HomeMy Public PortalAbout08/22/00 Special CCM173
MEDINA CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES OF AUGUST 22, 2000
The City Council of Medina, Minnesota met in special session on August 22, 2000 at 7:30 p.m.
in the City Hall Chambers. Mayor John Ferris presided.
Members present: Ferris, Zietlow, Lane, Johnson, and Smith.
Members absent: None.
Also present: Administrator Clerk -Treasurer Paul Robinson.
Comprehensive Plan Amendments
Paul Robinson said at the last City Council meeting, Phyllis Hanson talked to the Council about
issues the Metropolitan Council had with Medina's Comprehensive Plan. He said there were
basically four main issues. One was the inconsistency in the employment forecast. The second
was the amount of area designated for urban reserve. The third was the lack of controls to
insure that the urban reserve was not precluded from future urbanization. And the fourth was
the issue about denying the City's use of the flexible MUSA and requiring geographical staging.
Robinson said there were some additional issues raised at the previous Council meeting,
however, the four main issues listed in the memo are the ones that require additional
discussion.
Comprehensive Plan Amendments - Employment Forecasts
Robinson said the City's initial Comprehensive Plan projected that 100% of the commercial area
would be developed by 2020. This was done to make sure that the City used conservative
estimates to ensure that the City would have enough sewer capacity over the next 20 years.
However, realistically only 60%, if not less of this area, will be developed by 2020. Therefore,
this area was reduced by 40%, bringing the employment numbers more into line with the
population numbers and close enough to the Metropolitan Council projections.
Robinson said this change relates to corresponding decreases in the sewer and water flows,
which will be addressed later on.
Comprehensive Plan Amendments - Urban Reserve
Robinson said there are three main issues in the Urban Reserve area. One is where to locate
additional Urban Reserve, the second is how much area needs to be placed in the Urban
Reserve, and the last is what additional restrictions need to be incorporated regarding
development in those areas.
He said the area recommended was included on the map provided. He said the proposed UR
addition includes around 738 gross acres and would be added as urban reserve to an area
around the City of Loretto between the Independence Beach area and the County Road 19 and
TH 55 intersection.
The other issue concerning additional restrictions is where Robinson said he had a
misunderstanding with Phyllis Hanson. He said he believed they had agreed to allowing an
overall average of 1 unit per 10 acres if ghost platting were used showing a density of 3 units
per acre.
Medina City Council Meeting Minutes
August 22, 2000
174
Comprehensive Plan Amendments - Sewer Issues
Robinson said the Metropolitan Council staff agreed to allow Medina to use the flexible MUSA
for many of the same reasons stated in the Comprehensive Plan. He said it just makes sense
based on the infrastructure currently place. He said the flow projections between now and 2020
were revised and the City will need to add some language to the Comprehensive Plan to make
sure that the City abides by the capacity limitations.
Robinson described the difference between geographical staging and flexible staging.
Robinson said the last part of the sewer issue dealt with the City's current sewer capacity of
280,000 average gallons per day. Robinson said this particular issue still needs additional
information before the Council approves any amendments to the Comprehensive Plan. He said
it will be important to have a more solid response or guarantee from the Metropolitan Council
about providing additional short-term capacity, if needed, as well as for providing additional long
term capacity.
Jim Johnson was not in favor of adding any additional urban reserve and wanted to cap growth
in Medina. He said this proposal will add a significant amount of growth.
Phyllis Hanson of the Metropolitan Council said that she had a hard time taking these numbers
back to the Metropolitan Council. She said that she and Paul had been in communication quite
a bit over the past week in discussing these options. She said she used several rationale to
show that an additional 738 acres would be enough to satisfy the Metropolitan Council. This
included showing the current urban reserve area in a different, more visible manner, showing
how the blueprint, with 8,000 acres in the UR, did not take into consideration Baker Park which
is 2,500 acres, the significant amount of wetlands in this area, or the amount of UR
encompassed by your current commercial area. Based on these considerations, Hanson was
able to make a case with her superiors and colleagues to reduce the amount needed. If the City
Council would consider some additional reserve, the area proposed seems to work well for a
number of reasons. It is near two current urban areas and also matches up with the current
thinking of the City of Corcoran as well.
There was some discussion about the number of units per acre that would be allowed in the
urban reserve.
Phyllis Hanson said that the blueprint requires 1 unit per 40 acres, however, there have been
exemptions given with ghost platting to allow a slightly denser development. However, what we
had talked about was potentially allowing 1 unit per 20 acres without any ghost platting. Paul
had talked to you about using just 1 unit per 10, as the rural residential ordinance currently
allows, but require ghost platting showing three units per acre.
Phil Zietlow said he would be interested in considering the additional urban reserve, however,
did not want to create a hardship for people who are currently in the rural residential area by
having a stricter requirements than what the rural residential ordinance requires today for lot
size.
Jim Johnson was concerned about making Loretto five to six times bigger than it is today with
the problems of traffic and other problems that would be associated with that type of
development. He was concerned that it pushes part of Medina's problems off into somebody
else's area and he thought it made more sense to keep any additional urban reserve area closer
to the Hamel area.
Medina City Council Meeting Minutes
August 22, 2000
175
Jim Johnson selected areas on the guide plan map where he thought it made more sense to
have urban reserve. He would extend the UR down from the Hamel area on each side of Holy
Name Drive, down to Holy Name Lake, and then pick up some areas north of Hamel Road that
are not currently in the MUSA and maybe add a small portion of the area up by Loretto.
There was some discussion about whether or not Loretto had been informed about these
changes.
