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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes MINUTES COTTAGE GROVE CITY COUNCIL May 18, 2022 COUNCIL CHAMBER 12800 RAVINE PARKWAY SOUTH REGULAR MEETING - 7:00 P.M COUNCIL CHAMBER 1. CALL TO ORDER The City Council of the City of Cottage Grove, Washington County, Minnesota, held a regular meeting on May 18, 2022, at Cottage Grove City Hall, 12800 Ravine Parkway. Pursuant to Minnesota State Statute 13D.02, Subd. 1, Mayor Bailey noted that Council Member Thiede would be attending this meeting remotely from the following location: Cedar Rapids Marriott, 1200 Collins Road NE, Cedar Rapids, IA, 52402. Mayor Bailey stated he, too, is attending the meeting remotely from his home due to a positive COVID test on Tuesday. Mayor Bailey called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The audience, staff, Mayor Pro Tem Dennis, and City Council Members stood and recited the Pledge of Allegiance. 3. ROLL CALL City Clerk Tammy Anderson called the roll: Mayor Bailey - Here; Council Member Dennis - Here; Council Member Khambata - Here; Council Member Olsen - Here; Council Member Thiede - Here. Also present: Jennifer Levitt, City Administrator; Korine Land, City Attorney-LeVander, Gillen & Miller, PA; Tammy Anderson, City Clerk; Ryan Burfeind, City Engineer/Public Works Director; Gretchen Carlson, Director of Economic Development; Christine Costello, Director of Community Development; Joe Fischbach, HR Manager; Pete Koerner, Public Safety Director; Brenda Malinowski, Finance Director; Mike Mrosla, Senior Planner; Emily Schmitz, Senior Planner. Mayor Bailey requested the next two agenda items be switched so that he can add two agenda items before we begin Open Forum. 4. ADOPTION OF AGENDA Mayor Bailey proposed four modifications to tonight’s agenda: CITY OF COTTAGE GROVE  12800 Ravine Parkway  Cottage Grove, Minnesota 55016 www.cottagegrovemn.gov  651-458-2800  Fax 651-458-2897  Equal Opportunity Employer City Council Meeting Minutes May 18, 2022 Page 2 1) Remove Item 6 B, Meritorious Service Award Presentation; it will be placed on the June 1, 2022, City Council Agenda so we can have the full Council present to celebrate this well-deserved award. 2) Remove Item 14 A, which is Workshop Closed to the Public, the performance evaluation of City Administrator Jennifer Levitt; it will be placed on the June 1, 2022, City Council Agenda, as again we’d like to have the full Council physically present to provide a more-engaged dialogue with her. 3) Add the following condition and modification to Item 7 I, which is the Mobile Food Unit License; we will be pulling that for a separate vote, and that is adding conditional approval for FatHouse, Juice Box, SUPER Hmong Taiwanese Sausages, and Broken Rice for license approval pending all required paperwork is completed and submitted to the City by May 25, 2022. 4) A Temporary Suspension of the Rules of the Council regarding the Preservation of Order, which would be considered after we adopt this agenda. Motion by Council Member Dennis to adopt the agenda with the revisions stated by Mayor Bailey, as outlined above; second by Council Member Khambata. Council Member Olsen asked what is the intent of changing the rules? Mayor Bailey stated he’d explain that in a minute, but it’s just so that Council Member Dennis can manage any comments or questions that come from the audience since he, Mayor Bailey, is not physically present in the Council Chambers this evening. Clerk Anderson called the roll: Council Member Khambata-Aye; Council Member Thiede-Aye; Council Member Olsen-Aye; Council Member Dennis-Aye; Mayor Bailey- Aye. Motion carried: 5-0. Temporary Suspension of Rules of the Council regarding the Preservation of Order: Mayor Bailey stated that he’s presiding over the meeting but is doing so remotely and cannot see the audience, so that makes it impossible for him to preserve order, if needed; he’s asking that we temporarily suspend the Rule of the Council in this matter. He will preside over the meeting, but asked Mayor Pro Tem Dennis be given the authority to preserve order in the Council Chambers. The Rule in our Code allows for suspension of our normal Rule of Order by majority vote. Mayor Bailey asked for a motion to approve this temporary change for tonight’s meeting. Motion by Council Member Olsen to temporarily suspend the Rules of the Council regarding the preservation of order; second by Council Member Khambata. Clerk Anderson called the roll: Council Member Khambata-Aye; Council Member Thiede-Aye; Council Member Olsen-Aye; Council Member Dennis-Aye; Mayor Bailey- Aye. Motion carried: 5-0. 5. OPEN FORUM Mayor Bailey opened the Open Forum. Mayor Pro Tem Dennis asked if there was anyone who wished to address the Council. City Council Meeting Minutes May 18, 2022 Page 3 David Blume, 8791 77th Street South, stated as treasurer of the Southeast Metro Amateur Radio Club (SEMARC), he extended an invitation for the public to meet with the amateur radio operators of our community as we participate in the national event called Field Day, on June 25, at 1:00 p.m., at Cottage Grove Fire Station #3, 7500 Langly Avenue South; it lasts for 24 hours. Amateur radio operators can provide a critical public service for our communities during times of disaster, and we’re able to provide reliable communications when the normal infrastructure is offline. Licensed by the FCC and trained in the art and science of radio communications and basic electronic theory, we own and maintain our own communications equipment. Our national organization has built relationships with several service agencies such as FEMA, Red Cross, Salvation Army, etc. SEMARC has participated in several simulated emergency drills, such as the 2010 Aircraft downing on the Mississippi River, and the regularly scheduled Homeland Security and Emergency Management Radiological Emergency Preparedness (REP) drill; the next REP drill is scheduled for May 25. They’re proud to say that they’ve actually provided communication services to communities such as Lake St. Croix Beach for their flooding event in July 2015, and to Fargo, North Dakota, for flooding events in 1997 and 2009. This public service is easily extended during non-emergency events, such as parades, marathons, etc. The purpose of his visit tonight is to show the science, the service, and the skill that we can offer to our community. We’d love the opportunity to show you our capabilities in person, so we look forward to seeing members of the City of Cottage Grove, Cottage Grove Public Safety, and the citizens of the southeast metro area during our Field Day event. Mayor Bailey thanked Mr. Blume for his presentation. He’s previously attended some of their events, so he appreciates that they’re now inviting the public. He encouraged the citizens of Cottage Grove and his Council colleagues to stop by and say hi and see how it all works. As no one else wished to address the Council, Mayor Pro Tem Dennis closed the Open Forum. 6. PRESENTATIONS A. One Family 2ndAnnual Hmong Memorial Sports Fest Staff Recommendation: Receive presentation from event coordinator John Yang. John Yang stated that he represents One Family, a nonprofit organization that right now mainly focuses on sports. We try to help youth by presenting them with an atmosphere where they can perform their sports in a professional atmosphere; we try to make it as nice as possible by providing all of the equipment needed to have fun and excel in sports. We will be at Kingston Park on May 28-29, and he invited everyone to come and join them there. We will have flag football, corn hole, volleyball, basketball, and we just picked up a soccer coordinator, so we will have a few teams of soccer players there. We want to thank the City of Cottage Grove for allowing us to use beautiful City Council Meeting Minutes May 18, 2022 Page 4 Kingston Park; he wanted to make sure everyone knew the invitation was open to the public to join with us on a hopefully beautiful day. Mayor Bailey stated he lives somewhat close to Kingston Park, so he’s seen one event there; you definitely have a large draw, with many people attending these events. Council Member Dennis stated Mr. Yang had an opportunity to interact with a number of guests that played various sports last year, and people spoke very highly of what they’d put together; they stated they had a fantastic time, so we appreciate and thank you for coming to Cottage Grove to bring that opportunity. We’d love to have you back anytime. Mr. Yang thanked Council Member Dennis for that, and also thanked the City for assisting us with our food trucks. This came up very quickly for us, so unfortunately some of our food vendors weren’t able to get the application in time. He really appreciates the City working with us on that, it means a lot to them. 7. CONSENT AGENDA A. Approve the April 20, 2022, City Council Regular and Special Meeting Minutes. B. Approve the Royal Oaks Golf Course improvements project scope and authorize staff to: 1) Prepare plans and specifications. 2) Purchase irrigation heads, valves, and controllers utilizing cooperative purchasing agreement. 