1k. Minutes SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
AUGUST 15, 1988
[Note: This was a special meeting of the Chanhassen City Council to consider
adoption of various special assessment rolls. Due to recording problems, these
' minutes have been prepared in abbreviated form. The City Council followed the
special meeting with a worksession to discuss the 1987 audit report
(presentation by Bob Voto, City Auditor) as well as a presentation by Don
Ashworth regarding the 1989 budget. As the latter part of the meeting was a
worksession, no minutes were prepared for such.]
Mayor Hamilton called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.
' MEMBERS PRESENT: Mayor Hamilton, Councilmen Horn, Johnson and Geving.
' MEMBERS ABSENT: Councilman Boyt
STAFF PRESENT: Don Ashworth, City Manager; Todd Gerhardt, Administrative
Assistant; Gary Warren, City Engineer
VISITORS PRESENT: Bernard Hanson, Henry Pauly, Lou Krueger, Al Klingelhutz,
Jack Barnes, Gary Brown, Mike Sorenson, Nancy Hillman,
Fr. Barry Schneider, Richard and `Eunice Peters, Gary Ehret
from BRW, Mary Durben, and Chris Burns
ASSESSMENT HEARING, SOUTH LOTUS LAKE PHASE I IMPROVEMENTS, PROJECT 85-17:
Mayor Hamilton opened the public hearing. In doing such, he noted that
correspondence had been received from current property owners purchasing their
properties anticipating that no assessments were outstanding. Mayor Hamilton
' noted that the City does have a development contract with Bloomberg Companies
and, as a part of that development contract, monies have been escrowed and Mr.
Bloomberg has guaranteed payment of all assessments for lots shown in the
assessment roll. As the assessments are technically being placed against the
property now being owned by individual property owners, those owners were
required to receive notice of this hearing and the proposed assessments. Again,
' the total of assessments has been guaranteed by Mr. Bloomberg and any motion to
adopt this roll should include such as a condition.
Mr. & Mrs. Richard Peters spoke thanking the City Council for the opening com-
ments made by Mayor Hamilton. That opening statement cast a new light on the
entire proceedings that they had not been aware of. They understood Mayor
Hamilton's points regarding state law and, as long as a condition was placed on
' the adoption of the roll regarding payment by Bloomberg Companies, they were
satisfied. In addition, they had anticipated being a spokesman for other prop-
erty owners similarly protesting this assessment. In light of the Mayor's com-
ments, they felt that the other property owners would be similarly happy with
the Council's action if conditioned as mentioned.
As no other persons were present to speak on this issue, Councilmen Geving moved
to close the public hearing. Seconded by Councilman Horn. Following
discussion, Councilman Horn moved, seconded by Councilman Geving, the adoption
of Resolution 88-81 adopting the assessment roll for South Lotus Lake Phase I
IL Improvements, as included in the Council's packet and dated August 12, 1988,
in the aggregate amount of $82,491.76 (the City received a $21,765.00 LAWCON/LCMR
grant for storm drainage improvements), subject to Mr. Bloomberg paying
assessments in accordance with the development contract for that subdivision.
All voted in favor and the motion carried.
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SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
AUGUST 15, 1988
PAGE 2
ASSESSMENT HEARING, WEST VILLAGE HEIGHTS SEWER AND WATER PROJECT, PROJECT 87-1:
1-11
Mayor Hamilton called the hearing to order and asked if there was anyone present
wishing to speak on the proposed roll. In light of the fact that no one was
present, Councilman Geving moved to close the public hearing. Seconded by
Councilman Horn. All voted in favor and the motion carried.
Following discussion, Councilman Horn moved to approve Resolution 88-82 adopting
the West Village Heights Sewer and Water Project Special Assessment Roll as '.
included in Councilmember packets and dated July, 1988 (hereby made a part of
these minutes) in a total amount of $185,248.96. Motion seconded by Mayor
Hamilton. All voted in favor and the motion carried.
ASSESSMENT HEARING, DOWNTOWN REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT 86-11A: Mayor Hamilton
called the public hearing to order. The Manager asked to make opening comments
regarding changes in the proposed roll which had been identified after preparing
the roll. The Manager's comments were as follows:
- Richard Steiner, Parcel No. 25-0122000: Street frontage was improperly
included on the back side of the property. With the straightening of the
road, the engineer logically anticipated an assessment for roadway purposes,
however, review found that the Post Office had paid assessments for both
Laredo as well as Chan View. In accordance with City policies, a third side
assessment could not be sustained in light of the fact that a "benefit" would
have to be found.
- Wilbar, Inc. (Klingelhutz Property) , Parcel No. 25-0130100: Similar to the II
Steiner property, it was found that Mr. Klingelhutz's property does not have
frontage on Great Plains Blvd. Accordingly, the roll is incorrect in showing
a proposed frontage assessment.
- Kallestad Property, Parcel No. 25-0130800: The parking lot assessment for Mr.
Kallestad appears to have significantly deviated from that originally proposed
in the feasibility study. The costs associated with Pauly, Kallestad,
Pryzmus, and the City parcels should be reviewed again prior to adoption.
Tabling these to September 12, 1988 would be in order. I
- St. Hubert's Church, Parcel No. 25-0500040 and old St. Hubert's Church, Parcel
No. 25-0136500: The City Manager noted that the assessment for St. Hubert's
Church was higher than anticipated by the church. A change had occurred
during construction wherein the watermain lying on the west side of the church
property was found to be in poor condition. Given typical life spans of
watermain (30 years), it was anticipated that the watermain would not require
replacement and that its location would not interfere with gas, sewer, etc.,
stubs into the property. Both of those conditions were found to be incorrect
and rather than leaving a deteriorated pipe, a decision was made to replace I
the entire length of watermain from Chan View to West 78th Street. The total
cost of the watermain replacement was approximately $20,000 with the church's
share being $12,000. Staff was recommending that a 50% "life credit" be given
to the church bringing the additional watermain assessment up about $6,000.
In addition, storm sewer costs for the entire project area were higher than
forecasted in the feasibility study. Most property owners did not notice that
this one line item was increased as the contractor's bid for sewer, water, and
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SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
' AUGUST 15, 1988
PAGE 3
1 streets were less than originally projected by the engineer. Accordingly,
most property owners saw reductions in the proposed assessment for sewer,
' water, and roadway and their total assessment was actually lower than origi-
nally proposed even though the storm sewer portion was higher. As the church
did not have other forms of assessment, the $3,000 increase in the assessment
for storm sewer became noticeable. In regards to the assessment for old St.
Hubert's Church, the Manager noted that he had not had an opportunity to
review the engineer's calculations regarding the assessment for that property.
Accordingly, he would request that the assessment for both the old St.
' Hubert's Church and St. Hubert's Church be tabled to September 12, 1988.
The following persons spoke and their comments are in an abbreviated form:
' Fr. Barry Schneider: The amount of the assessments for both the old St.
Hubert's Church and St. Hubert's facility are higher than presented to the
church as a part of the City's acquiring lands to complete the project. Fr.
' Schneider felt that the City should honor figures as presented during the nego-
tiations for acquisition of lands from the church.
' The Council directed the City Attorney to review points brought out by Fr.
Barry.
Al Klingelhutz/Jack Barnes: Mr. Klingelhutz simply wanted to state that he was
I in agreement with the assessment roll if the street frontage assessment was
deleted as had been recommended by the Manager.
' Gary Brown, Parcel No. 25-6920020: Mr. Brown stated that he had not been
notified of the project. The property looks much worse than it does today than
it did when we started the project. Things are a mess. He believes the City
should pay him.
' The Engineer noted that the property did have significant construction debris.
Restoration would occur as soon as possible. Mr. Brown's section does not
include underground watering as occurs in many of the areas downtown.
Accordingly, sodding (total restoration) had been placed on hold until after the
weather became cooler (September 1, 1988 anticipated). The City Attorney was
' instructed to review the notification question. Additionally, staff is to again
review the basis of the assessments against Mr. Brown.
Mike Sorenson, Parcel No. 25-0133300: Mr. Sorenson similarly stated that he had
' not been notified and he did not sign a waiver for trespassing. He believes
that he has a new watermain and a new water service as a part of his building
construction in 1979. Accordingly, he sees no benefit from these supposed
' improvements. Similarly, Frontier Development has storm sewer and he does not
benefit from storm sewer.
I Staff was instructed to look at a potential corner lot credit for both Mr.
Sorenson as well as Mr. Brown, review the method of assessment in comparison to
other projects where typically the City does give a credit of one-half of the
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II
SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MINUTES II AUGUST 15, 1988
PAGE 4
shorter side. In addition, the City Attorney should review the question
Li
regarding illegal access (for both the Brown property as well as Sorenson
property) .
I
Nancy Hillman, Parcel No. 25-3500380: Does not understand the necessity for
paying a storm sewer assessment. She thought that they had paid a storm sewer
assessment previously. There is storm sewer in Chan View and accordingly does not
see a benefit.
Harry Pauly, Parcel Nos. 25-0131200 and 25-0131600: Mr. Pauly believes that I
there are lot size discrepancies with the proposed assessments.
Bernie Hanson, Parcel No. 25-0121500: Similar to others, Mr. Hanson had not
II
been notified of the project. He does not understand how he is benefitting from
this project. He had all of the things that they are proposing to assess him
for before the project started. II
Hearing no additional comments, Councilman Geving moved to close the public
hearing. Seconded by Mayor Hamilton. All voted in favor and the motion
carried. I
Mayor Hamilton moved the adoption of Resolution 88-83 adopting the assessment
roll for the Downtown Redevelopment Project 86-11A as included in Council member
packets dated August 12, 1988 (hereby made a part of such minutes) in the aggre-
gate amount of $2,403,536.23 the exception of the following parcels:
PIN OWNER
I
25-0121500 Hanson, Bernard and Mary
25-0130300 City of Chanhassen
II
25-0131200 Pauly, Henry and Gloria
25-0131300 City of Chanhassen
25-0131400 Pryzmus, John and Sharon
25-0131600 Pauly, Henry and Gloria
II
25-0131800 Kallestad Enterprises (Pony Express)
25-0132000 American Oil Company
25-0133300 Enright-Sorenson
II
25-0136500 Church of St. Hubert's
25-0500040 Church of St. Hubert's
25-3500380 Hillman, Phillip and Nancy
II
25-6920020 Brown, Gary (car wash)
The parcels identified represent parcels for which questions arose during the
public hearing or for which City staff had recommended additional review and are
II
to be resubmitted to the City Council for final disposition on September 12,
1988. Seconded by Councilman Horn. All voted in favor and the motion carried.
Motion by Councilman Horn, seconded by Councilman Geving to adjourn the meeting. 1
All voted in favor and the motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 9:30 p.m.
II
CHANHASSEN CITY COUNCIL
REGULAR MEETING
AUGUST 22, 1988
III Mayor Hamilton called the meeting to order. The meeting was opened with the
Pledge to the Flag.
I COUNCILMEMBERS PRESENT: Councilman Boyt, Councilman Horn, Councilman Geving and
Councilman Johnson
II STAFF PRESENT: Don Ashworth, Barbara Dacy, Jo Ann Olsen, Gary Warren, Jim
Chaffee, Todd Gerhardt and Pat Farrell, City Attorney.
IAPPROVAL OF AGENDA: Councilman Geving moved, Councilman Johnson seconded to
approve the agenda as amended with the following additions and changes:
II Councilman Johnson wanted to discuss a change to the Zoning Ordinance for
Conditional Use Permits, Councilman Boyt wanted to discuss the Fire Marshall,
Don Ashworth wanted to discuss the water restrictions, Barbara Dacy wanted to
discuss Reuter Compost, and Councilman Geving wanted to move item 9 to after
I Visitor Presentation and to move item 11 to the Consent Agenda as item (1) . All
voted in favor of the agenda as amended and the motion carried.
ICONSENT AGENDA: Councilman Horn moved, Councilman Geving seconded to approve
the following Consent Agenda items pursuant to the City Manager's
recommendations:
Ie. Resolution #88-84: South Lotus Lake
2nd Addition, Accept Roadway and
Utility Improvements.
Ii. City Council Minutes dated August 8, 1988
Planning Commission Minutes dated August 3, 1988
IIPark and Recreation Commission Minutes dated August 9, 1988
j. Resolution #88-85: Set Date of Bond Sale for Various City Bonds.
11 k. Resolution #88-86: Approve Resolution Designating Polling Places and
Election Judges for the Primary Election on September 13, 1988 and the
General Election on November 8, 1988
1 1. Resolution #88-87: Approve Supplemental Assessment Roll for Chanhassen
Hills Trunk Watermai.n Project 86-2 and Set Assessment Hearing Date for
September 26, 1988
IIAll voted in favor and the motion carried.
I (B) REQUEST TO WAIVE TRAIL DEDICATION FEES, GARY BROWN.
k_ Mayor Hamilton: On (b) , I certainly didn't agree with the comments that were
made by staff that says regardless of when construction approval is given, we
can assess, go back and assess a trail fee. Now, I didn't know Lori was an
attorney but I'd like to ask our Attorney if in fact that's true. If it is
IItrue, that means we can go back and assess anybody for anything we wanted to.
If we wanted to change the rules as we're going along here, we'll just go back
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City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
and keep assessing right along.
Don Ashworth: Roger is the one who reviewed it. I did not alert Pat to the
question. We're not charging the previous buildings. What you're charging is
the new construction. If there's a way in which you can divide out the acreage
associated with the new permits versus old, then we should do it in that
fashion. The problem is, I believe there were 8 buildings in that first phase.
Mayor Hamilton: Well you and I had talked and I guess I'm a little
disappointed. You and I talked about having this as an agenda item so we could
discuss how the Council wanted to even handle items like this and here we have
it coming back.
Don Ashworth: I'd suggest doing just that. If you'd table the item and I think
the Park and Recreation Commission should look at it as well.
Mayor Hamilton: I agree.
Councilman Horn moved, Mayor Hamilton seconded to table the request to waive '
trail dedication fees for Gary Brown until the Park and Recreation Com«ission
has looked at this item. All voted in favor and the motion carried.
(C) APPROVAL OF LAKE ANN PARK EXPANSION SITE PLAN.
Councilman Johnson: It's a good plan. I think we need to go forward with this. '
One thing I want to do is, they show some soccer fields on here which one of
them has a fence running through the middle of it and it won't be too effective.
I'd like them to take a look to see if they can maintain two soccer fields on
here. That's really my only comment. They show two proposed soccer fields but
one of them, when they put up a fence for the softball field, it will be tough
to play soccer with a fence through the center of the field. I'd like to just
make that as my only comment. Otherwise, it really is becoming an all softball
place. I'd like to see it be multiple sports too. Not just softball.
Mayor Hamilton: I see softball, baseball, Little League, soccer. I
Councilman Johnson: Soccer's down to one field out there.
Mayor Hamilton: There's two. I think the intent is to use two of them and I'm
sure that that can be done. Dale, did you have any comments? Laurie, perhaps
you could address the issue that Jay has. Would it be a removeable fence or how
would you handle that?
Councilman Johnson: This isn't a final. Nothing's to scale or anything so
you'd still have to do the design. This is just concept.
Laurie McRosti.e: The Park Commission would like to see the overlapping field
there. The discussion that happened at their meeting two weeks ago was that for I
the time being we not put that 300 foot fence all around the edge of the field
so you could use the soccer at the same time that you'd be using softball.
Until Chanhassen is able to acquire more parkland and additional community play
so you can have a larger soccer...
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IICity Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
II
I Councilman Johnson: Okay. That was different than we were told at the Athletic
Association meeting the other night. We were told there was definitely going to
be a fence there and there wasn't going to be a soccer field so now I've heard
two stories. Sounds good to me.
' Mayor Hamilton: I would suspect there are fences that could be put up on a
temporary basis to use for softball and then they can take them down for soccer.
' Councilman Horn: I just had one comment on transportation. I would like to see
us develop a plan where we don't need entrance through TH 5. I would like to
get that off of TH 5 and I know we talked about an alternate going through a
' residential area but I think there might be a frontage road type of option that
could eliminate that. I'd like to eliminate totally a park entrance on TH 5.
' Mayor Hamilton: That's significant dollars. We're trying to work within the
budget. Lori is given a budget to work with.
Councilman Horn: I think we have to look at the developments that take place
and plan it with developments.
Councilman Johnson: As Eckankar develops, or the land to the east, we need to
' look to, I'm sure that's in their plan.
Mayor Hamilton: We've always, in years past, said as that property develops we
would try to piggy back off that as far as access to the property in any way.
Councilman Johnson moved, Councilman Geving seconded to approve the Lake
' Ann Park Expansion Site Plan as presented. All voted in favor and the motion
carried.
' (D) APPROVAL OF CURRY FARMS SECOND ADDITION DEVELOPMENT CONTRACT.
' Councilman Johnson: I was a little concerned, we got the Remmer's letter and
their concerns about this. We've already done final plat on this and this is
the final step?
' Barbara Dacy: The final plat has been approved but it has not been signed.
We're waiting to sign it until the development contract has been approved.
' Councilman Johnson: Has any more work been done with the Remmers on this one?
Mrs. Remmer: No.
Mr. Remmer: No.
Councilman Johnson: It seems to me we're at a small inpass here. While it is
111 kind of an odd thing to do to say that a development next door to me means they
should redo my yard, which in this case happens to be weeds, they've offered to
put the dirt in but then they've got the concrete curb. I'm wondering if they
' can bring a bulldozer up and dig up the concrete curb. It won't take much to
dig that up. The problem with it is how to get rid of that curb once it's
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City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
there. If that can be worked out, it seems we're getting closer here but I
think they have a real problem if they can't get this easement vacated. Where
are we on the planning of this if the easement isn't vacated? '
Barbara Dacy: The easement is not a public easement such that it would require
City approval. It's a private roadway easement.
Councilman Johnson: They couldn't built a road or Ashton Court ,
t until they've
solved that easement problem.
Barbara Dacy: That's not my understanding. They can go ahead and plat the road
right-of-way and the Remmers can still maintain that easement over Lot 1 to gain
access to their property. '
Mayor Hamilton: You could make that a condition of approval, that the Remmers
be satisfied.
