Loading...
HomeMy Public PortalAbout12.06.2022 City Council Meeting MinutesMedina City Council Meeting Minutes December 6, 2022 1 DRAFT 1 2 MEDINA CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF DECEMBER 6, 2022 3 4 The City Council of Medina, Minnesota met in regular session on December 6, 2022 at 5 7:01 p.m. in the City Hall Chambers. Albers presided. 6 7 I. ROLL CALL 8 9 Members present: Albers, Cavanaugh, DesLauriers, and Martin (virtual). 10 11 Members absent: Reid. 12 13 Also present: City Administrator Scott Johnson, Attorney Dave Anderson, Finance 14 Director Erin Barnhart, City Engineer Jim Stremel, City Planning Director Dusty Finke, 15 Public Works Director Steve Scherer, and Chief of Police Jason Nelson. 16 17 II. MOTION TO DELEGATE DUTIES TO PRESIDE OVER THE MEETING TO 18 COUNCILMEMBER ALBERS 19 Moved by Cavanaugh, seconded by DesLauriers, to delegate duties to preside over the 20 meeting to Councilmember Albers. 21 22 A roll call vote was performed: 23 24 Cavanaugh aye 25 Martin aye 26 DesLauriers aye 27 Albers aye 28 29 Motion passed 4 to 0 (Council Member Reid was not present). 30 31 III. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE (7:02 p.m.) 32 33 IV. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA (7:03 p.m.) 34 The agenda was approved as presented. 35 36 V. APPROVAL OF MINUTES (7:03 p.m.) 37 38 A. Approval of the November 15, 2022 Work Session City Council Meeting 39 Minutes 40 Moved by Albers, seconded by DesLauriers, to approve the November 15, 2022 work 41 session City Council meeting minutes as presented. 42 43 A roll call vote was performed: 44 45 Cavanaugh aye 46 Martin aye 47 DesLauriers aye 48 Albers aye 49 50 Motion passed 4 to 0 (Council Member Reid was not present). 51 Medina City Council Meeting Minutes December 6, 2022 2 1 2 B. Approval of the November 15, 2022 Regular City Council Meeting Minutes 3 Albers commented that prior to the meeting Johnson distributed proposed changes to 4 the minutes as submitted by Martin. 5 6 Moved by Albers, seconded by DesLauriers, to approve the November 15, 2022 regular 7 City Council meeting minutes as amended. 8 9 A roll call vote was performed: 10 11 Cavanaugh aye 12 Martin aye 13 DesLauriers aye 14 Albers aye 15 16 Motion passed 4 to 0 (Council Member Reid was not present). 17 18 VI. CONSENT AGENDA (7:05 p.m.) 19 20 A. Approve 2023 Meeting Calendar 21 B. Resolution 2022-101 Establishing Polling Places for 2023 22 C. Approve 2023 Tobacco Licenses 23 D. Resolution 2022-102 Accepting the Resignation of Planning and Building 24 Assistant Brenda Ruth and Approve Recruitment of Planning and Permit 25 Technician Position with Updated Job Description 26 E. Resolution 2022-103 Accepting Public Street Improvements within the Holy 27 Name Lake Estates Subdivision 28 F. Resolution 2022-104 Ordering Preparation of a Feasibility Report on the 29 Clydesdale Trail Pavement Rehabilitation 30 G. Loram Scannell Wetland Replacement Plan 31 Johnson stated that staff requests to remove Item A from the Consent Agenda. 32 33 Moved by Cavanaugh, seconded by DesLauriers, to approve the consent agenda as 34 amended. 35 36 A roll call vote was performed: 37 38 Cavanaugh aye 39 Martin aye 40 DesLauriers aye 41 Albers aye 42 43 Motion passed 4 to 0 (Council Member Reid was not present). 44 45 A. Approve 2023 Meeting Calendar 46 Johnson stated that staff drafted an updated version of the calendar, removing the 47 employee appreciation event in December because there were too many conflicts. He 48 noted that staff will bring forward potential dates for that event in the future and asked 49 that the remainder of the calendar be approved as presented tonight. 50 51 Medina City Council Meeting Minutes December 6, 2022 3 Moved by DesLauriers, seconded by Albers, to approve the 2023 meeting calendar as 1 presented by staff. 2 3 A roll call vote was performed: 4 5 Cavanaugh aye 6 Martin aye 7 DesLauriers aye 8 Albers aye 9 10 Motion passed 4 to 0 (Council Member Reid was not present). 11 12 VII. COMMENTS (7:08 p.m.) 13 14 A. Comments from Citizens on Items not on the Agenda 15 There were none. 16 17 B. Park Commission 18 Scherer reported that the Park Commission met on November 16th to discuss the 19 Medina Ventures application and the Commission recommended a ten-foot easement 20 beyond the Meander Road right-of-way for a trail easement and accept cash in lieu for 21 the remainder of park dedication. He provided a general update on park activity 22 preparing for the winter season. 23 24 DesLauriers asked the dollar amount that would be requested for park dedication for that 25 application. 26 27 Finke noted that there is an estimate and advised that he could find that information. 28 29 DesLauriers commented that he did notice that the new plow truck was secured but 30 would not be available until later in the year for use next season. 31 32 Scherer commented that the truck was ordered but it will not be received until this time 33 next year and then would need to be outfitted and therefore would not be available for 34 use until perhaps the end of the next plowing season. 35 36 C. Planning Commission 37 Finke reported that the Planning Commission will not be holding a December meeting as 38 there were no business items. 39 40 Albers asked the number of open Planning Commission seats going into 2023. 41 42 Finke replied that there are two expiring terms at the end of 2022 and applications are 43 now open. He noted that current members are allowed to reapply as well unless the 44 maximum term of nine years has been reached. 45 46 Albers invited residents that are interested to apply for those positions. 47 48 Finke stated that applications are also being accepted for the Park Commission. He 49 also provided the estimate for park dedication, noting that the property value would need 50 to be verified by the assessor. 51 Medina City Council Meeting Minutes December 6, 2022 4 1 VIII. PRESENTATIONS 2 3 A. Resolution 2022-105 Recognizing Loretto Fire Chief Leuer (7:14 p.m.) 4 Albers stated that Chief Leuer was recognized as the Fire Officer of the Year Award by 5 the Minnesota State Fire Chief’s Association in October. He stated that Medina would 6 also like to recognize Chief Leuer for his service and receipt of that award and read the 7 resolution. He presented the resolution to Chief Leuer. 