3) Authorize staff to begin drafting documentation of interfund loan from EDA Trust Fund for golf improvements. C. Approve the service agreement with SafeAssure for workplace safety consultant services. D. Adopt Resolution 2022-081 authorizing staff to execute the Master Partnership Contract with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and allowing the City Engineer to negotiate work orders pursuant to contract. E. Approve the increased budgeted amount of two single axle dump trucks from $470,000 to $638,569. F. Adopt Resolution 2022-082 supporting the City’s Rural Surface Transportation Grant application for the County Road 19A/100th Street Realignment Project. G. Authorize issuance of a single-occasion gambling permit to Accacia Lodge No. 51 to conduct a raffle at 11094 70th Street South on October 8, 2022. H. Adopt Resolution 2022-094 approving the plans and specifications and establishing a June 9, 2022, bid date for the South District Trunk Storm Sewer Project. I. Approve Mobile Food Unit licenses to the following applicants, effective May 19, 2022, through December 31, 2022: 1) Miller Concession, Inc. 2) Longs Combo Roll. 3) Xai - The Corn Guy. 4) Thai Thai Street Food. 5) Linko Food, LLC. 6) Smith Brothers BBQ. 7) Boba Tea. J. Approve the issuance of rental licenses to the properties in the attached table. City Council Meeting Minutes May 18, 2022 Page 5 K. Adopt Resolution 2022-096 authorizing the termination of the Contract with Classic Protective Coatings, Inc. for the Water Storage Tank Rehabilitation - Pine Hill 0.5 MG Spheroid project and further authorizing City staff to initiate the termination notice and take any other actions necessary to terminate the Contract. Mayor Bailey wished to pull Item I, Mobile Food Unit Licenses, on the Consent Agenda for a separate vote. Motion by Council Member Olsen to approve the Consent Agenda, except for Item I; second by Council Member Thiede. Clerk Anderson called the roll: Council Member Khambata-Aye; Council Member Thiede-Aye; Council Member Olsen-Aye; Council Member Dennis-Aye; Mayor Bailey-Aye. Motion carried: 5-0. Mayor Bailey stated Item I is the Mobile Food Unit Licenses, and there are additional food vendors that are planning to come to the One Family 2nd Annual Hmong Memorial Sports Fest, which Mr. Yang just spoke about. The City of Cottage Grove just recently changed our food unit ordinances and processes. Mr. Yang spoke about some of the challenges he’s had, and the Strawberry Fest Committee is also having some initial growing pains with our new ordinance. He asked Council Member Thiede to speak about a recommendation for these two very specific events, due to the timing of our new ordinance changes. Council Member Thiede stated what it really boils down to is for Strawberry Fest, all the applications went out in January, so vendors signed up, not knowing about the food unit license. We had all but a couple of our food vendors set up prior to April 6, when Council actually approved the food unit ordinance. The Hmong Sports Fest also had a difficult time because the Special Event permit was completed without totally knowing about the food unit vendor licensing. At our last Strawberry Fest meeting, we were wondering if they had a tent and just a trailer with supplies inside if that would actually be considered a food unit and if it would also have to be licensed. Council Member Thiede felt what would be fair is we actually need to modify the Special Event permit to actually say that food trucks/units involved in this Special Event also need to get their licensing; that way they’ll know that when they’re actually filling out the permit. He’d like to have the permit requirement of $250 waived for both events on the agenda tonight; by getting this verbiage on the Special Event permit, then everything going forward would need the $250 license fee. He’s already set it up with the Strawberry Fest Committee that after the Strawberry Fest this year, we need to discuss how we’re going to handle this next year for food units that are in the carnival also. Beside the food units, he thought the Lions Club’s beer tent would also fall under that. We need to discuss this and get the message out to participants. Mayor Bailey stated he wanted to get City Attorney Korine Land’s input on this item. Attorney Land stated as long as the Council is being fair with both of these Special Event permits, she never likes to see Councils waive fees because these are cost recovery, the City is expending resources. However, in unique circumstances, as long as all applications are treated the same, that feels fair and uniform. If the Council feels City Council Meeting Minutes May 18, 2022 Page 6 that this is a justifiable waiver of the fee in this one circumstance, this is probably the best way to do it. Council Member Olsen asked regarding Item I and how it’s worded in our agenda, he asked how the motion should sound to ensure that it’s clearly understood what we’re doing. It’s been pulled for a separate vote; he’s more than willing to make the motion that we waive the fees for both of these events, as that’s fair and reasonable, but he also wants to make sure that we deal with whatever businesses are on the Agenda for Item I. He asked Administrator Levitt and Attorney Land to guide us on the correct verbiage and vote. Attorney Land stated she’d recommend that Council approve the licenses that are on the Agenda tonight, approve conditionally the additional licenses that were added tonight, with the conditions as stated earlier by Mayor Bailey, and waive the $250 for each license for all of them. Motion by Council Member Olsen to approve the licenses that are on the Agenda tonight, approve conditionally the additional licenses that were added tonight with the conditions as stated earlier by Mayor Bailey, and waive the $250 for each license for all of them; second by Council Member Thiede. Council Member Khambata stated that given the timeline in which the ordinance change fell, he recognizes that it constituted an unnecessary hardship for the applicants, and for that reason he’s in favor of waiving the fee. Council Member Dennis stated when we start a new program, sometimes there are some growing pains. He thought there was always an opportunity for us to be reasonable and fair; he thinks this is a great example of doing that in the best interest of people to the greater good, so he favors it as well. Clerk Anderson called the roll: Council Member Khambata-Aye; Council Member Thiede-Aye; Council Member Olsen-Aye; Council Member Dennis-Aye; Mayor Bailey- Aye. Motion carried: 5-0. 8. APPROVE DISBURSEMENTS A. Approve payments for the period of 4/29/2022-5/10/2022 in the amount of $742,650.78. Motion by Council Member Dennis to approve disbursements; second by Council Member Olsen. Clerk Anderson called the roll: Council Member Khambata-Aye; Council Member Thiede-Aye; Council Member Olsen-Aye; Council Member Dennis-Aye; Mayor Bailey-Aye. Motion carried: 5-0. 9. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. Special Event Permit - Strawberry Festival Staff Recommendation: Authorize issuance of a special event and parade permit to Cottage Grove Strawberry Fest, contingent upon conditions City Council Meeting Minutes May 18, 2022 Page 7 outlined in the memo from Public Safety Director Koerner and Community Development Director Christine Costello dated May 11, 2022. Public Safety Director Pete Koerner stated with the COVID delays, this festival has been in the making for over two years, so they’re very prepared. The Strawberry Fest Committee is a volunteer committee; their mission is to bring the community together. Many City staff from various departments attend this festival, so it’s a group effort. It’s like it has been previously, but it’s growing; this year they’ve added wrestling, and the carnival, the talent show, entertainment, all the food vendors, including two different Lions Clubs, will be there. The Strawberry Fest web page is kept up to date, so new events are added at cottagegrovestrawberryfest.com. The Special Event permit was submitted in January, and we’re making sure everything falls into our safety plan. Notices for tonight’s public hearing have been sent, and we’ll ask Council for their final approval tonight. Director Koerner reviewed the days/hours of operation and noted the memo in the Council packet has all of the conditions listed: Building and Electrical Permits; Incident Action Plan; Severe Weather Evacuation Routes; Security; EMS/First Aid; Traffic and Emergency Lanes; Sanitation; Food Sales; Food Trucks/Units; Alcohol Sales; Waste Collection; Fireworks; Fencing; Noise; Parade; 5K Race; Insurance. We’re anticipating larger-than-usual crowds; the Chiefs Association just met today, and we talked about how we can help other communities out with larger crowds to make sure they stay safe. We’re committed to adding additional officers this year; we’ll be fully staffed throughout the festival. With the noise, every year we get maybe one-or-two complaints about the music, but most people who live near Kingston Park know this takes place on the third weekend of June every year. The bands can only play until midnight on Friday and Saturday, and there will also be fireworks on Saturday night. The parade route has not changed. Mayor Pro Tem Dennis opened the public hearing. No one wished to speak on this topic, so Mayor Pro Tem Dennis closed the public hearing. Motion by Council Member Dennis to authorize issuance of a Special Event and parade permit to Cottage Grove Strawberry Fest, contingent upon conditions outlined in the memo from Public Safety Director Koerner and Community Development Director Christine Costello dated May 11, 2022; second by Council Member Thiede. Council Member Thiede stated Director Koerner did a great job; he noted the carnival is going to be in a different location, in the north parking lot. The wrestling event on Saturday should be interesting. There’s also the Strawberry Fields Marketplace, and it’s berry good to be back. Clerk Anderson called the roll: Council Member Khambata-Aye; Council Member Thiede-Aye; Council Member Olsen-Aye; Council Member Dennis-Aye; Mayor Bailey- Aye. Motion carried: 5-0. B. Enclave Development - Hemingway Industrial City Council Meeting Minutes May 18, 2022 Page 8 Staff Recommendation: 1) Hold the public hearing to vacate and discontinue the public drainage and utility easements along the common lot line between Outlot A and Lot 1, Block 1, Glengrove Industrial Park 5th Addition. 2) Adopt Resolution 2022-088 approving the vacation and discontinuance of the drainage and utility easements along the common lot line between Outlot A and Lot 1, Block 1, Glengrove Industrial Park 5th Addition. 3) Adopt Resolution 2022-089 approving the preliminary plat and final plat named Hemingway Industrial. 4) Adopt Resolution 2022-090 approving the Site Plan Review for construction of a warehouse and distribution facility consisting of two buildings with a combined total square footage of 240,000 square feet to support warehouse and office uses. Jane Kansier, Senior Planner, Bolton & Menk, stated this property is located at the intersection of 97th Street and Hemingway, immediately to the west of the Renewal by Andersen building. The site is 25.3 acres of currently vacant land. There are three different actions that need to be taken: 1) Vacation of an existing easement, which requires a public hearing. When this property was originally platted, it consisted of two lots, one an Outlot and one described as Lot 1, Block 1. There is a five-foot easement along the common lot line, and because this plat will combine the two lots together, there is no longer any need for the easement. The applicant is requesting that it be vacated. Any required easements will be dedicated along the perimeter as part of the plat, as well as a new easement over the raw water line; that project begins in June, 2022. 