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HomeMy Public PortalAbout04.15.2020_Park Commission Meeting MinutesMedina Park Commission Meeting Minutes April 15, 2020 Page 1 of 5 The Park Commission of Medina, Minnesota met in regular session on April 15, 2020 at 7:00 p.m., which was held telephonically pursuant Minn. Stat. Sec. 13D.021. Park Commission Chair Ann Thies presided. 1) Call to Order Commissioners Present: Ann Thies, Terry Sharp, Mary Morrison, Angela Bernhardt, Steve Lee, John Jacob Commissioners Absent: Troy Hutchinson Also Present: Public Works Director Steve Scherer, Assistant City Administrator Jodi Gallup, Planning Director Dusty Finke 2) Additions to the Agenda: A motion was made by Thies and seconded by Lee to add a discussion on the Friends of the Park program under the Staff Report/General Items. A roll call vote was taken: Park Commissioner Ann Thies - aye Park Commissioner Terry Sharp - aye Park Commissioner Mary Morrison - aye Park Commissioner Angela Bernhardt - aye Park Commissioner Steve Lee - aye Park Commissioner John Jacob – aye Motion passed unanimously 3) Approval of the Minutes from: February 26, 2020 Meeting A motion was made by Thies and seconded by Morrison to approve the minutes from February 26, 2020 with one change on page 1 by adding “consultants from SRF as representatives to Three Rivers Park District”. A roll call vote was taken: Park Commissioner Ann Thies - aye Park Commissioner Terry Sharp - aye Park Commissioner Mary Morrison - aye Park Commissioner Angela Bernhardt - aye Park Commissioner Steve Lee - abstain Park Commissioner John Jacob – abstain Motion passed unanimously. 4) Public Comments (on items not on the agenda): None. 5) City Council Update Park Commissioners were directed to read the minutes on recent City Council actions. Medina Park Commission Meeting Minutes April 15, 2020 Page 2 of 5 6) US Home Corp. (Lennar) – Meadow View Townhomes – N of Hwy 55 – S of Meander Rd., W of CR116 – Planned Unit Development (PUD) Concept Plan – Park and Trail Review Planning Director Dusty Finke provided a presentation on the applicant’s, Lennar (US Home Corporation) request for a Planned Unit Development (PUD) Concept Plan Review for a proposed 138-unit townhome development south of Meander Road, west of CR116 and north of Hwy 55. He explained the PUD process in that it is a distinct zoning designation that the applicant can request to allow flexibility such as bonus density if the applicant exceeds minimum requirements in other areas such as affordable housing, low impact development, sound suppression, oversized garages, or open space and recreational facilities. Finke stated that the park dedication for the entire property was required when the portion which now contains the Fields of Medina neighborhood was platted and 10% of the buildable portion of the entire property was deeded to the City for the Park at Fields of Medina. He noted that the applicant proposes a system of trails throughout the neighborhood and along the eastern side of future Chippewa Road. The applicant has indicated that they will construct these trails regardless but would grant them to the City as public trails as additional benefit for the PUD, if the City desires the trails to be public. Finke noted that the concept plan review does not require formal action by the Park Commission but rather discussion and feedback for the applicant on if the trails should be dedicated to the city or kept private. Paul Tabone, representative from Lennar (the applicant), explained that the total proposed open space on the site is 11.4 acres of the 19.81-acre developable area, which includes a 1.9-acre central trail corridor with a total of 2,106 lineal feet of trails throughout the community. He stated that the open space and trail corridor will be a nice amenity for the community that goes beyond the minimum park/trail dedication requirement, which is nothing for this site. Tabone stated that they had received feedback to shift the townhomes south on the site to be able to move the trail corridor from the center of the site to the north, which will help reduce pavement and create a buffer between these townhomes and the neighborhood to the north. Thies then asked Commissioners for their feedback. Lee questioned when the proposed property is staged for development in the current Comprehensive Plan. Finke confirmed that it is in the current staging period and development could happen at any time on this site. Medina Park Commission Meeting Minutes April 15, 2020 Page 3 of 5 Lee stated that he liked the idea of shifting everything south to eliminate the loop roads to reduce pavement. He asked for Steve Scherer’s opinion on keeping the trail corridor in the middle of the site or moving it north. Scherer stated that he did not like the trail corridor in the middle of the site, because it would be difficult to maintain by having to cross all the private drives. He would prefer that the trail be shifted to the northern part of