Councilman Johnson: I wish we had a group within the City as a neighbor
g
arbitrater group that can arbitrate this kind of problem in that it's, I don't
think the City Council should sit in arbitration on something like this but it ,
is a type of thing where if you want to fully satisfy everybody, everybody can
take that to, we can't tie a neighbor tie down a development by having veto
power over anything done until he gets everything he wants. '
Councilman Geving: Gary, have you worked out the details with Mr. Natoli for
the turn around access and the easement requirement for that?
Gary Warren: Centex has not worked out with Natoli because we've been
concentrating on trying to get Donovan's cooperation on it.
Councilman Geving: But now that that's no longer possible, you've switched your
objective to Mr. Natoli. Is that successful?
Gary Warren: Centex has not, to my knowledged, talked with Natoli yet. 1
Councilman Geving: So are you telling me that that's a developer responsibility
and not ours? And you're going to stay on top of it then.
Gary Warren: If Centex could come down with Donovan for a proper turn around,
I guess I wanted to have the option that if it fits into either one.. .
Councilman Geving: That's all I had.
Councilman Boyt: I have a question about the turn around situation. Are we at '
a point where the City is guaranteed that that turn around will be built? As to
where it will be built, that may be up in the air but that it will be built?
Gary Warren: Yes.
Councilman Boyt: How is the developer going to have the power to get that built
if neither one of those people wants to sell that property?
Gary Warren: If the developer, I discussed this with Roger and basically if the
developer is unable to come to reasonable terms similar to what we're looking at
4
.City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
Iwith the drainageway on the Kerber property, the City could just condemn for
what it needs at the developer's expense.
Councilman Horn: I don't think that's too likely in this case though I y th g because
it's a definite benefit to Natoli and he indicated to us at a meeting that. ..
Gary Warren: I would agree with you.
Councilman Boyt: I just wanted to be sure that we were covered because that
' turn around is a vital key to this whole thing. Then the other one, I would
sense that what we're talking about is adding a condition to approval that would
involve removing the curb. Is that main hang-up here in terms of the Remmers
reaching satisfaction?
Mr. Remner: Can we address this? We're the Remmers.
' Mayor Hamilton: Yes, I realize that. Do you have any other questions?
Councilman Boyt: My questions are basically what is it going to take? What
' kind of guarantees can the City give that Centex and the Remmers will sit down
and work this out? I'd like to see us incorporate those into the conditions of
approval so we can approve it tonight.
' Mayor Hamilton: Can you explain that Gary?
Gary Warren: I think all that would benefit is to read the Remmer's letter
which goes into quite a lot of detail and they reference having their Attorney
prepare a document that would enumerate their conditions. I think that that
Ilt _ would be the place to put the issue so we can see that and specifically know
where they're coming from. Maybe they chose to verbalize what that is this
' evening.
Mr. Remner: We're preparing it right now and we certainly want you to arbitrate
this. We appreciate the concern you've expressed already in past meetings and I
think it was a condition of the approval, this second part, that they try to
satisfy the needs of the neighbors and that just simply has not been done. We
don't believe we've been unreasonable at all. I won't go on because I know you
have a busy agenda tonight but you've got it all there in front of you on paper
with diagrams and so forth. I hope you're fair enough. We have prepared the
conditions under which we will vacate the easement and we're preparing to run
' that by our Attorney and then send it to Centex.
Mayor Hamilton: So we could make that a condition of the approval. That the
documents that the Remmer's are preparing be presented to Centex's Attorneys.
Minimally that their concerns are met as far as curbing is concerned. What
else?
Gary Warren: Similar to the way we handled the Kerber situation. Was to get
their documents and we can serve as the intermediary I guess.
IL
Mayor Hamilton: Is there a motion then to deal with 1(d) if we add a condition,
item (p) , Section 8.
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- -City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
Councilman Boyt: I have one other question. I was somewhat confused on the
Park and trail fees and the analysis by staff, I think it was indicated that
they had met those fees in their first addition for their entire development.
Is that correct?
Gary Warren: I had Lori write that section and that's what she indicated to me,
yes.
Councilman Boyt: Then why do we have in our contract on page GC-3, item 10,
where we indicate that they'll pay them?
Gary Warren: Those are the general conditions which are superseded by any
special provisions.
Councilman Boyt: So we're saying that item 10 is struck?
Gary Warren: Basically it's superseded by the Article in the special provision, '
that's correct.
Mayor Hamilton: But if it hadn't been paid, it's still 'in there so it's still
saying they will pay them. Gary, would you, or the Attorney could word item
8(p) as a condition to deal with the Remmer's concerns.
Gary Warren: I would put in a condition to state that the developer will work
with the Remmers to satisfy their concerns. Enter into an agreeable document,
agreeable with the City Engineer to address their concerns.
Mayor Hamilton: Is that satisfactory to everybody? ,
Councilman Johnson: Can we also say that Lot 1 can not be sold until that '
easement's vacated?
Barbara Dacy: As a private easement, we don't have the power.
Gary Warren: It's buildable.
Councilman Johnson: It's buildable with the easement. How about informing any ,
potential buyer that there is an easement across their property?
Barbara Dacy: It's permanent with the land so it will be a part of the title
for the lot.
Councilman Johnson: Yes, you do the title search long after you buy it. Well,
not long after you buy it but you've already decided and put your money down.
You don't do it up front.
Mayor Hamilton: You sure do. '
Councilman Geving: That's a .. .consideration and doesn't have anything to do
with us. '
Councilman Johnson moved, Councilman Geving seconded to approve the Curry Farms
Second Addition Development Contract as amended including an item 8(p) to
address the Remmer's concerns. All voted in favor and the motion carried.
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ICity Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
(F) FINAL PLAT APPROVAL, TRAPPERS PASS AT NEAR MOUNTAIN 3RD ADDITION.
Councilman Boyt: On the map I didn't see the trails.
' Barbara Dacy: That is shown on the final plat.
Councilman Boyt: How did we go from 17 conditions down to 5 leaving out
compliance with the Wetland Alteration Permit, compliance with all erosion
control measures?
Jo Ann Olsen: They would still have to comply with all those conditions. I was
' just pointing out specific conditions that we're applying to this phase. It's
pointing out to staff, when it does come through that they still have to do
these specific things before we can sign off on the final plat.
' Councilman Boyt: So what you're recommending and what we would be approving are
all 17 conditions?
' Jo Ann Olsen: Those are already conditions that have been passed.
Councilman Boyt: Okay, I just didn't want to see us change it.
' Councilman Johnson: I did remember why I did this. It's a little disturbing
that such simple conditions as to redraw a lot line out of the street right-of-
{ way and some of these conditions that were previously said, do these before
final plat, have to be repeated. I just wanted to make kind of a comment on
this. This is ludicrous to me that, a couple of these are very simple things
that should have been done and we should have just given our final plat back and
' never reached us with this kind of sloppiness in work. That's an editorial
comment.
' Mayor Hamilton moved, Councilman Horn seconded to approve the Final Plat for
Trappers Pass at Near Mountain 3rd Addition. All voted in favor and the motion
carried.
(G) FINAL PLAT EXTENSION, ROBERTA BUCHHEIT.
' Councilman Horn: Just a quick question. This extension on this plat has no
effect on the replatti.ng of the lake property does it? This is strictly just
' the people on the side of the road?
Jo Ann Olsen: Right. We have separate subdivisions.
' Councilman Horn: So this has no effect on that. That's the only question
I have.
' Councilman Horn moved, Mayor Hamilton seconded to approve the Final Plat
Extension for Roberta Buchhei.t as presented. All voted in favor and the motion
carried.
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--cCity Council Meeting - August 22, 1988 11
(H) APPROVAL OF ACCOUNTS.
Councilman Johnson: I've been asking and asking when are we going to get
asphalt on our streets so we're not bouncing all over the place and I was told '
August 15th the last time I asked. Why are we paying Schafer? I haven't seen
those guys in town for a long time. I'd like to get some asphalt down here and
I'd like to get that word out to Schafer that I'm concerned about paying them I
$24,000.00 or whatever their bill was for this time.
Mayor Hamilton: I'm sure they submit work orders for the word they've II completed.
Councilman Johnson: $75,000.00. We've been told this job would be done.
They're getting behind schedule here. I
Mayor Hamilton: They're not getting behind, they've been behind all summer.
It's scheduled to be completed and perhaps Gary will share that with us later
II
on.
Councilman Johnson: They seem to be able to put a lot of asphalt, the same
construction company over at Eden Prairie but we're not getting any.
II
Mayor Hamilton: Your question really has nothing to do with the Accounts .
Payable. I
Councilman Johnson: What I would like to do on the accounts payable is, if in
two weeks from now we don't see and if the accounts payable comes through and ,
there's no asphalt on the ground and Schafer Construction's on it, I'd like to
see it pulled off, but not this time.
Don Ashworth: The final wear course has not been put down because they're still I
in the process of doing the trees. We did not want to take and have that final
lift of asphalt literally destroy by them again coming back in and finishing the
landscape work that's in the process. That's schedule for the final lift to I
begin.. .
Gary Warren: Next week we're looking to do the settlement corrections on the II roadway and then with that completed, we will put down the wear course. We've
also been waiting, this is a cool day today but we've had extreme temperatures
and that wear course would not set up under those conditions. Even cars would
damage it so we've been holding off because of the temperature. That's really
II
been at the City's direction and not Schafer's.
Councilman Johnson: Why were the sewers lifted up in May or June if we're not II going to put the asphalt in until September?
Mayor Hamilton: What I'd like to do is have you meet with the Engineer and ask
him that separately. It has nothing to do with the Accounts Payable.
II
Councilman Horn: Since Jay brought the item up. What's a $4,600.00 fiberglass
truck body? Are we putting new bodies on our trucks? I
Gary Warren: When we bid out the vehicles, we bid them in pieces and the ,
fiberglass truck body is a pretty unique manufacturing. They come in separately
8
II
City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
under separate.
111 Councilman Horn: So this is part of the capital purchase?
' Councilman Johnson moved, Mayor Hamilton seconded to approve the Accounts
Payable dated August 22, 1988. All voted in favor and the motion carried.
' VISITOR PRESENTATION: There were no visitor presentations.
SIDE YARD SETBACK VARIANCE REQUEST FOR A BOAT COVER, 3605 RED CEDAR POINT ROAD,
JAMES KNIGHT.
Mayor Hamilton: This was an item that came before the Board of Adjustments and
Appeals.
' Councilman Geving: The staff recommended approval of this variance for a 7.4
foot variance to the side yard setback for the construction of a boat cover. We
had a lot of discussion about it. There are about 25 neighbors that were
contacted. None of them had any objections to this proposal. The 25 neighbors
represents almost 100% of all the neighbors in the surrounding area of Red Cedar
Point. The vote on this issue was 2 to 1 against and therefore the item was
denied and moved up to the City Council for further consideration. I think at
this point it would be appropriate for Jo Ann to give the staff report although
' we do have the Chairman of the Board of Appeals here. Either way you want to
go.
' Mayor Hamilton: Jo Ann, why don't you give your staff report first.
Jo Ann Olsen: Real briefly, the boat cover is existing, it has been
constructed, located within the side yard setback. The reason that staff is
recommending approval is because of the location of the boat structure is
covered by existing vegetation. It's more visually removed from the lakeshore
' rather than if it would be moved to the east or within the requirements of the
Zoning Ordinance. There would be more visual impact to the shoreline from Lake
Minnewashta. There is vegetation that would screen it and they would also have
to remove a maple tree. They could locate it and still save the tree but there
is some topography here and the boat cover would be closer to Lake Minnewashta
than the existing structure. It was felt that there is an opportunity for the
applicant to meet the requirements of the ordinance and that a hardship was not
' justified and that a variance was not justified but it should meet the
requirements of the ordinance. Staff's interpretation was that when we look at
variances along shorelines, we review the impact of the structure to the
' shoreline also and we felt that that outweighed it and justified keeping it
where it is, where it is more screened from the lake with the existing
vegetation.
111 Councilman Geving: There's one other fact too Mr. Mayor. The building is
already constructed. It exists.
Mayor Hamilton: Willard, did you have any comments that you wanted to make
' Willard?
9
'-City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
Willard Johnson: I guess we felt, the ones that denied it felt that two wrongs
don't make a right.
Mayor Hamilton: So you'd rather see them move the building?
Willard Johnson: Move the structure. Whatever you decide but we felt two '
wrongs don't make a right. It's just a self created hardship. . .
Mr. Klick, a representative for James Knight showed a video illustrating where
the boat cover is located on the property.
Councilman Johnson: This is one of the places where we've got to get with our
Attorneys on how to write a variance procedure to allow a variance that's good
for the City. We have in this case, and few other cases that have come before
us, variances that are good for the City but the rules are, just because it
might be good for this one road to drive 45, the speed limit's 40 so you don't
drive 45. In this case, literal enforcement of the ordinance would not cause an
undue hardship or any difficulty if he'd come to us before he built. It's a
self created hardship. It's the ordinance that's the problem here, not the boat
cover. Since I have been a stickler, if we've got rules, you stick with the
rules, that's the only way you can run. If you just arbitrarily say well, this
is good so we're going to ignore our rules this time, that doesn't work. We
need these rules rewritten. This is just another example of that and
unfortunately I'm going to stick with my normal vote on these things and go
according to the rules. It's a self created hardship and therefore, should be
denied.
Councilman Geving: I think Todd, in your defense, did you realize when you
constructed this that we did have a variance procedure and that what you were
doing you shouldn't have been doing?
Mr. Klick: It was a cover. I was not under the assumption that it was a
building. That it does not have footings on it would constitute that it's a
building? If it were on wheels, would it be alright?
Councilman Geving: I think the variance here is in regards to the side yard
setback which is a 10 foot setback and you're within 2.6 feet of the next yard,
which would be your side yard lot line. That's the question, whether or not you
were aware that you were building in that no build zone of 10 feet?
Mr. Klick: No, I was not aware.
Councilman Geving: I'm going to slap you on the wrist then for sure. Anyway,
one of the aspects that I looked at, sitting on the Board of Appeals, we do have
rules and this particular case is a self created hardship but I also understand
that you have to live with your neighbors and what is visually acceptable at Red
Cedar Point may not be the same anywhere else in the community. This is
probably the oldest area of the our community outside of Carver Beach and when I
see 25 neighbors, which in this case is almost 100% of all the neighbors that
the Knights went to and asked if there was any hardship, they had any comments
or concerns about this, they basically said it was alright with them. I tend to
go with the neighbors. My feeling is, if this is approved in your favor
Mr. Knight, that there should be no further expansion of this structure. That's
10 '
Ir .
• City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
all I have.
' Councilman Horn: How long have you lived out there?
Mr. Klick: I'm Mr. Klick. I'm not Mr. Knight. Mr. Knight is the owner.
' I just represent him. He's in Europe.
Councilman Horn: How long has he lived there?
' Mr. Klick: He's lived there for 10 years.
Councilman Horn: One of the things that I recall is, and it surprises me that
' you got this many signatures because we had a deck come up a few years back for
one of the properties along that area which would have been a great enhancement
to the property, and everybody objected to it which kind of surprises me. I
tend to go along with Dale to some degree that if it's visually acceptable to
' the neighbors, that's fine but on the other hand, I don't want to get into a
situation where we get caught up in who's popular in the neighborhood and who
isn't. To me this other development with a deck on here is clearly more
beneficial to the area than what this is. I find a very weak defense here for
even needing this building. You don't need a permanent cover like that to
protect the boat in the winter. Mr. Boyt and quite a few other people cover
' theirs with a covering for the winter and that's enough. The other question I
have is, isn't there a building permit requirement for this?
Jo Ann Olsen: Right and when we did make him go through the building permit
procedure, that's when we noticed they needed a variance.
Councilman Horn: So the building was started even before the building permit
' was applied?
Jo Ann Olsen: Right.
Councilman Horn: I can understand how you may not be aware of the variance
requirement but it's very common to require building permits. That I find not
excuseable.
' Mr. Klick: When the building inspector came out, he approached me and told me,
he said he didn't know why I needed a building permit. He said that as long as
' there was no wall and there was no footings down.
Councilman Horn: You need a building permit to reroof your house.
' Councilman Boyt: First, I think our variance language is standard variance
language and there really isn't any room to create language unique to our
community. The other thing is that unfortunately, part of variances is not
' neighborhood approval. If the neighborhood came out completely against it, but
it fit all five criteria that we have for approving a variance, we would be
approving that variance. If the neighborhood comes out all for it, and it
doesn't meet the requirements of approving a variance, we basically, in my
opinion, can not approve it. To approve this variance is to say that we
x essentially have no side yard setbacks because anyone else can come in here and
say well, here's an example of where it failed 4 of the 5 questions and you
' approved it. They fail 4 of the 5 questions and they would also demand approval
11
tL) City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
and I suspect they would take us to Court if we didn't give it to them. I don't
think we should be putting the City in that sort of vulnerable position. I
think that we have a building permit fee that's free for buildings like this. I
believe the amount was $2,000.00. Anything being built under $2,000.00 you
could come in, have it inspected by the City at no charge to you to help people
avoid this situation before they get it in the ground, so to speak. I think
this is a variance request that makes sense, as your videotape shows but it is
not a variance that we can grant and protect the City's ability to enforce the
side yard setback anywhere else so for that reason I'd be against it.
Mayor Hamilton: I'll take the same position I always have too that if we can't
work with the neighbors in our community, people who are residents here and live
here, if we can't work with them, I think we've got real problems. If we don't
want to listen to what the neighbors have to say about whether it's a variance
or a road or anything else, I think we're doing the wrong thing. Variances are
a process that property owners have as a right to come to the City and request.
That's why we have the process. You look at each variance on it's own merit.
You don't just automatically say because we have an ordinance on our books it
says we have to meet 4 out of 5 tests or 5 out of 5 or whatever it is, you
automatically turn it down. It seems to me you need to look at each one on it's
own merit and this one certainly has a lot of merit. I would certainly be in
favor of it. I will move approval.
Councilman Gevi_ng: I'll second the motion. '
Councilman Horn: Would somebody review for me what the merit is? The only
merit I heard is that the alternative that would not require a variance is a '
worse alternative but to me that doesn't justify the total merit. You can
always come up with another alternative that might meet the letter of the law
but it doesn't mean it's attractive.