2) We need approval of the preliminary and final plat; this plat will combine the two existing outlots into a single lot, 25.3 acres in area. Any required drainage and utility easements will be dedicated as part of the final plat. 3) The applicant has requested approval of the Site Plan, and is proposing two buildings on the site, totaling 240,000 square feet, which will be used for office and warehouse space. There are loading docks that face the interior of the site. Employee and customer parking is located along the front of each building, on the north and south sides. Trailer and truck parking is located along the western side of the property boundary. Planner Kaiser stated there are no specific uses for these buildings proposed at this time; the property is zoned Industrial. As the buildings become occupied, we’ll have to evaluate each proposed use to determine if it can be permitted outright or if further public review would be required. Planner Kaiser spoke further on: Landscaping: Plan shows perimeter landscaping and buffer-yard plantings; they’ll be required to provide an updated plan so we can ensure the required parking lot green space is provided. Buildings: Precast concrete panels with three different colors, glass windows with storefront aluminum frames. At each entry of the building, there are precast metal architectural canopies. The ordinance requires that industrial buildings be at least 65% Class I; this proposal meets that requirement. We’ll want more detail as building permits come in just to make sure they’re consistent with all of the architectural requirements. Noise: Is a little bit of a concern on the site, especially because it’s adjacent to a residential district. It’s important to note the site has to meet all Federal, State, and Local requirements. During daytime hours, the noise levels cannot exceed 65 decibels for more than 50% of the time over the course of an hour; an air- City Council Meeting Minutes May 18, 2022 Page 9 conditioning unit is about 60 decibels. The applicant does not anticipate any noise issues as there’s existing landscaping that will remain in place that’s located between their site and the residential district. Mayor Pro Tem Dennis opened the public hearing. As no one wished to speak on this item, Mayor Pro Tem Dennis closed the public hearing. Motion by Council Member Khambata to Adopt Resolution 2022-088 approving the vacation and discontinuance of the drainage and utility easements along the common lot line between Outlot A and Lot 1, Block 1, Glengrove Industrial Park 5th Addition; Adopt Resolution 2022-089 approving the preliminary plat and final plat named Hemingway Industrial; Adopt Resolution 2022-090 approving the Site Plan Review for construction of a warehouse and distribution facility consisting of two buildings with a combined total square footage of 240,000 square feet to support warehouse and office uses; second by Council Member Olsen. Clerk Anderson called the roll: Council Member Khambata-Aye; Council Member Thiede-Aye; Council Member Olsen-Aye; Council Member Dennis-Aye; Mayor Bailey-Aye. Motion carried: 5-0. C. Hinton Woods 2nd Addition Staff Recommendation: 1) Hold the public hearing to vacate a public drainage and utility easement within Outlot C, Hinton Woods. 2) Adopt Resolution 2022-091 vacating a public draining and utility easement within Outlot C, Hinton Woods. 3) Adopt Resolution 2022-092 approving the Final Plat for Hinton Woods 2nd Addition. 4) Approve the Hinton Woods 2nd Addition Development Agreement with D.R. Horton, Inc. - Minnesota. 5) Adopt Resolution 2022-093 approving the Hinton Woods 2nd Addition Development Plans dated March 30, 2022, prepared by Westwood Professional Services, Inc., subject to final approval by the City Engineer in writing. Mike Mrosla, Senior Planner, stated this site is located south of 65th Street and to the west of Hinton Avenue. D.R. Horton previously obtained approval for a preliminary plat to construct 104 townhomes and 61 single-family lots; the first addition consisted of 55 townhomes and 65 single-family lots. With the second addition, D.R. Horton has applied for a Final Plat, which consists of 46 townhome units where Outlot C is located. Because of this Final Plat, the existing drainage and utility easement within Outlot C needs to be vacated, as it’s no longer needed, which is why we’re requesting the easement vacation tonight. Mayor Bailey stated a citizen had reach out to him about them working past 9:00 p.m.; he asked if Planner Mrosla was going to address that with the applicant. Planner Mrosla replied that he’d work with the applicant to address that issue. City Council Meeting Minutes May 18, 2022 Page 10 Mayor Pro Tem Dennis opened the public hearing. As no one wished to speak on this item, Mayor Pro Tem Dennis closed the public hearing. Motion by Council Member Khambata to Adopt Resolution 2022-091 vacating a public drainage and utility easement within Outlot C, Hinton Woods; Adopt Resolution 2022- 092 approving the Final Plat for Hinton Woods 2nd Addition; Approve the Hinton woods Development Agreement with D.R. Horton, Inc.-Minnesota; Adopt Resolution 2022-093 approving the Hinton Woods 2nd Addition Development Plans dated March 30, 2022, prepared by Westwood Professional Services, Inc., subject to final approval by the City Engineer in writing; second by Council Member Dennis. Clerk Anderson called the roll: Council Member Khambata-Aye; Council Member Thiede-Aye; Council Member Olsen- Aye; Council Member Dennis-Aye; Mayor Bailey-Aye. Motion carried: 5-0. 10. BID AWARDS A. Goodview Avenue Water Main Extension Project - Rescind Prior Bid Award, Reject Ineligible Bids, Award Bid Staff Recommendation: Adopt Resolution 2022-095 that: 1) Rescinds the award of the Goodview Avenue Water Main Project to Northdale Construction Company, Inc., as they are an ineligible bidder due to failing to comply with Minnesota Statute 16C.285, Subd. 4, and the Bidding Documents. 2) Rejects all three bids received for the project that did not include the Responsible Contractor Verification form. 3) Award the Goodview Avenue Water Main Extension Project to Miller Excavating, Inc. in the amount of $2,271,124.81. Ryan Burfeind, Public Works Director, stated this bid had been awarded to Northdale Construction Company on April 20, 2022, after which contracts go to Attorney Land for review before the City executes them. Upon review of that contract, Attorney Land determined the Responsible Contractor Verification form, required to be signed by the contractor, had not been signed. State Statute requires that that form be submitted with the bid. Upon discovering that, there were actually two other contractors who had not submitted the required form, which was unusual. The second low bidder, Miller Excavating, had included the required form, and their bid was only $916.83 higher than Northdale Construction. This project is fully funded by the 3M Settlement Agreement through the State of Minnesota, so the additional $916.83 makes no change in the grant amount. Director Burfeind stated he’d take any questions from the Council. Council Member Khambata asked if Director Burfeind was able to determine if the three contractors who hadn’t signed the form had done so intentionally or if it was just a clerical error. Director Burfeind replied we don’t know that it was intentional, but it’s a required standard form through State Statute; it’s surprising that it was not signed, but it’s also odd that there were three of them that were not signed. We’re looking at the online bidding site to see if something on there was different, but even if that’s the case, that’s City Council Meeting Minutes May 18, 2022 Page 11 been a standard form for many years. The other contractors who submitted bids knew that law, it was in the contract, and they’d signed it. Council Member Khambata stated we clearly want to work with contractors who know the process and are complying; he was just curious with the number of omissions if there was something in our bid process that we needed to correct. Director Burfeind replied not that we’re aware of at this time. Motion by Council Member Olsen to Adopt Resolution 2022-095 that: 1) Rescinds the award of the Goodview Avenue Water Main Extension Project to Northdale Construction Company, Inc., as they are an ineligible bidder due to failing to comply with Minnesota Statute 16C.285, Subd. 4, and the Bidding Documents. 2) Reject all three bids received for the project that did not include the Responsible Contractor Verification form. 3) Award the Goodview Avenue Water Main Extension Project to Miller Excavating, Inc. in the amount of $2,271,124.81; second by Council Member Khambata. Clerk Anderson called the roll: Council Member Khambata-Aye; Council Member Thiede-Aye; Council Member Olsen-Aye; Council Member Dennis-Aye; Mayor Bailey- Aye. Motion carried: 5-0. 11. REGULAR AGENDA A. Ravine Crossing Staff Recommendation: 1) Adopt Resolution 2022-083 approving a lot split creating a three-acre parcel to be combined with the neighboring church parcel at 9998 90th Street South. 2) Adopt Ordinance No. 1059 approving a zoning amendment to rezone 28.6 acres of land generally located on the northwest corner of 90th Street and Keats Avenue from AG-1, Agricultural Preservation, to R-4, Low Density Residential. 