the parts because some barriers overlap each other Executive Summary f-34 7 Executive Summary t-3a Executive Summary t -- 3 d 9 Twin Cities Metro Area FIGURE 8 Barriers to Expansion •,. �` _.—._ ( JL Iii R_ '3 — � _._.—�� -..—_ �� i LJ � • icy, — Cj ! I I � p I 1 � 1995 MUSA Large lot Study Area _ Barriers (wetlands, parks, large lots) Ultimate MUSA Ixodi '�� iRTFAlCi15.3tiS51W f -39 10 Summary of Findings 1. Housing is a major component of the regional economy and the availability of an adequate and diverse supply of housing is a prerequisite to continued economic development, job creation and prosperity. 2. One of the main reasons why the region experienced the success that it did over the past 20 years was that the original MUSA included a substantial urban land supply. Communities in the path of growth were required to prepare and adopt plans for full urbanization. As a result, the majority of the growth in the region up until 1990 occurred at urban densities. 3. The existing urban land supply is inadequate to accommodate the projected growth of 330,000 households to the year 2020. The limited remaining land supply within the MUSA line has caused a significant increase in land prices which directly adds to the cost of housing. 4. Unsewered large lots subdivisions have already consumed 130,486 acres of land that could have been economically served by the regional wastewater treatment system and developed at urban densities. If this area had been developed at a density of 2.5 units per acre, it could have accommodated 326,215 households, an amount roughly equivalent to the Metro areas' projected growth to the year 2020. 5. Instead, this 130,486 acres will accommodate only 21,747 households when all of the large lots are built upon. This large lots pattern has created both physical and social barriers to the orderly and economical extension of urban services. The failure to provide and protect urban reserves has already added between $650 million and $1.33 billion to the cost of developing the remaining portions of the UtliMUSA. Immediate strategic action is needed to successfully accommodate the growth projected for this area. 6. The Twin Cities Metropolitan Area is no longer limited to the original seven counties. The Metro Region extends at least into the 13 County MSA, and beyond if one considers commuter patterns. This change must be recognized to arrive at a successful growth management strategy for the coming decades. 7. Non-MUSA related planning issues delay and obstruct the MUSA expansion process. Executive Summary :r - 3 d 11 8. Past failures to maintain an adequate urban land supply, protect urban reserves and properly control rural development, has contributed to explosive growth in not only the areas outside the MUSA line within the seven county area and around free-standing growth centers, but also in the counties that surround the seven counties and beyond. 9. The region must take immediate action to economically serve areas that can be physically connected to the regional wastewater treatment system. Recommendations 1. Expand MUSA Now. Based on assumptions in the Regional Growth Options Report, approximately 264,000 households have to be accommodated in the cities on the edges of the developed portion of the Metro Area in the next 25 years. The information contained in this report demonstrates that if 50% of the area within the Ultimate MUSA boundary is developed at urban densities, only approximately 176,450 households can be accommodated. This urban land shortage is growing daily. Prompt remedial action is needed. The effect of the development patterns that have been allowed in some portions of the U1tiMUSA area make it unlikely that it will be cost effective to extend sewers to serve them. Where it is still possible to extend sewers and facilitate development at urban densities, the Metropolitan Council should extend the MUSA line to the U1tiMUSA as soon as possible. Rather than attempting to parcel out incremental MUSA expansions, the Metropolitan Council should take bold action to achieve sewered densities in as much of the remaining U1tiMUSA area as possible. 2. Facilitate and Support Market Based Infill and Redevelopment in the Core. The Growth Options Report assumes that 66,000 households can be accommodated through either infill or redevelopment, within the developed portion of the region. It is impossible to know whether this number is realistic. What is clear is that.the Area should work very hard to clean up polluted land, facilitate redevelopment, and work with core communities to prepare and implement market focused infill and redevelopment programs. Absent these activities, it is very unlikely that the projected infill will occur. Government's role in this process should be to create an environment for private industry and market forces to operate effectively. Executive Summary Government should assist communities in removing barriers to reinvestment and in leveling the playing field with the developing suburbs. Local initiatives should be rewarded on a project specific basis, as the diversity of opportunities and resources available to local communities are better understood. 3. Adopt Flexible, Simplified MUSA Expansion Process Even if the Metropolitan Council expands to the recommended U1tiMUSA boundary now, it is inevitable that additional urban area expansions will be necessary in the future. The Metropolitan Land Planning Act and the MUSA were intended to guide and accommodate growth in a rational and economical manner. A new process for accomplishing MUSA expansions must be developed. This process should be fact based, understanding that an ample urban land supply is an essential component of a healthy regional economy. Non-MUSA related planning issues should be dealt with separately. 