8 9 Chief Leuer thanked Medina for the recognition. He stated that it is a huge honor to be 10 recognized by both the City and State of Minnesota. He thanked Medina for its 11 continued support and the support of his Fire Department. He recognized the hard work 12 of his team in serving the community and thanked his family for supporting him in his 13 career. 14 15 Moved by DesLauriers, seconded by Cavanaugh, to Adopt Resolution 2022-105 16 Recognizing Loretto Fire Chief Leuer. 17 18 A roll call vote was performed: 19 20 Cavanaugh aye 21 Martin aye 22 DesLauriers aye 23 Albers aye 24 25 Motion passed 4 to 0 (Council Member Reid was not present). 26 27 IX. NEW BUSINESS 28 29 A. 2023 Budget (7:21 p.m.) 30 1. Budget and Tax Levy Presentation – Public Comment 31 Johnson stated that staff and Council have been working on the budget since May, 32 noting that the preliminary budget and levy were approved in September. He noted that 33 the final budget and levy amounts are consistent with the preliminary figures adopted in 34 September. 35 36 Barnhart reviewed the general fund budget proposed along with the total levy amount. 37 She stated that the levy is a decrease from the preliminary figure adopted in September. 38 She noted that the decrease was due to the health insurance renewal information 39 received in October as staff had conservatively estimated that figure in the budget. She 40 stated that Hennepin County also made some slight adjustments to the tax capacity. 41 She stated that the City was able to maintain a stable tax rate while lowering the levy. 42 She noted that they are budgeting funds for a new fire facility in order to properly plan for 43 the future. She provided details on the general fund expenditures broken down by 44 department and provided additional details on debt service. She provided comparison of 45 Medina to neighboring communities and reviewed the proposed utility rates for Medina. 46 She noted that the five-year CIP was also included in the packet for review. 47 48 Cavanaugh asked if there is any idea for an outlook for market values as of January 1, 49 2023. 50 51 Medina City Council Meeting Minutes December 6, 2022 5 Barnhart stated that she and Johnson recently met with a representative from Hennepin 1 County as well as the city assessor and it was generally thought to remain in the ballpark 2 of where it is now. She stated that it would remain in the double digits but would not be 3 higher than the increase now. 4 5 Johnson noted that the discussion was very preliminary, but market values appear to be 6 somewhat stabilizing. 7 8 Cavanaugh stated that he had a chance to speak with Barnhart earlier today and in the 9 future, he would like to review the City’s investment returns and strategies. He stated 10 that the City continues to remain very financially healthy and appreciated the 11 stewardship of all. 12 13 Martin thanked Barnhart and City staff for their continued excellent work and 14 collaboration. 15 16 DesLauriers asked if there was anything planned for the additional increases with the 17 HAC contract. 18 19 Barnhart commented that the proposed budget reflects increases on the cleaning side, 20 but projections were not factored in for potential revenue increases. 21 22 DesLauriers asked for details on potential litigation and whether that was factored in. 23 24 Barnhart replied that funds are set aside within the reserve fund for litigation and a 25 transfer could be requested in the first quarter if needed. 26 27 DesLauriers commented that he was impressed with the Wayzata Youth Hockey 28 Association pull-tab revenue in Medina. 29 30 Barnhart replied that there are a few organizations that contribute to charitable gambling, 31 noting that was a new fund created at the end of 2021. She noted that those 32 organizations report monthly related to charitable gambling. 33 34 DesLauriers commented that the police forfeiture account is no longer in effect, since 35 2018, but noted that there is still a balance. He asked if that balance could be moved in 36 the future. 37 38 Barnhart replied that fund still receives money from the City’s participation in the West 39 Metro Drug Task Force activity and those funds have restrictions as to how they can be 40 spent. She stated that she and Nelson are in communication about that fund and how it 41 could be used. 42 43 DesLauriers referenced the debt service fund for 2013A, which will have a balance of 44 $23,000 at the end of 2023. He stated that perhaps that could be paid off at the end of 45 the year. 46 47 Barnhart confirmed that there are some debts coming to the end of term and she 48 continues to be in communication with Ehlers about debt service and when those could 49 be paid in full. 50 51 Medina City Council Meeting Minutes December 6, 2022 6 DesLauriers appreciated the hard work of staff. 1 2 Albers also thanked staff for their hard work in guiding the Council through this process 3 throughout the year. 4 5 Albers opened the public hearing. 6 7 Elizabeth Sedgewick, 4182 and 4200 Arrowhead Drive, commented that their two 8 parcels are just under 30 acres. She noted that she recently received the proposed tax 9 statement from the County and one of their parcels increased by 85 percent and the 10 other by over 50 percent. She commented that they do not have city water or sewer and 11 have lived on the property for over 30 years. She stated that she plans to petition but 12 was not familiar with the process. She commented that they have thought about moving 13 because of the increase in values to their property and related impacts to property taxes. 14 15 Johnson stated that the resident could speak with the City Assessor about the property 16 valuation. 17 18 Ms. Sedgewick stated that she has talked with the assessor who told her that they had 19 passed the deadline. She asked what she would receive in return for such a high 20 increase in taxes. She asked how she could continue to object to her valuation. 