3) Adopt Resolution 2022-084 approving the preliminary plat for a subdivision to be called Ravine Crossing that will consist of 80 single-family lots and 3 outlots. Emily Schmitz, Senior Planner, stated this application was submitted by D.R. Horton for a property about 28 acres in size at the northwest corner of Keats Avenue and 90th Street. There was a Comprehensive Plan Amendment that Council approved in March for the staging plan and the staging area; this parcel was originally in Staging Area 2, and with the approved Amendment, it is now in Staging Area 1. The Amendment is currently with the Metropolitan Council for their review and approval, which we expect to see in the next couple of months. Christ the Lord Church is working with the current property owner to purchase an additional three acres of this existing parcel, preparing for a potential future expansion. That lot split will take place before D.R. Horton works through any purchase with the current landowner for the development. The development is proposed as R-4 zoning and it meets the City’s minimum standards within the Zoning Code, so we’re not looking at a PUD tonight; all of the proposed lot sizes and setbacks align with the Zoning Code standards, with density at 2.53 units per acre, it meets low density requirements in the City’s Land Use Plan. City Council Meeting Minutes May 18, 2022 Page 12 Planner Schmitz spoke further on: Access: Proposed off of 90th Street and will also connect at the north to Joliet Avenue, to an existing development. This development will be unique as its surrounding developments don’t have sidewalks; this one will and will provide connectivity to the trail system along 90th Street and future Keats Avenue trails. Tree Inventory/Preservation: A tree inventory was completed with no mitigation required. The developer is proposing to meet our minimum landscape requirements, specifically with buffer trees along Keats Avenue, and maintaining a 75-foot buffer along that arterial roadway. Utilities: Available and readily accessible within 90th Street. They’re also willing to provide a sanitary sewer connection for the church, at such time the church chooses to connect to City services. Architecture: D.R. Horton has indicated this is a very similar product to that seen in Northwood Park, on the northeast corner of the community. Council Member Olsen stated his question applies to all developments in the Regular Agenda tonight and directed it to Attorney Land: He asked if she could speak about the need for Zoning Amendments in all three of these items. The Council knows the Comprehensive Plan applies to zoning in the community, but when we do a development, we have to do a Zoning Amendment. It seems confusing as to why we’re continually changing zoning. He asked Attorney Land to explain why we’re doing the Zoning Amendments and what we might need to do in the future to avoid having to regularly do Zoning Amendments. Attorney Land stated when the City adopts its Comprehensive Plan, the City Council sets out its long-term vision for the community with a broad brush. Any area is going to be zoned a certain type of residential property; you know that you want it to be residential, but you don’t know exactly what kind, so it’s just broad-brush residential. It might be large lots, but you’re not going to specifically say it has to be this many units per lot in this particular area. It’s a guide and it’s a principal guide based on how you envision the community to develop in the future and how you’d like to see it develop. Zoning is more guesswork; you think it’s going to be this, and the City has to have a Zoning Ordinance and a Zoning Map that are more specific than the Comprehensive Plan. The City doesn’t own the property, so the City can’t put things on that property and require things to go on that property because you don’t own it, and you don’t know for sure what the owner wants to do with it. The owner will know, according to the Comprehensive Plan, that it has to look something like this, but at the end of the day it might look a little different than what the Zoning Ordinance actually requires it to be. So, when they finally figure out what it is that they want to do with the property and it doesn’t align exactly with the Zoning Map, that’s when you receive a Zoning Map Amendment. Council Member Olsen stated Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Maps are public documents, so everyone can access them. Sometimes we’ll take an issue like this under advisement, people will look at a Zoning Map and say that’s not zoned that way, what are you doing? That doesn’t make any sense. That’s why he wanted her to provide context as to why we do these things. When the Comprehensive Plan is completed very ten years, some communities then adjust their zoning parallel to the City Council Meeting Minutes May 18, 2022 Page 13 creation of the new Comprehensive Plan to try to get those two things to match. These are private land deals, agreements made between property owners and developers, and the City has to have flexibility and be able to respond appropriately; that’s the reason sometimes a Zoning Amendment is required if we feel it meets the character of the area and is in keeping with our general development plan moving forward. It gives us the opportunity to adjust things and welcome new residents to the community. Council Member Khambata stated because they’re building close to Keats Avenue, he was happy to see where they placed Outlot A as a buffer between a higher traffic area and the neighboring property to the north. They made a lot of smart considerations regarding their neighbors to the south, the church, and the neighbor to the north on Keats Avenue. He likes what they’ve done. Deb Ridgeway, with D.R. Horton, 20860 Kenbridge Court, Lakeville, stated she was here to answer any questions. We’re excited to bring forward another project to Cottage Grove. Mayor Bailey stated this isn’t a public hearing but wondered if anybody in the audience wished to speak on this. Mayor Pro Tem Dennis stated a gentleman wished to speak; he asked him to state his name and address for the record and told him he’d have about three minutes to express his thoughts. Dave Olson, 8627 Jorgensen Avenue South, stated he lives in the development immediately north, and he attended the neighborhood meeting where Ms. Ridgeway was present. He said D.R. Horton did a nice job of helping us understand what would be going on to our south and what the development would look like. It’s now 79 homes instead of 88, but it’s the same general look and feel. As a citizen who lives just north of there, it was really nice to be able to have a smaller meeting to have that conversation with them; City staff was also there and provided answers to questions people had. He wanted Council to know that he thought it was a really good process, and he felt Council should approve these tonight. Motion by Council Member Khambata to Adopt Resolution 2022-083 approving a lot split creating a three-acre parcel to be combined with the neighboring church parcel at 9998 90th Street South; Adopt Ordinance No. 1059 approving a zoning amendment to rezone 28.6 acres of land generally located on the northwest corner of 90th Street and Keats Avenue from AG-1, Agricultural Preservation, to R-4, Low Density Residential; Adopt Resolution 2022-084 approving the preliminary plat for a subdivision to be called Ravine Crossing that will consist of 80 single-family lots and 3 outlots; second by Council Member Thiede. Clerk Anderson called the roll: Council Member Khambata- Aye; Council Member Thiede-Aye; Council Member Olsen-Aye; Council Member Dennis-Aye; Mayor Bailey-Aye. Motion carried: 5-0. Mayor Bailey stated that Planner Mrosla would speak on both Item 11-B and Item 11-C as they’re in the same area. B. Graymont Village City Council Meeting Minutes May 18, 2022 Page 14 Staff Recommendation: 1) Adopt Ordinance No. 1058 approving a zoning amendment to change the zoning of property generally located west of Ideal Avenue, south of the planned 105th Street extension, and north of 110th Street from AG-2, Agriculture, to R-3, Single Family Residential, to R-4, Low Density Residential, with a PUD, Planned Unit Development. 2) Adopt Resolution 2022-087 approving the preliminary plat for a residential development to be called Graymont Village, which will consist of 207 lots for single-family homes. C. Preserve at Prairie Dunes Staff Recommendation: 1) Adopt Resolution 2022-085 approving an amendment to the 2040 Comprehensive Plan to re-guide 14.91 acres of land from Industrial to Medium Density Residential and authorize staff to submit the amendment to the Metropolitan Council. 2) Adopt Ordinance No. 1057 approving the zoning amendment to rezone the subject property from AG-2, Agriculture, and R-1, Rural Residential, to R-4, Low Density Residential, with a Planned Unit Development, contingent on the Metropolitan Council’s approval of the associated Comprehensive Plan amendment. 3) Adopt Resolution 2022-086 approving the preliminary plat for a residential subdivision to be called Preserve at Prairie Dunes that will consist of 154 lots for single-family homes, contingent on the Metropolitan Council’s approval of the associated Comprehensive Plan amendment. Planner Mrosla stated these developments, Graymont Village and Preserve at Prairie Dunes, are adjacent to each other and have many similarities. The proposed projects are located south of 100th Street and to the west of Ideal Avenue. The proposed properties are currently tilled fields with vegetative windbreaks. About 100 acres is being included in the preliminary plat because we need to re-align 100th Street and Hadley Avenue, which is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. Director/City Engineer Burfeind will speak more about this later in the presentation. Graymont Village The applicant, Lennar, is proposing to develop about 60 acres, and the proposed project is a little more than 65 acres, currently tilled field. Surrounding development to the east is tilled fields and existing residential, to the west is the DNR Scientific Natural Area (SNA), to the north is the NorthPoint Logistics Center, to the south is existing residential. These projects are both located in the Cottage Grove Business Park Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR), which requires a hybrid Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) and an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Council recently approved an updated version of the AUAR at the March City Council meeting. The AUAR has to be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. The proposed projects are consistent with the AUAR, and no additional mitigation is required. City Council Meeting Minutes May 18, 2022 Page 15 Existing Land Use and Zoning: Both are currently guided as medium density residential, low density