City Council Workshop

WORKSHOP MINUTES OAKDALE CITY COUNCIL JULY 23, 2024 The City Council held a workshop on Tuesday, July 23, 2024 at Oakdale City Hall, 1584 Hadley Avenue North, Oakdale, Minnesota. The meeting began at 5:00 PM. Present: Mayor Kevin Zabel Council Members: Noah Her Jake Ingebrigtson Andy Morcomb Susan Willenbring City Staff Members: Christina Volkers, City Administrator Sara Ludwig, City Clerk Brian Bachmeier, Consulting City Engineer Andy Gitzlaff, Community Development Director Max Lohse, Community Development Specialist Luke McClanahan, City Planner Nick Newton, Police Chief Lori Pulkrabek, Communications Manager Kyle Stasica, Finance Director Kevin Wold, Fire Chief Others Present: Josh McKinney, Measure Group Brian Bachman, Enclave Companies ENCLAVE HELMO STATION – DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT PLAN City Administrator Chris Volkers indicated there were questions from Council about the development concept plan and some have been addressed but this is the time to explore further. City Planner Luke McClanahan provided a brief introduction of the concept plan and the history of the Helmo Station Small Area Plan and Helmo Station Planned Unit Development (HS-PUD), both of which were adopted in 2018. Mr. McClanahan reviewed the following five land use approvals – PUD amendment, preliminary plat, final plat, site plan, and highway noise variance. He noted that if this proposal moves forward, the developer would be required to prepare an updated traffic study for the Helmo Station PUD to determine if a traffic signal is warranted at 3rd Street N and Helmo Ave N. In response to Mayor Zabel’s question about a prior determination that a traffic signal would not be feasible at this intersection, Consulting City Engineer Brian Bachmeier indicated that ideally there would not be a traffic signal, but if it is necessary then there would need to be coordination with the other signals at 2nd Street N and 4th Street N. WORKSHOP MINUTES JULY 23, 2024 PAGE TWO Mr. McClanahan continued by going over staff concerns and recommendations regarding the land use framework, proposed park design, sewer capacity, and parking requirements. Brian Bachman with Enclave Companies provided background about the developer and the proposed project. Josh McKinney with Measure Group explained the rationale behind the concept planning layout. In response to Council Member Morcomb’s question about the pedestrian connection within the townhomes, Mr. McKinney confirmed it is a sidewalk. In reference to the public park, Mr. McKinney stated that they are open to working with the City and SRF Consulting on the final design. Mr. Bachman added that the developer positioned the park for peak access from multiple sites. In response to Council Member Ingebrigtson’s question about the funding for the public park, Mr. Bachman said that the developer would work with the City to determine this. Council Member Ingebrigtson was not supportive of the City funding this public park, but supported the proposed pickle ball courts. Ms. Volkers added that the City collected park dedication fees from the other developments in the area due to the fact there would be only one park in the area. Mr. Bachman indicated that the first step after receiving formal approvals would be identifying the park layout and funding sources. In response to Council Member Morcomb’s question about potential parking issues, Mr. McKinney noted that the bulk of the proposed parking would be underground below the apartment building. In response to Council Member Her’s question about how tenants respond to freeway noise, Mr. Bachman stated that residents are receptive to it given that it means close proximity to the freeway. Mr. McKinney added that balconies are desired overlooking freeways. In response to Mayor Zabel’s question about the dwelling units per acre (du/ac) outlined in the HS-PUD as it relates to the proposed townhomes, Mr. Gitzlaff said although this specific townhome development does not meet the multi-family medium density du/ac threshold, the Impact Apartments to the west, and other planned developments in the area, make up for that and the PUD dwelling units per acre is for the overall PUD as a whole. In response to Council Member Morcomb’s question about the Metropolitan Council needing to approve a future land use amendment, Mr. Gitzlaff stated that because it is guided mixed use there is flexibility built in and it related to the overall area via the PUD. Council Member Morcomb asked, from a forward-thinking perspective, if there is a need for a commercial component. Council Member Ingebrigtson added that ideally there would retail or commercial spaces on the ground-floor of the apartment building. WORKSHOP MINUTES JULY 23, 2024 PAGE THREE Mr. Bachman referenced a similar situation in another city related to a du/ac issue and noted that the Met Council was comfortable with the du/ac as an aggregate of the entire area. He also added that tuck-under retail has only a 33% success rate. As far as the future of the lot to the west of Henslow Ave south of the Impact Apartments, Mr. Gitzlaff reported that Norhart owns that lot and has not disclosed future