4. Delineate and Preserve Urban Transition Areas One of the key parts of the upcoming round of comprehensive plan amendments should be the identification of urban reserve areas within the planned sewer service area. Similar to the Urban Transition Areas in the recently approved Scott County comprehensive plan, these areas must include strong measures to preserve them for future urbanization. Counties and townships with jurisdiction over these areas should prepare and adopt plans for future urban streets and these plans must be coordinated with adjacent municipalities to insure the dedication of necessary future utility easements. If large lots are allowed in these areas, clustering should be strongly encouraged, but all large lot development must be approved along with a future urban overlay, or "ghost plat" to facilitate future urban development. 5. Adopt Restrictive Rural Density Standards to Protect Urban Transition Areas BATC supports a general rural land density of 1 unit per 40 acres. If clustering is required then densities up to a maximum of 4 units per 40 acres may be allowed (subject to urban overlay platting described above). Rural land that is located within urban reserve areas should be preserved for future urban development. Therefore, BATC does not support the practice of permanent open space dedication within urban growth corridors. Executive Summary t -3J 13 6. Develop Transportation Standards and Planning Mechanisms to Allow Continued Growth In Core Areas In Spite of Existing Traffic Congestion. Several MUSA expansion requests have been delayed because of congested levels of service on adjacent roadways. This problem will also affect the redevelopment of many areas within the Twin Cities area. Such a single-minded view of transportation, which focuses only on the number of cars entering and exiting a.site on a given roadway often results in limiting development opportunities, contrary to regional planning objectives. 7. Examine Local Regulatory Controls and Provide Incentives to Create Value/Cost Housing Opportunities at the local level. 8. Develop Innovative Approaches to Financing Needed Infrastructure Expansions and Improvements to Encourage the Use of Existing Infrastructure. 9. Establish Adequate urban land supply as the 5th metropolitan system (the current systems are transportation, wastewater treatment, aviation, and parks). 10. Examples of other ideas that merit further consideration: • Congestion pricing • Developer installed infrastructure • Land use board of adjustment • Tax policy Conclusion The findings of the BATC study confirm that there is a serious shortage of urban land to accommodate the region's future housing needs. This shortage is causing sharply rising land prices, which in turn lead to increased housing cost. Currently, this increase in urban residential land cost is causing more people to look outside the MUSA for their housing needs. The result is urban sprawl on the edges of the Metro Area. This sprawl causes higher costs to the region and individuals over the long term by limiting housing choices, and increasing the cost for roads, sewers, water and other urban services. Without a new plan for growth, these costs will continue to increase unnecessarily into the billions of dollars. Executive Summary L NIC - League of Minnesota Cities Cities promoting excAnce FRiDAYF, A weekly legislative update from the League of Minnesota SPECIAL EDITION 4 Lawsuit dismissed, but issue is far from settled PUC, legislative actions still to come n the wake of the District Court decision to dismiss the US West lawsuit against Redwood Falls, Minnesota city officials should be satisfied with the outcome, but wary of the future. "We are obviously very pleased with the District Court ruling, said Jim Miller, League of Minnesota Cities Executive Direc- tor. "However, we know full well that this decision will not finally resolve the issue. Cities need to prepare and implement a long term strategy for shaping a state telecommunications and utility right of way policy." Late Friday afternoon, Judge George Harrelson of the Fifth District Court dismissed a lawsuit brought by US West against the City of Redwood Falls asking for preemption of local regulation. US West claimed that the state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has exclusive authority over the construction of telephone lines and that cities do not have the authority to regulate how fiber optic cable must be installed or determine how much private utilities must pay to use city streets. US West objected to a Red- wood Falls ordinance requiring utilities burying major trunk fiber optic cable to either encase it in concrete or limit the city's liability. After considering potential state- wide implications, the League of Minnesota Cities Board of Direc- tors authorized League interven- tion on behalf of Redwood Falls. In the joint motion to dismiss the case, the League and Redwood Falls argued that state law autho- rizes cities to regulate the con- struction and maintenance of utility lines within streets, alleys, and other public grounds. The suit in District Court is only part of US West's strategy to challenge local control of the public rights of way. US West has also asked the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to intervene and take control of local rights of way. That decision is expected later this summer. "It's important to remember that the proceedings initiated by US West with the Public Utilities Commission remain an immedi- ate concern; said Miller. "Any PUC action will not be directly affected by the District Court ruling." In his order dismissing the lawsuit, Judge Harrelson wrote "...The Minnesota Legislature has not divested Minnesota cities of their right to impose reasonable regulations and to charge a reasonable franchise fee for the use of their streets and services" The judge's order, which US West is expected to appeal, does not preclude US West or other telecommunications providers from bringing additional district court actions alleging improper or excessive regulation. If your