residential, and industrial on the Land Use Plan. They’re also zoned AG-2, Agricultural, R-1, Rural Residential, and R-3, Single-Family Residential. However, Summergate is requesting to re-guide a section of the property to medium density due to roadway alignment; upon review and working with the applicant, it was determined that the best placement of the roadway would be adjacent to the eastern property line, adjacent to a 75-foot existing powerline easement. That creates a nice buffer between the proposed residential and the Logistics Center to the east. That’s why we’re requesting to modify the plan because the roadway alignment shifted to the east, allowing for the whole piece of property to be guided as medium density. We have worked closely with the Metropolitan Council on this project, and they deemed this project as a minor Amendment, which does not need to go through the full Metropolitan Council process. However, they need to approve it before any rezoning takes effect. The applicant for the Preserve at Prairie Dunes is requesting to rezone the subject properties to R-4, Low Density Residential with a Planned Unit Development (PUD); that is contingent upon Metropolitan Council approval of the Land Use Amendment. If Council approves this project tonight, we will be submitting the proposed Amendment to the Metropolitan Council in the coming days. Planner Mrosla stated Public Works Director/City Engineer Burfeind would speak further on transportation and access in that area. Director Burfeind stated regarding the roadwork in this area, he felt a few items mentioned at the Planning Commission meeting were important to address tonight: Transportation: There will be a lot of work going on in this area on 105th Street, 100th Street, and Ideal Avenue, which is being done by NorthPoint:  They’ve just started working on 105th Street, and they’re proposing to start 100th Street this year, but we need to deal with many private utility conflicts from Xcel Energy, Century Link, and Comcast.  Ideal Avenue is proposed to be a 2023 construction, and all of that work will be either upgrading existing roads or doing the new road with three-lane sections. Truck traffic can use the new turn lanes to improve traffic flow.  The work on 100th Street will improve Renewal by Andersen traffic by providing a left-turn lane, so people don’t have to wait for the trucks.  The South District street and utility improvements include the realignment of 100th Street and then the realignment of Hadley Avenue, bringing it down to that roundabout in the southwest corner of NorthPoint; that will be a City project, an assessment project through Chapter 429. The benefiting owners of the development, the properties in this area, have signed Deferred Assessment Waivers to pay for that extension of Hadley Avenue; because there were so many benefiting properties, it made the most sense to actually have the City construct that roadway and collect the deferred assessments as the developments occur. That’s out to bid right now with a bid date of May 26 and an anticipated award date of June 1 at the City Council meeting. The reason that’s happening is they need a second access; Fire Code requires when you build more than 30 new units, they need two points of access from a public-safety City Council Meeting Minutes May 18, 2022 Page 16 perspective. These developments were required to have the avenue extension be completed so they could have that second point of access. Planning Commission meeting questions were there is a proposed connection to 110th Street with the Graymont Village element; the neighbors on 110th Street expressed concerns about why that connection is happening. They felt it would just add some more traffic to their road so asked if it was really needed. It is a very important standard practice of development that we connect our roadways; we don’t want to create dead-end blocks of housing. From a transportation perspective, even from that far southern point of 110th, it’s still shorter to go out through the development to 105th Street to Ideal Avenue; 110th Street is a 30 MPH road also, so it’s not a higher-speed road providing faster access out of the area. While some residents on the far south end of the development might use 110th Street, we’re really largely expecting traffic to flow north to 105th Street, which will have a higher speed limit, and out Ideal Avenue. Graymont Village will also be developed from north to south, so it will start that traffic pattern. The other reason to connect roadways is for services; even though the residents may not use this much, snowplows, the postal service, delivery trucks, and school buses don’t want to have to go into a neighborhood and go out, go around another road, and come back around 110th Street; that’s just adding many unnecessary trips and two-way traffic to a roadway. With more development, what’s going to happen with Jamaica Avenue? All of the work that we’re doing up to Jamaica Avenue is greatly going to increase the capacity of those roadways. This is residential traffic for Jamaica Avenue South and the roundabouts; NorthPoint is industrial traffic, so it’s really noncompeting. NorthPoint traffic will be coming into town from Highway 61; this traffic from the Business Park will be going northbound, the opposite direction. When you add up lots of traffic of the exact same use, that’s when you get the huge morning peak and the huge evening peak. So, from a traffic standpoint, it’s beneficial to have different types of uses that have different traffic patterns. Planner Mrosla stated Lennar is requesting a zoning amendment to rezone the property to R-4. Preliminary plat: To the north is the Cottage Grove Logistics Park by NorthPoint Development, a more-intense use. General planning practice is to do a denser residential product adjacent to a major roadway, transit station, or commercial and industrial uses; that’s what happening in this proposed development. The applicant is proposing a denser product of 45-foot lots, adjacent to 105th and the proposed use to the north, and the product decreases in density as you move away from the more- intense area. They’re proposing a new product type for the community with 45-foot lots, as they’re single family, owner-occupied, and owner-maintained. Previously, we’ve seen a lot of HOA-maintained developments. Revised Plat: The Planning Commission reviewed the previous plat submitted as part of the application which had some different lots. However, in order to address the comments provided in the engineering memo, Lennar revised their plat as they changed some of their lot widths. In return for doing that, they increased the depth of the lots adjacent to 105th Street, which actually created larger back yards. The intent was the residents will be maintaining the buffer area behind their property, which we’ve seen in City Council Meeting Minutes May 18, 2022 Page 17 several developments throughout the community. As part of the revised plat, the applicant removed some of the 65-foot lots shown on the submitted plat; however, there are some larger lots, in excess of 60 feet. The revised plat does not change the total number previously approved by the Planning Commission, which remains at 207. The applicant is proposing 93 45-foot lots, 23 55-foot lots, and 91 60-foot lots. PUD Flexibility: The applicant is requesting some flexibility:  Reduce the front-yard setback to 25 feet, consistent with previously approved projects in recent years.  Reduce the rear-yard setback to 30 feet instead of 35, which were mainly for the lots adjacent to 105th Street.  Minimum lot width is 60, and the applicant is requesting 45.  Minimum lot area is 7,500 square feet required in R-4, and the applicant is requesting 5,850 as the minimum, but the average on the 45-foot lots is 7,140. As previously stated, this 45-foot lot housing product is very similar to others in our community by Lennar; it’s just on a smaller lot. It’s similar to a detached townhome product; however, the owners will be maintaining the property instead of an HOA. Tree Preservation/Landscaping: Applicant is proposing 233 boulevard trees, and there are a total of 228 trees shown on the landscaping plan throughout the rear yards of the proposed houses. We are working with the applicant to revise the tree inventory, as the one that was submitted didn’t quite meet City Code. In the event that replacement is required, they’ll do that on site or pay cash in lieu. As a condition of approval, the final landscaping plan will be approved by Planning staff in writing prior to approval of the final plat. If cash in lieu is needed, it shall be memorialized in the Development Agreement. Preserve at Prairie Dunes This project required the Comprehensive Plan Amendment rezoning to R-4. Preliminary Plat: Adjacent to this property is the SNA. The applicant and City staff worked closely with the DNR when the first Concept Plans came in to make sure that no impacts to the SNA were created as part of this development. Much of the design you’re looking at tonight takes into consideration the DNR’s comments; there’s a trail corridor to separate the housing from the SNA. The applicant is preserving many trees in this area, too, as recommended by the SNA, to create separation. As previously mentioned, the northwestern section of the preliminary plat is for roadway right-of-way dedication, and it also creates four outlots for future development. At this time, we are not requesting any zoning amendments for Comprehensive Plan Amendments on those parcels. If an application is received in the future, we’ll use the same process with neighborhood meetings and Planning Commission and City Council review and approval. PUD Flexibility: There are (104) 50-foot lots and (50) 65-foot lots for which the applicant is requesting some flexibility: Minimum front-yard setback is 25 feet, the proposed minimum side yard is 7.5, and the applicant is requesting 5 feet on the 50-foot lots. This is very similar to the Settlers Bluff development, with the houses being 5 feet from the side-yard setbacks. This will also be HOA maintained. The lot area minimum is 7,500, and the applicant is proposing 6,565, consistent with other developments in the area. Tree Preservation and Landscaping: The applicant took into consideration preserving many