plans. Additionally, the Met Council will have excess land west of Helmo Ave N for a future undetermined development. In response to a water capacity concern raised by Council Member Morcomb, Mr. Bachmeier noted that the issue would be City-wide versus neighborhood-specific especially as the population grows to 35,000 plus. To follow up, Council Member Her asked if this increase would justify a new water tower. Mr. Bachmeier indicated an increase in water capacity means a need for more storage, more wells, and more appropriation. Council Member Her was supportive of the project as long as the raised challenges are resolved. The Council was in agreement. Mayor Zabel pointed out that the northside of the PUD is being underutilized in his opinion and as such, he would have a hard time supporting the townhome concept. LOST BALLOT QUESTIONS ON INCREASES TO 2024 GENERAL ELECTION Ms. Volkers stated that staff has been working with legal counsel to shorten the overall ballot questions and expound the question titles. She noted that the title can only be ten words or less, per State law. Communications Manager Lori Pulkrabek asked Council to consider the ballot question titles and language. She added that there has to be two separate questions as they are for two separate projects. Mayor Zabel expressed concern about the effect a long ballot question can have on voters and said the title is very important. Council reiterated their support to return to the voters with these two ballot questions. Mayor Zabel suggested removing “for an additional period of 5 years” from both questions. In response to Council Member Her’s question about elected officials advocating for residents to vote ‘yes’, Mayor Zabel clarified elected officials cannot use City resources for the advocacy of the question(s), but can use City resources for the education of the question(s). Council Member Her noted that regardless of the length of the ballot questions it will come down to the marketing campaign to get the word out. WORKSHOP MINUTES JULY 23, 2024 PAGE FOUR Council Member Morcomb stated that as part of the title it is important to emphasize that the sales tax rate is not going up. Council Member Willenbring suggested keeping “for an additional period of 5 years” as it helps with the explanation. Council was in agreement to keep this language. Mayor Zabel read through proposed changes to shorten the ballot questions. Regarding the titles, Mayor Zabel offered, “Extend Local Sales Tax to Cover Public Works Facility Inflation” and “Extend Local Sales Tax to Cover Police Facility Expansion Inflation.” Council Member Morcomb suggested, “Extend New Public Works Facility Sales Tax Without Rate Increase” and “Extend Police Facility Expansion Sales Tax Without Rate Increase.” Staff will review these proposed titles with legal counsel. Because the phrase “voter-approved” was proposed for deletion from the titles and within the ballot questions, Ms. Volkers will ask legal counsel if that language is required. If it is, Mayor Zabel suggested, “…the rate of voter-approved sales tax will remain unchanged at 0.5%...” Ms. Pulkrabek noted that the Council will have to approve the final ballot language at the August 14, 2024 regular meeting as staff needs to submit the final questions to Washington County by August 23, 2024. 2025-2029 ROADWAY AND DRINKING WATER SETTLEMENT CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN Ms. Volkers explained that based on Council feedback, Consulting City Engineer Brian Bachmeier has revised the Roadway Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and will present on other aspects of the overall CIP. Mr. Bachmeier reported that the Roadway CIP has been revised to reduce the scale of the annual program, include a 3% annual inflation factor, and include the removal and replacement of curb and gutter that is more than 50 years old. Council Member Ingebrigtson complimented the current street reconstruction program and condition of the City’s streets. Mayor Zabel suggested pivoting to use a targeted project dollar amount each year versus the annual reconstruction of three-to-four miles of roadway. Mr. Bachmeier noted that a program like that would require extensive evaluation and analysis. In response to Council Member Her’s question about the comparison of the previous CIP map to the proposed CIP map, Mr. Bachmeier noted the changes based on the revisions to the annual program. WORKSHOP MINUTES JULY 23, 2024 PAGE FIVE In response to Council Member Morcomb’s question about a normal year in the annual program, Mayor Zabel stated it covers three-to-four miles of roadway, but costs fluctuate based on related infrastructure needs. Council Member Morcomb was supportive of adjusting the annual program if it makes sense from a budget perspective. Ms. Volkers confirmed that is a possibility. Council Member Willenbring followed up to ask if it adds additional work and expense to push out Roadway CIP projects. Mr. Bachmeier confirmed that costs would increase. In response to Council Member Her’s question about poor pavement condition locations, Mr. Bachmeier responded about 2nd Street N near Tanners Lake Park. Mayor Zabel suggested looking at the CIP on a yearly