Mayor Hamilton: I believe you have a
y property owner who's wanting to use his
property and he's not using it in a destructive way or in a way that's going to
harm his neighbors. He's merely putting up a small structure to shelter a boat.
If he did not put it on the side and put it on the other side, as you could see,
he's going to be putting it in front of his house and it's going to detract from
the beauty from the lake and from his house. It would seem to make no sense to
me to do that type of thing.
Councilman Horn: And you're assuming if we deny this, that's exactly what he's
going to do?
Mayor Hamilton: That's his choice. That's what his alternative is.
Councilman Boyt: He has several alternatives. He can take it down and put a
canvas cover on the boat. He can chose to store the boat in a different
location altogether.
Mayor Hamilton: But that's not what he's requesting.
Councilman Boyt: That's right and our variance process guarantees the City a '
certain degree of security that this body or any other body can't come in and
allow somebody to build a dinosaur next to your house because you're protected.
They're not protected if we don't follow our structured procedure.
12
I ' City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
I
I Mayor Hamilton: That's why you look at each one on it's own merit.
Councilman Geving: I think there is another benefit too. Regardless of the
fact that the structure exists, a mistake was made. Admittedly there was a
mistake made. They didn't realize at the time that they were that close to the
' lot line or that they needed a variance. If you'll look and if you understand
what goes on at Red Cedar Point, as most of us do, you'll find that nearly every
home in Red Cedar Point has had some kind of variance for their home, their
' front yard setbacks practically exist right on the tip of the lake. Their back
yards back up to a road in most cases. There's no room for a garage. Even in
this house structure that's protrayed here in this sketch, they needed a
' variance just to get the home and the garage next to the lot line. It's 5.8
feet from the lot line. Nearly every home and if everybody that's here from Red
Cedar Point tonight will agree with me on this, that there is a variance
requirement for nearly every home on that whole peninusula so this isn't
' unusual. The lot to the west of this particular boat covered storage, whatever
we're going to call it, really is very well secured. It's visually not
impacted. I was merely going tonight on the staff's recommendation to approve
' - this because it's the best location. I would much rather see it on the west
side of this garage than on the east side where everybody who drives their boat
along Lake Minnewashta can see it every day of the year. To me that's the best
place for this boat cover. To me that's one of the benefits.
1 Councilman Johnson: To the west, which is the side of the house the
boat cover
is on, how far is it to the neighbor's house?
111_ Mr. Klick: There's a street. Red Cedar Point is a road in between.
' Mayor Hamilton: There's nothing on the other side.
Mr. Klick: There's nothing on the other side other than his shed that you saw
and that's right on the lot line.
' Councilman Johnson: So this is 2.6 feet to the street right-of-way?
Y
' Jo Ann Olsen: To the property line.
Councilman Johnson: Which is the street right-of-way? You said it was right
' next to the street.
Jo Ann Olsen: Here's the street.
Councilman Johnson: So there's nothing out next to his garage? Where's the
closest dwelling to this structure?
Jo Ann Olsen: Across the street.
Councilman Johnson: One of the reasons for the 10 foot side yard is to allow
space between structures.
Mayor Hamilton: There are no homes. It would be the north side of the road.
i
1
me
13
City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
we're trying to do is to select a right-of-way so that should the road be built,
we can tell MnDot where we would prefer, as a community, to have this road
built. You have seen a couple of alternatives. We think there are some others.
There's been a long process of a lot of people involved. It hasn't just been 171 I
City staff or Council or Planning Commission. There have been several
engineering firms involved in this whole process. It's not something that we've
done without a lot of input from a lot of people who supposedly know something I
about highway development. There are a lot of questions that need to be
answered yet. When the project would be done for one thing. The funding
questions have not been answered so there are some questions that need to be
resolved that we do not have the answers to. I wanted to pass on some of those
things to you. Keep that in mind as you make your comments. I appreciate that
and I would like to then call the public hearing to order. What I will do is
take comments from anybody who would wish to make comments. We will not, unless
I'm overruled, make a decision on this this evening. I think there is
additional information that needs to be gathered and additional alternatives
that need to be looked at so once your comments are made and it's a part of the
public record, we will then go back and do additional research, take your
comments into account and research the item some more and we'll have to discuss
it some more. We'll have Council discussion tonight also.
Don Ashworth: I think it would be helpful if we could, most of the o le here
heard the report as it went to the Planning Commission. A number of comments
were made regarding alternatives and what type of progress that may be made
regarding those alternatives and staff has spent significant time really trying
to look into all aspects. I was hoping to spend a little bit of time just going
through what has been done since the Planning Commission meeting. We do have I
Don Ringrose here from BRW to go through some of those. Fred Hoisington.
Mayor Hamilton: That's a good idea. We can update you from what's happened
since the Planning Commission time.
Barbara Dacy: What I'd like to do is have Mr. Hoisington review the Planning
Commission action and then he'll introduce Mr. Ringrose from BRW.
Fred Hoisington: Your Honor and members of the City Council, what I'd like to
do is introduce the feasibility study team first of all, all of whom you know.
Mayor Hamilton: Perhaps Fred you could tell us and let everybody know '
Y Y who you
are and how long you've been involved in this project.
Fred Hoisington: Fred Hoisington and I am a land planning consultant and I have
been involved in the City of Chanhassen for about the last 3 1/2 years. We
first became involved with our efforts to resolve some of the redevelopment
concerns in downtown Chanhassen and then later became involved with what we call
the broadened study area which dealt with answering a lot of the questions of
access that were not answered, really were posed by the downtown project. What
we came up with in the broadened study area study, were recommendations that
dealt with access to the major trunkline systems through the City of Chanhassen.
We dealt to a great extent with TH 101, TH 5 and future, heaven forbid, TH 212.
So that's kind of been our involvement with you. In this case, we are
coordinating the feasibility study team on behalf of the City of Chanhassen.
The folks we have involved in this process, BRW, Don Ringrose who is ahead of
the feasibility study for BRW has been in this process for really quite some '
16
City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
period of time. Howard Preston, who is also with BRW, is their in-house project
manager for this particular project and who has a great familiarity with MnDot.
IHe used to work there which makes him a real resource for us. Jim Benshoof who
is the lead traffic engineer in this case, who is the one that is charged with
evaluating the alternatives you'll be seeing here in a short time. The purpose
' of this meeting has really changed since the last time you were here. When you
were here on the 3rd of August to meet with the Planning Commission, and I guess
those things happen. One of the things that we determined was that we could not
' provide the Council with the information that we felt was needed in order to
move ahead with a decision on this critical issue this evening. We were
originally looking for an approval from the Council. We did ask approval from
the Planning Commission and now we're not sure we want you to approve what we
' thought we wanted you to approve only 3 weeks ago. What we're looking for
tonight is input. We're looking for that from both the Council and from members
of the audience. This decision is too critical, too much involved to make a
' decision fast and that's a bit contrary to what I told you in the past but
sometimes things do change a little bit. So let me tell you what kind of
schedule that we would like to have this move along on. Tonight we'd like to
' review alternatives. September 12th, we'd like to come back and at least give
you a staff report of where we are with the collection of additional information
and additional analysis. Then on September 26th we would like to be able to
come back to you with a recommendation. We may come back with the same
' recommendation we came to the Planning Commission with. All I can tell you at
this point is that I'm cautiously more optimistic about the possibility that
there may be one or two other alternatives than I was 3 weeks ago. Now to
I reiterate the objectives of the study, we have to define, as we think, as part
of this process, a place for TH 101 to go. We're afraid if we don't define that
fairly soon, we'll lose some options. The window of opportunity is going to
' close and we simply won't be able to deal with this critical issue in the near
term. One of the things that we think we important is that TH 101 have
continuity through the City of Chanhassen. It is the only road through this
community that has any chance of having of providing continuity north to south.
' A lot of the trips that will use and do use TH 101 today, originate outside the
study area and pass completely through the study area. Now one could argue that
the alternatives we're showing tonight don't really represent continuity. In my
judgment, I think they do. Another thing that we're going to be extremely
concerned about and it has to be an objective because MnDot has made it an
objective and that is, that the level of service at the major intersections
along TH 5, the level of service at those intersections be sufficient to
' accomodate traffic well. The third one is that we separate traffic through from
downtown traffic. A fourth is that we develop geometrically sound design. In
other words, we can't create accident prone highway designs as a part of this
process. One of the things that we're continually and the audience here will
recognize is fiscal responsibility. It's very difficult to simply use or take
any of the alternatives and implement them no matter the cost. Some of the
' costs, the costs will be substantially higher for some of these alternatives
than perhaps others. The risks that I talked to the Planning Commission about
haven't gone away and there are two of them. One of the risks is that there is
a shopping center in the way of the south leg of the proposed alternative. What
that could mean is if that leg is closed, that alternative is closed for all
intensive purposes. If that shopping center is built. The second risk is a
delay in the construction of TH 5 which is now on an accelerated schedule. One
of the things we've learned since we last met with the Planning Commission was
' that we would not require additional right-of-way should we adopt the north leg
' 17
-4ty Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
option. The common leg between TH 101 and TH 5 from the due north leg to Great
Plains Blvd.. That has been accomodated and so we're somewhat less concerned
that there will be a delay for that purpose. What we will try to do and what
we're trying at this point is to make sure we stay on schedule with that and
still satisfy the needs of the City of Chanhassen in the process. The reason we
changed course is complex. As you know, the Planning Commission approved an
alternative which was really two alternatives. The preferred alternative was '
the north leg option. While the Planning Commission approved of an
alternatives, the last comment made by the Commission, I think it was it's
Chairman, there has to be an alternative that will work here. What the Planning
Commission did not want to do was foreclose forever the possibility that we
would be able to build TH 101 and I think what they were telling you and telling
this community was that if we can do it on the north leg option, fine but if we
can't, we want to make sure that at least it can be built. A second choice was
of course, to use the south leg. So we thought about that for a while and we
decided as hard or as many alternatives that have been considered in the past,
we should still continue to evaluate more and we have done that. Another thing
that's happened is that the Wards are beginning to show some interest in
development of their property. One of the things that they've indicated is that
they may wish to relocate at least modestly TH 101 so we. look at that as an
opportunity. Whether it produces something for us is questionable but it
certainly is an opportunity and of course Rosemount has announced that it has
selected the City of Chanhassen for it's new facility and since it's next to the
Ward property, it also opens an opportunity for some additional consideration of
alternatives. Now, we did meet with MnDot in the intervening periods since the
Planning Commission met. Essentially, what we're saying or what my feelings
personally are about this process is that we can be cautiously more optimistic
[II
than we were before. Especially about whether one of the other alternatives can
be accomodated. I am optimistic but not as much so that we can do it on the
accelerated TH 5 schedule. Now the neighbors raised some good questions as
well. Questions that can not be put aside and questions that we have indicated
must be answered as part of this feasibility study process. One of those is
noise and the noise impacts on the subdivisions to the south. Pedestrian access
to downtown and Q-Superette. Traffic on Lake Drive East. In other words, given
the different scenarios, which of them would have the most detrimental effect
traffic wise on Lake Drive East. Whether the T intersection at Great Plains
Blvd., as proposed, would work. How easy it would be for residents to get onto
Lake Drive East and whether there would be sufficient gaps created with the
signalization so they could get onto that roadway. One of the questions or
concerns raised also had to do with the relatively minor level of service
improvements that would have existed with the proposal at Great Plains Blvd. and
the new north leg or the proposed intersection of TH 101. Finally, the
neighbors also asked for a request for the consideration of other alternatives.
We have, as a team, feasibility study team, looked at those alternatives and not
only the ones that we're going to show you this evening but at a multitude of
others, many of which do not work from a geometric standpoint and ones we're
showing you tonight are ones that we think do work geometrically. So what we'd
like to do is present those and then simply ask you to remember that these have
not been tested for their traffic carrying capabilities and that we can not
suggest to you this evening, but we will by the 26th of September, that they
will in fact work. So with that, what I'd like Don Ringrose to do is to make a
brief presentation of the four alternatives than we'd like to take input and get
some ideas. If you have any other suggestions, we'd love to hear them and we'd
love to hear others from the neighbors as well.
18 '
City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
I1-
Councilman Horn: I have one question. Were any eliminated because of cost?
Fred Hoisington:' The only one that has been eliminated because of cost has been
the bridging alternative that would bridge the railroad, TH 5 and so forth which
' is about 10 times the cost of an at grade cost.
Don Ringrose: The last week has been, as Fred indicated, as rather hectic one
for the people that are involved with this and also as Fred indicated, while
we've developed some ideas, we want to present them here to you, bear in mind
this was all accomplished in about the last week and it has not had the
opportunity of being thoroughly tested from an engineering and traffic
' standpoint. At the same time, we aren't about to present to you or discuss with
the public anything that kind of at our gut level we don't feel makes sense or
that wouldn't presumably pass reasonable tests of engineering principles. We
have this evening four alternatives and the Council has received reductions of
' these that you've had an opportunity to look at. For the neighborhood and the
citizens, I appreciate this is the first opportunity to become familiar with
these. I'll go through them briefly and then entertaining questions that you
' have. The first one which is presented is essentially referred to as the
current proposal. That is basic design that City Staff, ourselves and MnDot
started out with about 6 to 8 weeks ago when this whole process started. It
' consists of the relocation of TH 101 easterly of existing Great Plains, crossing
over and then swinging south onto Lake Drive and that is the portion which was
discussed through the Planning Coitunission and the neighborhood meetings that
were held prior to the Planning Commission. On the drawing, we've shown an
I extension of that illustrating how that would continue west and then turn to the
south and connecting to existing TH 101. One of the issues which was not
discussed at length because we didn't feel it was particularly of concern for
' the neighborhood, was how this linkage would occur. MnDot had made it clear to
us early on that the T intersection, that would be Lake Drive and then a T
intersection to existing TH 101 would be unsatisfactory in terms of the TH 101
' function. So this drawing represents the original proposal expanded to include
the linkage to TH 101. Then we also have, in light of the Ward property casual
discussions I think is the best way to describe those, and the more specific
proposals for Rosemount, expanded our scope of thinking in the sense that the
' horizons that we can look at here to see how this new activity and new interest
would relate to this existing problem entering this one time, and probably not
the only time to assure where haste might have made waste in it because I think
' as we've expanded the horizons our thinking here, we have generated some
additional alternatives that have genuine merit. What we then have shown on the
same drawing, the extension of Lake Drive, the proposal for a Market Blvd.
connection and the connection on into the basic center of downtown Chanhassen's
' commercial district. We think that as the advantage of tying this emerging job
center to the existing retail commercial district of the City. This as
I indicated is the original proposal. This is also the proposal which the
' neighbors were very concerned about. Primarily, as I understand it, because the
proximity of relocated TH 101 to the homes along the northerly side of the
subdivision and the noise and the issues that they had raised and Fred touched
on. Then taking into account primarily the citizen's or the neighborhood
issues, we said is there something we can do to address those in terms of a
4 design in terms of some relocation. With respect to the original plan, we can
L._. talk about noise berms, noise walls, and some of those issues but I think you
' were looking for something more fundamental in terms of an alternative location.
19
`-''City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988 11
In some cases we have to stretch our mind a little bit even to stretch our
imagination from an engineering standpoint to come up with these but we felt
even though I can't support some of them from an engineering standpoint and we
don't have a drawing to talk about, it's difficult to have a discussion. I
think this represents one that falls into that category. Essentially the same
northerly leg but moving the new TH 101 to the north, essentially halfway
between Lake Drive and existing TH 5 swinging to the west and then to the south.
The objective here is trying to put some space between the new road and the
existing homes. That's the only real change. The complication of that is it,
in some respects, from an engineering and from a fiscal standpoint, almost has
to be considered, I'd say silly. When you look at it from, we have three roads
all running east/west in a corridor of about 400 to 500 feet. There's
tremendous cost involved in duplication of facilities. There's substantial cost
involved in acquisition of properties to make this happen and while we can
certainly draw the line so it would work geometrically and would function, it
doesn't have a lot of common sense to it. The rest of the westerly portion is
the same. The third alternative is what is referred to as the north leg. This
is what the Planning Commission identified as their preference if it could be
accomplished. Prior to the Planning Colluui.ssion's consideration, we had Jim
Benshoof, the traffic consultant that's been doing all the work for the City,
did some analysis on this north leg alternative. I want to be sure you
understand the function here because I'm not convinced the drawing illustrates
it as it should. The intention here for the TH 101 through traffic is to move
on the existing alignment up to TH 5, then east or west on TH 5 and the north on
what we call the north leg. So southbound is to this location, a right hand
turn, a left hand turn and so forth. It is not intended that TH 101 traffic
would in any fashion go like that. Whether or not this would even be permitted,
in terms of the close spacing, etc. by MnDot is questionable. It is shown on
the drawing as something that we'd like to consider. While the intersections,
this intersection and this intersection, can accomodate the turning movements.
Physically the southbound or northbound. In particular, the left turn movements
that would occur here and here, that is by the introduction of a double left
turn lane at this location and this location, the predicted left turn movements
can be accomodated through the intersection. The issue that surfaces with this
design is not the turn movement but the weaving movement. That is, for example,
in the design volumes there's 800 vehicles in the peak hour that will come
south, turn onto existing TH 5, want to move over two lanes and make the left
hand turn to go south in a distance of about, it's less than 1,000 feet. When
we presented this to MnDot at our meeting last week the answer which they gave
us was the answer which I think we would have predicted that no, it can not work
in their opinion and that they can't suggest that we should even pursue it. The
solution, and we had talked about it ourselves in terms of the concept of the
common section isn't totally invalid if there's sufficient space in which that
weaving movement can occur but this isn't sufficient space. For a while we were
actually looking for alternatives to where we could move this back up and create
space by moving it to the east. However, then we start looking at apartment
buildings and all kinds of major issues on the north side so we're just moving
one, we're creating one problem to solve another. But what surfaced out of the
discussions of last week and it really was in the form of a brainstorming
session in our office when the entire design came on Wednesday morning last week
followed up by a meeting at MnDot Wednesday afternoon at which point all we had
was tissue paper sketches of some of these things which we were presented but
what surfaced out of that discussion is a fourth alternative which we think is
substantially different but it begins to address more accurately or more
20 ,
City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
IIappropriately all of these. It's not perfect but it addresses I think more
people's concerns in a better way than most. It consists, in a sense it's a
II modification of what we refer to as the north leg or the last one I presented to
you but it solves the defect of the north leg alternative by introducing
additional space between the left hand turn movements. This alternative, TH 101
' would come down and connect with TH 5 in the same location as in all the other
alternatives. However, rather than turning south at existing TH 101 or Great
Plains Blvd., the TH 101 through movements would continue west on TH 5 to Market
Blvd. and then we would suggest that TH 101 would be relocated extending south
' to Market Blvd., which exists only to the railroad tracks today but is planned
and platted to this location, continue south initially connecting up to existing
TH 101 but planning to the future it's suggested that TH 101 would be relocated
' west of the homes along the lake in conjunction with TH 212 so ultimately it
would come down and go in this fashion but on an interim basis it would come
down and link to the existing. It might indeed come down and go like that.