city needs further information or assistance in establishing defensible regulations that meet your city specific needs, please contact the League. Control of public rights of way is high on the agenda as cities gather next week in Rochester for the League of Minnesota Cities Annual Conference. At the League Annual Meeting, mem- ber cities will discuss an ambi- tious and unique work program related to the right of way issue. As proposed, this work program contemplates a substantial additional financial commitment from members. City officials do not need to register for the Annual Conference to attend the Annual Meeting on Thursday afternoon. If a repre- sentative of your city can not attend the Annual Meeting, we encourage you to contact us regarding your thoughts on this matter. With an issue this important, we thought it was necessary to mail this special edition of FridayFax to all Mayors and Managers after sending it to our existing fax list on June S. If you have a fax machine but didn't receive this as a fax, please let us know so we can update our list. If your city hall doesn't have a fax, this is an example of the breaking trews you missed during the legislative session. t ov Vol.`� 13 Jupt>5, 96 Lawsuit dismissed, but issue is far from settled PUC, legislative actions still to come n the wake of the District Court decision to dismiss the US West lawsuit against Redwood Falls, Minnesota city officials should be satisfied with the outcome, but wary of the future. "We are obviously very pleased with the District Court ruling, said Jim Miller, League of Minnesota Cities Executive Direc- tor. "However, we know full well that this decision will not finally resolve the issue. Cities need to prepare and implement a long term strategy for shaping a state telecommunications and utility right of way policy." Late Friday afternoon, Judge George Harrelson of the Fifth District Court dismissed a lawsuit brought by US West against the City of Redwood Falls asking for preemption of local regulation. US West claimed that the state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has exclusive authority over the construction of telephone lines and that cities do not have the authority to regulate how fiber optic cable must be installed or determine how much private utilities must pay to use city streets. US West objected to a Red- wood Falls ordinance requiring utilities burying major trunk fiber optic cable to either encase it in concrete or limit the city's liability. After considering potential state- wide implications, the League of Minnesota Cities Board of Direc- tors authorized League interven- tion on behalf of Redwood Falls. In the joint motion to dismiss the case, the League and Redwood Falls argued that state law autho- rizes cities to regulate the con- struction and maintenance of utility lines within streets, alleys, and other public grounds. The suit in District Court is only part of US West's strategy to challenge local control of the public rights of way. US West has also asked the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to intervene and take control of local rights of way. That decision is expected later this summer. "It's important to remember that the proceedings initiated by US West with the Public Utilities Commission remain an immedi- ate concern; said Miller. "Any PUC action will not be directly affected by the District Court ruling." In his order dismissing the lawsuit, Judge Harrelson wrote "...The Minnesota Legislature has not divested Minnesota cities of their right to impose reasonable regulations and to charge a reasonable franchise fee for the use of their streets and services" The judge's order, which US West is expected to appeal, does not preclude US West or other telecommunications providers from bringing additional district court actions alleging improper or excessive regulation. If your city needs further information or assistance in establishing defensible regulations that meet your city specific needs, please contact the League. Control of public rights of way is high on the agenda as cities gather next week in Rochester for the League of Minnesota Cities Annual Conference. At the League Annual Meeting, mem- ber cities will discuss an ambi- tious and unique work program related to the right of way issue. As proposed, this work program contemplates a substantial additional financial commitment from members. City officials do not need to register for the Annual Conference to attend the Annual Meeting on Thursday afternoon. If a repre- sentative of your city can not attend the Annual Meeting, we encourage you to contact us regarding your thoughts on this matter. With an issue this important, we thought it was necessary to mail this special edition of FridayFax to all Mayors and Managers after sending it to our existing fax list on June S. If you have a fax machine but didn't receive this as a fax, please let us know so we can update our list. If your city hall doesn't have a fax, this is an example of the breaking trews you missed during the legislative session. CITY OF PLYMOUTI+ June 5, 1996 Mr. Lance Garrison 17900 24th Avenue North Plymouth, MN 55447 Dear Mr. Garrison: T-0 4 a This letter is in response to your letter to Mayor Tierney dated May 16, 1996. I have taken the opportunity to review your letter with Public Works Director Fred Moore and Park Director Eric Blank. It appears that the desirable solution to the pedestrian situation would be to have a walk -way provided along the west side of County 101 as you have suggested. The County has tentative plans for upgrading 101 at that location beyond the year 2000. Additional information from the County indicates that anticipated funds that would contribute to all of the County upgrades may be reduced. This may further impact the anticipated upgrade date into the more distant future. In reviewing the area, it appears that there is not sufficient room to provide a safe temporary