The URL can be used to link to this page

Minutes 11/17/2006 • Saint Paul Planning Commission City Hall Conference Center 0 15 Kellogg Boulevard West DE''.' 4y4� /06 .�` Minutes November 17, 2006 Ef k_. A meeting of the Planning Commission of the City of Saint Paul was held Friday,November 17, 2006, at 8:30 a.m. in the Conference Center of City Hall. Commissioners Mmes. Donnelly-Cohen,Lu,McCall,Morton, and Messrs; Alton,Bellus, Present: Commers, Dandrea, Goodlow,Johnson,Kong,Kramer,Mejia and Nelson. Commissioners Mmes. * Faricy, *Porter, *Smitten, *Trevino and Messrs. * Cudahy, *Gordon Absent: *Excused Also Present: Larry Soderholm,Planning Administrator; Allen Lovejoy,Allen Torstenson, Patricia James, Shawntera Hardy, Christina Danico,Merritt Clapp-Smith,Luis Pereria, Jessica Rosenfeld and Kate Fleming, Department of Planning and Economic Development staff. I. Approval of minutes November 17,2006. MOTION: Commissioner Johnson moved approval of the minutes of November 3, 2006. Commissioner Donnelly-Cohen seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously on a voice vote. II. Chair's Announcements Chair Alton mentioned the Phalen Corridor is having a celebration of their success on December 5,2006, 5:00-7:00 p.m. at the Music City Café. The Phalen Corridor-Rebuilding the Pride of the East Side of St. Paul is available;book signings will take place on December 5th, at the Music City Café,December 9th at the Sunray Library, and December 11th at the Arlington Heights Library and December 12th, 2006 at the Roseville Library. Chair Alton announced the City Council passed a resolution on November 15, 2006, initiating a land use plan and zoning study and creating a neighborhood visioning committee for the Ford Plant. The committee will be appointed in December and may start meeting in the middle of January, 2007. He encouraged any likely candidate to send an application to Merritt Clapp- Smith. Merritt Clapp-Smith announced she has a mailing list, an email list, and a Ford Plant website. All of these will be used to ask for candidates to serve on the task force. Please contact Merritt if anyone knows someone that would like an application mailed directly. 1 III. Planning Administrator's Announcements Allan Torstenson reported on planning-related business at the City Council for November 15, 2006. In addition to action on the Ford Plant,the council scheduled a public hearing on the .,Parkland Dedication Ordinance on December 6,2006. Allan Torstenson announced a panel discussion at the University of Minnesota about sustainable, energy efficient neighborhood design, regarding LEED-ND(Leadership and Energy and Environmental Design-Neighborhood Development)standards being developed.It will be at 6:00-7:30 p.m.,December 8, 2006,Rapson Hall Auditorium, 89 Church Street, Room 100. Chair Alton asked Allan Torstenson to speak briefly on the Como Avenue in St.Anthony Plan. Allan Torstenson explained that District 12 has asked for a small area plan and zoning study along Como Avenue from Hwy 280 to the U of M Transitway. They have raised money and hired a planner. A Planning Commission resolution initiating the study will come to the next Planning Commission meeting. Chair Alton appointed Jon Commers as one of the Planning Commissioners on the task force, and Giaus Nelson as co-chair of the task force. Commissioner Nelson gave a brief report. IV. Zoning Committee OLD BUSINESS #06-225-113 Capital Partners—Conditional Use Permit for drive-through sales and service as part of a new retail center, and variances of floor area ratio,parking placement, and setbacks. 1810 7th Street W. intersection at Montreal. (Patricia James, 651/266-6639) Commissioner Morton reported that the Zoning Committee laid this case over to the December 7,2006 meeting. NEW BUSINESS #06-240-622 Margery Wells—Rezoning from RM-2(Multiple-family Residential)to OS(Office- Service). 