' There's lots of different detailed alternatives. The concept is what's
important. We think that this has all the advantages of all the alternatives
with the one possible defect that you could argue that it doesn't have
continuity for the north/south direction for TH 101. That is, now you come up
here and you make a jog about 2,500 feet, almost a half mile and then continue
north. That is the one negative. I think it provides access to an area that
will require access in terms of emerging development within the city. It
certainly addresses the issues that were raised by the neighborhood. It
eliminates the problem and Fred indicated, I think he used the term cautious
optimism, I think it's a fair statement. MnDot in our discussions with them,
3 did not reject this categorically as they did the other alternative with the
short linkage. I guess that essentially summarizes where we are today. As Fred
indicated, we are in the process now with Benshoof of testing this out in terms
of the traffic capacities required at the particular intersections. For
' example, we had moved major turning movements and concentrations of traffic from
this location to this location. In terms of the overall city plan, long term,
we felt this was the 100% corner and it could be that it's moving here because
of these changes. So Jim is in the process of doing that analysis. We think
that before your meeting 2 weeks from this evening, that we would have completed
that analysis and also have gone back to MnDot one more time and be able to be a
little more definitive about the ability to work and a little more definitive
' about MnDot's position. If that is positive, then it's my opinion, based on
what our responsibility is in terms of this overall feasibility study that we
can catch up in terms of lost time in terms of the City's responsibility.
' There's still an issue of whether the State can react to these changes and
maintain their schedule. Again, we're optimistic and hopeful I guess.
Mayor Hamilton: Thank you Don. Did Mr. Benshoof want to present anything or
' you're just in the process of working on the numbers? Does anybody else have
anything that you want to present from the feasibility side?
' Don Ringrose: We're just repsonding to questions at this point.
Mayor Hamilton: What I'd like to do is have anyone then from the public who
lit would like to make comment and then after the public hearing is closed, we'll
make comments and ask questions.
Councilman Boyt: Can I ask for a little change possibly?
I 21
Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
Mayor Hamilton: What would you like?
Councilman Boyt: I would like to suggest Tom that it might help the public
reaction if they had some idea of just a quick where our particular thoughts
were initially. That might give them something to bounce off of.
Mayor Hamilton: I guess if you want to give them yours, you're welcome to. If 1
that's what you're saying to me. I'm interested in what they have to say and I
think they have put a lot of time and energy into studying this and I realize
that they've just seen a new concept this evening and perhaps it would be
appropriate for them to make comment on that. I have more questions than I have
just general comments.
Councilman Boyt: I think one of the frustrations of having been in the position 1
that they're in is that if they don't know where we're coming from, it's awfully
hard for them to react. By the time they do know where we're coming from, the
public hearing is closed.
Mayor Hamilton: The process of a public hearing is to gather input from the
public. To take that, to massage it and digest it and fit that into the plans
that we're trying to accomplish. That's the the way the process works I guess.
Councilman Johnson: Tom, I believe by providing the input, by giving our input
to the public beforehand, it also may speed up some of the comments as they are
trying to cover all bases and if we've already covered some bases, it may not
cover it. Boy, it's getting confusing.
Mayor Hamilton: Well, I'm saying if you want to make your comments known, 1
you're welcome to do so.
Councilman Johnson: Okay, so in other words, what Bill suggested here, you're '
willing to do that?
Mayor Hamilton: That's fine. Sure, go right ahead. You're first. I
Councilman Johnson: Okay. Of the options, I like the, we got these on Friday
night so we had a little more time to look at them. I'm leaning most towards
Market Blvd.. I had discussed a similar thing with staff and had been looking
at it before. I'm glad to see your alignment. My main problems with it are in
the affects on those ponds in there. We tend to look at our wetlands and our
ponds very cautiously and this particular affect has a maximum affect on our
ponds. However, in this case, this is one of those cases where this treehugger
believes that it's best for the City maybe that we do put it right through this
pond. I'm in the position of Market Blvd. over any of the other options at this
time.
Councilman Boyt: I started out liking Option 2. I had two major concerns. One
of the major concerns is that we not delay TH 5. I would say that's probably my
primary concern and I think responsibility to the whole community but my next
concern is that we not put this in anybody's backyard. So looking at the
options, I would say that on first blush that Option 1 which put it into Lake
Drive East and I think with the big concern of the neighborhood, would be the
last option on my list and the first one would probably be the fourth option.
22 1
City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
Councilman Horn: I can't make a decision until I have a lot of questions
answered. I'm not sure we want to do that at this point. To me there are too
many unknowns to make a decision. I think though, looking at Option 2, even
though Don has hinted that that's not a feasible alternative, appears to me to
be the best solution.
' Councilman Geving: I think the Mayor said it best when he opened with the fact
that we've got a lot of public input. We've had a chance to read so much
information on this through the public hearing process and I think it's
' important for us to understand that when we review our packet, we're always
looking for other alternatives and that was my first and foremost objective. I
said to myself, why not force TH 101 as far to the west as we can get it. How
about CR 117 or even TH 101 and Lyman. I drove down to Lyman from Mr.
Klingelhutz' property. It's exactly 1/2 mile out of the way to get to CR 17 and
another 1/2 mile once you get on the north end back to the American Legion. So
' then I got thinking about the possibility of Market Blvd.. This is long before
I even looked at any of these maps and that seemed to make a lot of sense to me.
I was happy tonight to see that as an alternative. My personal feeling is that
this needs a lot more study. I personally need much more time. This is a kind
of decision that's going to be with us for a long time. We don't rework TH 101
everyday. It's been there for years and years and years and it will have a
great deal of impact upon the citizens of the City and I'm not in favor of
trying to impact any number of citizens who moved into our community at all. I
got calls over the weekend from business leaders in the community. They said,
you're diverting traffic away from my business. I built a motel in town and I
want that business traffic to flow past my facility and I agreed with him. We
have gas stations and we have other facilities that want that business so we've
got to look at it from their aspect as well. We've just spent several million
dollars redeveloping our downtown. We want the traffic that flows our community
' to also stop and shop. So we must be concerned about the entry to the
Chanhassen business district. Our motels, gas stations, food stores and so
forth. Then the question came to my mind, what if we do nothing? What if we
' did absolutely nothing and let TH 5 continue and proceed along? Maybe that's
not a good idea because we'll have missed an opportunity and the opportunity is
that we could have the State realign this at a time when it's beneficial to us.
So with every negative there's a possibility of an opportunity. I think I look
personally differently at this project today than I did in 1981 because I was
here in 1981 and this was not a big deal. We knew it was going to happen
sometime in the future but the future is now because TH 5 is going to happen.
' We've worked on it. We've put a lot of money into it from a Chanhassen
community standpoint along with Eden Prarie, Chaska, Victoria, all the
communities along the route and these people want to see TH 5 happen and it's
' going to happen. I'm not anxious at this time to start marketing the center
line on our official transportation map just to get the project on the
Comprehensive Plan. I'm not anxious to do that until we do a lot of study.
Analyzing it and coming up with the the kind of alternatives that Don mentioned
hopefully we've have on September 12th. Some of the other comments in terms of
some of the objectives and that is to make sure that this is not a dangerous
situation where we're going to have kids crossing highways to get to superettes
lit or to get to schools. I read with interest the comments from Brad Johnson that
we have the same kind of experiences on the north end of town. Any of you
people that go to work in the morning know what you're talking about when you
' come down 78th Street and try to get onto TH 5. Just try to get onto TH 101 or
what I call Main Street is a chore. I pull up in front of Kenny's every morning
23
ti
" City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
and I know that I sat there for sometimes 3 or 4 minutes. That's a long time
waiting for 15 or 20 cars to pass so we've got to do something about rerouting
that traffic off our main street. My real comments are, let's not rush into
this whole project without looking at all the old cards. Let's check the
alternatives and bad decisions are generally made when you don't do a thorough
and adequate job of planning. That's where I think we were a couple of weeks
ago when I started to read some of the Planning Commission notes and Minutes, I
didn't think that we had done a thorough job, the kind of job that was presented
to us tonight and I think we've come a long way in the last two weeks. Another
thought, and it's just a thought, is that in this community, for the people who
haven't lived here very long, you'll note that there's a lot of things that
divide our community. Either it's a railroad track or it's a highway. It's
TH 5 or it's TH 7. It's TH 101, CR 17, CR 117 and TH 41. All of those divide
and segment our community into little pockets of people and this earlier
proposal, the south leg proposal would have done exactly that to Brookhill, Chan
Estates, Hidden Valley. All of those little pockets of our community that are
new to us and had no idea about this project 2 years, 3 years ago when we
proposed it, are now faced with this as a real possiblity. In my opinion, we're
going to try to do everything we can to remove that and eliminate that as a
problem for you. I think one of the things that I'd like to see, at least I do
it in my own business, I'd like to see the pros and cons of every alternative.
It's nice to be able to present them here and I think you did a very good job
Don but I would really like to see a complete list of the pros and the cons for
each of your alternatives when you get down to the final selection point so we
can see them in bold print. Let us know what the real negatives are and where
we're coming from in terms of the positives. The only other big question I have
is, what are the benefits to the community of this TH 101? I've lived here 22 I
years and I've lived with TH 101 all that time. It has not impacted me a great
deal but I have to be realistic and I know that change is taking place. We have
an opportunity, in my opinion, with Rosemount moving to Chanhassen, with a
payroll in the neighborhood of 500 to 700 people and the traffic that that's
going to bring to this area of Market Blvd., we have an opportunity to reroute
that if we can get together with the Ward family. I think personally that
alternative number, I'll call it the last one, the Market Blvd. proposal is the '
best from my standpoint. Thank you.
Mayor Hamilton: This process, as I mentioned earlier, I began looking at
alternatives for this in 1980 and it's been a frustrating process for me because
I've never seen one that I liked or felt comfortable with and I wrestled with
this darn thing and I just couldn't, I don't know, there was just something
about it that always bothered me. I couldn't find one that I liked. I saw one
tonight that I like. That's number 4. It seems to answer the questions and the
concerns that we have and I'll be cautiously optimistic, as Don said, in saying
that it's an alternative I think that I could really throw my support behind. '
It looks like it gives the City a lot of new opportunities and it solves some
problems that have been existing. We were just talking before the meeting
tonight about some other possibilities. I said I don't care what you look at, I
don't care if you have to tear down buildings or what you have to move but we
ought to consider every possible alternative to putting a road in so we can
solve this thing and do it properly. I think we've got the solution. We can
put in TH 5 if MnDot will buy it and go along with this and work with us on ,
getting this done. It's a grand opportunity for the City to make Market Blvd.
kind of the main thoroughfare into the downtown. It will certainly help our
industrial park. It will be a big boom for them. It will help us straighten
6:
24 1
City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
out parts of TH 101 that have been a mess for years. It seems to answer a lot
of the questions that I've had and it resolves a lot of the issues that I've had
so gee, this is really positive I think. I'm really pleased with what I've seen
11 a and although there's additional information that we need to get, Jay mentioned
the problem with the pond. We have had, and I don't think that's much of a
problem, we've had a development proposed for that site previously and we needed
' to do some things with the pond and I think we resolved them at that time and I
see no reason why we can't resolve them again. That's a minor issue to take
care of but I look forward to working with the feasibility study group. I'll
' certainly do all I can to help and I think we've got a workable solution. Those
are the comments from the Councilmembers. Now if there are individuals who
would like to make comments for the public record, please come up to the
microphone, state your name and address and give us your comments please. Who's
' going to be first?
Stephen Wigg: I'm President of the Chanhassen Estates Residential Association.
' We know there's got to be chances that have to be made and several of you
gentlemen said we have to consider some of the different alternatives and some
of the problems pro and con, etc. . What is not drawn on this last proposal
which everyone seemed to be leaning toward, is that intersection of Dakota
Avenue. I've been there for 6 years. I came in right at the end of the
controversy where the Estates spent thousands of dollars fighting McDonalds
coming into that corner. Now there's a big difference between fighting someone
coming in and having an empty building if that would be the situation from lack
of traffic. For that matter, two empty buildings sitting at the entrance of our
neighborhood. That's the first concern. There is nothing on here that shows.
We took in, my understanding is, approximately 8 to 10 years ago, because of the
danger of that intersection before there were stop lights there, the Association
took and fought very strongly to get stop lights at that intersection for the
safety of people crossing. I don't see anything on here that says it's going to
address any kind of pedestrian traffic getting across. This neighborhood is a
20 year old neighborhood. It's starting to turn over again. There are a lot
more younger children that are growing up in this neighborhood so that concern
is something that's got to be very much looked at. There have been things
mentioned in the past about pedestrian cross over, etc. but is it feasible once
you have these children, all these people are just starting to ride bikes, how
far are they going to have to go to get across that highway and what's going to
happen to those businesses that are on that corner? There isn't anything that
shows an island. There's nothing sketched in there.
Mayor Hamilton: I think your concern is genuine and Fred will take note of it
and I think that's one of those issues that we'll need to respond to.
' Jack Atkins: My name is Jack Atkins, I live at 220 West 78th Street and I guess
first of all I do like the Market Street proposal. I live on the north side
here on West 78th Street and I do have some concerns about the north leg there.
Mainly the railroad tracks after they cross the existing road there, they go
behind Jerry Schlenk's property, they go below grade there maybe 10 to 12 feet
and that train, a lot of people say there's only 1 or 2 trains but there are a
lot of trains that come through there. If you live near there, you know that.
So what you're essentially doing is you're going to have to take out that entire
sound barrier for our neighborhood to put that new road in. I just want to make
sure that that issue is addressed. Thanks.
25
City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
Uli Sacchet: Members of the City Council, ladies and gentlemen, my name is Uli
Sacchet. I live at 8071 Hidden Circle. I came here tonight to fight for what I
think is my right and I'm relieved that isn't necessary, at least to the extent
that it seemed necessary when I came here and I want to thank you members of the
City Council for having taken our concerns seriously and listened to our
concerns. However, I still want to address some other points because it seems
that the prospect of the original proposal isn't totally out of the window.
It's just a more balanced picture with additional and certainly far more
desirable possibilities. As such, I still want to take this opportunity and
address some of the main concerns that I have found at the neighborhood of the 11 .
Brookhill development of the Hidden Valley area. We handed in petition
signatures in two packages. Originally we handed in 92 signatures at the end of
July, the 30th of July to the City Manager. We handed in another 62 signatures
today which I don't know whether you've been informed of. You have, that's
great. I personally have been entrusted by 70 of the residents to be the
spokesperson in this issue to speak up against the realignment of TH 101 at Lake
Drive East. I still want to make some of the points, some of the key points
because as I said, the proposal isn't totally gone yet. It seems like we're
addressing some problems. The main problem of the City is obviously traffic
wise, TH 5. Then we have a secondary problem which is not necessarily just TH
101 in general as much as it is the intersection of TH 101 with 78th Street.
Now it seems that the original proposal takes that problem away from the 78th
Street intersection with TH 101. However, it doesn't really solve it in the
sense that it's gone. In my view, that problem is just moved to the south side
of TH 5 and the impact of the problem that is currently felt on the north side
of TH 5 with that intersection of 78th Street and TH 101 would be off loaded
onto the residents of the Brookhill development and Hidden Valley or Chanhassen
Estates. That I do not consider a solution or solving a problem. Further, in
terms of the through traffic need, of course it's an overall concern that we
need to accomodate through traffic because traffic is rising. We know that.
We've seen it. However, it's an envisioned need. It's based on assumptions.
It's based on assumptions that things go on pretty much the way they've been
going on. It's based on assumptions that 20 years from now we're going to
continue riding the same kind of cars and putting up with the same kind of
lights, which is likely. I'm not saying that's not going to be the case but it
is an assumption. On the other hand, we, the residents of Brookhill and Hidden
Valley, we live there now. That's not an assumption. That's not a plan or
proposal. That's reality. We live here now and ou Mr. Mayor,
Y you made a
remark that you were a little negatively touched, that's not the words you used,
by some of the comments you got and I sincerely like to apologize if some of my
comments upset you. I like to express myself with some spice. Now you can
believe that I'm pretty motivated in this case because in my view, the safety of
my children is at stake. The soundness of my investment I've made a year ago by
building a house there and let's just look at that for a brief moment. How did
that come about? The City made a couunitment by zoning that area for single
family homes. The City made a commitment by giving a permit to build that
single family home there and then what happens? Then comes the individuals and
make the biggest commitment of all. They make a mortgage that lasts 30 years
and they want to live there and make it their home. I don't mean to blame your
planning process or what you're doing but I do believe that it's justified to
make this statement. In a previous issue you've discussed tonight, you were
talking about a self created situation or what was it? This is a self created
situation of the City and all we're doing is standing up for our rights. I
6::
thank you that you do consider us. Alternate plans are obviously necessary and
26 1
I , City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
Ihas been heard and very well so. I might just briefly address that obviously
the option that is favored by most of
y you is certainly going to be the option
that is going to be favored by the neighborhood that I'm speaking for. The
benefit to the City and the residents in general is really the main issue that I
would expect you to consider as the City Council. It was pretty striking in the
Planning Commission meeting a couple of weeks ago that the only benefit that
1 could really be mentioned to the original proposal was through traffic
accomodation. Well, we have a head on collision here of through traffic
interest and residents interest if the original proposal would be implemented.