walk -way along the west side of 101 to the north or south of 24th Avenue. Our concern is that to attempt to place a temporary walk -way in such a restricted area would tend to lead pedestrians into a false sense of security. At this point I would like to suggest an approach that should reduce the risks to our pedestrians and survive the time lines that exist until upgrading on 101 can become a reality. • I would like to host a safety class for those children and adults that are affected by the location and demonstrate the safest way to negotiate the crossing of 101. • I will designate this area of 101 as a priority enforcement zone with zero tolerance for speed violators. • The City will post a pedestrian advisory sign at a point on 24th Avenue to the west of 101 directing them to a safer crossing point. PLYMOUTH _.:'e 3400 PLYMOUTH SOULEVAPG - PL /MOUTH. MINNESCTA 55-L-17.1-182 In closing, the City of Plymouth wants to assure you that we are sensitive to the predicament that faces you, your children, and neighborhood. I hope that my suggestions will prove to be a successful solution until upgrading can be accomplished. Sincerely, Crai C. Gerdes D' for of Public Safety PLYMOUTH POLICE DEPARTMENT be cc: /!�thy Lueckert, Asst City Mger Fred Moore, Director of Public Works Eric Blank, Director of Parks Mayor of Plymouth City of Plymouth 3400 Plymouth Blvd. Plymouth, MM 55447 Lance Garrison 17900 24th Ave. N. Plymouth, MN 55447 May 16, 1996 Dear Joy; f4a I wanted you to be aware of a dangerous intersection in our city and the problems I have encountered in trying to help minimize the risks. On April 25th, 1996, my son was trying to cross County Road 101 at 24th Ave. on his bike, when a north bound vehicle struck him broadside. The vehicle came round a nearly blind corner going 40 miles an how and did not see my son until he was almost on top of him. My son had to cross Cty. RD. 101 to get to the sidewalk on the east side of the road. There is no sidewalk located on the west side of Cty. RD. 101 where we live. Five weeks prior to the accident I had talked to the Plymouth Police about the amount of traffic and speed of the traffic in the area. I was told the Police would do extra patrols. I did not see any speed traps or extra patrols until after the accident when I had again talked with the Police. Over the last two weeks, I have talked to John Keoe, Fred Moore, Erik Blank, Dan Falkner, and the county planners and county director of public works. I was calling to find out about getting a sidewalk on the west side of Cty. RD. 101, or a crosswalk, or to decrease the speed limit. I question whether the present speed limit is appropriate for the number of residential homes now located in this area. The response of the city employees, was when C RDis Cty. . 101 upgraded, a sidewalk will be installed on the west side of the road. This is frustrating to hear since Cty. RD. 101 is not scheduled to be upgraded before the year 2000. I find it hard to believe the safety of Plymouth citizens is not considered important enough to add some kind of precaution. A sidewalk would be the safest for the children of the area, then they would not have to cross Cty. RD. 101. I have also been trying to reach my city council person, Tim Wold. I have leis two messages for Tim, with neither call being returned. Several of my family members live in Plymouth along with many friends and neighbors. All are very concerned in Tim's lack of responsive to a very hazardous situation. Lack of concern will not be forgotten. Erik Blank was the one person who was able to at least assist us in a small way. He said, if I sent a letter to him, he would try to get a sidewalk put in, between 24th Ave. and Queensland Ave., in 1997. This sidewalk would allow the children go to an area in the road that provides more visibility and hopefully they will be safer. It is not ideal, but it is some action to try and increase the safety of our children as well as the others in the area. I would appreciate your support on this issue. If there is anything else, I can do please let me know. Sincerely, Lance Garrison -r- Ara Erik Blank Director of Parks City of Plymouth 3400 Plymouth Blvd. Plymouth, MN 55447 Lance Garrison 17900 24th Ave. N. Plymouth, MN 55447 May 16, 1996 Mr. Blank; I spoke to you on April 26th regarding an accident at the intersection of 24th Ave. North and County Road 101. The accident resulted in injuries to my son, who is age 10, when he was trying to cross Cty. RD. 101. Over the past year the intersection at 24th Ave has been getting more dangerous to cross. With the construction of new housing to the north of 24th Ave., there -has been an increase in traffic using this road. Just before 24th Ave. North, there is a partially blind curve. Because of the distance from the curve to the intersection of 24th Ave., the speed of the traffic, and the member of vehicles using Cty. RD. 101, crossing this road has become increasingly difficult. Residents from the west side of Cty. RD. 101 need to cross the road as the sidewalk is located on the east side of the road. The children in our neighborhood cannot cross Cty. RD. 101 safely. I have talked to the county and found out Cty. RD. 101 is slated to be upgraded, but not until after the year 2000. This means we are not expected to received a sidewalk on the west side of the road for at least four years. The residents of the neighborhood and myself feel the only reasonable solution is to put a sidewalk between 24th Ave. and Queensland Ave. This would allow the pedestrians to go to the next intersection to the north, so their line of vision is adequate to cross from west to east. We do not feel the shoulder of Cty. RD. 101 is a safe alternative to get to the intersection at Queensland Ave. My family was very lucky our son's accident was not fatal. We do not want to wait for another accident before doing something to make sure he and other children in the area are safe. Please accept this letter as a formal request to have a path put in for ingress and egress between 24th Ave. N. and Queensland Ave. on the west side of Cty. RD. 101. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely; Lance Garrison cc: Mayor Joy Tierney 1,00 b June 7, 1996 CITY OF PLYMOUTR Jim and Mary Tegan 410 Ferndale Road N. Plymouth, MN 55447 SUBJECT: MNDOT HIGHWAY 12 PLANS Dear Mr. and Mrs. Tegan: I am responding to your May 8 letter to Mayor Joy Tierney concerning the plan which the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has under study for improvements to Highway 12. One element under study is the possibility of a partial interchange at Ferndale Road and Highway 12. The Plymouth City Council has gone on record as opposing any interchange at this location and further opposing any change to Ferndale Road which would change its character as a "Minor Collector" street. "Minor Collector" streets are intended to serve the adjacent neighborhoods and convey the traffic to the more major streets, i.e., County Road 6 and Wayzata Boulevard. In response to the three points in your letter: 1. When Plymouth and Orono worked with MnDOT to have Ferndale Road designated on the State Aid system, there were no discussions, comments, or conditions from MnDOT that an interchange would be necessary on Highway 12. The City of Plymouth has a Comprehensive Transportation Plan and no interchange is indicated with Highway 12. Ferndale Road does meet the State criteria for the State Aid system, or it would not have been approved by MnDOT. 2. Dan Faulkner, City Engineer, has previously responded to your letter which you sent him. As he stated, Plymouth anticipates that the design of Ferndale Road will be for a 30 - 35 m.p.h. speed. This is keeping with the character and function of a "Minor Collector" street. Although no preliminary plans have been prepared, our concept is only for one lane of traffic in each direction with turn lanes where appropriate at street intersections. PLYMOUTH A Beau tifu['Place'Io Live GAENGWNDDTUMTEGANAM 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD • PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447-1482 • TELEPHONE (612) 509-5000 Jim and Mary Tegan Page Two 3. As you state, a trail is proposed along the east side of Ferndale Road. This will allow the many homes in Plymouth access to the trail without crossing Ferndale Road. The plan is to have a continuous trail from the Luce Line Trail northerly to County Road 6. In summary, the City has not approved any interchange because of the designation of Ferndale Road to the State . Aid system. If the City uses State funds when Ferndale Road is reconstructed, the final design of the roadway would require approval from MnDOT and must meet their design criteria. We are not aware of any criteria which requires an interchange. As MnDOT continues with their planning process for Highway 12, Plymouth will continue to have opposition to any interchange at Highway 12. Sincerely, _-?, -J4. Fred G. Moore, P.E. Director of Public Works cc: Daniel L. Faulkner, P.E., City Engineer - ✓Kathy Lueckert, Assistant City Manager (CIR File 96-25) G.%ENMMND=L7VMTEGAN.DOC i May 8, 1996 Ms Joy Tierney, Mayor City of Plymouth 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 Re: Ferndale Road North Dear Ms Tierney: q r 1 L-� Thank you for your recent phone call concerning the addition of an interchange to Hwy 12 to and from Ferndale Road North. Since our letter and your phone call, we have learned several very troubling things that should also be of concern to you as we know that you have a interest in this possible major change to traffic flow to our neighborhood and city.: 1) Tom O'Keefe, Preliminary Design Engineer for MNDOT on this project, told a number of us at a May 7 meeting that the Cities of Plymouth, Orono and Wayzata had provided defacto approval of the Ferndale Road North interchange. When asked how this was possible when the cities had told everyone that they were against this, he told us that the cities were "two faced." He expanded upon this by saying that yes the cities had passed resolutions against the interchange, but they negated this iri his group's mind by petitioning the state for a change of designation of Ferndale Road to a "state aid roadway." He said that such_ a road must connect two numbered highways. County Road 6 is at one end and the only way it could be approved is with a direct connection to Hwy 12. Without this connection, it will not meet the state's criteria, thus no state money for the improvement of Ferndale Road North. Mr. O'Keefe stated that this was approved and that the cities accepted the agreement, thus they approve of the interchange. 1 would like your clarification of this as it goes against what all of the Ferndale North members think that the City of Plymouth believes and is standing for. We need not expand our feelings about such an interchange and the negative impact it would have or. our neighborhood. We also question, the need for four eastbound entrances in 2 miles (Wayzata Blvd., Hwy 15, Ferndale Road and Hwy 101.). 