21 22 Johnson replied that the valuations are in place and the assessor would be the right 23 party to reach out to. He stated that there is an appeal process at Hennepin County 24 noting that he can have someone follow up with the resident. 25 26 Martin thanked the resident for bringing this to the attention of the Council. She 27 requested staff to provide Ms. Sedgewick the tax appeals instruction sheet that is 28 provided to residents during the appeal process. She was afraid that the City deadline 29 had been missed but believed that Ms. Sedgwick should still pursue discussing the 30 valuation with Hennepin County. 31 32 Ms. Sedgewick thanked the Council for allowing her to speak tonight and providing her 33 with additional information. She stated that the County did provide her with the step-by-34 step instructions to follow as well. She commented that she also found it disrespectful 35 that the Fire Chief was not asked to stand when being recognized. 36 37 Steve Skallerud, 305 Lythrum Lane, presented that the valuation of his home increased 38 seven percent and that the City of Medina’s charges went up 19%. He questioned why 39 Medina’s budget was increasing so much and expressed frustration that his taxes were 40 increasing. 41 42 Barnhart commented that there is a large levy increase in order to fund future fire 43 infrastructure. She commented that the expenditures are not directly related to market 44 value increases. 45 46 Skallerud stated he understands that his market value increase is determined separate 47 from the budget, but that as a business owner, he could never consider that large of a 48 budget increase. He concluded that this large of a budget increase means things are not 49 being run well and that the city’s funds are being mismanaged. He requested feedback 50 from the Council on the budget increase. 51 Medina City Council Meeting Minutes December 6, 2022 7 1 DesLauriers commented that on a high level the capital and general fund has increased 2 $1,000,000 and half of that is related to a future fire department. He provided details on 3 the fire service needs and need to plan for that in the future. He stated that $100,000 is 4 for a new Police Officer and another adjustment is for an accounting technician that the 5 City has gone without for the past eight years. He commented that there has also been 6 an adjustment for the wages of City staff. 7 8 Cavanaugh noted that it appears the valuation of the resident’s property increased more 9 than seven percent while the percentage of tax actually decreased. 10 11 Skallerud thanked Cavanaugh for the clarification. He also stated that regardless of how 12 much his taxes are changing, that if the budget is increasing 12%, he does not change 13 his view that the budget has been mismanaged. 14 15 Cavanaugh commented that of the City increase, a large portion is being set aside in a 16 separate fund and would not be spent as that would be dedicated for future fire needs. 17 He noted that the City experiences increases due to rising costs and inflation, similar to 18 every business and household in Medina. 19 20 Skallerud commented that the increase in the budget seems too large and too sudden. 21 He explained that he understands a large portion of the funds are being set aside for a 22 future fire facility, but that he still has to pay his taxes now and it doesn’t matter to him 23 when the funds are spent. 24 25 Barnhart stated that because $455,000 is being transferred to the future fire facility, that 26 is not an ongoing future expense like adding a staff member would be. She stated that 27 transfer was approved for this budget and not necessarily committed for future budgets. 28 She confirmed that the City will finance that facility when constructed, but it will be the 29 largest facility Medina has built to date and therefore the City is attempting to lessen that 30 burden and the impact to residents. 31 32 Ms. Sedgewick stated that she would have appreciated an incremental increase to her 33 property value rather than see an 85 percent increase. 34 35 Barnhart replied that the difficulty in that situation is that the increase for that property is 36 due to the increase in the market value assessment of the property which the City does 37 not have control over. She stated that City staff can assist Ms. Sedgewick with the 38 information necessary to appeal the valuation of her property. 39 40 Albers closed the public hearing. 41 42 2. Resolution 2022-106 Approving 2023 Final Tax Levy 43 Moved by DesLauriers, seconded by Albers, to Adopt Resolution 2022-106 Approving 44 the 2023 Final Tax Levy. 45 46 A roll call vote was performed: 47 48 Cavanaugh aye 49 Martin aye 50 DesLauriers aye 51 Medina City Council Meeting Minutes December 6, 2022 8 Albers aye 1 2 Motion passed 4 to 0 (Council Member Reid was not present). 3 4 5 3. Resolution 2022-107 Approving 2023 Final Budget 6 Moved by DesLauriers, seconded by Albers, to Adopt Resolution 2022-107 Approving 7 the 2023 Final Budget. 8 9 A roll call vote was performed: 10 11 Cavanaugh aye 12 Martin aye 13 DesLauriers aye 14 Albers aye 15 16 Motion passed 4 to 0 (Council Member Reid was not present). 17 18 B. Ordinance 698 Adopting an Amended Fee Schedule (8:08 p.m.) 19 Johnson stated that staff has updated the fee schedule to reflect the changes for 2023 20 based on the updated budget and fees. 21 22 Barnhart commented that this is an annual action to prepare for the next year, noting 23 that proposed changes were redlined in the packet document. She noted that proposed 24 changes would take effect January 1, 2023. 25 26 Martin referenced the $40 charge for noncompliance for meter replacement and asked if 27 that includes the cost for a new meter and installation of a new meter. 28 29 Barnhart replied that fee does not include those charges. She stated that fee would be 30 placed on the resident’s utility bill if they refuse to let staff enter to determine if the meter 31 is not working. 