Anoka City Council

September 23, 2019 (Worksession) Page 1 of 7 WORKSESSION OF THE ANOKA CITY COUNCIL ANOKA CITY HALL CITY COUNCIL WORKSESSION ROOM SEPTEMBER 23, 2019 1. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Pro Tem Freeburg called the Worksession to order at 5:00 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL Present at roll call: Mayor Pro Tem Freeburg, Councilmembers Barnett, Skogquist and Wesp. Absent: Mayor Rice. Staff present: City Manager Greg Lee; Public Services Director Mark Anderson; Engineering Technician Ben Nelson; Finance Director Brenda Smith; Electric Utility Director Greg Geiger; Police Chief Eric Peterson 3. COUNCIL BUSINESS and/or DISCUSSION ITEMS 3.1 Update; Summary of September 18, 2019, Transportation Open House. Engineering Technician Ben Nelson shared a staff report with background information stating the Highway 10 Corridor Projects – Anoka Open House was held at the Green Haven Golf Course & Event Center on Wednesday, September 18, 2019. At the open house, the City had an informational booth for Anoka’s Highway 10/169 Improvements Project, Anoka County had booths for the Highway 47 and Bunker Lake Boulevard Intersection Improvements Project and the 7th Avenue Reconstruction Project, and Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) had booths for the Highway 47/169 Resurfacing Project and the Highway 10 Rum River Bridge and Corridor Project. There were approximately 300 people in attendance and the main purpose of the open house was to introduce/solicit input from the public. Mr. Nelson said most were very supportive of the proposed projects and outlined next steps would be to hold another open house with MnDOT’s Rum River project. Mr. Nelson said they shared the five concepts, gathered input, and will narrow down options for the October Worksession with another scheduled for November with the goal of municipal consent by the end of the year. Public Services Director Mark Anderson said they held a business open house earlier that day with 25 owners in attendance with the majority excited about the projects as well. Mr. Anderson said some business owners were upset about parking on Jacob Lane but most were upset about how the project was not going all the way to Elk River. Joe MacPherson, Assistant County Engineer from Anoka County, provided a summary of the comments received at the open house the addressed Council questions regarding the September 23, 2019 (Worksession) Page 2 of 7 Highway 47 and Bunker Lake Boulevard Intersection Improvements Project and the 7th Avenue Reconstruction Project. Mr. MacPherson said everyone was pleased with the five-lane section from Garfield to 38th as well as the left-turn lane but that some concern was raised about the median between Buchanan and Garfield. Mr. MacPherson said they were proposing left turn lanes at Grant to control access points for safety and those living on the west side were concerned about how they would access the area but once explained seemed acceptable as long as they were able to preserve as much land as possible. Councilmember Skogquist inquired about concerns with sidewalk connections on the west side. Mr. McPherson said they brought forward a layout that did not show connections between Buchanan and Grant as they wanted to wait until Council was approving of the plan but said this would be a good project to include at City cost. City Manager Greg Lee said the sidewalk connections were included in the five-year CIP and agreed it made sense to incorporate that project into the overall project. Mr. McPherson said the sidewalk on the east side of the road will be replaced and said they may have to obtain temporary easements based on how the sidewalk ties back to the yards. Mr. McPherson said the proposal for Bunker Lake Boulevard and TH47 were well received, adding residents were happy about extending the right-turn lane. Mr. McPherson said there was a request to extend the sidewalk by the Dollar Tree and Wendy’s and dual left turn lanes on southbound TH47. Mr. McPherson noted one comment was made regarding TH47 north of north of Bunker Lake Boulevard for a three-phase signal with a green arrow and would be reviewed options. Mr. McPherson said the other concern was the possible need for a right-turn lane by Speedway. Councilmember Skogquist thanked the County for including a left-turn lane into Dunn Brothers as it will be very helpful. Councilmember Barnett asked about extension of the left-turn at Bunker Lake Boulevard and how far it will be extended. Mr. McPherson said the lane would be extended over the bridge and taper back to the through lane. Mr. Nelson shared a memorandum from MnDOT outlining the comments received for the Highway 47/169 Resurfacing Project and the Highway 10 Rum River Bridge and Corridor Project. Mr. Lee said MnDOT’s project on TH47 from the railroad tracks to the intersection will be overlaid in 2021 but that we wanted to meet with residents regarding the corridor study for a plan for a three-lane section on TH47 in February 2020. Mr. Lee spoke about a signal at McKinley and Wilson with a full intersection and that MnDOT has funding for the upgrade if we agree for 2022. Councilmember Skogquist shared comments he heard about street closings and suggestions for cul-de-sacs to be converted into right-in/right-outs. Mr. Lee said there September 23, 2019 (Worksession) Page 3 of 7 are a lot of access points already in this neighborhood and noted there was quite a bit of right-of-way already and would have tree impacts along with a proposed trailway along TH47. Councilmember Barnett noted flags placed along the property lines will be good for residents to begin to see where their property actually is prior to any construction. 