Paul Robinson said he had a conversation with the mayor of Loretto to let him know and they
just want to know what Medina's ultimate decision is. He said Medina has the ultimate control
over how it develops.
There was some discussion about how Loretto would be sewered. There were a number of
options that were discussed.
Phyllis Hanson said basically the Metropolitan Council sewer staff was waiting to see what the
plan will end up like and will then provide sewer accordingly.
There was a significant discussion about the urban reserve area.
Jim Johnson tried to make clear to the remaining members that adding any urban reserve area
meant future urban density and possibly urban density sooner than 2020.
Paul Robinson said that it is true that recently when the City Council tried to remove some areas
from the 2020-2040 area, a majority of property owners potentially affected by that change were
quite upset. So by designating a new urban reserve area, there will be some vested right and
interest by those property owners in the ultimate sewering of that property.
Jim Johnson said that he wanted to take urban reserve out of the plan. He said the current
Council replaced the pro growth Council and this is a huge difference between what was being
presented. He had problems with the size of the sewer district as it was and to add any
additional property is not something that he wanted to consider.
Phyllis Hanson said by going 1 unit per 40 acres, and not allowing any subdivision, this could
possibly provide more of a no growth incentive than allowing a 1 per 10 acres.
Carolyn Smith said that it does, in some ways, seem to make sense to extend the urban reserve
down towards Holy Name Lake. However, when the Planning Commission had addressed the
MUSA in that area, there was considerable opposition from the residents who lived there, and at
this time it does not seem practical to readdress that issue because the outcome would more
than likely be the same.
John Ferris said that he was also not interested in moving the urban reserve over closer to the
heart of Medina and expanding it away from the current Hamel area. He was okay with the
additional urban reserve as shown around Loretto.
Ferris said that he believed that the reaming rural residential area should be left alone. He was
voted in for that very purpose, and allowing more development in that area would result in a loss
of trust.
Medina City Council Meeting Minutes
August 22, 2000
176
Jim Lane said he would be more comfortable with the urban reserve area if he had a feeling that
there was some greater plan than just a piecemeal approach city by city, that there is some
reason for an urban reserve area here versus another area in Hennepin County.
Phyllis Hanson said that was an excellent question and that there had been some reasoning
given to this area based on the other development issues in Hennepin County. She proceeded
to draw a map of the proposed development within the entire county and how this particular
issue would fit into that overall plan, especially in relationship to Corcoran. Corcoran is talking
about urbanizing north of the intersection of Trunk Highway 55 and County Road 19.
There was some discussion about how additional development was being projected for areas in
northern Hennepin County that had not been previously projected and that was part of the
problem and dilemma for the ultimate capacity for the Elm Creek Interceptor.
There was some additional discussion about the Elm Creek Interceptor and capacity issues.
Moved by Carolyn Smith, seconded by Phil Zietlow, to approve adding the urban reserve area
as shown for a public hearing by the Planning Commission. Those in favor: Jim Lane, John
Ferris, Phil Zietlow, and Carolyn Smith. Opposed: Jim Johnson. Motion passed.
There was some discussion about the process that would have to take place in order for this to
be completed.
Paul Robinson said they already advertised for a special Planning Commission meeting for
September 7 to address general changes to the Comprehensive Plan based on the outcome of
the discussion this evening. He said there would probably need to be a special meeting of the
City Council. Robinson said he was not sure, but he thought that the Planning Commission was
going to be on Monday instead of Wednesday because of the primary election, so the City
Council would have to meet earlier at 5:00 p.m. in order to be sure to be done before the
Planning Commission meeting at 7:30 p.m.
Moved by Carolyn Smith, seconded by John Ferris, to set up a special meeting for September
11, 2000 to address the amendments to the Comprehensive Plan as recommended by the
Planning Commission. Motion passed unanimously.
2. Revision of the Employment Forecast
Moved by Carolyn Smith, seconded by Phil Zietlow, to approve the changes to the employment
forecast. Motion passed unanimously.
3. Flexible MUSA
Robinson explained the City's desire to keep the flexible MUSA. At this time the Metropolitan
Council was in agreement with this if the City added additional language to the Comprehensive
Plan strengthening the City's commitment to keeping within the capacity limitations as shown.
Moved by Carolyn Smith, seconded by Phil Zietlow, to keep the flexible MUSA and add
language to the Comprehensive Plan as needed. Motion passed unanimously.
4. Capacity Issue
The last issue that did not require an amendment to the plan but was an issue that the City
Council wanted to make sure that Phyllis Hanson took back to the Metropolitan Council, was
that in order for this plan amendment to be approved by the City Council, there needs to be
Medina City Council Meeting Minutes
August 22, 2000
177
some type of resolution for how the 280,000 capacity limit would be dealt with and if there would
be additional capacity allowed through the City of Plymouth or if an interceptor would be
constructed or exactly what would happen. An answer to this question is vital to the adoption of
this amendment.
Paul Robinson was directed to continue to negotiate with the Metropolitan Council for some
resolution to the sewer capacity issues.
5. Bills
Approval of check #21399 for a purchase of a new squad car.
Moved by Jim Johnson, seconded by Carolyn Smith, to approve the bills. Motion passed
unanimously.
6. Adjournment
Moved by Jim Johnson, seconded by Phil Zietlow, to adjourn the meeting at 9:45 p.m. Motion
passed unanimously.
B. Ferris, ayor
Paul Robinson, Administrator Clerk -Treasurer
Medina City Council Meeting Minutes
August 22, 2000
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Medina City Council Meeting Minutes
August 22, 2000