I Obviously the original proposal is not a solution. To sacrifice the
desirability of a whole neighborhood, the safety, compromise the safety, even
sacrifice a shopping center, what impact does that do to the tax revenue base of
I your City? You can also look at it from that angle. After all money has a
certain weight in this world. The costs of the right-of-ways of the
construction. How does that all fit together with that TH 101 is not even clear
in terms of who has jurisdiction. We're trying to build something that was not
I founded at the time the proposal was made. It's not even yet decided that TH
101 will have an off ramp at TH 212 highway and I would like to encourage you to
continue on the track to accumulate information and build this up step by step
I because it's an important issue and it's not going to get a sound solution by
rushing and jumping steps before they're matured and clear. Thank you for your
attention.
ILarry Guthrie: My name is Larry Guthrie. I'm an Attorney and I represent
United Mortgage Corporation and Rottlund Homes and I have a few comments. I too
.2, - applaud the efforts of the Council to consider alternatives and the efforts of
BRW to come up with alterantives and to listen to the recommendations that were
I _ made by the Planning Commission and also support the market option. I'd like to
make a comment with respect to some of the concerns made by Councilman Geving on
I the downtown traffic and perhaps suggest to BRW that when they talk to MnDot,
that they see whether or not a business route alternative through downtown could
be signed through the old TH 101 so people who want to go downtown who might be
not familiar with Chanhassen, will know that there's a business route that they
1 can still hook up with TH 101 by going down the Market Blvd. alternative. The
second comment I have is with respect to the public hearing and the other items
you're going to be addressing later tonight and some of the concerns that were
I expressed as to the timing of this and whether or not the window of opportunity
will be closed. My comment is sort of two fold. Whether or not you intend to
close the public hearing after all the comments are received tonight and then go
II on and consider the mall that is being proposed to go in because that may or may
not exclude certain alternatives and I guess suggest to you that because all the
recommendations aren't being made to you tonight, that it would be inappropriate
to close the public hearing tonight. The public should have an opportunity to
1 respond to the recommendations that are being made to the Council. That's the
first comment. The second comment is whether or not BRW can comment, whether or
not when they come back on the 26th, what proposals still are going to be viable
II at that point. At the Planning Commission we were sort of led to believe that
there wasn't much time in doing anything until perhaps 2 years from now would be
out of the question unless you acted immediately. So I think that needs to be
presented before the public hearing is closed and secondly, or thirdly or
IF fourthly, wherever I'm at, on all the alternatives, it seems like the north leg
is the same and whether or not something could not be done, if there is a delay
� and the window of opportunity is being missed because you want to make a
Ideliberate decision and make the right decision and consider all the
1 27
City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988 L
alternatives, whether or not some type of compromise as far as putting in the 11
north leg, even if traffic isn't going to be using it into TH 5 but proceeding
on that option. Having the north leg in place and then perhaps two years down
the road, putting in the Market Blvd.. Thank you.
Philip Schloss: My name is Philip Schloss and I live at 8040 Hidden Circle. My
comments basically, I had a lot of than but Mr. Hoisington kind of took those
all away by the fact that he came in with some other alternatives tonight
and I'm glad to see that he did that as your Planning Commission, even they
didn't like the present proposal as it stands. I want to urge you to reject any
TH 101 proposal that does go south of TH 5 between Dakota and TH 101 because it
seems to me that the impact is still the same as the original proposal. I had a
discussion with Mr. Evan over the phone and according to him, Mr. Evan is the
project manager of TH 5 on the widening. According to what he said, if you were
to separate TH 101 as a project from TH 5, they would not delay the widening of
TH 5 through Chanhassen. Now you may wonder what is this going to cost us? The
cost means that the intersection then would fall totally on the City to do that.
As I understand as it is now, that cost will be shared. However, with some of
the other options, maybe that is the most cost effective to put the decision off
rather than to go ahead with this without any clear understanding of totally
what's involved as this has been rushed upon us. What I want to urge you,
please don't be afraid to delay the widening of TH 5. As Mr. Conrad said, and
he is the head of the Planning Commission, he said let it be the City of
Chanhassen's decision, not MnDot's decision to delay TH 5. However, if you feel
a decision must be made tonight, I urge you that I feel that the fourth
alternative, in other words, it's the north leg option only with Market Street,
I believe that's what we're going to call it, I urge you to support that one. I 1111
think that continuity of TH 101 or having a continuity of TH 101 is like finding
a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Thank you very much.
Mayor Hamilton: Are there any other comments? If there are no other
comments, I would suggest to the Council that the public hearing be continued
until such time as we have further information from BRW and from Fred Hoisington
and if there is anybody in the public who would wish to either write or make
comments to the City, you may do so. Send a letter to the City or contact
myself or other councilmembers, you can still make public comment. I think we
should hold the public hearing open until after the meeting of the 12th. '
Councilman Johnson: I move we continue the public hearing and stop receiving
input tonight I guess.
Mayor Hamilton: I don't think we need to move with this. It will remain open
until after the meeting of the 12th. People can still input through the City or
through any of us individually. Actually, the four items are all tied together
and the one gentleman commented, he wasn't sure if we were going to move on any
of them. I don't think there's any intention to make any decisions on any of
them tonight. They're all tied together and they all need to be decided
together. At least for the present time.
Barbara Dacy: Except for item (d) ...
Mayor Hamilton: I don't think we can do that either until we know what
alignment we're going to have.
28 I
City Council Meeting - August 22, 1983 Y}
- Councilman Johnson: I think we need to discuss it separately Tom.
IICouncilman Geving: You can't do (d) .
Councilman Boyt: I would move, when appropriate, that we table (d) for lack of
information because we didn't receive the drawings. I think that's appropriate.
Councilman Geving: I would second that motion and I think the New American
Homes have to realize that we can't get last minute details on a very important
' subject on the night that we're going to be making the decision.
Mayor Hamilton: We have a motion and a second to table item 3(d) for lack of
' information.
Councilman Boyt moved, Councilman Geving seconded to table action on the Site
' Plan Review for a 40,000 square foot shopping center (Hidden Valley Center) , New
American Homes Corporation, for lack of information. All voted in favor and the
motion carried.
Mayor Hamilton: Pat, I guess I'd like to ask your opinion on that. We don't
' have sufficient information.
Pat Farrell: I understand that. Are you tabling it for a time specific?
I Mayor Hamilton: We tabled it only because we have non-sufficient information so
when sufficient information is available, we could consider it but it should
also be tied with the realignment.
Pat Farrell: You're within your authority to table it then.
Councilman Horn: I had a question of either Fred or Don. What provision do you
have planned to put along TH 5 between TH 101 to the north and Market? It
appears to me that what you're doing in that particular section of the road is
you need to create a highway that can handle both the traffic volumes of TH 101
' and TH 5.
Fred Hoisington: That's correct.
Councilman Horn: So is that going to be 6 lane there? Otherwise you're going
to have a bottleneck.
' Fred Hoisington: I'll answer that in a general sense. The traffic analysis
will demonstrate what will be necessary there. We think it would involve two
lanes in each direction and two left turn lanes so conceivably for a portion of
' that stretch, yes it could be 6 lanes wide.
Councilman Horn: Otherwise it doesn't do much good to have four lanes beyond it
to the west.
i
Councilman Johnson: Create a bottleneck right there.
I
' 29
4)
City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
Councilman Horn: That's right. The road capacity goes with the smallest
bottleneck.
Don Ringrose: That's MnDot's primary concern is that we don't diminish the
service level on TH 5.
Councilman Horn: That's my primary concern.
Councilman Boyt: I've got a couple comments. Along with Jay, the two of us sat
through the Planning Commission hearing and I guess a couple of comments. One
is driving through Wayzata fairly frequently, TH 101 is about as fouled up as it
can get when it goes down the main street of a part of Wayzata so our existing
situation isn't uncommon but it's certainly not one I think we want to stay
with. As I mentioned before, TH 5 shouldn't be delayed. My reaction to
the Planning Commission earlier was that I thought they created the impression
that this was a mere 2 year delay for TH 5. If we decide to do something that
would delay TH 5's extension, it will not be built. Don't kid yourself to think
the State is going to come back and give us money to extend it another couple of
miles. They won't do it and so what we're deciding is do we want it to be 4
lanes out to CR 17 or don't we want it to be 4 lanes out to CR 17. Personally,
I can tell you that the decision may be extremely difficult before we're done
but that my vote will be to extend it. Then, as I mentioned earlier, Option 4 I
think makes, it certainly makes sense to me from what I've heard. It sounds
like it makes sense to a lot of people but I think we'd better be very careful
to get Chan Estates reactions to this before we leap ahead. I think that Mr.
Wigg made some good points, as Tom pointed out, and we probably need to hear ti
from more people in that neighborhood so I think we'll have the opportunity to
do that. My last point would be, I think that the neighborhood coming together
here, certainly you're not done and you won't be done when we make our decision.
I think it's very important that the neighborhood continue to take this to
MnDot. TH 5 is going to change dramatically. You need to have input in that
change process so if you want noise barriers, they know that. If you have other
concerns with how TH 5 is built and extended, that they're aware of that so
don't disban simply because the City of Chanhassen makes it's part of the
decision. That's all I have.
Councilman Geving: I just want to finish with a couple of comments and ,
questions to Don on how the funding for this project, if it were to proceed,
would or could be accomplished. The total realignment of TH 101 to Market or
wherever we place. How would that happen Don? I don't believe there's any
money for this.
Don Ashworth: We had approached the legislature this past year. In fact, our '
bill was included even in the ending session. It lost by 2 votes on the Senate
side at 3:30 in the morning on the last day in session. The major stumbling
block was contingent from Hennepin County. Some concerns there, staff is
already starting to meet with legislative representatives. We've done that on a
number of occasions. We're meeting again with than this Wednesday to insure
that as we approach this next legislative session, that we will have worked out
those problems.
Councilman Geving: And then just one other comment and that has to do with the
whole issue of this realignment process and what impact it may have on the
delay, potential delay for TH 5. I can tell you that we've worked for years to
30 ,
1, „ City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
get TH 5 upgraded and expanded to 4 lanes out to Chanhassen and regardless of
what's going to happen with our decision on TH 101, I certainly wouldn't want us
delaying that project. I don't want to see it falling short to 184th Street
Ijust because we did something here that promoted that delay. Whatever it takes,
we want to see the committee, Hoisington and Don to proceed along those criteria
that we move ahead with TH 5 and push it ahead just like we had planned all
' along and keep us informed so that we're aware that if our decision is to
actually delay, let us know. Secondly, if there's anything that the City can do
by bringing in our own architects or engineers or draftspeople to bring this up
' to speed, as was mentioned in some of the staff notes here, that's a great
possibility. Let's proceed in that vein because we can't let TH 5 delay into
the 1992-93 scenario. That's the direct I'd like to see the staff go.
' Councilman Johnson: I'd also like staff, I see Barb's not here right now but Jo
Ann probably knows it just as well, tell us what the next steps are. There's a
feasibility study yet to be done and things like this. How many more steps do
' we have going here?
Mayor Hamilton: Fred, perhaps you could.
Fred Hoisington: I think that Barbara laid that out in her memo Jay.
Councilman Johnson: Well, they didn't read Barb's memo.
' Fred Hoisington: There will be a feasibility study. It would have to be
completed and all the answers providing for us to proceed. If there is an
alternative that we can settle on, then we can design.. .and part of that effort
to... Then it will be constructed so that's what we expect the process to be.
' Councilman Johnson: Okay, Market Blvd. option has quite a bit of streets
involved. Quite a bit of roads involved. There's a mileage limit in our
envirnomental assessment state laws and environmental quality law, I believe
it's called. I think we need to take a look at that real soon and see if an
' Environmental Assessment Worksheet will have to be done so we can get that going
too so we don't come up at the last minute on oh my goodness, we need an EAW for
running these type things. This feasibility study is going to decide a lot of
' the questions that have been asked. Pedestrian crossing is one that I
definitely want to see in that feasibility study because that is a problem that
this City has right now and if we can tie that in here, we can get that
addressed as early as possible. This is a good time, a good excuse to throw
' that on the agenda. I think it's already in there but I want to make sure it's
in there. Whether the feasibility of what the effect this will have on the
businesses in that intersection, the Sinclair station and Mac and Don's there,
' I'm not 100% sure whether that belongs in there or whether that is a free
enterprise's responsibility to do that but if that is economically can be added
to it, that would be nice to have there too. I do not believe that this would,
' with movement of Rosemount in and a few other changes going in town, I don't
think this will have a marked effect on those businesses. I think as we're
growing, they're not going to see any decrease in business to our road.
Especially when you throw in 500 to 700 new employees just down the road from
them. Their lunch time is going to be even busier. Of course, the feasibility
study will look at the noise also that people have talked about. I really enjoy
listening to Uli. I've listened to him three times now. At the Planning
Commission and earlier, I wish I could speak as eloquently as he does. I do
' 31
•
City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
believe there is a benefit to this because we have a real problem. This is not
just to connect TH 101 north to south. We've got a real problem. TH 101 as it
goes through the north side here, goes through a residential neighborhood. It
goes past a grade school. It goes past a couple churches. It runs past Kenny's
which is where all of our kids go to hang out just like kids on your side go to
Superette. We have a present and real danger going on right now with TH 101 on ,
the north side and we have to do something on that but to create a problem on
the south side by doing something to solve a problem on the north side doesn't
make any sense either. That's why I favor the one I'm favoring now. I think
the business signage can be handled very easily as far as saying Chanhassen
businesses, take a right now and you can go to downtown but that's pretty
standard stuff. I just wanted to cover some of the public comment that was made
there. That's all I've got to say at this time. ,
Mayor Hamilton: I think you've received a few more questions Fred from the
public and from the Council. Especially Dakota Avenue. How is that going to be
impacted and some of the others so if you could gather the information on that
and bring it back to us, I'd appreciate it. Anybody else have any comments?
Councilman Horn: Just a response to Jay. When we first started looking at the 1
TH 101 alternatives, we weren't moving the property to the south because the
south wasn't built up like it is. As a matter of fact, when that development
went in, we discussed this. It was discussed with the church when it went in
and we've always talked with anybody who's developed in any area anywhere in
this area about the possibility of realigning TH 101 and what the possible
impacts might be. The church people have been debating for some time whether
they want to continue with their project until we resolve this. It's not a '
matter of planning. It's a matter of getting the public sector transportation
issue resolved in conjunction with the private development. We don't control
private development. That happens. The only option we have when a developer
comes in is we can say, well, we might be developing there someday. Go by that
property. That's the only option we have when that planning comes in otherwise
we have to let them go through with their process. We can tell them that you
might be impacted at some point but we can't stop them. That's the type of
process to go through. It might look like bad planning but it's the reality of
the fight between the public and private sector. When this whole thing started,
the situation was much different. In fact, many of the options that did look
attractive at one point don't look that way anymore.
Mayor Hamilton: I would like to just thank everybody for your input. It's been
valuable to us and we appreciate your coming to the Planning Commission and to
the Council meeting to show your support for what's being done in the City.
Thank you.
PUBLIC HEARING:
WEST 78TH STREET DETACHMENT FEASIBILITY STUDY; SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT NO. 1.
Public Present:
Name Address ,
B.C. "Jim" Burdick 426 Lake Street, Excelsior
Brian H. Burdick 5205 Greenwood Circle
Jan Coey Taco Shop
32 ,
City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
' Michael J. Leonard 8016 Erie Avenue
Peter W. Fishcer AVR, Inc. , 6801 150th Street W. ,
' Leo Gray Apple Valley
AVR Inc.
' Gary Warren: To give you a quick overview. On July 25th of this year the
Council directed staff to call a public hearing for Supplemental Report No. 1
for our West 78th Street detachment feasibility study. Basically the purpose of
' the report was to address the issue of the right-in/right-out connection to West
78th Street onto Powers Blvd. which was denied by the County. The supplemental
report specifically looks at the installation of the cul-de-sac, public roadway
' cul-de-sac on the or close to the alignment of what was to be a private drive to
service the James and the Burdick property. We didn't have an assessment roll
in the report at that time and subsequently that has been prepared and sent to
the affected property owners. So what we have tonight here is to take public
' comment concerning the supplemental report that specifically addresses the
feasibility of construction of the cul-de-sac as a public roadway. Mr. Ehret is
also here.
' Mayor Hamilton: Did you have anything you wanted to add to that Gary?
Gary Ehret: I think I would add one thing and that is the original report was
' received and acted on by the Council a full year ago. Since no action,
construction commenced I think by Statute the report had to be brought back and
a new public hearing held so it's really kind of a two fold situation. To
review the new alternative with the cul-de-sac and also to once again hold the
I public hearing to allow us to coiRuence with the project in whatever fashion we
choose.
' Mayor Hamilton: I'd like to at this point call the public hearing to order for
the West 78th Street detachment feasibility study, Supplemental Report No. 1.
Is there anybody here from the public who wishes to make comment on this item?
' Jim Burdick: We're going to file this with the assessment hearing assessment hearing at this time? g or is this
' Gary Warren: This is just a hearing on the public improvement project. The
assessment hearing would be, if the Council authorized this project to be
' actually built.
Jim Burdick: I'm already on record as objecting to it.
' Mayor Hamilton: To what? The building of it?
Jim Burdick: Moving 78th Street because of the great harm it is to my property
' so I'll just let it stand and I won't take your time by going through it again.
Councilman Gevi.ng: I wish our Attorney was here. I mean that sincerely because
_ this may come to court and I'd like to have our Attorney be present to hear your
�{
comment.
Mayor Hamilton: Jim has objected formally in a letter.
33
City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
Councilman Geving: Let me ask you, how do you feel that this unduly restricts
snowmobiling in Chanhassen? 11- 1JI
Dick Potz: I think it does Dale. The ordinance doesn't indicate a decimil
rating. It doesn't indicate the speed. Rather than just a banning, not
allowing them, why don't you approach it from a decimil standpoint. The tests
that we gave you indicate that a house that was 65 feet away from the trail had
zero ratings inside the house so I think the report, the copy of the report
I gave you... It's a little tough operating 90 miles of trail out here when you I
get anybody that's not familiar with the ordinances, when you hit the Chanhassen
border to clamp them off at 10:00 so it will be tough to enforce.
