Minutes 8/25/2006 r'
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Saint Paul Planning Commission
City Hall Conference Center RECEIVED
15 Kellogg Boulevard West OCT o
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Minutes August 25, 2006 CI T y CLERK
A meeting of the Planning Commission of the City of Saint Paul was held Friday,August 25, 2006,
at 8:30 a.m. in the Conference Center of City Hall.
Commissioners Mmes.McCall,Morton and Smitten and; and Messrs.,Alton,Bellus, Commers,
Present: Cudahy, Gordon,Johnson,Kramer, and Nelson.
Commissioners Mmes. *Donnelly-Cohen, *Faricy, *Lu *Porter, and*Trevino, and Messrs.
*Aligada, *Dandrea, *Goodlow, *Kong and Mejia
Absent:
*Excused
Also Present: Larry Soderholm,Planning Administrator;Anne Hunt,Mayors Office, Patricia
James,Penny Simison,Merritt Clapp-Smith, Luis Pereira, Shawntera Hardy, Yang
Zhang, Sarah Zorn(intern), and Kate Fleming,Department of Planning and
Economic Development staff.
I. Approval of minutes August 11,2006.
MOTION: Commissioner Commers moved approval of the minutes of August 11,2006.
Commissioner Bellus seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.
II. Chair's Announcements
Chair Alton called attention to the invitation to attend the Community Vision Open House,the
new Rondo Library, September16,2006, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
III. Planning Administrator's Announcements
Larry Soderholm reported on planning-related business at the City Council for last week, and
particularly on the Council's decision to uphold,with amendments,the Planning Commission's
decision to approve the dike at Holman Field. The Council doesn't meet next week because it's a
fifth Wednesday.
IV. Guest Presentation:PED Priorities
-Discussion with Cecile Bedor,PED Director
Cecile Bedor briefly described her background before starting at PED in June. She worked for the
Central Community Housing Trust for twelve years as their Director of Housing Development
and Associate Director of the Organization;the Met Council where she designed and
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implemented a new affordable housing program for the suburbs;the National Equity Fund,as an
underwriter; and the Minneapolis Public Library as Director of Community Partnerships. She
outlined the priorities of PED,which she recently presented to the City Council for a budget
meeting.For 2007 the big planning projects will be the Central Corridor,the Comprehensive
Plan,the Ford Plant,neighborhood planning,responding to the Bridges of Saint Paul proposal,
and various zoning studies. Downtown there will be several important planning issues--riverfront
development,diversity of housing, strengthening cultural and entertainment venues and adding to
the employment base. PED is working with various neighborhood and nonprofit groups to
develop an initiative on healthy neighborhoods and community reinvestment. She is concerned
about recent increases in vacant buildings and mortgage foreclosures,and wants to delve into the
underlying causes of the increases. PED will be working to support businesses that are expanding
and to grow the number of jobs throughout the city. PED is also improving its ability to
document and evaluate outcomes.
V. Zoning Committee
NEW BUSINESS
#06-117-825 Como Raymond Properties—Conditional Use Permit for auto convenience market
with modification of requirement for obscuring fence/wall adjoining residential property. 2102
Como Avenue, SW corner at Raymond. (Merritt Clapp-Smith, 651/266-6547)
MOTION: Commissioner Morton moved the Zoning Committee's recommendation to approve
the conditional use permit subject to additional conditions. The motion carried on a vote of
10-1 (Nelson).
Commissioner Morton announced the Zoning Committee agenda for September 8,2006.
VI. Comprehensive Planning Committee
Human Development Principles for Comprehensive Plan—Approve letter to the City Council
responding to Council Resolution#06-579.
(Larry Soderholm, 651/266-6575)
Larry Soderholm gave a staff report on how the Planning Commission can include Human
Development Principles in the Comprehensive Plan, and asked the Commission's approval of the
draft letter from the Commission to the City Council. The Comprehensive Planning Committee
discussed the proposal in the letter twice and in some detail.
MOTION: Commissioner Johnson moved on behalf of the Comprehensive Planning
Committee approval of the letter in the packet to the City Council in support including Human
Development Principles in the Comprehensive Plan. Commissioner Kramer seconded the
motion. The motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.
Larry Soderholm gave a brief update on the status of work on the Scoping Report for the
Comprehensive Plan of 2008, and progress on organizing task forces for the five chapters. He
expects this work to be brought to the Commission meeting on September 12,2006.
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VII. Neighborhood and Current Planning Committee
No report
VIII. Communications Committee
No report
IX. Task Force Reports
Joint Planning Commission-CIB-STAR Task Force Report—An update on the work and
recommendations of the task force.
(Bob Hammer, 651/266-6693)
Mr.Bob Hammer provided a background summary on the work of the task force and a budget
update. The committee is in the fmal stages of drafting a letter to be presented to the Mayor, City
Council and Planning Commission.
Commissioner Johnson said he participated in the task force and explained that planning
commissions, in state law,have three primary duties--zoning and land use, long range planning,
and capital budgeting. The Capital Improvement Budget(CIB)Committee and the Sales Tax
Revitalization(STAR)Board deal primarily with capital improvements decisions on a yearly or
biennial cycle. He believes the City needs to improve its long-term capital budget planning.
Commissioner Gordon represented the STAR Board on the task force. He reported that the task
force was very concerned about deferred maintenance on City facilities and about the City's
capacity to fund improvements recommended in our Comprehensive Plan documents. He also
defended the role that citizen advisory groups play in the City's budgeting processes.
Commissioner Kramer said that Commissioners Donnelly-Cohen, Commers,Morton, and he also
participated on the joint task force. One of the basic questions they looked at was the
effectiveness of the current citizen participation structure,with three task forces to advise the CIB
Committee, in light of the shrinking amount of funds available to be allocated to new projects. A
larger percentage of the biennial capital budget is pre-committed to multi-year projects and is not
available for allocation. Citizen volunteers become frustrated at how few new capital
improvements can actually be funded.
Commissioner Morton agreed that the capital budgeting process has some problems,but the task
force also identified positive measures to build on, such as the growing number of partnerships
with private industry.
Mr. Hammer concluded the discussion by stating the fmal report will be ready within the coming
weeks.
Commissioner Gordon gave the report on the STAR Board. He explained the board's
recommendations for grants and loans in the current cycle for large projects. He responded to
questions about how applications from private businesses are prioritized.
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Mr. Hammer explained that CIB funds can be spent only on public property,whereas STAR
funds can be used in private redevelopment that has public benefits and where the public
investment is leveraging greater private investment.
Commissioner Smitten gave the Capitol/Downtown Central Corridor report. There will be a tour
for the task force on September 5,2006, from 1:00-3:00 p.m.; she invited Planning Commission
members to join the tour.
X. Old Business
None
XI. New Business
None
XII. Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 9:40 a.m.
Recorded and prepared by
Kate Fleming,Planning Commission Secretary
Planning and Economic Development Department,
City of Saint Paul
Respectfully submitted, Approved / 05 0 6
(Date)
Larry Sohm
Iv/1lyn Po er 7
Plannin: •dministrator Secretary of the/IF"
lanning Commission
PED\Fleming\August 25,2006
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