3.2 Discussion; Results of 2 A.M. Liquor License Elimination in 2018 and Downtown District Uses, i.e. Food Trucks, Events, Etc. Police Chief Eric Peterson shared a staff report with background information stating in August 2007 the Police Department began providing police services dedicated to the downtown bar/entertainment district in response to violent crime and unruly behavior by bar patrons during the hours of 11pm and 3am. On September 27, 2018 the Chief presented an analysis of police activity and criminal incidents that occurred in the Downtown Entertainment District between the hours of 1am and 3am. This data revealed a significant increase in criminal activity and disorderly behavior. He also provided impacts to the City which included a $60,000 overtime budget to staff police officers. In a following Council meeting, Council approved the suspension of 2am liquor permits for the City of Anoka. Chief Peterson analyzed the data for 2019 and revealed the total percentage of police activity and criminal incidents has dropped 62% since the 2am liquor permit suspension as well as disorderly conduct cases down 66%, drug cases down 83%, and DWIs down 37%. In 2019, the Police Chief cut one hour out of the overtime spent at the entertainment district and saved over $15,000 in overtime expenses. This number is expected to increase during the winter months as it is anticipated that there will be less of a need for officer presence since the 2am permit suspension is in effect. Chief Peterson said he would like the City Council to discuss options to enable police to decrease the criminal activity in and around the bar/entertainment district which should include the elimination of 2am permits. He said the anticipated result if Council takes action using either of these options are closing the bars at 1am will reduce the excessive consumption of alcohol that contributes to most of the criminal activity in this area and will reduce the fear of crime in the City and increased use of the district for events will bring guests to Anoka and provide the citizens a venue for entertainment and place that they can feel safe. Councilmember Barnett asked about feedback from the bar owners. Mr. Lee said all were notified but no one was in attendance. Chief Peterson noted the bar owners established an Anoka Entertainment District Committee chaired by Dan Sweeney from Danno’s to help address concerns and said that police have asked to attend their meetings. Mayor Pro Tem Freeburg said the owners understand the City’s concerns about 2am permitting and will not be surprised if the 2am permits are permanently removed. September 23, 2019 (Worksession) Page 4 of 7 Councilmember Skogquist said he had spoken with some bar owners and said it was unfortunate no one attended this evening as he would like to get their input. He said the decision was made prior to his being on the Council and while he understood something had to be done, he would have preferred it done in a way similar to revoking the tobacco license for an individual operation like they did earlier this year and not all tobacco shops. He said he supported the change but would like to revisit the topic again in the future when the former Courtside opens again because the data may be skewed a bit when it closed, adding balance for the businesses is important. Chief Peterson clarified he was not opposed to bars as they are a great way to draw people to the City and agreed we do not know the true impact with Courtside closing but added in 2018 they had 17 incidents at the Courtside address while in 2019 they had six even after they closed. He said the concern was overserving during late hours and those non-Anoka residents that come in for last call. Councilmember Barnett clarified if the action would be a suspension of the 2am license and then formal revocation or elimination. Mr. Lee said no action was needed as the 2am licenses expired January 1 already. He thanked police for going to meet the businesses and said should the demographic or ownership change we would be willing to review the topic again or if we see the businesses start to struggle. He also suggested the owners contribute to the overtime as another option and reiterated that while we do not want to hurt the businesses for being in Anoka, we believe this is the right decision right now. Councilmember Skogquist said activity brings people downtown and the special events are beneficial as they help residential neighborhoods and property values. He commented on how Anoka was a third-class city with a maximum of 12 on-sale licenses and how it would be smart to be proactive as more licenses will be needed in the future with the event center and new breweries, adding the work of downtown is taxing on staff and that we need to consider that in upcoming fee reviews. 3.3 Discussion; 2020 Combined Street Improvement Project; Downtown Streetscape Requirements Street Renewal Program (SRP) Monroe Project Area. Mr. Nelson shared a staff report with background information stating a resolution was adopted by City Council on July 15, 2019, authorizing the preparation of a feasibility report for the 2020 Combined Street Improvement Project which included the Monroe Area Street Renewal Project (SRP). The streets proposed and project limits to be included for study within the 2020 Monroe Area SRP feasibility report section were shared. He explained the streetscaping/landscaping for the Main Street sub-district was defined when East Main Street and West Main Street were reconstructed. During the planning and design of these projects, Anoka City Council branded the downtown area as “real classic.” Due to the close proximity of the Monroe Area SRP project, staff has developed two concept options on how to transition from this streetscaping/landscaping into a residential area. For these concept options, staff