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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/28/2006 AGENDA MAPLEWOOD HOUSING AND REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY TUESDAY, March 28,2006 7:00 P.M. CITY HALL MAPLEWOOD ROOM 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Approval of Minutes a. March 14, 2006 4. Approval of Agenda 5. Communications 6. Unfinished Business None 7. New Business a. Alternative Gladstone Neighborhood Redevelopment Plan Review (with CDRB) 8. Date of Next Meeting(s) a. Apri111? 9. Adjoumment MINUTES OF THE MAPLEWOOD HOUSING AND REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY 1830 COUNTY ROAD BEAST, MAPLEWOOD, MINNESOTA TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2006 7:00 P.M. CITY HALL MAPLEWOOD ROOM I. CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Fischer called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Commissioner Tom Connelly Chairperson Lorraine Fischer Commissioner Joe O'Brien Commissioner Gary Pearson Commissioner Beth Ulrich Present Present Absent Present Present Staff Present: Ken Roberts, Planner Staff Absent: Lisa Kroll, Recording Secretary III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approval of the HRA minutes for March 14, 2006. Chairperson Fischer requested changes to the minutes on pages 9 and 13. On page 9, in the second paragraph, add the words CDRB member Linda Olson. On page 13, in the first paragraph, last sentence, delete the words most of and capitalize Ihese. Commissioner Connelly moved to approve the minutes of March 14, 2006, as amended. Commissioner Ulrich seconded. Ayes - Connelly, Fischer, Pearson, Ulrich The motion carried. IV. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Commissioner Connelly moved to approve the agenda. Commissioner Pearson seconded. Ayes - Connelly, Fischer, Pearson, Ulrich The motion carried. Housing and Redevelopment Authority -2- Minutes of 03-28-06 V. COMMUNICATIONS a. Rebecca Cave HRA Liaison and Introduction Mr. Roberts said there we have a guest joining the HRA meeting this evening. Rebecca Cave, the newest city councilmember, was appointed at the city council meeting on March 27, 2006, to be the liaison between the HRA and the city council. The HRA members introduced themselves and welcomed Rebecca Cave. Mr. Roberts put together information for Rebecca and the rest of the city council regarding the history of the HRA and other general information. b. Reappointments Mr. Roberts said at least two of the HRA members are due for reappointments to the HRA. Staff will get that information and pass it along to the pertinent commission members. VI. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None. VII. NEW BUSINESS a. Alternative Gladstone Neighborhood Redevelopment Plan Review joint meeting with the CDRB (7:08 - 8:35 p.m.) Mr. Roberts said through this extensive process, the city and the consultants completed a draft neighborhood redevelopment plan in November 2005. This plan had about 800 housing units in the Gladstone Redevelopment Area. The HRA and the CDRB reviewed this plan during a joint meeting on January 10, 2006. The city council, in January 2006, directed staff and the planning consultants to study whether a redevelopment plan with about 500 housing units in Gladstone would be financially feasible. Staff has completed the concept design for such a plan and the financial analysis. That plan, also known as Plan B, orthe Bartol Plan, is now ready for review and comment by the city advisory boards and commissions. Enclosed in the HRA packet is a Gladstone Advisory Board Discuss Questionnaire for your own use. The HRA is invited to listen to the presentation and then to provide comments on the different possible plans for Gladstone. There will be a special city council meeting on Tuesday, April 18, 2006, at 7:00 p.m. to discuss only the Gladstone Redevelopment Plan. This will be a public hearing and many people will share their feelings regarding the redevelopment of the Gladstone area. A representative from each board and commission will speak to the city council on their group's recommendation. The HRA joined the CDRB in the city council chambers for a presentation by Chuck Ahl, Public Works Director. (The HRA then came back to the Maplewood Room to continue conversing regarding the Gladstone Area Redevelopment Plan at 8:40 p.m.) Housing and Redevelopment Authority -3- Minutes of 03-28-06 Chairperson Fischer said she is uncomfortable making a recommendation regarding the Gladstone Redevelopment plan without the HRA Gladstone Task Force member, Joe O'Brien, present. Commissioner Ulrich agreed. Mr. Roberts said the commissioners can still discuss things and may use the Gladstone questionnaire as a reference. Commissioner Pearson said he doesn't think you can consider building near the roundabout without out having control of the funeral home property. He said he has spent time looking at the Excelsior Avenue project in St. Louis Park and that project is the closest project to what Maplewood is looking at in terms of the types of buildings, plazas, and size of buildings. He couldn't begin to envision what they have done with their project and have that building right in the center core of the development. Developers aren't going to be willing to develop the site without having control of the funeral home property. Commissioner Connelly asked if the Moose Lodge was moving or relocating? Mr. Roberts said it sounds like the Moose Lodge is willing to relocate but he was not sure. They have not had some of those site specific discussions yet other than the St. Paul Tourist Cabin site discussion when Central Community Housing Trust came to speak. Commissioner Connelly said the discussion at the last HRA meeting was very impressive regarding the Central Community Housing Trust concept plan on the St. Paul Tourist Cabin site and it wasn't included in the plans. Mr. Roberts said Mr. Ahl said that was not included in the plans but it was included in the number of units. Commissioner Connelly asked if there was sewer and water close to this property even though the St. Paul Tourist cabins have said they are not connected to the city sewer and water? Mr. Roberts said sewer and water have to be close to that site to be extended to that site. Mr. Roberts asked if the presentation tonight helped to sort through the two alternative plans? Chairperson Fischer said there could be a third alternative considered somewhere between the 490 units and the 800 number of units. Commissioner Connelly agreed. Commissioner Ulrich said she would have liked a copy of the street differences showing what stays and what amenities would go with the different development plans. Mr. Roberts said with the 800 unit plan the redevelopment moves