Councilman Geving: Would this shut down snowmobiling after 10:00 p.m. in your
view?
Dick Potz: According to the ordinance it would. When you hit Chanhassen at t
10:00, you're not supposed to be there. If you read the ordinance. I don't
know if Jim can enforce that.
Councilman Geving: That's what we're trying to get at.
Dick Potz: If we have a problem with noise, they were probably traveling too
fast or the muffler's inadequate. It's not any different than a car or a
motorcycle or anything else.
Councilman Geving: By today's standards, aren't snowmobiles a lot better? j I
Dick Potz: Oh yes. In the report Dale there's a copy of the State Law. After
1975, all snowmobiles manufactured had to be within 75 decimi.ls 150 feet away. II
There were a couple of machines that were tested that were manufactured in 1973
or 1974.
Councilman Geving: Let me ask one more question about the snowmobile public. I ,
know they're active here in Chanhassen. Have been for many years. How many
club members do we have in Chanhassen that do snowmobile?
Dick Potz: Paying families. I want to estimate last year we had about 30. I
Councilman Geving: Active snowmobiles?
Dick Potz: That's paid club members. There's
probably a few thousand on the
trails though.
Councilman Boyt: Mr. Potz, before you sit down, since you're our ex rt he '
have a few questions here. As I understand there are curfews in other re I
communities. The map you sent us is very helpful. How have those curfews
impacted on snowmobiling?
Dick Potz: I can't answer that.
Councilman Boyt: Okay, let me come at it from a different direction. As
I understand from your materials, we have a current speed limit of 10 mph on E
city streets so that means when one is off city streets there's no speed limit.
40
1
City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
II Is that correct?
' Dick Potz: That's correct. Unless you are on the State trails. State law is
50 mph on the state trail. That's the State law. On State operated and
maintained trails.
Councilman Boyt: As I remember your test data, you stopped at 40 mph and at
that point we had all of them up in the 70's and two that were in the 80's and
by a point of reference that's somewhere just around a heavy truck going by.
' The question I have for you then was, and you cleared it up, we don't have a
speed limit. The State has a speed limit and a speed limit would certainly be
difficult to enforce. As difficult as anything given that we don't have any
' snowmobiles to go chase them with. Okay, so 10 mph on a city street, at 10 mph
would mean basically 0 decimils from the standpoint of in a house anyway. You
wouldn't hear them if they went by at 10 mph? It'd be silent.
' Dick Potz: In that particular case, that was true. That house was 65 feet away
from the trail and at 20 mph in that particular house where we did the test a
couple years ago, there was no reading on the meter.
' Councilman Boyt: Okay. 10 mph, what kind of a decimil?
' Dick Potz: I would have to say it would be nil.
Councilman Boyt: Close to not hearing it?
' Dick Potz: I don't have data to prove that.
Councilman Boyt: But since 20 is a library, we're probably talking library
quiet at 10 mph.
Dick Potz: Library is 30, if I remember right?
' Councilman Boyt: Bedroom quiet.
Councilman Horn: Library is between 30 and 40.
' Councilman Boyt: Okay, that's the only question I had.
' Councilman Horn: Do you know of any trail in Chanhassen where you'd be riding
over 50?
Dick Potz: Yes. South on CR 17 you can get over 50.
' Councilman Horn: How close is that to houses?
Dick Potz: I don't think we have any problems down there. Some of the closest
houses we might get is right on the other side of Lake Ann, there's 3 or 4 of
them in there. There's a few of them up by the Fire Station on TH 7. Those
houses that back up to TH 7, as you go down the TH 7 ditch. However, a resident
living adjacent to TH 7 with the truck traffic and the car traffic, I'm not so
sure those residents are that much bothered by snowmobiles. I can think of
about 3 of them right on the other side of Lake Ann. There's probably some of
the newer houses behind Chan Estates where you go through Rice Marsh Lake.
41
City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
We're probably about 200 feet away from those.
Councilman Horn: Do you consider that a 50 mph area?
lir
Dick Potz: Yes. That particular area of the south there, you can go 50 and on
the other side of Lake Ann, you can go 50 there. The 50 mph stuff is pretty
much out in the country.
Councilman Horn: So you're pretty much south anywhere the speed li.mit...the
condition of the trail? '
Dick Potz: Yes, that's true. We get a lot of straight stretches and obviously
you can get it going. Through the winding neighborhoods and trees, you've got
your life in your own hands.
Councilman Horn: That's all I've got.
Mayor Hamilton: Do you wish to ask Mr. Potz a question?
Georgette Sosin: Yes, I'd like to ask you, don't you include lakes in this
because it's been our experience that the snowmobiles are all over the place and
going...
Dick Potz: Yes, obviously on the lake you can go faster. There's a State Law 1
that you can, as well as a City ordinance, you can only go a certain speed
within so far from shore or within fish houses. That's right in the City
Ordinance as well as the State Law. '
Mayor Hamilton: The question he was asked was can you go 50 mph on any of the
trails. I don't think a lake is considered part of the trail.
Georgette Sosin: No, but I just wanted to point out that snowmobiles do in ,
go more than 50 mph in other areas which are not trails. n fact
Dick Potz: I don't deny that.
Mayor Hamilton: They probably have to get home before 10:00. '
Ed Williams: I'm Ed Williams and I'm with the Lotus Lake Homeowners Association
and this noise ordinance, there are two things that I think bother people about
the lake and that is, mostly the new Skidoos which are very loud and I don't
know what they are decimil wise.
Councilman Boyt: You're talking about a jet ski is what you're talking about. '
Ed Williams: Right.
Councilman Horn: A Skidoo is a snowmobile.
Ed Williams: I'm sorry, but those also. And snowmobiles in the winter. They
are all very loud and they have more or less coless the group to come together
here and I'm representing the five of us here tonight and some of the other
board members could not make it this evening, they're out of town. We want to
register our complaints about the noise levels of these various vehicles.
42 ,
11 „ City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
Snowmobiles and what do you call them? The jet skis and jet skis are more in
s--- evidence now when we're talking about this and that's a new development on the
scene and I don't know if you people are aware of the noise or if you notice it
yourself. I know there's a State regulation as far as decimils are concerned
and I have no idea what decimil level these do create but I suspect it's
substantially above the State regulations so I think that would automatically,
' would it not automatically ban use of these vehicles in the lake?
Councilman Horn: At those noise levels it would.
1 Mayor Hamilton: If you can set up a decimil meter on the lake when they're
running across and you can prove that they've exceeded the level.
' Ed Williams: In a related reading of this, I think that our ordinance in the
City incorporates the State regulations so I've got to compensate regulations
and this somewhat, I know we're talking about noise but there is a statement in
the application, the State law and local regulations when referring to boats and
it says, such rules in this...that this is excerpted from, it says that you can
modify the State laws and the Commissioner can accept them if the local
' community requests them. It has here, such rules may restrict any or all of the
following: the type and size of watercraft and size of motor which may use the
waters affected by the rule, (2) the areas of water which may be used by
watercraft, (3) speed of water, (4) times permitted for the use of watercraft or
(5) minimum distance between watercraft. In establishing rules, the
Commissioner shall consider the physical characteristics of the waters affected,
this historical uses, shoreline uses and classification and other features
I unique to the waters affected by the rules. Therefore, I guess it is my reading
of this, whether right or wrong, is that we do have the power here to restrict
what we do and allow on lakes. I believe that there are offensive vehicles or
offensive things that are developed and are not necessarily have a great deal of
' social merit to them and I would suggest that currently anyway, right at this
season, that the new jet skis fit that classification and I'd like to submit
that we, if possible, could restrict or ban these vehicles from our lakes. I
' don't know if it's unique. I would ask the question, is it we, Lotus Lake, who
are offended by this noise or has other people brought this up?
' Mayor Hamilton: I think that's a separate issue completely, banning any
particular item or use of the lake. That we need to consider separately from
this.
Ed Williams: From the noise ordinance?
Mayor Hamilton: We're trying to deal with the noise, not with a particular use.
' Councilman Horn: We in fact have done that. We have a lake use ordinance. We
have a speed limit on that also. We can control water skiing. You have to have
' an observer. We do have local restrictions.
Mayor Hamilton: The City has the opportunity to be more restrictive than the
State and we have taken that opportunity. We are more restrictive.
' Councilman Geving: Ed, in terms of noise, don't you also have some very loud
A motor boats on Lotus Lake? We're talking tonight about snowmobiles and that's
just one facet of it but I have to assume that you've got the same kind of
43
L;;---City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
problems with loud. .. '
Ed Williams: There is and we have brought up this subject before with Jim as
far as the noise level and patrolling the noise level on the lake. There has
been some discussion about getting a noise.. .
Councilman Boyt: A decimeter.
Ed Williams: Is that what it is? Alright. Getting one of those to check out
the boat noise and the level and I don't know what has happened.
Councilman Geving: Let me ask you this. You're kind of unique in that Lotus
Lake kind of lies in a pocket there and there's a hill all the way around it
pretty much. I imagine that there's an awful lot of echoing from those motor
boats. Have you seen any patrol activity? Have you seen the Carver County
people out there?
Ed Williams: There has been some as of late. I'm not aware of anything that's
been suggested to any of us that there has been activities related to boats and
their noise level. It has been maybe to improper handling or boats and lack of
licensing and going the wrong direction.
Georgette Sosin: I want to, as a citizen say that I support this ordinance.
I think that it's extremely necessary because of our growth. I'm not just
talking about the lake and problems on the lake which certainly are things that
we have to look into. I think that having the ordinance will give us a handle
on what is getting to be a growing concern and I want to speak about it in I
general, not just about the lake. I think that with the industrial noise that
we talked about, this will happen more as the City grows and sometimes the
person who owns the factories and live in Montana or New York or someplace and
might not be as accomodating as we've been seeing the people that we talked
about a few weeks ago. I think that having this on our books will give us some
very concrete way to deal with this concern. I'm going to make one point which
is in relation to what we already have on our books in terms of the snowmobiles
and that is that currently on our surface water useage ordinance we have a 10:00
curfew on boats. That is that people who want to go fast and waterski after
10:00 are not allowed to do so. There's also a State ordinance which says that
at sunset that motors can not be run at full tilt and it's for the noise so I
don't see any reason why snowmobilers should be treated any differently than
boaters in that respect so I urge you to consider this ordinance very seriously.
I think it's necessary and it will become much more important every day that
goes by as more people come to our City.
Jim Hurd: I'm Jim Hurd from Lyman Lumber Company. I guess I've got a concern
with this ordinance and how it applies to our company and our operation. We've
been a long time resident here and the way I read this, we will be limited in
hours of operation. Is that true?
Mayor Hamilton: Jim?
Jim Chaffee: Under B-5, the operation of any construction, earthmoving,
building or maintenance equipment for more than 5 days within a 30 day period
except during work for which an appropriate City building, grading or other
permit has been obtained, no such noise is to be emitted at all between the
44
- City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.. It doesn't specifically get at something
like Lyman Lumber. What I heard at the last Council meeting, I believe it was,
II it could be construed that way. If we get a complaint from a citizen.
Councilman Boyt: I would argue that item (e) makes it possible for the Council
' to grant a variance and this is the sort of thing that we discussed a few weeks
ago. It's been a long standing, existing condition that you're working to
control. I think as long as you're working to control, Council could certainly
grant a variance or maybe we want to look at it as some sort of a conditional
situation but I think there has to be room in the ordinance to handle legitimate
business operations doing what it can to control noise. You raise a good point.
Councilman Johnson: Our rules...they don't have decimil limits and stuff like
that. You still have to contend with the State of Minnesota rules which are
very specific which do have decimil levels which means that they can sit on
' their back property line, just the other side of the railroad track and take a
20 minute or 30 minute LEQ reading or whatever the heck they take and at 10:00
at night you violate it or in a 20 minute period of time, your neighbors have
you.
' Mayor Hamilton: I think you'll find that we'll work with very carefully with
you. We're not trying to run you out of town. At least I'm not. Maybe some
' are. You've been a very good resident of our community and we want to keep you
here. It's not my intent and hopefully not the intent of the other council
members to try to restrict the hours of your operation.
IJim Hurd: Thank you.
' Councilman Horn moved, Councilman Geving seconded to close the public hearing.
All voted in favor and the motion carried. The public hearing was closed.
' Councilman Boyt: Mr. Potz, back to you for just a second, are you familiar with
the speed that you can operate on a lake within 100 feet of a ice house?
Dick Potz: Yes. 10 mph.
' Councilman Boyt: Do you feel that the general snowmobile operators are aware of
that speed limit?
' Dick Potz: No.
' Councilman Boyt: Not to pick on you, I know from a previous experience with
other members of your group that there are certainly responsible snowmobile
operators that are doing everything they can to work with the concerns of the
people that they ride around and more credit to you. I think when I look at
' what other communities have done, Chaska has a curfew of 10:00 to 6:00.
Eden Prairie has a curfew 11:00 to 7:00.
Dick Potz: Chaska's curfew says that you can operate in Chaska after the hours
of 10:00 if you are taking the most immediate route from the trail to your
house. You can not operate on the main street of downtown Chaska. You can get
off the trail and go home in Chaska after 10:00 by the most direct route.
45
City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988 •1
Councilman Boyt: Don't we have a similiar situation in ours?
Dick Potz: Currently you can operate on Chanhassen streets at 10 mph.
Councilman Boyt: And on the trails at any speed at any hour?
Dick Potz: There is currently not a speed limit for Chanhassen on the trails. '
Councilman Boyt: Nor hours.
Dick Potz: Nor hours.
Councilman Boyt: Chaska has one. Deephaven has one. Eden Prairie.
Councilman Horn: Chaska doesn't on their trail. That's operation within in the
city.
Councilman Boyt: Off the trail?
Dick Potz: Yes.
Councilman Boyt: Okay, do we limit snowmobile operation to on the trail? Does
Chanhassen limit snowmobile operation to on the official trail?
Dick Potz: Currently, no. You can operate in Chanhassen on the trail, on the
City streets, at 10 mph as long as you're not on private property.
Councilman Boyt: You can operate on the lake?
Dick Potz: Yes, you can operate on the lake.
Councilman Boyt: Maybe you can help clarify some of these other situations but
I see in looking at your map that Deephaven, Eden Prairie, Long Lake, Minnetonka
Beach, Minnetrista, Mound, Orono, Shorewood, Spring Park, St. Boni, Waconia all
have time periods in the evening in which they restrict or eliminate the
operation of snowmobiles.
Dick Potz: To the best of my knowledge, that's true.
Councilman Boyt: I would suggest that one of the reasons those communities have
gone to hour limitations is because they're enforceable. That we should be
doing something to encourage all snowmobile operaters to be as responsible as
Mr. Potz appears to be and if we don't, we're ignoring a problem. I would
suggest that maybe one reasonable way out of this is to say that you can not,
since you're telling me that the closest trail to a house is 200 feet away.
Dick Potz: I didn't say that.
Councilman Boyt: I thought I heard that earlier.
Dick Potz: I was talking about one area that's down south of Chan Estates.
1111
There's a trail down there that's 200 feet in that particular case.
Councilman Boyt: Is it closer in other places then?
46
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City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
1
Dick Potz: The closest that I can recollect right now is just on the west side
Iof Lake Ann there's about 3 or 4 houses that are probably about. ..
Councilman Boyt: Have these people given you permission to have your trail in
front of their houses?
Dick Potz: Those 3 houses we pass, you're on another
neighbor's property who
has given us permission or on a county or public right-of-way.
Councilman Boyt: It would seem that what we need to do is restrict travel to
maybe on the snowmobile trails. The official established trails between those
' given hours. I personally would like to see us restrict it from the hours of
10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. but I can see that maybe given Chanhassen's rather
sparse population in some places that that might not be what we need to do
today. I certainly think that it would be reasonable to restrict them to on
trail operation. How would your organization feel about that?
Dick Potz: I'm not sure I can answer for the organization. However, to get off
' the trail to get to my house after 10:00, I'd have to- go put it on the trailer
to get it down the street. I'd have to pull it into the yard someplace over at
the Legion, if it still stays there, or up by Filly's.
' Councilman Boyt: But if you're on a public street, aren't you doing 10 mph?
Dick Potz: You just told me that you're going to quit at 10:00.
Councilman Boyt: But on a public street you're 10 mph and 10 mph has a
negligable decimil level and I'd be okay with permitting that.
' Dick Potz: Then I don't have any problem. If I can go by the trail, get off
the trail and go 10 mph to get to my residence, I don't have a problem with
that. That's basically what.. .
Councilman Horn: That's the current ordinance.
' Councilman Boyt: No, it's not the current ordinance because we don't limit it
to on trail operation. This would limit them between the hours of 10:00 p.m.
and 7:00 a.m. to either on trail operation or city streets at 10 mph.
' Councilman Horn: How is that different than the current ordinance?
Councilman Boyt: He just told me the current ordinance does not limit you to on
trail operation.
Councilman Horn: No, it lets you drive 10 mph on the city streets. That's the
' off trail operation.
Councilman Boyt: Can you run down the middle of Lotus Lake at 11:00 p.m. wide
open?
Councilman Horn: Not within the restrictions of the ordinance.
Councilman Boyt: Where is that?
47
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City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
I
Councilman Horn: If you're away from an ice house or a certain distance from
shore, then yes.
Councilman Boyt: Clark, what they're indicating is that they would certainly
accept that limitation. It'd be one way to eliminte the irresponsible
snowmobile operation within the city. It might win over some people that are
currently troubled by those irresponsible operaters.
Councilman Horn: So when you're saying off trail, you're talking about
specifically lakes...
Councilman Boyt: I'm talking about, we have designated trails of operation. I'm
saying if you're not on that trail, then you need to be on a city street.
Doesn't that seem reasonable?
Councilman Horn: That's about the way it works. It's the only place you can
be.
Councilman Boyt: Lakes. Road right-of-ways.