2) Mr. Charles Siggerud, Division Engineer for MNDOT wrote me the attached letter. You can see several points of interest. He speaks specifically about the redesigation of Ferndale Road North and the redesign of same. The most disconcerting point is that it is being redesigned as a 9 ton road "with a 30-35 mph design speed." This is currently a 40 mph road and realistic speed is often in excess of 50 mph. A new roadway with truck traffic is realistically going to be a 50 plus mph road. That is just not fitting to this area and all of the entrances to the road. Since this is being redesigned by your City Engineer, I have sent the attached letter to Mr. Dan Faulkner. I hope that he replies to our requests. Page 2 1,- 4 b 3) The redesign is said to include a trail on the east side - our side - of Ferndale Road North. We are very biased, but with the close proximity of many homes north Brockton Ave. to Ferndale Road North, we recommend that the trail start at Brockton Lane North. This would funnel the large number of families in Ferndale North to the Luce Line Trail and help alleviate the impact to the many homes on the Plymouth side of the road. We hope that the "new information" about the feelings of MNDOT on our city approving the interchange because of the acceptance of state aid funds to improve Ferndale Road North is of interest. It sure was to all of us in this area. We would like your input as to your and the city's real position on this and the other points we bring up. Thank you in advance for your continuing consideration. Sincerely, ;im and M' Te an 410 Ferndale d North Plymouth, MN 55447 Phone: 475-1340 Fax: 475-3589 U :[. I+ so May 5, 1996 Mr. Dan Faulkner City engineer City of Plymouth 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 Re: Ferndale Road North Dear Mr. Faulkner: We were referred to you by Mr. Charles A. Siggerud of MNDOT. We wrote him in concern about the possible addition of an interchange with Highway 12 and Ferndale Road North. In our letter and in his reply we mutually discussed additional concerns which he said you are responsible for. Being long-time residents of Plymouth - since 1976 - we have enjoyed the city and have paid our fair share of taxes. Now we would like a little in return in the way of your time and consideration. As you can tell from our address, we are one of the few Plymouth residences facing Ferndale Road North. Needless to say, we are strongly against the addition of an interchange to bring traffic from Highway 12 past our home and to Cty. Rd. 6. But that is pretty much out of your hands I believe. If not, please let us know. What does affect you Mr. Siggerud says is the design of the upgrade of Ferndale Road North. Of special concern are: 1) The safe entrance to the road from our home. This is especially so since we are at the bottom of a long hill and some motorists often now exceed 60 MPH in this stretch. Most exceed 45 MPH. With an improved road, we feel that most would approach 50 to 60 MPH going down the hill. Yet Mr. Siggerud says that your design speed is for 30-35 MPH. How do you plan on reducing the speed from its' current posted 40 MPH and in reality much more than that to 30-35 MPH? 2) What will happen to our front yard, trees and scrubs? Ours is one of the highest priced homes in the area and the removal of the buffer we planted when we moved to this location would be very detrimental to the appearance and sound coming from the road. Page 2 01:- 46 3) Is a "trail' planned on our side which would bring much foot and bicycle traffic past our home? How will this intrude upon our property and the buffer we now have? 4) Are there multiple options for design? If so, would you please review all options under review or in planning with us. 5) If the above mentioned trees and scrubs are removed for this expansion, what does the city/county/state do to compensate us or replace the removed items? 6) What levels of traffic to you anticipate with and without an interchange at Hwy 12 and Ferndale Road North? What are the current levels of traffic? 7) What is the timetable for the improvements to Ferndale Road North? Your speedy reply would be appreciated. If you would like us to come to your office, we will gladly do so. Thank you in advance for your consideration. Sincerely, Jim and Mary Tegan 410 Ferndale Road North Plymouth, MN 55447 Phone: 475-1340 Fax: 475-3589 May 3, 1996 Minnesota Department of Transportation Metropolitan Division Waters Edge Building 1500 West County Road B2 Roseville, Minnesota 55113 Jim and Mary Tegan 410 Ferndale Road North Plymouth, Minnesota 55447 Dear Mr. & Mrs. Tegan: r'.. 4 b Commissioner Denn has asked me to respond to your letter dated April 8, 1996, which raises concerns about the design of the Ferndale Road upgrade and the interchange at Trunk Highway (T.H.) 12 and Ferndale Road proposed in the Transportation System Management (TSM) Alternative. I will address each of these issues independently. There seems to be a misunderstanding about who is designing the upgrade of Ferndale Road. The cities of Plymouth and Orono are jointly participating in the Ferndale improvements and are responsible for the design and upgrade. Because the cities successfully petitioned for Ferndale Road to be designated a state aid roadway, they will be required to follow state aid design standards if they want to use state aid funds to pay for improvements. The city is responsible to develop and design the final roadway plans for the improvements and acquire approval from Mn/DOT's state aid office. Dan Faulkner, Plymouth City Engineer, has informed us that the concept the city is considering at this time is a two-lane 9 ton roadway design approximately 33 to 36 feet wide with curb and gutter. The 36 feet would be needed to allow for turning sections such as left turn lanes. The sight distance you are concerned about would be addressed in the design process once the city has sufficient survey information. The safe sight distance for the hill and the access is anticipated to follow design criteria for a roadway with a 30-35 mph design speed. Without sufficient survey and design information, it's difficult to predict what impacts the upgrade would have to the residents along Ferndale. The right-of-way on Ferndale Road is 40 feet on the east side and 33 feet on the west side. Some easements may be required. The city also anticipates including a trail on the east side to allow for access to the Luce Line Trail. The improvements would not necessarily be a negative impact to the value of homes along Ferndale. Having a safer roadway with a separate trail for pedestrian safety could be seen as a benefit. Questions and concerns regarding the design of Ferndale Road can be directed to Mr. Faulkner at (612) 509-5520. An Equal Opportunity Employer