32 33 DesLauriers noted on page eight the tennis court rental fees are addressed. He stated 34 that the pickleball courts that are being built are not included and would hope those will 35 not be rented and would be fully open to the public. 36 37 Barnhart replied that the pickleball courts would not be rented in the same manner as 38 tennis courts and would remain first come, first serve. 39 40 Albers opened the public hearing. 41 42 No comments. 43 44 Albers closed the public hearing. 45 46 Moved by DesLauriers, seconded by Cavanaugh, to Adopt Ordinance 698 Adopting an 47 Amended Fee Schedule for 2023. 48 49 A roll call vote was performed: 50 51 Medina City Council Meeting Minutes December 6, 2022 9 Cavanaugh aye 1 Martin aye 2 DesLauriers aye 3 Albers aye 4 5 Motion passed 4 to 0 (Council Member Reid was not present). 6 7 1. Resolution Authorizing 2022-108 Publication of Ordinance by Title 8 and Summary 9 Moved by DesLauriers, seconded by Cavanaugh, to Adopt Resolution 2022-108 10 Authorizing Publication of Ordinance by Title and Summary. 11 12 A roll call vote was performed: 13 14 Cavanaugh aye 15 Martin aye 16 DesLauriers aye 17 Albers aye 18 19 Motion passed 4 to 0 (Council Member Reid was not present). 20 21 C. Medina Venture – Medina Park and Boardwalk – 1472 Highway 55 – PUD 22 General Plan and Preliminary Plat (8:12 p.m.) 23 Cavanaugh commented that he does not have a financial interest in this project but 24 because he owns an adjacent property he has been advised to abstain from this item. 25 26 Johnson stated that the applicant is requesting a PUD General Plan and Preliminary Plat 27 for the property which includes commercial development and four townhome units on the 28 subject property. 29 30 Finke stated that this proposed development would include a PUD and Preliminary Plat 31 noting that the subject site is a single parcel bisected by Meander Road with the parcel 32 to the south guided for commercial development and the parcel to the north designated 33 for residential development. He stated that the commercial portion would propose an 34 event venue, restaurant, and daycare facility. He stated that four twinhomes, in two 35 buildings, are proposed for the northern parcel and were originally contemplated to be 36 lodging units. He stated that the Planning Commission recommended that the units 37 north of Meander be maintained as single-family residential units. He explained that the 38 Council must decide if a PUD would be appropriate, providing flexibility in some 39 regulations in return for a better project. He displayed the proposed site plan and 40 identified the proposed access. He reviewed the proposed building elevations and noted 41 updated renderings that could include lodging units on the southern parcel. He stated 42 that staff would request that this item ultimately be tabled in order to better review the 43 updated plans with the new lodging but still wanted input from the Council. He provided 44 a comparison between the underlying zoning standards and what is proposed, noting 45 deviations. He also provided details on the proposed parking, noting that some of the 46 uses within the site would have different peak times of use. He stated that the applicant 47 has stated that they would utilize shuttle service and valet parking for large events. He 48 reviewed the proposed layout for the twinhomes proposed north of Meander Road noting 49 the various flexibilities requested. He provided the newly proposed elevations for the 50 event venue with lodging. He stated that the applicant is not proposing any wetland 51 Medina City Council Meeting Minutes December 6, 2022 10 impacts for the development itself, although there would be impacts for the road and 1 trail. He provided details on the required wetland buffers for the north and south and the 2 averaging proposed by the applicant. He referenced the landscaping and water feature 3 to the southwest of the event venue noting that the feature would be within the buffer but 4 would not encourage trespassing into the buffer. He noted that some of the area 5 required for the northern buffer would be proposed in a larger amount on the southern 6 portion. He stated that staff and the Park Commission recommend the trail continuation 7 on the north side of Meander Road and for the remainder of park dedication to be 8 accepted as cash in lieu, estimated between $50,000 and $75,000. He stated that the 9 report also mentions the Diamond Lake Regional Trail (DLRT) corridor and it was 10 determined that this parcel was too far west and therefore trail easements were not 11 recommended for that purpose. He stated that the Planning Commission held a public 12 hearing in November and the comments received at that time and prior to tonight’s 13 meeting were provided to the Council for review. He noted that a majority of the 14 comments were related to the proposal for lodging units north of Meander and the 15 Commission responded in recommending that those units be used as single-family 16 residential with an allowance for lodging in the southern portion of the development. 17 18 Martin referenced the daycare setback related to the feel of the streetscape for Meander. 19 She asked to what degree buildings on Meander are setback from the right-of-way and 20 paved area of the street. She asked how far from the paved area this proposed 12-foot 21 setback would be. 22 23 Finke replied that the commercial highway district requires a 25-foot front yard setback 24 while the residential units would have a similar setback, but most are setback 35 to 40 25 feet. He stated that the setback is measured from the right-of-way line and therefore the 26 driving lane for the street would be a distance into the right-of-way that would vary 27 dependent upon the orientation of the road and turn lanes along Meander. He estimated 28 about ten feet of boulevard from the edge of the street to the right-of-way, therefore the 29 building would be about 22 feet from the curb line. He commented that Meander Road 30 has a speed limit of 40 mph with slower speeds near curves and noted that the road 31 serves a more local purpose. He stated that staff discussed whether it would make 32 sense to consider a lower speed for the road as more development occurs. 