Mayor Hamilton: Did you have another question? '
Councilman Boyt: I have a couple of other comments. I'd like to see us add
under C, point number 4. At this point would be basically to address the City
would incorporate State statute in it's ordinance so there's no question the
City would also be empowered to enforce State Statute. As I said a couple of
weeks ago, we really need this so I support it.
Councilman Horn: I have a question under B(4) . I'd like to know if the City
can legislate over airplanes? It seems to me that they're under the control of
the FAA. 1
Jim Chaffee: It's funny, I got a call this morning on an airplane landing on
Lake Minnewashta and they were wondering what to do. I reported them to the
FAA. I would have to agree with you on that.
Councilman Boyt: So do you want to strike airplane from 4?
Councilman Horn: Yes. And also on B(7) . It's also referring to aircraft in
talking about an apparatus or instrument for the amplification of the human
voice or any sound. Would you be referring there to the Mayor would be illegal
when he gives his public address at the 4th of July celebration? You'd be
talking about the megaphone?
Councilman Boyt: That's not true. I
Councilman Horn: It's an apparatus or instrument for the amplification of the
human voice. Without a written permit issued by the City Manager. So now if
somebody wants to give a speech, they have to have a written permit. If
somebody wants to hold a track meet, they have to have a written permit. We're
talking about running out of staff to support these things now and we're going
to give them more work to do? We're talking about cars that have the little
song makers in them, they couldn't operate those. A lot of CB's have speakers
48 1
1
IF
City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
in that they use as PA systems. You couldn't use those.
IICouncilman Johnson: That's good.
Councilman Horn: That's good in your mind but. . .
' Mayor Hamilton: Perhaps you could hold your comments until your turn.
' Councilman Horn: I think that we're anticipating a lot of problems that are
already covered under existing ordinances and I don't believe that, I think
we're doing the same thing that we've done for years and years that many other
legislative bodies have done for years and years and that is, where we have
' areas that are not being enforced, we're going to put stricter ordinances on
them. We already have them covered under existing ordinances but we beef them
up and make them stricter and I disagree with that philosophy.
' Councilman Geving: I don't believe that we are so urbanized at this time in our
development of Chanhassen that we need to shut down snowmobiling after 10:00
p.m.. I just can't see why we are picking on one very small group within our
community. We all work very hard at other jobs and it's fun to recreate once in
a while too and I think the snowmobiling club that I'm familiar with in
Chanhassen over the last 20 years has done a good job of policing your own
' people. We've never had any serious problems with these people. They are a
very clean living group. They like to go out on the lakes. They like to go out
on the trails. They're recreating with friends and family. A lot of it's
II I family oriented and I truly believe that this is an activity that a lot of
people can share in and enjoy in Chanhassen and we're not yet so urbanized that
we have to restrict that activity. We don't need the king of restriction on our
people. People have a right to enjoy the land. Our lakes are free to everyone.
They're open and they're not abused. They're not abused by any snowmobiles that
I'm aware. Are we merely creating a problem? Does a problem exist? I've sat
here a long time and I'm not familiar with any major problems by our Carver
County Sheriff's deputies or by our police people who work for the City of
Chanhassen that this is a big deal. I'm going to ask Jim Chaffee, is this a big
deal? Have you had a lot of noise ordinance problems within the last year?
Jim Chaffee: No.
Councilman Geving: I submit that this is not a major problem for us to be
' looking at and spending time on. We've got more important things to do. We
talked about a lot of them this evening with TH 5, TH 101. Let's get on with
the major things. Leave the people snowmobile after 10:00 and enjoy themselves.
They pay enough taxes in this city to be able to at least enjoy some parts of
their living and I just can't see us continually restrict our citizens. I don't
know where this ordinance proposal came from. I personally don't believe it's
' needed at this time. That's all I have to say.
Councilman Johnson: I know where this ordinance proposal came from. This is
almost identical to the ordinance that used to be on the books and then when we
hired a company to put them into our City Code, they accidentally dropped most
of it so it's an ordinance that was passed by previous City Councils and from
what I'm being told, is basically being put in with a few minor modifications.
1�
Councilman Geving: I don't think that's true.
49
is
'City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
Mayor Hamilton: Jay's got the floor. Let him speak.
Councilman Johnson: That's what I've been told by staff is that there's not a I
lot of changes. There are some changes in here but we accidentally gutted our
own ordinance when we redid the codification. It was an inadvertent mistake. I
think that after dark, after 10:00 I would hate to see somebody doing 50 mph on
a snowmobile, even on a regular trail. 50 mph on a snowmobile during good
daylight conditions, you might be able to see well enough to drive it safely but
I'm not sure at night whether you could. I don't know how good the lights are.
I'm not sure. I think that's something we need to look at is whether on the
trails we need to have reduced speed limits at night as is. Definitely on the
lakes at night. Especially Lotus Lake which is in that valley and Georgette has
pointed out to me and other people lately that that valley does work like a
parabolic amplifier to a point to throw a lot of noise up on the rims towards
those houses so if somebody is in there at night on the lake, the residents
really get the brunt of it. I think we need under our snowmobile ordinance II
restrictions for night time specific to the snowmobiles but I think that needs
further study than this very general and somewhat weak ordinance here. Without
Bill's little move to incorporate the State regulations -is the strongest g part of
this ordinance now. It gives us something that we can take, you can take your
sound pressure level measuring equipment, you get a reading. If they're above
the reading with the State laws, we're enforcing it. It gives us something very
concrete to go with. Issuing a citation because it's a matter of opinion that
it's a disturbing or annoying noise, it's all a matter of opinion. That's much
harder to prove. I don't have a problem with the ordinance as long as it has
what Bill has suggested here for C-4, incorporating the State noise standards.
I'd like to see us in the future look at our snowmobile ordinance and whether we
should do anything about the snowmobile ordinance for night time use of
snowmobiles on trails and on lakes. I would at this time, because I think it is
in conflict, I also would support removing that strict prohibition in C-3 where
it strictly prohibits after 10:00 p.m. and before 7:00 a.m. snowmobile
operation. The rest of the ordinance has been fairly general, annoying, etc. .
If you're not annoying anybody by this ordinance, we shouldn't be carte blanche
saying you can't do it. Maybe you can reword that so a driver operating a
minibike, snowmobile or other recreational. ..between those hours in such a
manner as to create an annoying or whatever the general words is we're thrown in
through here. That's one way we can modify number 3 is to disturbing noise.
That's all I've got.
Mayor Hamilton: I think Bill hit on a point here a few minutes ago that he '
mentioned that the snowmobile club we have here is a responsible club and the
people who operate that club do a good job of trying to live by the laws. You
talk about responsibility of people using boats and snowmobiles and I submit
that until the State consents to licensing of people to opearate a snowmobile or
a boat, there are not going to be responsible people doing it. You will have
irresponsible people involved in that. Anybody with $30,000.00, $80,000.00,
$100,000.00 in their pocket can go buy a boat, put it in the lake and have
absolutely no idea how to drive it and away they go. The same thing with the
snowmobile. As long as you've got the money to buy, you've got a license to go
out and run it into a tree or a car or whatever you want to do so I think there
is a problem here but it's not at the local level, it's at the State level. We
need to have these people be licensed to go through a driving or some type of
written and probably a driving test, the same as you have to do when you're
50 1
11 City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
operating a car or a truck or anything else. The comments I made about this
ordinance previously still stand. I think it's an uneforceable ordinance. I'm
not in favor of passing an ordinance that's uneforceable plus it's so vague in
I some cases you would have radios, musical instruments, television, phonographs,
etc.. How do you treat someone who is hearing impaired? What might be a normal
' sound level for than is going to perhaps be offensive to someone else? Are you
going to tag them and haul them off to jail because they have a hearing
impairment? I don't think that's quite right. Item C(2) , if I happen to be out
of town and it snows and I come home and there's 4 feet of snow in my driveway
and I want to put my car in the garage, if it's been more than 12 hours since
the snow fell, I'll just have to wait until, if I happen to arrive home in the
evening I'll just have to wait until morning until I can run my snowblower.
I'll submit to you I'll get my snowblower right out and do it whenever I feel
like it. I don't care when it snows. I think that's ludicrous to have that
type of a thing put into an ordinance. Basically I'm not in favor of the
ordinance, period. I think we have the ability to handle noise ordinances,
' noise nuisances within the City currently and I see no reason to take away more
rights. We're continually losing than as it is and I don't see any reason to
take away some more.
' Councilman Boyt: I would suggest that on the one hand you say we have the power
but on the other hand you say we're taking away more of a person's freedom.
Ironic. If we have the power, we must not be removing something.
Mayor Hamilton: I think I said we have the ability.
Ij. Councilman Boyt: I'd like to point out that Mr. Potz was comfortable with the
changes to the snowmobile situation in this ordinance. That's not to say that
anybody else in that group would be comfortable but he's a snowmobile opeartor
' and he's comfortable with that change.
Dick Potz: How is it changed?
Councilman Boyt: I was talking about the on trail operations. That one.
Dick Potz: I was confused because we went back and forth.
' Councilman Boyt: What I was saying was that operation between 10:00 p.m. and
7:00 a.m. would be limited to on trail or if you're on city streets, 10 mph.
Dick Potz: If I can speak for myself.
Councilman Boyt: That's all I asked you to speak for.
' Dick Potz: After 10:00 I can either be on the trail or off the trail?
' Councilman Boyt: I'm saying that after 10:00 you can be on the trail operating
at whatever you think is a reasonable speed or off the trail operating at 10 mph
or less on the city street.
Dick Potz: Personally, I can get home with that. I don't know if everybody
else is going on a trail. That means if I'm in, there are areas in St. Peter, I
can get home at 11:00 at night without putting it on a trailer.
51
City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
Councilman Boyt: That's what it means.
Dick Potz: That'd be a real problem. What you're telling me is I can get home
at a safe operating speed on the trail, get off the trail, cross the lake, go up
the street and get home. That's basically what we have now the way I understand
it. The only thing you're doing is conditioning that I'm going to operate under
a safe speed.
Councilman Boyt: When you're off the trail I'm saying you're limited to 10 mph. '
Dick Potz: That's the current ordinance. I have a copy of the current
ordinance.
Councilman Boyt: That's not exactly the currently ordinance because '
under the
current situation, you can run over any field, any lake, at least any lake at
any speed provided you're not within 100 feet of the shore or an ice house.
Dick Potz: You can't run over anybody's property. ..
Councilman Boyt: Any lake. Any road right-of-way. This ordinance is important
enough to me that if the snowmobiles have got everybody hung up, take them out
of it but to deny the whole ordinance is to miss a very important point. I
don't know how you can go out and campaign this coming year and say that people
don't have the right to quiet after 10:00 p.m.. They do have the right to
quiet.
Mayor Hamilton: People also have the right to live.
I!!
Councilman Boyt: People have the right to live but they have a right to live in
harmony and part of that means that they're responsible with their noise level
and to say that we're going to turn this down because somebody who's hearing
impaired needs special treatment is ridiculous.
Mayor Hamilton: It seems to me I heard Mr. Chaffee say that there have not been
virtually no problems with noise. I'm certainly not aware of any. I've lived
in this town for 20 years. I have never been offended by anybody's noise. I've
never had anybody complain to me about noise.
Councilman Boyt: I hope you are not offended in the future. The way this is
going right now, this for you isn't needed. That's fine. All it is is a tool
for the people who need it. As Mr. Chaffee stated as few weeks ago, we're not
out there with our decimeter seeing if anybody is over the limit. We're
responding to people who have a legitimate complaint and this lays out how we're
going to measure that complaint. It says at your property line. That seems
reasonable to me. If you're creating a noise and you're out in the middle of 40
acres and I can't hear it, it's not a problem. If you're creating a noise next
to me, I'd like to know that at some point at night you're going to turn it off.
The way it is right now, we don't have the ability to limit that. It needs to
be.
Councilman Horn: What problems are we having today that we can't control with
the existing ordinance? State or local?
52 ,
City,- Council Meeting - August 22, 1988 °-T
' Councilman Boyt: When they hold a party down the block from you and they want
f to hold it until 2:00 in the morning, the only thing we've got now is their
IIcommon sense and their willingness to cooperate.
Councilman Horn: You can't close down a party Jim? A noisy party? There's no
nuisance ordinance?
' Jim Chaffee: Clark, I'm not aware of any right now that specifically addresses
parties. I could research the nuisance ordinance to see if it does. I'm not
' aware of any right now...
Councilman Horn: If we can come up with specific instances that we're having
trouble with, I'd be more than happy to entertain them. To me I see a general
statement here and I think Bill totally missed Tom's point. What he was saying
is that we have the ability to resolve these problems with our current
ordinances without putting further restrictions on. That's what I heard Tom
saying. Now that to me is true and unless someone tells me of instances that
are totally out of line that we can't handle, I'll still believe that. We
haven't heard that yet. The other point I'd like to respond to Jay is, just
' because we had the law in effect that didn't make sense, doesn't mean we should
put it back in if it doesn't make sense. We have other laws that don't make
sense. I can't walk my dog down the public access. I can walk every other
street but I can't walk them down to the public access. You can't take your dog
out on the boat with you. Does that make these laws right just because they're
on the books? You can go through and find some of the most interesting laws if
you go through the law. It doesn't mean they're still current or they make
Isense.
Councilman Geving: I'm ready to make a motion on this. I think we've discussed
it long enough. We've heard a lot of debate. Have we closed the public
hearing?
Councilman Horn: Yes.
Councilman Geving: I think the Council is ready to take action on this. I
would make the motion to deny an ordinance amendment to Ordinance No. 22 as
' proposed, the Chanhassen Nuisance Ordinance by adding a new section pertaining
to noise regulations. The reason is that I think we have already enough
ordinances in place to handle all the nuisance problems for noise that we will
anticipate in the near future or for some period of time to come.
Councilman Horn: I'll second that.
Ed Williams: I wanted to make comment on, you made a statement a few minutes
ago and I wanted to... You said you have not heard complaints before.. .as far
as noise.
' Councilman Horn: ...and I don't think there was a problem getting it resolved.
Councilman Johnson: On our current books, our noise, under nuisance ordinance
is one sentence. A nuisance is causing or permitting any unnecessary noises or
annoying vibrations. That's our present noise ordinance. I think this is a few
steps beyond that. I think this gives us much more to stand up with when we go
into court. I know of many occasions in the last year where my neighbors have
53
City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
called about loud parties. We happen to have some groups of people who come 11
home after the bars close and continue their party in their unair conditioned
house with their windows wide open or in the middle of the street. At 2:00 in
the morning they're having frisbee games out in the middle of the street.
Things like this. The Sheriff was called quite a few times this last year.
Despite what anybody says, the neighbors have assured me that several times at
2:00 in the morning they were unsuccessful in raising anybody at the Sheriff's
office. I'm sure they're there. They're probably handling a 911 emergency or
something and weren't able to get to the normal call line but I have registered
complaints myself. The one incident is a little more than 2:00 in the morning
when the folks came home, opened their back sliding door and turned on the
stereo. I'm about 200 feet away from this particular house and the operator at
the Sheriff's office could tell me what song they were playing on their stereo
from my phone in my house. It was that loud. She thought my radio was on. I
said no, that's their radio.
Councilman Horn: What did they say when you told them about it? '
Councilman Johnson: That I was the second complaint to come in and that when a
unit was available, they would dispatch somebody. At that point that's when I
slid my sliding glass door open and the music came blowing through the phone.
They did dispatch somebody there. Somebody was there within about 15 minutes
actually. They do respond but this gives our Sheriff's department a little bit
more to help them to respond with when they do have to respond to these types of
problems. I think that we need to look at our snowmobile ordinance also.
Beyond this to address the noise problems.
Councilman Geving moved, Councilman Horn seconded to deny the ordinance
amendment to Ordinance No. 22 as proposed, the Chanhassen Nuisance Ordinance by
adding a new section pertaining to noise regulations. All voted in favor except
Councilman Boyt and Councilman Johnson who opposed and the motion carried with a
vote of 3 to 2.
Pat Farrell: I might suggest to you that under the Public Nuisance Statute in
your local ordinance and also under the disorderly conduct, if you have that
kind of a problem, you can file charges for disorderly conduct or public
nuisance. Am I right?
Councilman Horn: I'll tell both Jay and Bill, if you can come back to me with '
specific things that we can not address and come up with language to address
them, I'll certainly support that but I haven't heard that. I've heard some
vague generalities. '
PUBLIC HEARING: PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO CITY CODE AUTHORIZING NON-LICENSED
PERSONNEL TO ISSUE CITATIONS.
Jim Chaffee: Just briefly, this ordinance does not have any affect whatsoever
on the use of marked or unmarked vehicles. All it is is allowing our people,
such as the building officials to issue citations if the need should arise.
54
City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
IMayor Hamilton called the public hearing to order.
Mayor Hamilton: Does anyone have questions on this? This I suspect will be
closely supervised by yourself?
Councilman Geving moved, Councilman Johnson seconded to close the public
' hearing. All voted in favor and the motion carried. The public hearing was
closed.
Mayor Hamilton moved, Councilman Johnson seconded to approve the proposed
amendment to the City Code authorizing non-licensed personnel to issue
citations. All voted in favor and the motion carried.
' PUBLIC HEARING: PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO CITY CODE REGARDING SOLICITORS LICENSES
' Mayor Hamilton called the public hearing to order.
Councilman Geving moved, Councilman Johnson seconded to close the public
hearing. All voted in favor and the motion carried.. The public hearing was
closed.
Mayor Hamiton: I would move approval of the proposed amendment to the City Code
' regarding solicitors licenses.
Councilman Johnson: Second.
Councilman Geving: There's a couple of comments that I want to
I all I think that we have to arrive make. First of
ve at some kind of a fee at some point in time
under 10-144 and whether or not these fees are transferable. They're on a one
' time fee. They're good for one year and some of the details that are necessary
to bring this into operation. Then I feel that under the investigation issuance
of a license, we need some kind of a manageable but restrictive type of an
operation so that anybody who comes up to City Hall can't just get a permit. I
get the impression here based on 10-145 that there is, upon receipt of the
application the City shall conduct a criminal history investigation and it just
' seems like boy, we're getting into a big operation here and going to take a lot
of man power to manage the application and processing of these permits. I hope
that's not the case and yet we want them to be fairly restrictive. Then under
(c) under the same item 10-145 is it issued for one year automatic renewal?