L-4 Jim and Mary Tegan May 3, 1996 Page Two The second issue is the proposed interchange at Ferndale Road and T.H. 12. The interchange is currently an element of Alternative 5, commonly known as the TSM Alternative. The . alternative is still in the planning stage and no element of the concept has been finalized. The Ferndale Road interchange was included as a logical access point to T.H. 12. A fundamental idea of TSM is to limit access to T.H. 12 following the design criteria of a principal arterial. Access that is provided should allow the local transportation system users safe access to the local roadway system. The utilization of the parallel routes of Watertown Road and County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 6 is important in the the TSM Alternative because of the large number of access points to existing T.H. 12 which are eliminated. The local collector road system enables local residents to travel around the municipalities without having to use T.H. 12. We will be investigating and studying options to the interchange, as your letter suggested. Although many perceive T.H. 101 as able to handle considerably more traffic, we know that the present roadway is already nearing capacity during the peak periods. We will, however, study the traffic in much more detail as the project progresses into the design stage. Safety is one our highest priorities and no element in the TSM concept should compromise that. Likewise, Mn/DOT tries to minimize adverse impacts to communities and would not construct an interchange, if the benefit does not justify the cost. The TSM Alternative with the interchange at Ferndale Road is only a planning concept at this time. The City of Long Lake has formally requested Mn/DOT to also study a southern by-pass as a TSM Alternative and another version called a three -component TSM. During the 30 -day comment period, Mn/DOT will be considering these and other requests submitted as we continue to develop the project and move forward into the preliminary design stage. Mn/DOT will be holding six public information open houses along the T.H. 12 corridor study area in the 30 -day comment period beginning April 22, 1996. The specific dates and times will be publicized in the local newspapers and Star Tribune. I encourage your active participation in the development of this highway project. We will continue to work with the local units of government to develop a solution that provides a safe and efficient roadway and deals effectively with the needs of the local communities. Sincerely, ,✓ Charles A. Siggerud, P. E. Division Engineer June 7, 1996 Leo and Helen Hauser 425 Ferndale Road N. Plymouth, MN 55447 CITY OF PLYMOU?I-F SUBJECT: MNDOT HIGHWAY 12 PLANS Dear Mr. and Mrs. Hauser: Thank you for your letter to the Mayor with your comments about the proposed interchange on Ferndale Road and Highway 12. As I believe you are aware, the Plymouth City Council has gone on record as opposing any interchange at this location. It is the intent of Plymouth to continue the existing purpose of Ferndale Road to provide access to the adjacent residential neighborhood; that traffic is then conveyed to County Road 6 or Wayzata Boulevard. As you state in your letter, an interchange would change this character and make Ferndale Road a feeder into Highway 12. Plymouth was not part of any mediation process with MnDOT and Long Lake during the previous planning process. A part of the plans currently under study by MnDOT does provide an additional roadway through Long Lake. The concept is for an "express" two-lane roadway with very limited access. This roadway begins at about Highway 12 and County Road 6 on the west and continues easterly to the existing four -lane Highway 12. Plymouth will continue to oppose any interchange as MnDOT continues with their planning process. Sincerely, Fred G. Moore, P.E. Director of Public Works -/cc: Kathy Lueckert, Assistant City Manager (C/R File 96-26) PLYMOUTH :1 Beaut fu1P1ace?v Live GAENGWNDOTU.TMHAUSER.DW 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD - PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447-1482 - TELEPHONE (612) 509-5000 Leo & Helen Hauser 425 N. Ferndale Rd. Wayzata, MN 55391 473-1173 Joy Tierney, Mayor City of Plymouth 3400 Plymouth Blvd. Plymouth, MN 55447 Re: Highway 12 and Ferndale Road North e�y.r SO O Volk q - ate May 3, 1996 The issues surrounding the extension of Hwy`1-2v€ been discussed and argued since the late 1950s. At that time, the Hwy 12 By -Pass was implimented effectively cutting a path through the residential area of Wayzata ending just east of Long Lake. Instead of following the roadbed of Cty Rd. 6, which wove its way through farm land to eventually intersect with Hwy 12 east of Maple Plain, MDOT chose to follow a plan that necess- itated building a whole new roadbed which cut through the heart of Wayzata and ended just east of Long Lake.:It is no surprise this has created serious traffic problems as the divided 4 lane 55 MPH highway narrows to 2 lanes at 35 MPH entering Long Lake. To facilitate this By -Pass, inter- changes were created at both the east and west ends of Wayzata and Hwy 101, and Hwy 101 was widened from 2 to 4 lanes with 4 additional traffic lights to accommodate the traffic. The problem is not moving the traffic around Wayzata, but rather that the By -Pass suddenly ends east of Long Lake. It is clear, therefore, that the solution to the problem must start at the end of the By -Pass at the east end of Long Lake and should not be pushed back to Wayzata, which has already paid a huge price for this By -Pass. It has been stated that the TSM alternative "grew out ofmediation proceedings between MDOT, Long Lake and Orono". Were Wayzata and Plymouth included in these mediation proceedings? The TSM proposal would make Ferndale Road, a TOTALLY RESIDENTIAL street with no shoulders and limited visibility, into a feeder road from Cty Rd. 6 to this proposed