33 34 Albers referenced the Planning Commission discussion related to lodging and asked 35 where that would be proposed on the commercial site. 36 37 Finke provided the new conceptual elevation that would provide for 16 lodging units 38 above the event center. 39 40 Albers stated that he would prefer to keep the lodging on the commercial site. 41 42 Finke commented that the architectural design could be softened in order to mitigate the 43 additional height of that building. 44 45 Martin commented that she dislikes lodging on the northern parcel regardless of whether 46 it is allowed on the southern property. She stated that she would contemplate on 47 allowing some lodging on the southern parcel but would not necessarily approve two 48 stories of lodging on that facility. 49 50 DesLauriers agreed. 51 Medina City Council Meeting Minutes December 6, 2022 11 1 Albers also agreed. 2 3 Martin noted that the Council did review the public comments received prior to the 4 meeting tonight and therefore those comments do not need to be repeated. She stated 5 that those comments could be limited to be in support of a previous statement. 6 7 Albers noted that although this is not a public hearing, the Council would still provide the 8 opportunity for the public to make comments. He stated that he would first provide an 9 opportunity for the applicant to speak. 10 11 Chris Pederson, applicant, noted that he also lives about 400 feet from the proposed 12 development site. He stated that he appreciated the feedback received from the 13 previous concept plan review and they have been working on this proposal for over one 14 year. He stated that his proposal attempts to bring amenities that are desired by Medina 15 residents to this area. He noted that the event center, restaurant, water feature and 16 boardwalk would utilize the beauty of the site and wetlands within the developable area 17 and preserve the wetlands on the site. He appreciated the comments received at the 18 public hearing in November, even though it was a bit negative, as it allowed them to 19 tweak their plans. He stated that there is a need for lodging in the area and they would 20 want to allow lodging onsite, at least for the wedding party, when building a high-end 21 venue. He stated that the lodging piece is an important piece that provides an amenity 22 to the venue. He stated that there are different businesses that will find a home in the 23 mixed retail building and there is a need for daycare in the area. He noted that each 24 piece of the development was designed with intention. He stated that the water feature 25 provides screening of both sound and sight from Highway 55. 26 27 Martin referenced the 12-foot setback proposed for the daycare and the potential of 28 lowering speeds along Meander. She asked and confirmed that the applicant would not 29 have issue with that. She stated that she lacks a sense of justification for the increased 30 density on the northern side and reduced wetland setback and asked why three units 31 would not be sufficient rather than four. She asked for details on the number of lodging 32 units proposed in the commercial area. 33 34 Pederson replied that there is more symmetry in having two twinhomes rather than 35 attempting to fit three single-family homes. He stated that there is a minimal amount of 36 space and the allowance to have raised decks would allow residents to enjoy the beauty 37 of the wetland. He noted that they would propose a fence to keep people out of the 38 buffer area. He stated that they did attempt to work with the adjacent landowner for 39 access, but they were not able to do so and therefore would have to build a new road for 40 access. He stated that a floor layout was provided for the proposed lodging with eight 41 units on each floor, noting that the original concept proposed 12 bedrooms between the 42 homes on the north. He stated they would not be adding stories to the conservatory, 43 and they would not be placing units above the ballroom as that would require pillars 44 which would obstruct the ballroom. He admitted that the design is not yet aesthetically 45 pleasing but noted that they wanted to provide a concept for consideration to build off. 46 47 Martin commented that there were 12 bedrooms proposed between the four townhome 48 units and there are now 16 hotel rooms proposed. She asked the bed versus bed 49 comparison, specifically whether four persons could be accommodated per room. 50 51 Medina City Council Meeting Minutes December 6, 2022 12 Pederson replied that the rooms as proposed would be about 350 to 450 square feet 1 each and therefore that could be a bit tight for two beds. He noted that ideally, he would 2 like to have some larger rooms to provide more of a suite. He stated that the 3 townhomes would have accommodated up to 24 people and as proposed 16 rooms 4 could essentially accommodate 32 people noting that if they did convert some rooms to 5 suites that capacity would be reduced. 6 7 DesLauriers asked if the lodging would be required in the applicant’s mind in order to 8 move forward. 9 10 Pederson replied that the building itself will be very expensive and if people are going to 11 pay high-end prices, they would not want to travel 20 minutes for lodging. He stated that 12 lodging would generate those funds in Medina, as well as the jobs. He stated that they 13 would not operate it as a hotel but more as an Airbnb. He used the example of an 14 executive visiting Loram or Polaris, which are nearby, that perhaps book the lodging 15 while there is an event going on and explained that they could go to their rooms without 16 disturbing the event. 17 18 DesLauriers stated that in the case there is a large event of 300 people, and they are 19 shuttled from Loram, how would they prevent people from parking on the residential 20 streets. 