further refined the streetscaping based on the transitioning from the “real classic” look that includes elements such as Residential Streetscape, Urban/ High Density Residential (HDR) Streetscape, Intersection/Gateway September 23, 2019 (Worksession) Page 5 of 7 Streetscape, and Downtown Extension Streetscape. He said based on the types of streetscaping/landscaping, staff developed two options to begin discussion on the City Council’s vision for this area of downtown Anoka that included minimal landscaping enhancements and more substantial enhancements. He outlined in addition to the two options alternative items Council could consider incorporating into the project such as planter pots, benches, and trash receptacles. He said staff has incorporated approximately $100,000 into the project budget to cover the additional streetscaping/landscaping costs and to further understand the additional cost in streetscaping/landscaping, staff has estimated the cost above the typical SRP project. The estimated cost for concept option 1 and concept option 2 is $89,950 and $537,500 respectively. Paul Paige, Hoisington Koegler Group Inc. (HKGi), presented the proposed streetscaping/landscaping and addressed Council questions. Mr. Nelson said recommendation for the streetscaping/landscaping transition out of the “real classic” theme of Main Street is concept 1 for the Monroe Area SRP project. He also shared that if Council were to include additional enhanced landscaping into the project over the budgeted $100,000 it would be financed by the Municipal Public Works 444 Waterworks; Storm; Sanitary Sewer Systems bond. Mr. Lee clarified the purpose of the topic was for Council to see the options in advance of the neighborhood and businesses for inclusion in the feasibility report so items the Council does not wish to include will not be shared with the public. Mr. Lee said staff will then meet with businesses and the neighborhood as well as ABLA review on October 1. Mayor Pro Tem Freeburg asked if bump outs are standard. Mr. Nelson said they were included as they are in other parts of the City. Mr. Lee said the value of bump outs are more in higher traffic/pedestrian areas as they provide a location for benches and planters. Mayor Pro Tem Freeburg said he was excited about the project but would like to be conservative and said not have the area over landscaped. Councilmember Barnett agreed as she does not see people walking Monroe as much as other areas and while she would like to see 1st and 2nd Avenues done more she would like the rest of the project area very conservative. She asked if the bump outs sacrifice a parking stall and noted there was no need for benches as people do not stop and sit in this area. She suggested if ABLA was passionate about the area they could invest as some of those amenities should fall on the businesses too. Mr. Lee said some pavers are in the area will be replaced and suggested transitioning with pavers down 1st and 2nd Avenues. Mayor Pro Tem Freeburg commented on costs of lights in the trees. September 23, 2019 (Worksession) Page 6 of 7 Councilmember Skogquist said the area needs help and felt 1st and 2nd Avenues should feel like downtown. He said we would be setting a precedent with how we address the Jackson Street area so Concept 1 makes sense. He said he does not want to do half- blocks though and suggested 4th Avenue could be a little different but we do not need elaborate plantings. Finance Director Brenda Smith spoke about bonding $8.7 million for the project as the water has enough fund balance to pay their portion up front which is good. Mayor Pro Tem Freeburg confirmed Bridge Square parking lot was included and asked if the timbers would be removed. Mr. Nelson said they would just be removing the center curb island and repainting. Councilmember Skogquist spoke about allowing the trees space to expand. Councilmember Barnett said she does not the grates by the trees as they collect debris and would like to see another option then asked about watering/maintenance costs. Mr. Anderson thanked her for her comments and said while the areas will look nice irrigation was a big investment and bump outs impact plowing. Electric Utility Director Greg Geiger said pavers are difficult for maintenance too and irrigation by street lights difficult to address. Discussion was held on cost differences between pavers and bump outs. Councilmember Skogquist commented about the areas by the schools and salt impacts on grass that could be changed too. Discussion was held on impacts of plowing and road salt on light poles. Council consensus was they were comfortable with most options being shared but to obtain input on Option 2 with more attention to 1st and 2nd Avenues. 4. OTHER BUSINESS 4.1 Staff Update. Mayor Pro Tem Freeburg referred to the Ferry Street wall crumbling and the need for maintenance. Mr. Anderson said he has contacted a vendor to address the concern but noted this was expensive to do based on the size of the wall and explained how staff has been maintaining it piece by piece as it deteriorates. 5. COUNCILMEMBERS COMMENTS None. September 23, 2019 (Worksession) Page 7 of 7 6. Motion by Mayor Pro Tem Freeburg, seconded by Councilmember Barnett, to move into Closed Executive Session at 6:37 p.m. pursuant to State Statute 13D.05 subd. (C) to discuss property/real estate transactions for the following properties: PID 01-31-25-23-0004 PID 01-31-25-22-0081 PID 01-31-25-22-0082 PID 06-31-24-23-0010 Greenhaven Parkway Acquisition Scenarios 7. ADJOURNMENT After adjournment of the Closed Executive Session at 7:27 p.m., Mayor Pro Tem Freeburg adjourned the regular meeting at 7:27 p.m. Submitted by: Cathy Sorensen, TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc. Approval Attestation: Amy T. Oehlers, City Clerk