Minutes 4/21/2006 Saint Paul Planning Commission
City Hall Conference Center
15 Kellogg Boulevard West
Minutes April 21, 2006
A meeting of the Planning Commission of the City of Saint Paul was held Friday,April 7, 2006,
at 8:30 a.m. in the Conference Center of City Hall.
Commissioners Mmes. Donnelly-Cohen,Fancy, Lu,McCall,Morton, Smitten,Trevino
Present: and; and Messrs. Aligada,Alton,Bellus,Cudahy, Goodlow, Gordon,Johnson,
Kramer,Mejia,Nelson.
Commissioners Ms. * Porter, and Messrs. *Commers, *Dandrea, *Kong
Absent:
*Excused
Also Present: Larry Soderholm, Planning Administrator; Allen Lovejoy,Patricia James, Donna
Drummond, Shawntera Hardy, Christina Danico, and Kate Fleming,Department of
Planning and Economic Development staff.
I. Approval of minutes April 7, 2006.
MOTION: Commissioner Johnson moved approval of the minutes of April 7, 2006.
Commissioner Trevino seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.
II. Chair's Announcements
Chair Alton announced that he has done a draft of 2006 committee and liaison assignments,
which was distributed this morning. If members see any errors or are dissatisfied with their
assignments,please let Larry Soderholm or him know.
Chair Alton reminded the Commissioners of the Millard Fillmore Dinner; we still have four seats
available at the Planning Commission table.
III. Planning Administrator's Announcements
Larry Soderholm announced that PED has hired a new planner,Merritt Clapp-Smith. Ms. Clapp-
Smith has planning degrees from Cornell University and the University of North Carolina and has
worked for suburban municipalities. She is the former president of the Summit Hill Association,
in which role she has appeared our public hearings.
Larry Soderholm also said that the Mayor has appointed the new PED Director,Ms. Cecile
Bedor, who will start in June. Ms.Bedor has played a major role in the construction of the new
downtown Pubic Library in Minneapolis and has an extensive background in housing
development.
1 IA I 0 5 zuud
Per CK _...v
Larry Soderholm stated that a draft of the revised Zoning Code chapter for the Mississippi River
Critical Area has been completed. To receive public input,there will be a joint Critical Area
Task Force-Planning Commission public meeting on May 30,2006,at 6:30 p.m., at the
Wiggington Pavilion on Harriet Island.
IV. Zoning Committee
NEW BUSINESS
#06-058-918 SteppingStone Theatre-Conditional Use Permit to reuse nonresidential
structure for performing arts theatre for children, and parking variance of 104 spaces
(113 spaces required; 9 provided) 873 Portland Avenue,NW corner at Victoria.
(Patricia James, 651/266-6639)
Chair Alton announced that two letters were received; Mr. Jim Berry, 857 Ashland Avenue, Saint
Paul,Mn 55104; Mr.James J McDonough Jr. Executive Director, Summit University Planning
Council,District 8.
There was discussion about the SteppingStone Theatre shared parking agreements and parking
arrangements.
Commissioner Kramer suggested two additional conditions: the Planning Commission shall
review and approve the shared parking contracts prior to approval of the site plan for the
project; and the Planning Commission shall review the adequacy of the parking agreements
18 months after the theatre opens to the public.
AMENDMENT TO MOTION: Commissioner Gordon moved to amend the recommended
zoning with the additional conditions suggested by Commissioner Kramer. Commissioner
Johnson seconded the motion. The amendment to the main motion passed on a 14-3 vote
(Johnson, Bellus, Morton).
MOTION: Commissioner Morton moved the Zoning Committee's recommendation to approve
the conditional use permit with conditions as amended. The motion carried unanimously on a
voice vote.
V. Comprehensive Planning Committee
Mr.Allen Lovejoy and Ms.Donna Drummond gave an update on the Central Corridor. Mr.
Lovejoy explained that there will be two separate planning studies for Central Corridor. The first
relates to light rail transit planning. Current work on the LRT is focused on the recently released
Draft Environmental Impact Statement and public hearing process. The City Council will hold a
public hearing on May 17,2006, at 5:30 p.m. to receive comments on the preferred alternative
(light rail transit or bus rapid transit) and suggestions for issues to be considered during the
preliminary engineering process(to begin later in 2006). In addition,the Ramsey County
Regional Railroad Authority will hold public hearings on May 22,23 and 24. The RCRRA is the
official agency for the Draft EIS, and it will make final comments to the Metropolitan Council by
June 5, 2006.
2
s
Donna Drummond explained the second"track" focused on land use/development planning. The
land use/development planning track will be overseen by the Planning Commission to create a
vision and development strategy for the Central Corridor. The Central Corridor Development
Strategy will address the related land use, economic and social development impacts that will
result from this major public infrastructure investment. The geographic scope of this second
track is from the State Capitol west to the border with Minneapolis.
Mayor Coleman asked the Planning Commission to establish a second task force to consider the
downtown and capitol area to consider issues more specific to that area.
VI. Neighborhood and Current Planning Committee
Commissioner McCall announced the next meeting will be April 26, 2006.
VII. Long-range Planning Committee
Presentation of the Committee's draft report- A Lens for the Future: Saint Paul for the Next
25 years. (Jessica Rosenfeld, 651/266-6560)
Commissioners Bellus and Aligada gave a summary of the report of the Long-range Planning
Committee,A Lens for the Future: Saint Paul for the Next 25 Years.
Commissioner Bellus explained the Committee's process in drafting the report, including
interviews with several prominent community leaders to better understand the scale and scope of
change in the city over the last twenty-five years. The Committee identified six major changes
that have taken place since 1980: deindustrialization,the growth of the historic preservation
movement, the changing role of downtown, the focus on the riverfront,increased immigration,
and fiscal disparities.
Commissioner Bellus began a discussion of the next twenty-five years with assumptions about
trends that are substantiated by data. The Metropolitan Council estimates that Saint Paul's
population will continue to grow. At the same time,the financial resources of the City are being
stretched. Bellus also highlighted the changing transportation needs of the city, the trend of
increasing population diversity,the changing economy, the geographic mismatch between jobs
and housing, increasing poverty,increasing housing costs, increasing energy costs, and a looming
skilled labor shortage.
Commissioner Aligada continued to discuss the next twenty-five years with a full description of
the Committee's "Pressure Points"framework. This conceptual framework provides a way of
thinking about the issues facing Saint Paul in the future.
3
VIII. Communications Report
No report
IX. Task Force Reports,
Commissioner Gordon reported on the Star Board. For the upcoming funding cycle,the
orientation session was on April 19,2006, and approximately 40 people attended. Applications
are due by June 13,2006,4:00 p.m. The review process starts in July with recommendations
going to the Mayor and City Council in August.
X. Old Business
Holman Field— Update on City Council decision
(Patricia James, 651/266-6639)
Patricia James gave an update report. The resolution is 41 pages long; City Council voted 4-3 to
find the Planning Commission had made errors and to uphold the appeal for the site plan and
variances. The City Council will give the resolution to Mayor Coleman and then he has five days
to sign or veto it.
XI New Business
None
XH. Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 10:40 a.m.
Recorded and prepared by
Kate Fleming,Planning Commission Secretary
Planning and Economic Development Department,
City of Saint Paul
Respectfully submitted, Approved D�J
(D e)
CAM .00$ 1
Larry ,,erholm Maril orter
Planning Administrator Secretary of the Planning ommission
PEDWIeming\April 21,2006
4