interchange. How MDOT's Tom O'Keefe could claim that this proposal should reduce the use of N. Ferndale Rd. is beyond reason. This is,a road where two school buses going in opposite direct- ions have a difficult time passing each other. People riding bikes have to hug the edge of the pavement. There is absolutely NO WAY N. Ferndale Rd. can handle the increased traffic that would be created by this proposed interchange. And, if the purpose of this interchange is NOT to feed traffic from Cty Rd. 6 onto the By -Pass via this interchange, then what IS its purpose? So, in summary: 1. Wayzata has already paid a very high price for the present By -Pass 2. For this By -Pass there are already 3 major interchanges 3. The By -Pass ends east of Long Lake; the problems begin there and Wayzata should not be part of the solution. Every effort must be made to defeat this proposal before'it goes any further. Sincerely, 4, l-d��C 2-a b 1,0 14) 10D 10 O� 1.0 o� �o �o �o �o �o �o �° 1,0 10 I'D �o �o 10 �o �o %0 �o %0 Q V, N N N V'1 N N A N �- O M 00 O� �-- - 00 00 00 00 r` N N N rr O� N M M N 1n �-+ N n r`in N --� v1 N N M N M M M M h in h in in in Am �o �O O� �D O� O� O� �D D\ a\ M M �o M �o Ch �o !Z 10 10 �o O� %O as �o O� %O O� %O O� %O O� %O O� %O ON %O as �o m �o m �o O� �o O� �o O� O� O� O� N N CO N O M�� 0�0 C d �--� O N N N -- -+ N r-+ l- N M y �-- Ct N �O N z O M 0000 iz .M -i � N N � N � N �. 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N N ,,,,, w w AG1 a x :� 5� a =0d 3 ° O �� -ti V y O.• w U o R O Z Z U ee W —0P CI a� b o Cd ca U a 00i o � � o •b A old ° G a, a o a o � � � :: b a � b u o o U Q+ � .GCIO U U U a. > N•+ o o g o o U> .. w .� O aria a U °' O ice+ Op -�a00 � v�v�AZAZxUOx PL, Fr.�r�v�av,�A vaiwwaUHaH vaiU 0 U U y � in, �? 3 � a � •� O b 3 Q :r a o ,� p p ELI HUl v .• gg a>i �° Q -:.1�'►-itiV)i�w{-1 ,; n�¢ A o d�tiUZ o xr��mati O odea ;x r-i ►pii-7Ao4 b o. E-4 r, ED "�. N M v h �O l� 00 D\ �'-'r .Ny .�-� �O DO p O �--� N N N M N N Vy N �O N l- N 00 N ON N O M M N M STATE OF MINNESOTA JUDICJAV-15- 57R.I,CT r. r FOURTH FRANKLIN J. KNOLL JUDGE HENNEPIN COUNTY GOVERNMENT CENTER MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA 55487-0421 (612) 348-6971 FAX (612) 348-2131 COURT The Honorable Joy Tierney, Mayor, City of Plymouth 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, Minnesota 55447 Dear Mayor Tierney: Our family home suffered a devastating fire on the night of Saturday, May 11, 1996. In the course of the evening and the early morning hours of Sunday, May 12, 1996, officers of the Plymouth fire and police departments were on the scene for approximately four hours. While our home was almost completely destroyed, the shock of it all was eased by the professionalism and courtesies shown to us by the city's fire fighters and police officers. For example, at considerable personal risk, the fire fighters were considerate enough to attempt to preserve furniture and other house contents by the use of tarps whenever possible while at the same time dealing with an enormous and dangerous fire. One of the chiefs even sat with my dog, attempting to calm her while we entered the building after the fire had been extinguished. Police officers continually inquired as to how they might be of assistance. I thought you might appreciate hearing this and perhaps pass along our appreciation to fire and police officials. Yours Very Truly, � J Margot and Frank Knoll 17400 23rd Avenue Plymouth, Minnesota 55447 cc: Plymouth Fire Chief Kline Plymouth Police Chief Gerdes The Plymouth We lea 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth. Minnesota 55447 May 29, 1996 City. of Plymouth 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 Dear Sir/Madam: On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Plymouth Civic League, we wish to express our thanks to you for your generous gift of $15,000.00 on May 29, 1996 to support Music In Plymouth in 1996. Your contribution will help make the annual summer concert an overwhelming success this year. Each year for the past 23 years we have put on Music In Plymouth for an evening of outdoor entertainment. The main feature every year has been the Minnesota Orchestra. Also included in the evening has been a variety of local and regional musical groups. For a number of years we have been ending the evening with an outstanding fireworks display. We can only do all of this for the community through help from your contributions. Thank you again for your support. We have not provided you with any goods or services in exchange for this contribution. Please retain this document for your records. It is an important document necessary for 1 1 e ' 1 �� me tbY-/i , a:. a:a..wts.c fz,*��tt. i.. a...,, ,.....�:iuction fcr this cin±fihu±ion. Sincerely, Sue Jackson Treasurer June 7, 1996 Mayor Tom Schrader City of Medicine Lake 10 Kaiser Avenue Medicine Lake, MN 55441 Dear Mayor. Schrader: Thank you for appearing at the Plymouth public hearing on South Shore Drive Wednesday evening and for your offer to meet with Plymouth officials on improving safety in the area. As you know, the City Council designated a subcommittee of Nick Granath, Christian Preus, and Ginny Black to meet with you and members of your City Council. Mr. Granath, the subcommittee chair, has asked me to write to you to indicate that we stand ready to meet with you at your earliest convenience. Please let us know what dates and times would be most convenient for you. We will be happy to meet with you at your City Hall or you are certainly welcome to come back to our building. Again, thank you for offering to meet with us to discuss safety measures in more detail and we look forward to hearing from you. Please call me at 509-5051 if you have any questions. Sincerely, Dwigh D. Johnson City Manager PLYMOUTH ABeau tifulPlaceToLive 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD • PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447-1482 • TELEPHONE (612) 509-5000