1449 Grand Avenue between Pascal and Albert. (Patricia James, 651/266-6639) MOTION: Commissioner Morton moved the Zoning Committee's recommendation to approve the rezoning. The motion carried unanimously on a voice vote. Commissioner Morton announced the Zoning Committee meeting on November 21, 2006,has been cancelled. V. Comprehensive Planning Committee Resolution establishing the Transportation Comprehensive Plan Task Force. (Al Lovejoy, 651/266-6226) 2 MOTION: Commissioner Donnelly-Cohen moved the Comprehensive Planning Committee's recommendation to approve the resolution establishing the Transportation Comprehensive Plan Task Force. The motion carried unanimously on a voice vote. VI. Neighborhood and Current Planning Committee Joint Redevelopment Plan: University/Robert and Jackson Street Project(Regions Hospital Campus). On behalf of the committee recommended adoptive resolution for the Joint Redevelopment Plan at the Planning Commission meeting,December 1,2006. (Bob Geurs, PED, 651/266-6653) VII. Communications Committee No report VIII. Vacant and Boarded Buildings in Saint Paul: Guest presentation and discussion with Marcia Moermond, City Council Research. Marcia Moermond, City Council Research, and Amanda Rohrer,Policy Analyst Intern,made a detailed presentation on foreclosures and vacant buildings in Saint Paul. In 1995-2006 there were 3,400+vacant properties and 1,500+foreclosures. Ms. Rohrer is working on a data base that records both vacant properties and foreclosures. Consistent with the national trend,mortgage foreclosures in the city have been rising rapidly in the past year. The presentation included maps and tables, and an informational packet was handed out. Discussion followed the presentation. IX. Highlights of Railvolution Conference '06 in Chicago. (Donna Drummond, 651/266-6556, Shawntera Hardy, 651/266-6562) Shawntera Hardy reported some highlights from the Railvolution Conference in Chicago that Donna Drummond, Christina Danico and she attended. The Railvolution Conference(the twelfth annual one)provides a national forum for mass transit, LRT, streetcar, and passenger rail projects around the country. Saint Paul representatives learned about technology, community participation, land use regulations, funding strategies, and development projects that are relevant to our Central Corridor LRT planning. They also learned a great deal by observing the operating systems in Chicago and how station areas are integrated into neighborhoods and suburbs. For shorter corridors within cities,there is a growing national trend toward building actual streetcar systems that have lower capacities, slower speeds, and lower price tags than LRT. Saint Paul planners took special note of other cities'programs to ensure that working class neighborhoods benefit from public transit investments without displacement. There was also discussion of LRT operations during winter. Allen Lovejoy reported that he had recently been on a transit tour of Toronto,and he explained the special requirements for winter transit. In Toronto they emphasize short headways so that passengers never have to wait on a platform very long for the next train. In design and maintenance,they give more attention to preventing ice on the overhead wires and designing shallower grades along the tracks than warm- climate cities would need to do. But LRT functions much more reliably in winter conditions than cars and buses on highways. 3 recently been on a transit tour of Toronto,and he explained the special requirements for winter transit. In Toronto they emphasize short headways so that passengers never have to wait on a platform very long for the next train. In design and maintenance,they give more attention to preventing ice on the overhead wires and designing shallower grades along the tracks than warm- climate cities would need to do. But LRT functions much more reliably in winter conditions than cars and buses on highways. X Task Force Reports Commissioner Donnelly-Cohen gave a brief report on the Arcade Street Plan. Commissioner Bellus gave the report on the Housing Chapter Comprehensive Plan Task Force, and Larry Soderholm added that the Housing Comp Plan Task Force will have its first • community input meeting on Wednesday,November 29, 2006,4:00-6:00 p.m. at the Hamline- Midway Library. Commissioner Goodlow on behalf of Commissioner Gordon gave a brief report on the Parks Comprehensive Plan Task Force. XI. Old Business None XII. New Business Commissioner McCall announced the Planning Commission Holiday Party will be on December 29, 2006,and to change the meeting time to 10:00-1:00 p.m.,more details later. XIII. Adjournment Meeting adjourned at 10:00 a.m. Recorded and prepared by Kate Fleming,Planning Commission Secretary Planning and Economic Development Department, City of Saint Paul Respectfully submitted, Approved � / b ( ate) L1904 41 Larry So - olm AICP Marily orter Planning Administrator Secretary of the Planning ommission PED\Fleming\November 17,2006 4