21 22 Pederson stated that he lives in the neighborhood and would personally be able to track 23 that to ensure it is not happening. He stated that they could use signage and the venue 24 materials would provide rules and regulations for event parking. He stated that if there 25 were a big event on a weekend, they would provide shuttle service to the Loram parking 26 lot and would anticipate that from the beginning rather than responding once the lot is 27 full. 28 29 George Stickney, BPS Properties and developer of Marsh Point Preserve, stated that he 30 likes the overall concept with three homes for sale and opposes the lodging use on the 31 northern parcel. He thanked the applicant and staff for responding to the comments at 32 the public hearing in November as all of the units on that side of the road are owner 33 occupied homes and do not want short-term rentals for those homes. He stated that he 34 does have a petition opposing short-term rentals on the northern parcel but noted that 35 they would support the homes being for sale or leased with a minimum term of one year. 36 He was surprised to see that Medina did not have regulations related to short-term 37 rentals. 38 39 Elizabeth Sedgewick, 4182 Arrowhead Drive, asked for the materials on the face of the 40 building. 41 42 Finke reviewed the materials proposed for the commercial buildings and the twinhomes. 43 44 Stickney commented that they like the design of the homes with the exception of the 45 party terrace. 46 47 Sedgewick commented that she believes this site is scrunched to fit in the site where 48 security would be needed. She commented that it seems like quite a concept for a 49 property that would have exhaust, railroad noise, and vehicle noise. 50 51 Medina City Council Meeting Minutes December 6, 2022 13 Tim Newgard, 4115 Cavanaugh Drive, commented that he did make some heated 1 comments at the last meeting related to the short-term rentals. He stated that he would 2 prefer to see the residential homes be two stories and not three stories as his home is 3 not three stories. 4 5 Joe Cavanaugh, 375 Lakeview Road, commented that he believes that this would be a 6 great project that would bring desired amenities to this area. He stated that the only 7 concern he would have would be with parking and would want to ensure that is 8 controlled to ensure parking does not spill into neighboring residential areas. He did not 9 believe the lodging units had been factored into the parking calculation. He stated that 10 he would like to see active management of the lodging units. 11 12 Pederson commented that most often the people using the lodging would be attending 13 the venue for an event. He stated that although they are not calling the lodging a hotel, 14 they would have onsite management of those units. 15 16 Sedgewick commented that they respond when they hear accidents at Highway 55 and 17 Arrowhead Drive. She commented that alcohol is sometimes a factor and would be 18 curious to the opinion of the Police Department as alcohol would be served at the venue. 19 She commented that Meander Road is not a land bridge and is built on wetland with 20 compaction and lifts that provide integrity. She stated that there is a huge amount of 21 construction traffic using Meander Road from the east and north. She asked if Meander 22 would need improvements to support the truck traffic and catering for this venue. 23 24 DesLauriers asked if there is a sidewalk planned on either side. 25 26 Finke replied that the trail would continue on the north side of Meander with a sidewalk 27 into the commercial development. He noted that ultimately the trail plan anticipates 28 further extension of the trail to Arrowhead. 29 30 Richard Mast, 4574 Bluebell Trail North, referenced a previous traffic count and the new 31 estimation of vehicle trips. He noted that there will be three times as many vehicles, and 32 yet no sidewalk on Meander. 33 34 Finke replied that there is a trail within the plan. 35 36 Mast asked the plan now to install a sidewalk to protect families walking on Meander. 37 38 Finke replied that the volume is lower on Meander. He explained that trails and 39 sidewalks occur with development. He stated that staff is encouraging any feedback 40 from the Council at this time in terms of layout or flexibility. He referenced the question 41 of residential density raised by Martin and noted that the land use would allow for three 42 units per acre, although the Comprehensive Plan would allow for higher density. 43 44 Albers asked if there would be a need for a Conditional Use Permit with this application. 45 46 Finke replied that this would be a Planned Unit Development and therefore the PUD 47 agreement would be more intensive than a CUP. 48 49 Albers asked if the Council would want to review a potential ordinance related to short-50 term rentals as mentioned in the public comments received. 51 Medina City Council Meeting Minutes December 6, 2022 14 1 Finke replied that could be part of the overall goal setting discussion the Council will 2 have but noted that the City does not have rental licensing so that would make the 3 implementation of short-term rental licensing more difficult. 4 5 Martin commented that she could allow more dense residential development on the 6 north as long as it is not used for lodging, given the overall architecture of the project. 7 She commented that the venue and restaurant uses on the south side meet many of the 8 needs expressed in the City’s Comprehensive Plan. She stated that she could also 9 allow the flexibilities for wetland buffers given the averaging of the buffers between the 10 two sites. 11 12 Albers and DesLauriers agreed. 13 14 Moved by Martin, seconded by DesLauriers, to table the application to allow the 15 applicant to update plans to incorporate lodging rooms into a proposed commercial 16 building. 17 18 A roll call vote was performed: 19 20 Martin aye 21 DesLauriers aye 22 Albers aye 23 24 Motion passed 3 to 0 (Council Member Cavanaugh recused himself and Council 25 Member Reid was not present). 26 27 Cavanaugh rejoined the Council. 28 29 D. Conduit Bond St. Therese of Corcoran – Public Hearing (9:24 p.m.) 30 Johnson stated that the City was alerted to an opportunity through Kennedy and Graven 31 for the City to provide conduit bonding in 2023. 