basis and making adjustments as needed. Mr. Bachmeier asked the Council for intent on the watermain replacement program which currently dictates that if there has been a watermain break(s) within the designated roadway, the infrastructure is replaced during the street project. Alternatively, if there have been no watermain breaks then the infrastructure remains. Ms. Volkers pointed out that because the project is bid prior to the work being done, the determination to replace the watermain or not has to be made before the condition of the infrastructure is evaluated. Council Member Morcomb cautioned that not replacing the watermain along with the street increases the risk of having to tear up a newly replaced street. In response to Council Member Ingebrigtson’s question about the cost difference of fixing recurring watermain breaks and replacing the infrastructure outright, Ms. Volkers said it varies. Mr. Bachmeier added that it costs significantly more to replace the entire watermain than to repair it many times generally. Council Member Her was supportive of the current watermain replacement program. In response to Council Member Her’s question about water quality affecting the infrastructure, Mr. Bachmeier said there are some areas that have corrosive soils. Ms. Volkers pointed out that the Assistant City Administrator will work with the Engineering Department to do an infrastructure inventory and evaluation. Moving on to the Water Settlement CIP, Mr. Bachmeier reported that the City has been applying for and receiving grants related to these projects. Ms. Volkers reminded Mr. Bachmeier that grants must be accepted by Council resolution. WORKSHOP MINUTES JULY 23, 2024 PAGE SIX Mayor Zabel suggested projects related to Well 7 remain on the table if funds should become available. Ms. Volkers asked Mr. Bachmeier to ensure this is noted in the CIP program. Council Member Willenbring asked for an update on the Drinking Water Settlement Fund. Mr. Bachmeier stated that the Co-Trustees recently sent out a survey to ask how the funding should be spent. Mr. Bachmeier reported that there are two projects that will need coordination with Washington County and will be included in their CIP update coming out later this fall. The projects are a signal modification at CSAH 14 and High Pointe Drive, and intersection improvements at CSAH 6 (Stillwater Blvd) and CSAH 13 (Ideal Ave N and Helmo Ave N). Council Member Morcomb was supportive of a better crosswalk at the latter intersection. Mr. Bachmeier went over the Trails CIP which include specific portions of the Willowbrooke Trails over the next few years. In reference to the proposed Open Space Trail along Helmo Ave N within the Willowbrooke Neighborhood, Mayor Zabel suggested revisiting the need for that trail if there is already a sidewalk along Helmo Ave N. Mr. Gitzlaff offered to see how far along the development is within the process. ADMINISTRATOR UPDATE Ms. Volkers noted that Candidate Filing opens July 30th. Ms. Volkers reported that Management Team went through City values in preparation for the Strategic Planning meetings next week. In reference to the Park System Plan Update survey, Mr. Gitzlaff stated that 370 responses have been received thus far, but the responses are not broken down by park yet. COUNCIL TOPICS Regarding the 2024 Acorn Award nominations, the Council will send their rating worksheets to City Clerk Sara Ludwig by Thursday at noon. As far as the future of the Acorn Award, the Council will discuss that at a future workshop in October or November. Council Member Morcomb clarified that parking requirements for developments will be reviewed as part of the Zoning Code Update Project. In reference to the August 1, 2024 Planning Commission public hearing for the Oakdale Marketplace Planned Unit Development amendment, Council Member Morcomb mentioned that the meeting will be well-attended by residents from his neighborhood, including himself. WORKSHOP MINUTES JULY 23, 2024 PAGE SEVEN Council Member Morcomb was complimentary of the July 17, 2024 Strategic Planning meeting, and asked if there are other priorities the Council would like to address prior to two of the council members’ departures at the end of the year. He also brought up reviewing the current City Council Code of Conduct and Council pay as it relates to inflation. Ms. Volkers offered to send the code of conduct policy to the Council. Mayor Zabel suggested Council review City of Oakdale Code of Ordinances, Chapter 2 – Administration for any other proposed changes. In response to Council Member Her’s question about anticipated comments during Open Forum tonight, Ms. Volkers said there is one confirmed resident who would like to discuss the future of LA Fitness. Council Member Her stated that he has had two Lakeview Terrace residents reach out about the need for a parking lot instead of the proposed redevelopment project heard at the July 11, 2024 Planning Commission meeting. Council Member Her said that he will publicly announce at tonight’s regular meeting his decision not to run for City Council in the upcoming election. ADJOURNMENT The workshop was adjourned at 6:51 PM. Respectfully submitted, Sara Ludwig, City Clerk