trees adjacent to the SNA; ordinance allows for 35% removal, or 1,501 City Council Meeting Minutes May 18, 2022 Page 18 caliper inches. Removal of the remaining 947 caliper inches shall be replaced at a 1:2 ratio, so at this time the applicant is required to mitigate 473.6 caliper inches. Those trees will either be replaced on site or they’ll pay cash in lieu. The final landscaping plan shall be approved by Planning staff prior to approval of the Final Plat. Cash in lieu will be memorialized in the Developer’s Agreement. The applicant is proposing 227 boulevard trees and 4 trees per lot, for a total of 406 total trees. Each lot will have 10 understory shrubs, as required by ordinance. The applicant is proposing some additional screening in the area of the proposed roundabout. Stormwater Management: There are four stormwater ponds proposed with this development; engineering has reviewed those and provided comments to the applicant. Trails and Sidewalks: We like interconnectivity with our trails and sidewalk system, so the applicant is proposing five- foot-wide sidewalks, just like Graymont Village. There are a number of eight-foot-wide trails, the majority are adjacent to the major roadways, but there is one trail that goes through the proposed subdivision and has a connection to the Graymont Village site; those trails all lead up to the City park, which will include a parking lot, shelter area, active play area, multiuse court, and an open lawn area. This is adjacent to the SNA; the DNR did not want a direct trail access but trails that led to the SNA access points. Neighborhood Meeting: Planner Mrosla stated these projects went through the public process. The developers held a joint neighborhood meeting on March 14; we noticed 369 property owners within 500 feet in all of the River Acres neighborhood, 14 residents attended the meeting. Questions asked were about housing prices, access, the SNA, and construction timing, with the majority about traffic regarding NorthPoint. Public Hearing: Notices were sent to the same residents and published in the Pioneer Press on April 13; we received a letter from the DNR, which has been included in the Council packets and was provided to the applicant. At the Planning Commission Meeting on April 25, the Planning Commission reviewed this and held the public hearing. Numerous residents provided public testimony about the proposed development. A summary of those comments and staff responses was also provided in the Council packets. Planning Commissioners asked follow-up questions but voted unanimously (6-to-0) to recommend approval of both projects. Planner Mrosla stated both applicants are here tonight for any questions; we will do two sets of motions, one for Graymont Village and one for Preserve at Prairie Dunes. Council Member Khambata asked Planner Mrosla about the lot widths and side-yard setbacks. When we approved Settlers Bluff, there was concern regarding Fire Code with the narrower side-yard setbacks. The developer there was going to use a Hardie Board material or different soffits on the sides of the structures to compensate for the fact that there was 10 feet, instead of 15 feet, between the dwelling units. He wanted to confirm that that’s the case here. Planner Mrosla stated as part of the Building Code review, they would use the same standards that were approved as part of the Settlers Bluff development. Council Member Khambata asked how the smaller lots impacted the foundation size or the impervious surface allowable on those; as we’re decreasing the overall square- City Council Meeting Minutes May 18, 2022 Page 19 footage of the lot, are we going to get the same size house with less yard or are they curtailing the overall size of the properties in order to kind of balance things out. Planner Mrosla replied we had that conversation with the developer with respect to the 75-foot lots because ordinance allows for 35% impervious coverage by a structure. We made sure to work with the developer on that, and these lots meet that requirement. They are under the 35% threshold. Council Member Olsen stated there was a public meeting and several people had questions about the price point of the product; he wanted to know the answer to that question. Planner Mrosla replied the question was more about the Lennar development, so deferred to the applicant to address that. Paul Tabone, Entitlement Manager with Lennar, 16305 36th Avenue North, Suite 600, Plymouth, Minnesota, stated they’re thinking the price point would start in the low- to-mid $400,000 range. Mr. Tabone stated developers and builders are constantly having to adjust to market conditions, and market conditions are a little strange right now. We’re trying to use townhome parameters, with homes ranging from 26-to-30 feet wide, 50-to-60 feet deep, with three beds, two baths, and a two-car garage. The intention was instead of having a joint wall, we’d split them a little bit and go with a smaller site, so the prospective buyer has more privacy and would also avoid HOA dues, which are also creeping up. So, we’re trying something a little bit different, and it reflects on what’s going on with energy, housing, and material prices, everything that’s spiraling right now. Council Member Olsen stated he recalled a comment Mr. Tabone made a while back about density, and the way to attack the challenges around affordability has to do with greater density. It seems like for both of these developments we’re seeing a change in the market trend, where we’re squeezing more properties into the same amount of land because setbacks are changing. We’re going with a little bit smaller footprint on the property itself, but the affordability piece doesn’t seem to be coming along with it. He stated the economy is a mess in several different areas, all of which impact Lennar. He's wondering what we can do in partnership with developers to continue to attack that affordability issue, understanding that they’re a for-profit business. We’re frequently asked if we anticipate any affordable single-family home developments, from a townhome to a duplex, because many people are finding it really tough to get into the market. He asked if the right thing for us is to continue to work towards these smaller- footprint properties, or how to manage the market to the best of our ability to get people who are trying to get into a home in a position where they can actually do it. Mr. Tabone stated that’s a difficult question with a lot of different answers, but he can speak to it a little bit. What we’ve found is being able to have something that’s a little bit denser actually uses land, materials, and resources more efficiently. What they’re seeing in the market, especially currently, is that townhome sales are actually increasing a lot; the most recent data he’s seen is townhomes are selling for $350,000 and more. As you close in on that price point, it’s because we can’t get materials as quickly as we’d like, and if we do, there seems to be a premium to them or supply-chain concerns. So, we’re dealing with all of those things in a larger-scale economy that’s just bigger than the Twin Cities. One thing that we’ve always appreciated about Cottage City Council Meeting Minutes May 18, 2022 Page 20 Grove is when we try something a little bit different, the Council has supported us, which is great. This is something a little bit newer for us, we’re building them in two other communities. Affordability has a lot of different meanings to a lot of different people. We’re trying to develop something that’s a bit more market attainable in terms of price point: Your typical two-story, four-or-five bedroom, two-or-three bath home, with a three-car garage, finished basement, maybe 3,500 square feet, are all pushing upwards of $600,000 or more. When you look at that product’s price point in the existing market, not new construction, we come down the curve to $400,000; that’s still a lot, but it’s certainly not what it was years ago when you could get into a smaller home for $250,000 or so. That’s kind of where we’re seeing things right now. Compared to $650,000, $600,000 or even $580,000, wherever those numbers are, $400,000 is still a lot more attainable, especially for a young family, than some of the larger homes that we’re seeing. We’re trying to work through it as best as we can, navigating a lot of unknowns right now, and with the housing economy, it’s something that we’re trying to combat as well. Council Member Olsen told Mr. Tabone he appreciated his explanation. He asked mainly because he’d like to know what the City can do to work towards affordability for people; we want to have lifecycle housing in the community where from cradle to grave you can live in Cottage Grove if that’s what you want. He appreciated his feedback. Council Member Olsen told Director Burfeind that they’d had conversations with the same people about traffic concerns. He asked: 1) How do we properly direct and oversee the construction traffic for developments such as this to make sure that they’re staying where they’re supposed to stay when they’re there and are not traveling down neighborhood roads. We know these people have essentially lived a rural lifestyle for a long time, so this is a shock to the system. 