32 33 Gina Fiorini, Kennedy and Graven, stated that St. Therese of Corcoran has requested 34 conduit bonding from the City of Medina not to exceed $10,000,000 for the construction 35 of a senior living campus to include 99 independent senior apartments, 34 assisted living 36 units, and 20 memory care units. She explained the purpose of conduit bonds for 37 financing which allow a nonprofit to use this type of financing. She stated that the City 38 would issue the bonds and loan to the borrower and would not be general obligation of 39 the City. She stated that St. Therese would pay all the costs of bond issuance and the 40 administrative fee. She stated that Corcoran would also be providing bonds for the 41 project and has approved the authority for Medina to issue bonds, should it choose to do 42 so. 43 44 DesLauriers noted that the City has issued conduit financing in the past and it is a 45 profitable endeavor that benefits the City as well as the nonprofit. 46 47 Cavanaugh asked why Corcoran did not issue 100 percent of the bonds. 48 49 Fiorini replied that each city is able to issue $10,000,000 of bank qualified bonds for this 50 purpose. She stated that Corcoran has already issued its own bonds and therefore does 51 Medina City Council Meeting Minutes December 6, 2022 15 not have the full amount to issue. She noted that the project will have a total cost of 1 about $47,000,000 and therefore the financing is being provided in multiple forms. 2 3 Cavanaugh thanked Martin for reviewing the documents to ensure there would not be 4 any recourse for the City to issue these bonds. 5 6 Albers opened the public hearing. 7 8 No comments made. 9 10 Albers closed the public hearing. 11 12 1. Resolution 2022-109 Authorizing Issuance, Sale, and Delivery of 13 Conduit Revenue Obligations 14 Moved by Martin, seconded by DesLauriers, to Adopt Resolution 2022-109 Authorizing 15 the Issuance, Sale, and Delivery of Conduit Revenue Obligations pursuant to documents 16 presented to the City and since amended by bond counsel. 17 18 A roll call vote was performed: 19 20 Cavanaugh aye 21 Martin aye 22 DesLauriers aye 23 Albers aye 24 25 Motion passed 4 to 0 (Council Member Reid was not present). 26 27 28 E. BAPS Minneapolis LLC – 1400 Hamel Road – Amended Site Plan Review 29 (9:30 p.m.) 30 Johnson stated that the City has updated its regulations related to rooftop elements and 31 therefore the applicant has updated their application to reflect those changes. 32 33 Finke presented the updated site plan, noting the previously approved footprint of the 34 building. He stated that the applicant proposes a smaller building than originally 35 proposed for initial construction and requests the ability to expand within that footprint 36 without requiring additional review as long as it occurs within the next five years. He 37 noted that the sidewalk would also be shifted to provide more convenient access. He 38 stated that the rooftop elements have been added, following the adoption of the related 39 ordinance. He stated that the applicant also proposed to shift the main entrance to the 40 south rather than on the east. He stated that the previously approved elevations were 41 provided to the Council. He stated that the overall amount of glass has been reduced 42 along with the addition of the rooftop elements. He stated that the Planning Commission 43 reviewed this at its November meeting and recommended approval with the noted 44 conditions. 45 46 DesLauriers stated that this does seem like an architectural change as there appears to 47 be more concrete than previously approved. 48 49 Finke confirmed that there is more stucco and less glass in the new proposal. He stated 50 that the minimum standards within the Code were noted within the staff report. He 51 Medina City Council Meeting Minutes December 6, 2022 16 stated that exceeding the minimum standards in the previous proposal could not be 1 counted against an applicant in a subsequent proposal. 2 3 DesLauriers asked if the sidewalk location would impact the parking. 4 5 Finke replied that the sidewalk does not impact that, but there has been a reduction in 6 parking by a few stalls. He stated that there would be a condition related to proof of 7 parking for future expansion. 8 9 Cavanaugh asked if there is any way to get back to the starting point for the glass that 10 was previously proposed on the front. 11 12 DesLauriers asked which side would face the wetland. 13 14 Finke provided details on the side that would face the wetland. 15 16 Joe Bailey, representing the applicant, commented that the street facing would be more 17 focused on with glass. He noted that it would not make sense to have the additional 18 glass on the assembly space, along with the additional cost. He noted that they 19 attempted to lower costs because of the higher construction costs. 20 21 DesLauriers asked if the minimum standards are met through this design. 22 23 Finke stated that would be the decision of the Council as to whether that has been met 24 as there is not a minimum specified within Code. 25 26 Albers referenced the different materials and percentages of each, asking the difference 27 between glass and the other three materials. 28 29 Finke replied that he believed glass is 11.25 percent of all the facades. 30 31 Albers asked the total square footage of the building, which was confirmed as 46,000 32 square feet. 33 34 Cavanaugh asked if there would be clear view of the eastern elevation for vehicles 35 coming down Hamel Road. 36 37 Finke replied that he did not believe it would be very visible from Hamel Road, although 38 it would be visible across the wetland to the east if that parcel were to develop. 39 40 Cavanaugh commented that he does not have any issues with the request but would like 41 to see more glass. 42 43 Finke commented that there could be some flexibility that the applicant could add more 44 glass, if possible. He noted that would allow additional glass to be added without 45 requiring another review. 