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01-22-2024 City Council Work Session Minutes CHANHASSEN CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES JANUARY 22, 2024 Mayor Ryan called the work session to order at 5:30 p.m. COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: Mayor Ryan, Councilman McDonald, Councilman von Oven, Councilwoman Schubert, and Councilman Kimber. COUNCIL MEMBERS ABSENT: None. STAFF PRESENT: Laurie Hokkanen, City Manager; Matt Unmacht, Assistant City Manager; Charlie Howley, Public Works Director/City Engineer; Eric Maass, Planning Director; Jerry Ruegemer, Park and Recreation Director; Kelly Grinnell, Finance Director; and Jenny Potter, Administrative Support Specialist. PUBLIC PRESENT: Joy Gorra, 1680 West 78th Street Kendra Lindahl, Landform Professional Services, Inc. Todd Gerhardt, 1330 Stratton Court John Bossardt Tom Lehman, Lehman Design Group, Inc. Paul Michell, BKV Group Mike Healy, BKV Group Bryan Harjes, HKGi Dan Kjellberg, Kraus-Anderson Judy Harder, 541 West 78th Street GORRA PROPERTY DISCUSSION Property owner Joy Gorra gave an overview of her reasons for building a golf course on her property. She would prefer to have a natural space for public use as opposed to building houses. PGA Tour Professional and Golf Course Designer Tom Lehman said that the property is unique and that the design they are proposing takes advantage of the natural layout of the land. They intend to have little to no impact on the wetland and plan to be environmentally friendly. The current plan includes 18 holes. Kendra Lindahl from Landform Professional Services, Inc. discussed that they are looking to get feedback from the council to see if there is support for the initial plans. The proposal includes the following: • Rezone the property from Rural Residential to Agriculture, and add a golf course as a permitted use • Put a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) in place for a golf course • Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) is not necessary, but staff has stated they may want a discretionary EAW • Support for the project as they navigate the watershed district approval process • Not requesting financial support from the city The council was in general support of the plan for a golf course but wanted more detail regarding how long the golf course would be, the planned trail around the course, and there was concern over impacting wetlands. Mr. Lehman responded that the current plan for the length of the golf course is to be approximately 6,800 yards, but they are looking to get to 7,000 yards for a par 70 course. Todd Gerhardt added that they would provide the land for the trail but would not cover the cost of the boardwalk. They would give the city access to the land 2 City Council Work Session Minutes – January 22, 2024 to build the trail. City Manager Laurie Hokkanen gave an estimate of the size of the trail to be approximately 1,400 feet of boardwalk and at $1,200 a linear foot would be projected to be a $2.8 million city project. Mr. Gerhardt said there would need to be further planning on how the boardwalk would be laid out and used. Mr. Lehman reported that the cart trail would have to be built with a bridge to avoid impacting the dedicated wetland. Ms. Lindahl said there would be an impact but no filling of the wetland. The question was asked where the chemicals like fertilizer would be stored. Mr. Lehman said that the hope is to use an existing barn to store any needed materials like fertilizer. The intent is to put the maintenance area in an environmentally friendly location. The City Council asked if they have had any contact with the watershed district yet regarding their input on the design of the course. Mr. Gerhardt responded that there are still things they need to plan for, and they have not yet gone to the watershed district. The City Council asked what other approvals or outside agencies need to be involved. Planning Director Eric Maass reported that the current zoning is guided for low, medium, and high-density residential, and rezoning to A2 would require a Comprehensive Plan amendment, and the Metropolitan Council would require the city to find other lands for several hundred residential units. The land is currently zoned rural residential, but they could request a zoning code text amendment to add golf courses as a conditional use or permitted use within that district. Ms. Lindahl said that they would likely request a CUP in the existing zoning district. Mr. Maass replied that the request would require an amendment to the existing code. Mr. Maass said other agencies that would be involved would be the watershed district, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). Park and Recreation Director Jerry Ruegemer said that the city would likely need an encroachment agreement from the Metropolitan Council due to a sewer interceptor that runs under the property. Ms. Hokkanen reiterated that the planned 700 housing units for the site would have to be reallocated elsewhere in the city if this project was approved as a golf course. DISCUSS DEVELOPMENT OF PROPERTY LOCATED AT 320 LAKE DRIVE EAST City Manager Laurie Hokkanen reported that 320 Lake Drive East is a commercial property that has housed different businesses over the years. Gina Maria’s Pizza is the only business currently there. Per Chanhassen City Code any new businesses that came in would have to update the property for fire sprinkling and that would cost anywhere from $40,000 to $120,000. The city has been involved in property maintenance where the city has contracted for snow removal or cutting the grass and billed the owner for those services. Mr. Maass asked the council for feedback on whether they would be willing to rezone the property for future possible uses that do not meet the zoning requirements. The response from the council was if the right project was proposed they would consider it but that currently, the property is appropriately zoned. Mayor Ryan recessed the work session at 6:50 p.m. Mayor Ryan reconvened the work session at 7:30 p.m. CIVIC CAMPUS UPDATE Mike Healy from BKV Group gave an overview of the updated park pavilion including four bathroom stalls, a two-user women's restroom and two-user men's restroom, and a separate family bathroom that could be accessible from the outside. The concession and rental areas became one space. Bryan Harjes from HKGi gave an overview of where the building will be located on the civic campus. The council was concerned about the cost of the project. City Manager Laurie Hokkanen asked if the park pavilion changes were acceptable to the council. Councilmember McDonald asked if the pavilion was not built, where would restrooms be placed? Ms. Hokkanen responded that if no pavilion was built portable restrooms would be provided for public use. 3 City Council Work Session Minutes – January 22, 2024 Discussion was had around how many restroom stalls were needed for the space. Further discussion was had that if there aren’t proper amenities on the civic campus that would be a miss for the campus space, and the overall budget was a concern for the council. Finance Director Kelly Grinnell gave impacts for homeowners and what the additional bonding might cost residents. The council asked for more information from staff to find out if there are enough stalls in the pavilion. Mr. Healy presented options for the stage canopy. CHANHASSEN BLUFFS SPORTS COMPLEX UPDATE The council discussed if and how the city should move forward with the referendum for the sports complex. Community engagement and asking local companies how an increased sales tax would impact them would be a priority. The council is looking to engage BKV with an initial fee of $75,000 for drawings of the facility. Part of the question is the cost of the land. Finance Director Kelly Grinnell said that the budget could cover the cost of engaging BKV, and then those drawings could be shared with the public to get their input on designs. The council directed staff to move forward and engage BKV in creating drawings. FUTURE WORK SESSION SCHEDULE February 12 • Downtown Traffic Study Update • Civic Campus Design Updates • Lake Ann Lifeguard Discussion February 26 • Commission Interviews • 82nd Street Design Team Presentation March 11 • Commission Interviews • Discuss Commission Appointments • Downtown Design Guidelines and Wayfinding Plan Review March 18 • City Council Roundtable • City Manager Performance Review (CLOSED SESSION) Mayor Ryan adjourned the work session at 9:15 p.m. Submitted by Laurie Hokkanen City Manager Prepared by Jenny Potter Senior Administrative Assistant