farther east by another three or four blocks up Frost Avenue and extends farther north and south on English Street. Commissioner Pearson asked if these developers would be paying the typical PAC (Park Access Charges), WAC (Water Access Charges), and SAC (Sewer Access Charges)? Housing and Redevelopment Authority -4- Minutes of 03-28-06 Mr. Roberts said yes. Commissioner Ulrich said she heard there are developers interested in the 800 unit plan but asked if there were developers interested in the 490 units? Mr. Roberts said his sense from conversations from the city staff was that the level of developer interest at 490 units would be luke warm or tepid. The consultants and city staff feel that the 800 unit plan would work well. The consultants feel the 490 unit plan is feasible. It may be that with the 490 unit plan the developers could feel there would be a lack of commitment from the city or that there is more that the needs to be done and the thought that the city is not doing enough. It may take longer to build fewer units compared to the higher number of units. The 490 unit plan is bare bones and may not have the appeal necessary to sell the units. Commissioner Pearson said one of the survey questions ask if you would accept less density in order to get more commercial property nearby. Senior citizens are going to want more commercial property here. The bottom line is he believes the plan will require closer to the 600 plus unit count rather than the 490 unit plan and have more commercial property which is in between the 800 unit plan and the 490 unit plan. Maybe including some additional money to help some of the current commercial properties to stay there. Commissioner Ulrich said the Gladstone neighborhood is saying they want lower density with the 490 unit plan along with more commercial property but the plan shows the higher density at 800 units with more commercial. If you cut improvements in order to make a plan work, how will there ever be a consensus as to what gets cut? Mr. Roberts said that's why staff came up with the questionnaire worksheet to help you formulate your decisions. If the HRA is not ready to formulate a recommendation for the Gladstone plan then the HRA will have to meet on Tuesday, April 11 , 2006. Commissioner Ulrich said she would be out of town and would not be able to attend that meeting. Mr. Roberts said you can send your comments to staff or Chuck Ahl via e-mail. Commissioner Ulrich said she has concerns about the 490 unit plan and is concerned about finding a quality developer to come in and do a nice plan. She has no problem with the 800 unit plan. She has seen high density look very nice and fit into an existing neighborhood very well. If you have a responsible developer, good design guidelines and good property management, it can be a very nice development. In the long run you will be happier with what you get as a whole. There will be individuals that will not be happy no matter what. Commissioner Connelly said why do people say they want the 490 unit plan when they really don't want anything at all done here. Mr. Roberts said people have said they want some type of redevelopment of the area done. Chairperson Fischer said she doesn't have a problem with a mixture of woodchips and partially paved trails in the Savanna. Housing and Redevelopment Authority -5- Minutes of 03-28-06 Mr. Roberts said the only problem with using woodchips on the trails is that handicapped people in wheelchairs cannot use the trail system. Chairperson Fischer said there is nothing that states every trail on the Savanna has to be wheelchair accessible. Mr. Roberts said correct. Mr. Roberts said any trail system would be better than what is currently there. Chairperson Fischer asked if she understood correctly that if there is some contamination on the site as long as you are not moving the contaminated dirt around there is not as much of an expense to clean up the site if you don't disturb the soil. So if you build the trails where there is no contamination the cost will be less than if things were built where the contamination is located. That may be one way to cut some of the costs as well. Commissioner Ulrich said this is in the storm water contamination area, does some of that have to be done in order to meet the standards? Mr. Roberts said he believes that is one of the design goals that Mr. Ahl has been working on. They would be looking for the flows and standards that have been retroactive since the early 1980's. Any project or redevelopment will have to be looked at very carefully. In the next month or six weeks Mr. Ahl will be bringing some information to the city council about that and how that would affect development. Mr. Roberts said the HRA should decide who will be the HRA representative to give the recommendation to the city council on Tuesday, April 18, 2006. Chairperson Fischer said she would recommend Joe O'Brien since he has attended the Gladstone Task Force Meetings as the HRA representative. Commissioner Ulrich said if he is comfortable doing that and she would be fine with Joe O'Brien as the representative. Mr. Roberts said however, Joe O'Brien was not here tonight to hear the discussion amongst the HRA members. Chairperson Fischer said she would still be comfortable having Joe represent the HRA. Commissioner Connelly said he would think everyone would agree the area needs some redevelopment and in order to do it property the 800 unit plan is the plan to do it properly. If you are going to wait for things to happen naturally here in the Gladstone area, it's not going to happen. Chairperson Fischer said her preference is to not have the housing up to the street. Commissioner Ulrich said the retail or commercial properties do much better closer to the street so if you are going to have the mixed use and stacked housing together that works well there. Housing and Redevelopment Authority -6- Minutes of 03-28-06 Chairperson Fischer said she grew up in the neighborhood where the retail was right up to the sidewalk with living quarters above the stores. Commissioner Connelly said the City of Little Canada built that type of development on the old Venetian Inn restaurant site on Rice Street and Little Canada Road where they have commercial on the lower half and senior housing on the top (called the Lodges of Little Canada). Mr. Roberts said it sounds like the HRA will continue this discussion at their next meeting when Joe O'Brien will be available and he will be the HRA representative to pass the HRA recommendation on to the city council at their meeting on Tuesday, April 18, 2006. VIII. DATE OF NEXT MEETING The next HRA meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 11 , 2006. IX. ADJOURNMENT Chairperson Fischer adjourned the meeting at 9:15 p.m.