46 47 Cavanaugh referenced the northern building which has a line of windows across the top 48 and noted that he would like to see that same line on the other side if that would be 49 feasible in terms of cost. 50 51 Medina City Council Meeting Minutes December 6, 2022 17 Bailey commented that the building with the windows in that manner is the gymnasium 1 while the area without is the worship hall and those windows were eliminated in order to 2 have better control of the lighting. 3 4 Cavanaugh agreed that makes sense and asked if something could be done 5 architecturally other than a giant flat surface. 6 7 Bailey commented that they could possibly incorporate modulation to break up that wall. 8 9 Finke commented that a condition could be added requesting additional glass or 10 improved architectural elements along the eastern façade. He noted that the taller 11 portion is setback so there is some modulation. 12 13 Martin noted that she does support that condition. She noted that the public location she 14 is located at is closing but will attempt to move outside. 15 16 1. Resolution 2022-110 Granting Amended Site Plan Review Approval 17 to BAPS Minneapolis LLC 18 Moved by Cavanaugh, seconded by DesLauriers, to Adopt the Resolution 2022-110 19 Granting Amended Site Plan Review Approval to BAPS Minneapolis LLC, with the 20 additional condition related to additional glass and/or architectural elements on the 21 eastern side. 22 23 A roll call vote was performed: 24 25 Cavanaugh aye 26 Martin aye 27 DesLauriers aye 28 Albers aye 29 30 Motion passed 4 to 0 (Council Member Reid was not present). 31 32 F. Authorize Recruitment for Accounting Technician Position (9:51 p.m.) 33 Johnson stated that staff is requesting to move forward with advertising for recruitment 34 of a full-time accounting technician position as approved in the budget for 2023. 35 36 Barnhart stated that the staff memo mentions the hiring range and the paygrade has a 37 maximum step noting that they would not hire at the maximum step and would stick with 38 the lower to mid-range paygrade. 39 40 Moved by DesLauriers, seconded by Albers, to authorize staff to begin recruitment for 41 the accounting technician position for hire in 2023. 42 43 A roll call vote was performed: 44 45 Cavanaugh aye 46 Martin aye 47 DesLauriers aye 48 Albers aye 49 50 Motion passed 4 to 0 (Council Member Reid was not present). 51 Medina City Council Meeting Minutes December 6, 2022 18 1 G. Ordinance 699 Amending Sections of Chapter 7 of the Code of Ordinances 2 Regarding Public and Private Utilities (9:53 p.m.) 3 Johnson stated that this ordinance update would mitigate issues that staff has 4 encountered with meter replacement. 5 6 Albers asked how meter replacement is scheduled and how long the replacement takes. 7 He asked if residents are given an appointment window. 8 9 Scherer replied that a lot of the equipment is outside and can be done without entrance 10 to the home. He noted that as they get to the direct wire units, some are inside the 11 house and would require response and coordination with the homeowner. 12 13 Albers asked if the equipment would be moved outside the home when it is currently in 14 the home. 15 16 Scherer replied that there is most likely a reason the equipment is inside at this point and 17 therefore would most likely not be moved outside. He stated that in those cases, staff 18 would call the homeowner to schedule the appointment, estimating about 15 minutes for 19 the replacement. He stated that they have encountered situations in the past where 20 homeowners do not want staff to see their meter or change them out and therefore it 21 would be nice to have this in place prior to that time. 22 23 DesLauriers asked what would happen if the meter were to stop. 24 25 Scherer replied that the water flow could be reduced or stopped. 26 27 Moved by DesLauriers, seconded by Cavanaugh, to Adopt Ordinance 699 Amending 28 Sections of Chapter 7 of the Code of Ordinances Regarding Public and Private Utilities. 29 30 A roll call vote was performed: 31 32 Cavanaugh aye 33 Martin aye 34 DesLauriers aye 35 Albers aye 36 37 Motion passed 4 to 0 (Council Member Reid was not present). 38 39 Anderson commented that because the ordinance was reduced in size to one 40 paragraph, a second motion to authorize publication summary is not needed. 41 42 X. CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT (9:57 p.m.) 43 Johnson noted that City Attorney Ron Batty will be at the January 3rd meeting at which 44 time he will be honored for 35 years of service. He informed Council that there was a 45 meeting this morning related to Hamel Fire Department assets. 46 47 XI. MAYOR & CITY COUNCIL REPORTS (9:58 p.m.) 48 Martin commented on the upcoming meeting with Interfaith Outreach related to its 49 housing arm. 50 51 Medina City Council Meeting Minutes December 6, 2022 19 Johnson noted the upcoming meeting related to the proposed affordable housing project 1 through Common Bond. He stated that meeting will take place on December 19th to 2 review that proposal. He stated that the Council will discuss affordable housing at its 3 December 20th work session. 4 5 Barnhart stated that staff will present some different affordable housing policy concepts 6 at the work session. 7 8 XII. APPROVAL TO PAY THE BILLS (10:00 p.m.) 9 Moved by Cavanaugh, seconded by Albers, to approve the bills, EFT 006610E-006629E 10 for $67,341.25, order check numbers 053661-053754 for $303,530.49, and payroll EFT 11 0512308-0512339 for $62,802.00. 12 13 A roll call vote was performed: 14 15 Cavanaugh aye 16 Martin aye 17 DesLauriers aye 18 Albers aye 19 20 Motion passed 4 to 0 (Council Member Reid was not present). 21 22 XIII. ADJOURN 23 Moved by Albers, seconded by Cavanaugh, to adjourn the meeting at 10:01 p.m. 24 25 A roll call vote was performed: 26 27 Cavanaugh aye 28 Martin aye 29 DesLauriers aye 30 Albers aye 31 32 Motion passed 4 to 0 (Council Member Reid was not present). 33 34 35 36 __________________________________ 37 Kathy Martin, Mayor 38 Attest: 39 40 41 ____________________________________ 42 Caitlyn Walker, City Clerk 43