Minutes 6/16/2006 Saint Paul Planning Commission
City Hall Conference Center
15 Kellogg Boulevard West
Minutes June 16,2006
A meeting of the Planning Commission of the City of Saint Paul was held Friday,June 16, 2006,
at 8:30 a.m. in the Conference Center of City Hall.
Commissioners Mmes. Donnelly-Cohen,Faricy, McCall,Morton,Porter, Smitten,
Present: and; and Messrs.Aligada,Alton,Bellus,Commers, Cudahy, Goodlow, Gordon,
Johnson,Kong, Kramer, and Mejia.
Commissioners Mmes. * Lu, and *Trevino, and Messrs. *Dandrea, *Nelson
Absent:
*Excused
Also Present: Larry Soderholm, Planning Administrator; Councilmember Helgen, Patricia James,
Lucy Thompson,Penny Simison,Yang Zhang,Jessica Rosenfeld, Christina Danico,
Barb Carr, Sarah Zorn(intern), and Kate Fleming, Department of Planning and
Economic Development staff.
I. Approval of minutes June 2,2006.
MOTION: Commissioner Commers moved approval of the minutes of June 2, 2006.
Commissioner Donnelly-Cohen seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously on a
voice vote.
II. Chair's Announcements
Chair Alton thanked the Commissioners that attended the Mississippi River Critical Area
Task Force meeting, and is looking forward to continuing the process.
III. Planning Administrator's Announcements
Larry Soderholm reported on City Council business for last week and their agenda for next week.
He said that the Council asked the Planning Commission to review an ordinance to regulate
skyway banners and light pole banners. Last year the Commission made recommendations on
this topic, but the Council never acted on the matter.
Mr. Soderholm commented on other up-coming work items for the Commission. The revised
design for the Homan Field dike will come before the Commission in July. The Commission
received a request from the Saint Anthony Park/District 12 Community Council to do a small
area plan for the Como-Carter commercial area. PED's West Team will consider when it can get
to this request. Finally,the Watershed Districts sent out their revised rules this week for a 45-day
comment period, and the Comprehensive Planning Committee will review them.
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IV. Zoning Committee
OLD BUSINESS
# 06-075-591 Sinclair Marketing, Inc.—Conditional Use Permit for an auto convenience
market and accessory car wash. 373 Ruth St.,NW corner at Hudson Road.
(Merritt Clapp-Smith 651/266-6547)
MOTION: Commissioner Morton moved the Zoning Committee's recommendation to approve
the conditional use permit with conditions. The motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.
V. Comprehensive Planning Committee
Forum on Social and Educational Issues:
(Penny Simison, 651/266-6554)
Penny Simison introduced the topic. The panelists each gave a brief overview of the issues
pertaining to the forum topic:
Mr. Lee Graczyk,Minnesota Senior Federation, stated older adults(age sixty-five,plus)are 10.3
percent of the population. The majority or fifty-five percent of older adult households have
annual incomes below$30,000; seventy-one percent are homeowners;twenty-nine percent are
renters. Solutions for the aging population that have worked in the past may not work for the
future.
Ms. Denise Quinlan, Saint Paul Public Schools. She said many courses have been cut in order to
stay within the district budget and maintain class size. School age children increased by twenty-
eight percent; increasingly, students in the Saint Paul Public Schools are children of color
(seventy-three percent), do not speak English at home(forty-two percent), and qualify for free or
reduced price lunches(sixty-five percent). The other concern is that the district does not have the
capacity needed to transport students,so schools are affected by the numbers of students they
draw from the neighborhood.
Ms.Jennifer Ford Reedy,Itasca Project(the Mind the Gap report). Ms.Ford Reedy is the
coordinator of the Itasca Project. Their report identified three types of socioeconomic disparity in
the region-race, class, and place. She stated the median household income is$38,774. There are
more households with incomes below$25,000(thirty percent)than households with incomes
greater than$75,000(eighteen percent).
Mr. Jim Solem, Center of Urban and Regional Affairs at the University of Minnesota,past
Commissioner of the Housing Finance Agency and Regional Administrator at the Metropolitan
Council. Mr. Solem encouraged everyone to read the Mind the Gap report, also to read the new
report by the Harvard Joint Center on Housing Studies called State of the Nation's Housing 2006,
and to read them together. In the last ten years there has been a remarkable change in the delivery
of mortgage products. Populations in the past who could not have met mortgage requirements
now can;that has created a large risk element to the way housing is now provided. In the future
we should be thinking of ways to provide information,warnings and assistance to these mortgage
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borrowers to prevent foreclosures and defaults. Mr. Solem provided a map of all of the
foreclosures in Minneapolis in the last year
Ms. Marcia Fink, Greater Twin Cities United Way, stated the influx of immigrants during
the 1990's (seven percent)resulted in the growth of ethnic communities.
Discussion followed the forum.
VI. Neighborhood and Current Planning Committee
Amendment to Seventh Place Redevelopment Plan-Approve resolution and make
final recommendations to the City Council. (Dan Smith 651/266-6581)
MOTION: Commissioner McCall noted that a second block had been added to the project
amendment, but that the conclusion regarding consistency with the Comprehensive Plan
remains the same. Commissioner McCall moved on behalf of the committee to recommend
approval of the resolution finding the revised Amendment to the Seventh Place Redevelopment
Plan consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. The motion carried unanimously on a voice
vote.
East Grand Avenue Overlay District-Recommend final adoption by the Planning Commission as
amended by the Neighborhood and Current Planning Committee.
(Yang Zhang, 651/266-6659)
MOTION: Commissioner McCall moved on behalf of the committee to recommend that the
Council adopt the East Grand Avenue Overlay District. The motion carried unanimously on a
voice vote.
VII. Long-range Planning Committee
No report
VIII. Communications Committee
No report
IX. Task Force Reports
Commissioner Aligada gave a brief report on the Central Corridor Task Force. Next meeting is
June 27,2006.
Larry Soderholm gave a report on the Mississippi River Critical Area Task Force,which has
completed its public review phase and is finalizing its recommendations. He expects the report to
be done in July.
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X. Old Business
None
XI. New Business
None
XII. Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 10:15 a.m.
Recorded and prepared by
Kate Fleming,Planning Commission Secretary
Planning and Economic Development Department,
City of Saint Paul
Respectfully submitted, Approved 7 ZVv�p
( ate)
101/1/
Larry rholm Manly Porter
Planni Administrator Secretary of the Planning mmission
PED\FIemingUune 16,2006
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