2) When do we anticipate that we might be able to provide some relief with the reconfiguration of 100th Street so that some of that traffic that currently travels through these roadways and creates some of the congestion you discussed earlier might be alleviated to some degree? He knew that we’re working closely with Washington County. He’d appreciate an update for the public on those because it’s a huge concern for many people in that area. Director Burfeind stated with construction traffic for something like this, we rely on the Development Agreements, our permit approvals, and the approvals that go with the Final Plat to really direct traffic; we work with the developers and the builders to be on the roads that they’re intended to be on, which would be Ideal Avenue to 105th Street. Once 105th Street is completed, we’d look for traffic to not go down to 110th Street. It’s good that they’ll be developing from north to south, so there physically won’t be a connection off of 110th for all of the homebuilding traffic. This year 105th Street is under construction. If this moves ahead this year, then some of the grading equipment that’s delivered to the site only once will likely have to use 110th Street to bring in that equipment; after that, there’s no trucking, no hauling, no asphalt trucks coming every day. As 105th Street is completed, we’ll be working with the developers to use that. They are public roads with no load restrictions, but certainly we work with them very closely to try to do that. Last week a delivery was going down 110th Street, which they shouldn’t have been doing, so we actually put a stop to that the same day. City Council Meeting Minutes May 18, 2022 Page 21 In terms of the 100th Street realignment, initially that was more than five-or-ten years out in Washington County’s plans, so they’ve reacted quickly to all of this development. The preliminary design was started this year, they allocated funding for that, and they’ll have the preliminary design done in December. Both the City and the County are really aggressively going for State and Federal funding; we’ve submitted numerous grants, as well as a State bonding request and State general fund appropriations that are going to the legislature. Our key is to really get that funding; we’re working closely and very well with 3M because they have all the land in that area, and we need the right-of-way. If we can be successful on the funding component, the grants, we’d like to see that built in the next two-to-four years. Once we get the grants, it’s hard to put a number on it because sometimes Federal funding is out a little bit further. At this point, it’s really funding. Council Member Dennis stated that we’ve had numerous opportunities to work with Mr. Tabone and Lennar, and they’ve been fantastic. He’d spoken with Mr. Tabone after a Planning Commission meeting and told him if there are any unique ideas for what we could do with an opportunity for a new product, let’s have that conversation to see where that might go. If we really want to see prices decrease, we’re going to have to do something that we haven’t done before. Mr. Tabone was part of a housing symposium where he’d shared some insights. Council Member Dennis stated there are four points of cost consideration: Land acquisition, Land improvements, Materials, and Labor. Those are always four things they have to try to balance to come up with something that will work; he just wanted to extend that invitation to Mr. Tabone to have a conversation should he have any new ideas or things that he thought would work here. Mayor Bailey stated when new developments come in, he always likes to drive the area to check it out; regarding driving to the end of 110th Street, there is a gate that looks like it goes to a gravel parking lot that would be access to the Dunes’ SNA. He asked if that area would be available to the public to park a car and go into that area; if not, he asked if we should have that conversation because it looks like people are parking on the street, then getting out and walking into the SNA. He posed that question to staff to see what they knew about that. Director Burfeind stated he’s familiar with the gravel access, the parking lot at the end, but didn’t know why that would be gated. With the discussions we’re having with the DNR, he can reach out to them and find out why that’s gated. Mayor Bailey stated the neighborhoods there will eventually use this access point to the SNA but believes other people will start driving into that area once they know there’s a second access point. The current residents are used to that rural environment, so this might be an opportunity to make sure that we don’t have people parking on the street when there’s actually a gravel parking lot. Mayor Bailey asked with these two proposed developments, if the future zoning east of this property will be housing, should those landowners sell. Planner Mrosla replied that’s correct, the properties adjacent to Ideal Avenue are guided low density on the Comprehensive Plan; there would most likely have to be assemblage of those lots as they are smaller. City Council Meeting Minutes May 18, 2022 Page 22 Mayor Bailey asked if the developer for the Preserve at Prairie Dunes wished to speak. Council Member Dennis welcomed him and asked him to please state his name and address for the record. Brian Tucker, with Summergate Development, 17305 Cedar Avenue, Lakeville, stated they appreciated consideration of their project tonight, staff’s assistance from the beginning, and working through this project with them. There are many moving parts with road access issues and the Comprehensive Plan Amendment, etc. so appreciated their input. He’s here to answer any questions; we did the Summers Landing project to the north, which is mostly done now, so it’s good timing for them to be looking at another project here. Council Member Khambata thanked Mr. Tucker for being here tonight and helping to invest in our community. He noted with Summers Landing there were several different builders in that project; he asked Mr. Tucker if those same builders would be involved in this next development or if they were still waiting to see who came to the table. Lennar has an exclusive buildout on their developments, but he knew that Summergate used a couple different builders to provide product variety. He’s especially curious with the smaller lot size if they were going to try to do something along the lines of Settlers Bluff, or detached townhome; if so, he wondered who the builder would be. Mr. Tucker stated their intent would be to work with at least a couple different builders, which is why they tried to provide a couple different types of lots to allow for some flexibility in product; they don’t yet have specific builders lined up, but they’ve had conversations with a number of them. They’d expect at least a couple of builders, if not more, similar to what they had in Summers Landing. Council Member Olsen told Mr. Tucker that we have been really pleased with the partnership that we’ve had with you and with Mr. Tabone, and your product is very popular in our community. He’s really glad that they want to move forward with this project. He thanked them for the great care that they took with Summers Landing; he anticipates nothing less than that in this new development. People get picky about the housing stock and the way in which the area develops, etc., and both of you have just done a top-notch job. He’s really excited about what you can bring to the table in this part of the City as well; he thinks it will tie in very nicely with your current development. He thought the type of product that they’ve brought forth was desperately needed and obviously very popular; he’s eager to see what sort of creativity they can bring to the table with this new development. Mr. Tucker stated both he and Mr. Tabone appreciate the City’s flexibility and being openminded to think forward through these issues; while there are many variables in the cost of housing, the reality is density is one of the equations to help mitigate some of the costs to where it’s even approachable from an affordability standpoint. We appreciate your efforts to be forward thinking and openminded in product types. Motion by Council Member Dennis to Adopt Ordinance No. 1058 approving a zoning amendment to change the zoning of property generally located west of Ideal Avenue, south of the planned 105th Street extension, and north of 110th Street from AG-2, City Council Meeting Minutes May 18, 2022 Page 23 Agriculture, and R-3, Single Family Residential, to R-4, Low Density Residential, with a PUD, Planned Unit Development; Adopt Resolution 2022-087 approving the preliminary plat for a residential development to be called Graymont Village, which will consist of 207 lots for single-family homes; second by Council Member Khambata. Clerk Anderson called the roll: Council Member Khambata-Aye; Council Member Thiede-Aye; Council Member Olsen-Aye; Council Member Dennis-Aye; Mayor Bailey-Aye. Motion carried: 5-0. Motion by Council Member Khambata to Adopt Resolution 2022-085 approving an amendment to the 2040 Comprehensive Plan to re-guide 14.91 acres of land from Industrial to Medium Density Residential and authorize staff to submit the amendment to the Metropolitan Council; Adopt Ordinance No. 1057 approving the zoning amendment to rezone the subject property from AG-2, Agriculture, and R-1, Rural Residential, to R-4, Low Density Residential, with a Planned Unit Development, contingent on the Metropolitan Council’s approval of the associated Comprehensive Plan amendment; Adopt Resolution 2022-086 approving the preliminary plat for a residential subdivision to be called Preserve at Prairie Dunes that will consist of 154 lots for single-family homes, contingent on the Metropolitan Council’s approval of the associated Comprehensive Plan Amendment; second by Council Member Dennis. Clerk Anderson called the roll: Council Member Khambata-Aye; Council Member Thiede-Aye; Council Member Olsen-Aye; Council Member Dennis-Aye; Mayor Bailey- Aye. Motion carried: 5-0. 12. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND REQUESTS Council Member Khambata announced he became a new dad this week. He’s also looking forward to bringing his family to Strawberry Fest after a two-year hiatus; it will be a great opportunity for people to get together and really enjoy summer. He told Council Member Thiede that he will definitely see him there. Council Member Khambata asked that City staff put together a proposal to correct the permit application requirements to reflect our updated food truck ordinance. Mayor Bailey asked Mayor Pro Tem Dennis to ask Administrator Levitt if we needed to make a motion on that. Administrator Levitt replied that based upon the way the action was taken tonight related to the Consent Calendar, you essentially indicated that all of the food trucks associated with the One Family Hmong Festival had their fees waived; you also indicated that when the Strawberry Fest food units make their application for their license, that you desire to waive their fee. So, as those licenses for the Strawberry Fest come before you at the next Council Meeting, those would be indicated on the action form that those fees would be waived as they’re identified specifically with that Special Event. We will take care of that in a future Council action. Council Member Dennis stated he felt we should make a motion so Council Member Khambata and his wife can get some sleep as they’ve been putting in some long hours with the new baby. City Council Meeting Minutes May 18, 2022 Page 24 Council Member Dennis stated it was a pleasure to work recently with Mayor Bailey on the Economic Development presentation that was done on Facebook Live, with the assistance from SWCTC and our staff team. It was a great opportunity for people to learn about economic development and things that are going on in the community; that is currently playing on SWCTC and it’s also available on the City’s YouTube channel. If you’re interested, please tune in and watch. Council Member Dennis stated that perhaps of all the things he does as a Council Member, one of the things that he’s most proud of is the work that we do on the Memorial Day ceremony. We are getting very close to that time, as on May 30 we’ll be here at City Hall at 1:00 p.m., putting on a very dignified and respectful ceremony to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our country, our people, and our freedoms, which is one of the things that makes America truly great. He identified those who will be present and involved:  Beyond the Yellow Ribbon team members, to include the presentation of colors.  Minnesota Combat Riders Motorcycle Club, who will put out flags along the roadway, which will make it look nice.  Mr. Storm and the Park High School quintet, who will provide musical accompaniment for a number of songs.  Megan Paulus, a fantastic singer who will do acapella performances on some songs for us.  All local and State-elected officials have been invited, including State Representative Angie Craig of District #2, so hope they will attend.  Trista MatasCastillo will be our main speaker; she’s the Chair of the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners, has an incredible biography and list of accomplishments.  Mark Wiggins, Cottage Grove Police Chaplain, will say a community prayer. First and foremost, we’re here to pay our respects; second, we’ll have a theme and Ms. MatasCastillo will speak of some of the challenges and realities that face female military members and veterans. That’s something we’ve not touched on before, but as females comprise about 22% of the Armed Services, it’s about time they had some recognition. We’re trying to get an extra special guest, but because it’s not yet been confirmed, he can’t identify the person. Should it occur, it would be a big thing for Cottage Grove. That’s what’s planned, and we always get much help from our City staff and other volunteers. Council Member Olsen is also deeply involved with Beyond the Yellow Ribbon so we’re going to bring this all together and have a just a great time of paying our respects in a very dignified process. Council Member Thiede stated it’s five weeks until Strawberry Fest. Council Member Olsen congratulated Council Member Khambata and his wife, Crystal, on the addition to their family. He’s very happy for them and their other two children. He noted if they have two more, they’ll have a basketball team. City Council Meeting Minutes May 18, 2022 Page 25 Council Member Olsen expressed his family’s condolences to Council Member Thiede’s family, as Council Member Thiede’s wife, Cindy, lost her father; it’s one of the reasons Council Member Thiede is here remotely tonight. We’re thinking of your family and Cindy’s family during this very difficult time. Council Member Olsen thanked Council Member Dennis for all of his hard work in coordinating and organizing the upcoming Memorial Day celebration in partnership with our Beyond the Yellow Ribbon team. He stated Council Member Dennis works on this all year long, especially with the invitations and in coordinating groups, who are in very high demand for ceremonies all on the same day. Our ceremony is always very well attended, and it’s a really outstanding opportunity to pay our respects to the fallen. He’s very grateful for Council Member Dennis’ involvement as he does an excellent job of getting this event organized. Please join us at City Hall on May 30, at 1:00 p.m. Council Member Olsen stated this week happens to be Public Works Week, Police Week, and EMS Week. The fact that we are celebrating our Public Safety team and our Public Works team this week definitely bears mentioning. We have an unbelievably good team here in the City of Cottage Grove. Today he spent a little time with the Public Works staff to thank them for their contribution; he asked the public to say thank you to the Public Works member who’s sweeping their street or those mowing grass in the parks, our police officers, firefighters, and EMS personnel. There’s such a high level of dedication every day from these people, and the City Council takes a tremendous amount of pride in the delivery of service that our residents receive at a very reasonable cost. The people who work in those departments truly care, and their supervisors take really good care of them, so it’s a positive work environment. People often start working here when they’re young, and then they retire 40 years down the line because they like it here so much. He thanked them again and asked the public not to be shy about thanking our staff and telling them how much they appreciate what they’re doing. They’re the ones that make this community the wonderful place that it is. Council Member Olsen stated we’re going to celebrate our community on June 11, at the St. Paul Saints game at CHS field in St. Paul. Everybody watching this meeting is invited; it’s not free, you have to buy a ticket. Tickets are available for that game, which is sponsored by Discover Cottage Grove, our Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB). He is the Vice Chair of the CVB, and Council Member Dennis is the Chair; this is an event that’s intended to celebrate all things Cottage Grove and really give the residents of Cottage Grove an opportunity to interact with many different people who make a big difference here in our community, including Lions Club members, Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Club members, City staff, the City Council, and many more. Two ways to get tickets: Five-packet ticket giveaway online at discovercottagegrove.com, deadline for the giveaway is May 31, or on the St. Paul Saints website. If you go to the discovercottagegrove.com website or our Facebook page, it will link you through to buy tickets with $2 for every ticket coming back to the community as a donation to our Cottage Grove Lions Club. As a Lions Club member, we take all those funds that we receive from all fundraising events, and we turn around and support the community. City Council Meeting Minutes May 18, 2022 Page 26 We had a Lions Club meeting last night and approved over $8,000 in donations to various groups in the community; that is something that we really love to do, to serve, to help, and support. So, we’d love to see you at the ballgame and have some fun with us. Mayor Bailey also extended condolences to Council Member Thiede and his wife, Cindy, on the loss of her dad. Mayor Bailey congratulated Council Member Khambata and his wife on their new addition to the family. Mayor Bailey stated that we received confirmation that we are going to be getting a total of $25,000 for the Fourth of July fireworks this year. We had $5,000 commitments from Renewal by Andersen, 3M Corporation, Tennis Sanitation, Hy-Vee, and NorthPoint. With inflation this year, for a decent show we figured we’d need to increase the amount, so our local business community came through in a big way. He thanked all of them for their continued support of both the Fourth of July fireworks and other events in our community. Mayor Bailey stated to piggyback on Strawberry Fest, we were made aware that the Cottage Grove Strawberry Festival float was literally falling apart. So, the City purchased a new trailer, and then we obviously had to build a new float. The Strawberry Fest Committee was looking for donations, so Mayor Bailey stated that he’d check around to see what he could do. Once again, 3M and Renewal by Andersen stepped to the plate and provided almost $10,000 worth of financing to build out the float. Yesterday he saw some photos, and the float is absolutely amazing; they’re still putting all the finishing touches on it, but you’ll see the new float in the Strawberry Festival parade in June. He thanked 3M and Renewal by Andersen once again for stepping up to help us. That float will represent Cottage Grove all over the upper Midwest with our Ambassadors program. Mayor Bailey stated that Council Member Dennis previously mentioned the Facebook Live event that we held; he appreciated all of the work that our staff, Council Member Dennis, and the cable commission did, as all of us really put a lot of effort into getting information out to the public. We gathered information from the public about what they want in Cottage Grove, and we want them to better understand how development works, how we go about attracting businesses, and why some take so long to get here or don’t come here. We got some great comments and feedback from the public. Mayor Bailey stated with that information, he wanted to acknowledge that this coming week, Sunday through Tuesday, Council Member Dennis, our staff, and hopefully himself, if he’d improved from COVID, would be going out to the ICSC convention in Las Vegas as representatives of the City of Cottage Grove. We’ll bring our big booth out there to represent the City of Cottage Grove to all of the businesses, retailers, and developers in the United States. There are some meetings already set up, which is exciting, so we hope to really convince people about making Cottage Grove their home. We hope to attract some new, unique businesses to join us here. City Council Meeting Minutes May 18, 2022 Page 27 13. WORKSHOPS - OPEN TO PUBLIC - None. 14. WORKSHOPS – CLOSED TO PUBLIC 15. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Council Member Olsen, second by Council Member Khambata, to adjourn the meeting at 9:12 p.m. Clerk Anderson called the roll: Council Member Khambata-Aye; Council Member Thiede-Aye; Council Member Olsen-Aye; Council Member Dennis- Aye; Mayor Bailey-Aye. Motion carried: 5-0. Minutes prepared by Judy Graf and reviewed by \[Name\].