the site. He questioned if the HOA could maintain ownership of the trails but allow public access. Sharp stated that the Park at Fields of Medina is a great amenity and it will be important for the new residents in the townhomes to have trail access to the park. Tabone confirmed that Lennar’s goal is to provide connectivity from this proposed development to the Park at Fields of Medina. He stated that Lennar is also proposing a North-South trail along the future Tamarack Road to help with this connection. Sharp questioned if there were any plans for play structures within the townhome development? Tabone stated that this development does not have any proposed play structures but does show passive play areas/open space. Jacob stated that he liked the idea of creating a berm with a tree/landscape barrier south of Meander Road to create separation from the Fields of Medina neighborhood and this proposed development. He stated that he would like this development to have lower density. Tabone asked if the trail stayed privately owned by the HOA but accessible to the public, if that would be a benefit of the PUD? Finke noted that it could help, but the decision would be made by the City Council. Morrison asked for clarification if the trail corridor would be next to Meander Road or below the berm on the townhome side. Tabone stated that it would likely be below the berm on the townhome side, but he is open to placing it where the city prefers it. Lee stated that he would prefer the trail corridor be placed away from the road. Bernhardt agreed with the comments made and appreciated the applicant’s proposal to build the trails. Medina Park Commission Meeting Minutes April 15, 2020 Page 4 of 5 Thies noted that this concept plan was quite dense. She stated that she would advocate for shifting the buildings to the south, reducing pavement, creating more green space, and making the trail corridor more interesting as a linear park experience. She stated that she did not see a public benefit for the city to own these trails. Lee agreed that the city does not need to own the trails. He noted that the city already had a public trail on the north side of Meander Road that the city needs to maintain. Jacob stated that he liked the idea of expanding green space and that he agreed that there is not much value in the city owning the trails. Tabone noted that if the townhomes were shifted south, it could result in a little more wetland impact. Thies and Lee stated that the wetland impacts could be reduced if the development removed a proposed housing unit or two. 7) Staff Report  May Park Tours – Thies stated that the bus park tours that were scheduled in May would not be able to happen as a group due to social distancing requirements. She asked the Park Commissioners to individually visit their parks and update the Park Asset Inventory spreadsheet prior to June 1st and send the updates and comments to Gallup. She asked that Park Commissioners bring an updated Capital Improvement Plan with them on their visit to the parks to be able to start planning for future park needs, and to review what is to occur this year. Lee provided an updated explanation of the Park Asset Inventory spreadsheet. Thies suggested that as this document is updated, we keep the past items as a historical reference.  2020 Park Commission Goals – Park Commissioners reviewed the 2020 goals. Thies asked that the city keep moving forward on hiring a consultant to start the park concept planning for Hunter Lions Park and for Lakeshore Park.  General Items: o Friends of the Park Program – Thies requested that an article be placed in the next newsletter to help promote the Friends of the Park program. She noted that they were going to try to promote it at Medina Clean-up Day, but this event has been postponed. She asked if roadside garbage would still be picked up by the Boy Scouts before the grass grows even though Clean Up Day was not happening. It was noted that if the Boy Scouts picked up garbage, they could not do it as a group and would have to work with their family units. It was suggested that a note be placed in the newsletter or on the website asking residents to pick up roadside garbage near their homes since it may not otherwise occur this year. o Other items – Steve reported that he was working on putting an offer on potential park land and would provide a future update as more information Medina Park Commission Meeting Minutes April 15, 2020 Page 5 of 5 can be shared. Scherer stated they were working on the lakeshore restoration project for Lake Independence. 8) Adjourn A motion was made by Lee, seconded by Jacob, to adjourn the meeting. A roll call vote was taken: Park Commissioner Ann Thies - aye Park Commissioner Terry Sharp - aye Park Commissioner Mary Morrison - aye Park Commissioner Angela Bernhardt - aye Park Commissioner Steve Lee - aye Park Commissioner John Jacob – aye Motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 8:16 p.m. Minutes prepared by Jodi Gallup