' Does it come back for the City Council? Is it handled by staff at that point?
Some of those, just administrative type items and then most importantly, if we
do pass this tonight, I would hope that every citizen is able to read in the
newspapers, the Sailor, in the South Shore News, the Villager, just what their
responsibility is if they see a peddler come to their door and is a firewood
salesmen or is a candy salesmen and to make sure that these people are in fact
licensed people by the City. They have a license. They are out there
' legitimately so we can cut down on, if this is what our ordinance is intended to
do, to cut down on the people that peddle and go from door to door, then let's
instruct our people, our citizens so that they know when they have people
knocking on the door, that they have a real legitimate right to ask them, do you
,1 have a license? Show me your license and if not I'll call the Public Safety.
So I want to make sure that that gets highly publicized with all the people in
3�- Chanhassen. That's all I have to say.
55
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`'City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988 11
Bernie: Does this ordinance require then require to have a license for all
insurance agents, real estate agents and so forth? If so. ..
Mayor Hamilton: Real estate are already licensed by the State. That's not the
intent of the ordinance to cause those people to have to be licensed by the
City. That's a legitimate occupation that people are involved in. What we're
looking at are those people who are selling fish door to door or wood. Things
like that that you don't know exactly what you're going to get. People standing
on the street corners selling these paintings and wrenches and those types of
things. They come into town, you don't know what you're getting and the chances
are the consumer is going to get ripped off. That's what the intent of this
ordinance is.
Bernie: It would exclude then people licensed by the State of Minnesota? Real
estate and insurance agents?
Councilman Horn: Not the way it's written.
Councilman Geving: It doesn't say that Bernie.
Councilman Boyt: We can change it.
Councilman Johnson: Why? '
Councilman Boyt: People licensed by the State?
Councilman Johnson: Why do we want real estate agents, insurance agents coming
to our door, knocking on our door saying I'm a licensed insurance agent and he
walks up unannounced to your door and tries to sell you insurance. I want him
licensed just as much as anybody else. Anybody can get a license to be a real
estate agent or insurance agent. All they have to do is pass the test.
Councilman Geving: I disagree. '
Councilman Johnson: How many real estate agents or insurance agents have you
had walk up to your door, unannounced? This is only unannounced people. If
he's got an appointment, he does not need to be licensed. If you are working
with that real estate agent or if that is your insurance agent, he does not have
to get a license to come to your house. Only if he is going around soliciting
new business, walking door to door such as the chiropracter that was walking
around the other day in the neighborhood or claiming to be a chiropracter and
saying he's coming around looking at Chanhassen for future, putting a clinic in
door to door. 1
Councilman Horn: Or the Girl Scouts.
Councilman Johnson: The Girl Scout organization as an organization is covered
in here. Churches.
Councilman Horn: Or the fireman selling tickets. I
Councilman Johnson: Cr the fireman selling tickets.
56 1
City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
Councilman Horn: They don't have to be licensed?
1
II _ Councilman Johnson: As an organization. The Fire Department would have to be
licensed per se. Not the individual. There's an exclusion in here for
organizations.
' Mayor Hamilton: I couldn't disagree with you more. We're talking about
legitimate...
' Councilman Johnson: How do you know a legitimate from a non-legitimate real
estate agent?
' Mayor Hamilton: You ask them for their card. You obviously know the company.
If the guy's working out of the trunk of his car, you'd better tell him to hit
the road. Those are the people you want to have licensed. I've never had an
' insurance or real estate person come to my door, ever.
Councilman Johnson: Neither have I.
' Mayor Hamilton: If we're starting to hammer the legitimate business people in
this community, then we've got a real problem.
' Councilman Johnson: What legitimate real estate agent goes door to door
looking, do you want to sell your house? I want to sell your house?
I 1 Mayor Hamilton: That's very legitimate. You're out seeking business. We do
that in your neighborhood all the time.
Councilman Johnson: Walking door to door?
Mayor Hamilton: You bet your butt.
' Councilman Johnson: You can do your mass mailings. . .
Councilman Boyt: If I can amend item a, we amend item a to say, or others
licensed by the State of Minnesota.
Councilman Horn: I would suggest that we give our intent to the Attorney and
let him redo the whole thing.
' Councilman Boyt: I think our intent is to have some means of control. If the
State is licensing these people, there's a means to control. If the State isn't
' licensing them, then what we're saying is we want to do that for their
organization so we have some means of control. It seems pretty straight
forward.
Councilman Horn: I'm uncomfortable that this all states that.
Councilman Geving: I think Clark's idea was a good one. I think that we could
pass this, give it to the Attorney and let them clean it up. There's a lot more
items I think that need to be included in the charitable and business
organizations and those that are to be excluded from our intent. There's
nothing in here that says anything about public or private school children for
' example and they are the ones in your neighborhood all the time. I think there
' 57
City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
could be some additions made here.
Councilman Boyt: I would then move that we table this to our Attorney. I don't
think we should pass anything before we see the final version.
Mayor Hamilton: I'll second your motion.
Councilman Boyt moved, Mayor Hamilton seconded to table action on the amendment
to the City Code regarding solicitors licenses to the City Attorney. All voted
in favor and the motion carried.
ASSUMPTION SEMINARY TIMETABLE FOR SECURING THE BUILDINGS ON THE PROPERTY.
Mayor Hamilton: Scott's not here. I guess this is pretty self explanatory.
Again, there are a number of items that Jim and Scott have been working on to
try to get this property secured. Anyone have any questions or comments or need
more information about it?
Councilman Boyt: I have one. I noticed that Mr. Harr had mentioned that maybe ,
boarding up the first floor might be enough. Since your initial intent was to
board the whole thing, would you be open to maybe just being sure that the first
floor is completely sealed? '
Mayor Hamilton: You can get in there. All the windows are broken. Everything
is open so my thought was, if it's totally dark in there, kids aren't going to ,
go in there. You can't see your hand in front of your face. It's not a safe
place. I just thought the whole thing should be totally closed up. You have —
rodents in there and birds and everything else going in and out of the windows.
Councilman Boyt: They are putting in a security system and Harr did mention it
would be nice when they go in to inspect if there was some natural light in
there. The first floor, they're going to have to be pretty determined to get
in. Not that they can't but if they're that determined, they can also pull a
board off.
Mayor Hamilton: I don't know if they could. The way they're nailed on there,
it'd be tough. I was just looking for total security because the place is a
real hazard and if kids get in there, there are open dumb waiter shafts that
they could fall down. There are so many things in there that could cause
injury. If we can keep anybody out of there, it'd be the best thing to do.
Councilman Johnson: How about to the satisfaction of our Safety professionals? '
Mayor Hamilton: That's fine. I guess if Jim and Scott are happy with the first
floor or whatever they can work out with the guy, if they think that that is
going to be secure the building adequately, then that's fine with me.
Councilman Boyt: I would so move.
Councilman Horn: Second.
58 '
City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
' ,
Councilman Johnson: I have a question. Mine's on number 1 here. Specific
times and completion of specific work. I don't know what's taking them so. long
to figure out the time schedule on this. On the way here tonight on the
airplane I spent very little of the flight from Chicago and I worked out a time
' schedule for him. They shall hire a consultant within 2 weeks of tonight. The
consultant shall review the site, preliminary review of the site within 1 week
of being hired. Sampling of the barrels will be performed within 1 to 2 weeks
of that timeframe. The barrels will be secured and removed from the site to a
' permitted storage facility within 1 to 2 weeks of that. That wasn't tough.
It's taken us 2 months to get this far.
' Jim Chaffee: I got a call this afternoon, late this afternoon from Mike
Shotliff, the Carver County Environmentalist. He feels that Mr. Schumacher is
using him as a scapegoat for this. The only thing that he has to do with this
is to provide.. .to us and there is no problem with Mr. Schumacher getting this
' work done in a...
Councilman Johnson: I would like to give him my schedule that I worked out
' today which is a...but reasonable schedule. I've been involved with the MPCA
and given me shorter schedules than this. I usually argue with them and get it
extended a little bit but you never start your schedules as wide as you possibly
' will allow somebody to have them.
Mayor Hamilton: Rather than posing a schedule on them, I guess I would like to
see Scott or Jim to press them further to get this done as quickly as possible.
I I It says he's waiting for the Environmentalist from Carver County. Perhaps
that's a legitimate hold-up so rather than enforce a schedule on them that they
can't maintain, I think Jim has heard what we're saying. We want to do it as
Uquickly as possible and we should proceed in that fashion.
Councilman Johnson: We've been proceeding on this since what, February or?
Mayor Hamilton: That's right and I think we've made a lot of progress.
Councilman Johnson: We have but it doesn't take this long to do what they're
' saying here. If the MPCA were involved, they would not give them a month to
come out with a schedule. It's been over a month. It was July 21st, one month
and one day ago that we asked them to give us a schedule.
' Mayor Hamilton: That's what he's been working on so he's moving along.
Councilman Johnson: What he's doing is not spending any money. He's trying to
' let Carver County do it for him and use them as a consultant or something but
I'm not satisfied with his actions here. Has he hired anybody? Is there
anybody working on this besides the lawyers?
' Mayor Hamilton: Why does he need to hire anybody?
Jim Chaffee: We'll work on this diligently to accomplish our goals in a time
111 frame that's more appropriate.
Mayor Hamilton: Maybe you could bring it back to us as an informational item on
' what schedule you worked out.
t59
City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988 ',
Councilman Johnson: By our next Council meeting?
Mayor Hamilton: Sure. September 12th.
Councilman Johnson: Would you like to add that to the motion Bill? To bring us
a schedule by September 12th? ,
Councilman Boyt: Sure.
Councilman Boyt moved, Councilman Horn seconded to approve the Assumption
Seminary timetable for securing the buildings on the property as proposed and to
direct staff to bring an updated schedule back by September 12, 1988. All voted
in favor and the motion carried.
REVIEW PRYZMUS DRIVING RANGE AND MINIATURE GOLF COURSE. '
Barbara Dacy: The applicant is here tonight also and we've reviewed the
Conditional Use Permit and what exists out on the property today. The summary
on page 4 identifies 3 items which I believe we resolved and then possibly a
fourth one would be also removal of the building parts that are located between
the parking area and the street. Two items were not discussed during the most
recent application process in 1987 and 1988. Those two issues were installation
of video games and vending machines and the installation of a sign. As to the
sign, that is a typical accessory feature to an operation such as this but video
games were not discussed at all.
Mayor Hamilton: John, do you have anything you want to present?
John Pryzmus: I guess I really don't. I opened up on the 5th of July and it's
been a long hot summer.. . The progress so far has been a little slow... Some
of our plants and trees will be later on in the fall. As far as the steel
building, I'm working right now on selling it. I don't know, I'd prefer to get
it sold rather than try to find someplace to store it. If it's a sight problem
and I don't get it sold by next month, what I possibly could do.. .so it wouldn't
be visible. Like I say, it's been slow but everything is coming together. 1
Mayor Hamilton: You're willing to put the culvert in and the driveway? That
apparently wasn't done. You've got to put a culvert in there. The evergreens
you're going to do. Have you gotten permission from MnDot to put them in the
right-of-way?
John Pryzmus: The culverts are all in. '
Mayor Hamilton: No, I mean the trees.
Barbara Dacy: There are no trees in the right-of-way.
Mayor Hamilton: The berm was supposed to be located right?
Barbara Dacy: If he wanted to install the berms that he had originally
indicated, they would have to.
60 '
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City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
I T-
John Pryzmus: The
Y berms are there. As far as the trees, I won't be able to
plant, only 2 feet out of the right-of-way so I will be working with the
II _ Arboretum. Right now they have some different planting shurbs that I'd like to
plant all along the site... I'll put the evergreens inside of the fence.
Mayor Hamilton: And you're going to take the lights down that you've got in
there as recommended by staff? The lights that you had put out there, you're
going to remove those?
John Pryzmus: At this point, all my competition has lights. I wouldn't
financially be able to compete with them so at this point, I guess I won't.
' Mayor Hamilton: So you want us to shut you down then? You're not in
conformance with your conditional use. It was from sunrise to sundown.
' John Pryzmus: That was back when we had the sunrise and sunset. In the
original, when just the driving range was approved and I guess we didn't go over
it all...
' Mayor Hamilton: Any questions? Jay, anything?
Councilman Johnson: Yes, I want to know how the kids are enjoying the cigarette
' machine. You say your vending machines were for the children. I don't see, I'm
an anti-smoking advocate to a point, I don't see encouraging. I believe smokers
need their own little room they go off into and fill each other's lungs but I
Idon't see at a family recreational facility that we should be selling
I cigarettes. I'd like to see, if we're going to consider it, I don't have any
problems with one or two video machines as long as we don't become a video
arcade where the primary purpose is to play video games. As a slight accessory
' to putt-putt, on a hot summer day come in and cool off for a while and play a
couple games of Donkey Kong or whatever, no big deal to me but if you start
getting 10 or 15 video games in there and the place turns into a teenage video
' hang-out, that's going to be a problem. Cigarette machine is definitely a
problem with me.
' John Pryzmus: I have no problem. I don't smoke and I don't have any problem
with taking that out. They put them in there. I didn't ask for it. It was
part of what came with the machines.
' Councilman Johnson: You can blame us.
John Pryzmus: Well, it don't matter...
Councilman Johnson: Does that sign need a sign permit or anything Barb?
Normally you can get such and such a sign if you have a business right?
' Barbara Dacy: Right. A permit would be required except we amended the
ordinance to allow a driving range and miniature golf course. Unfortunately we
didn't address in detail of how big the sign should be.
Councilman Geving: I think John you made a lot of progress out there. I'm
pleased to see it's coming along. The few things that we've got remaining here
are pretty minor. You apparently are working towards getting those trees in
this fall and you indicated there were berms there, I don't remember seeing any
61
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�City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988 11
berms but if that's in the conditional use permit, we ought to look at that.
There seems to be a difference of opinion between yourself and the staff on
where the berms are or where they should be. How many video games are there out
there?
John Pryzmus: There's foosball and hockey.
Mayor Hamilton: There must be 4 or 5 I suppose.
Councilman Geving: Okay, I guess when we discussed this way back when we were
talking about the difference between a business having 1 or 2 machines versus an
arcade and I think we came up with, is 6 the magic number? Do you recall that 6
is an arcade?
Barbara Dacy: There are no definitions.
Councilman Geving: Okay, I guess maybe we were thinking of that at one time. I
don't see any big problem with the few items that we've got here. The only one
that we did have a lot of discussion over John was the light standards. That
there wasn't to be any lighting on the facility. I don't have a real hard
feeling about that but I think if we're going to go that route, we're going to
have to come back and talk about it again because I can see where that would
extend your business day. Does it give you another half hour or something?
John Pryzmus: What it does is, in the evening as the sun goes down, before it
gets too dark, I would assume that, I've talked with all the neighbors and it
will keep it open on a nice evening for another half hour-45 minutes rather than '
sunset. Basically I've kept my standards. Floods up on the out lights and keep
them shining down. I'm not putting them in a high place like a ballpark or
anything like that. I wasn't...
Councilman Geving: I think our discussion when we talked about lights were
something far different than what you've got out there. I think we were
thinking that we wouldn't let John have these big light poles and lots of
problems with any neighbors that might object to that but I see no objection to
what's out there now. I don't have any problem with that John except that it's
not on your conditional use permit. That's all I have.
Councilman Horn: I guess I don't have any problem with the sign. To me it
looks like a reasonable sign for that kind of a business but again, I supposed
we should discuss that...
Mayor Hamilton: That can be discussed through the ordinance process.
Councilman Horn: I also agree about the lights. I don't see anything. The
lights are mainly in the mini-putt area aren't they? The lights are mainly in
the mini-putt area?
John Pryzmus: Yes, they follow the path. There are two rows of trees that
follow the path and they shine towards the mini-putt area. ..
Councilman Horn: I realize we didn't allow those but again, Dale said we had
envisioned something totally different. I also agree that there should be
vending machines out there. People should have access to pop. You don't have
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ICity Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
Iany water on the site do you? Like a water fountain so this is really the only
thing...
IJohn Pryzmus: Yes, I haven't had it hooked up yet. I do have a... Right now I
have the Pepsi-Cola Company with automatic cooler. Like I say, the cigarette
machine wasn't one of the machines that I had brought it. The vending company
' brought it in. I didn't order it and I can have them take it out of there...
As you get the grass to start growing out there and eventually... As you come
in there's one berm that's maybe 7 feet high in front of the building, but some
' of that might even... but I will be working on it right on through the fall to
hopefully...
Councilman Horn: I don't have any problem with anything I see out there. My
only recolimendation would be that I think it would be better, and you may
disagree with this, to come to us with what you've done and we would agree with
it. Whereas to go ahead and do it before we get a permit to do it can sometimes
' cause yourself more grief.
John Pryzmus: There are some things that I changed.. .
' Councilman Boyt: I see where staff recommends 8 foot evergreens instead of 6
foot.
' Barbara Dacy: Yes but since the berms are 6 feet, there's a disagreement so.. .
Councilman Boyt: I didn't hear it as a point of disagreement along the highway.
John Pryzmus: I don't think that would be done.. . Not all of them, everyone is
I the on
put P The shorter ones will be put inside.
' Councilman Boyt: I hope you're successful with this. I've got to tell you that
it bothers me when anyone intentionally violates the standards the City has set
for their development. You won't convince me John that when you put those light
' standards in you thought the City gave you approval to do that. What that means
is, you decided that you're going to do that business the way you need to do
that business and then you'll come back to the City and get approval. I don't
' think that's a smart business approach. I think that we should definitely look
at the sign to be sure that it fits within the standard size for signs. I
suspect it does. The light standards, we need to have those inspected by staff
to be sure that they're directed so they don't shine on the highway at all and
good luck. I hope to get out there and use it sometime.
Barbara Dacy: Given the Council's discussion, I guess what I would suggest is
' that the applicant apply to amend his permit regarding the light standards and
the sign issue or the Council look at a ordinance amendment.
' Councilman Boyt: I think we should consider hours of operation too.
Mayor Hamilton: Yes, I think John should come back, hours of operation, light
standards and the trees.
IJohn Pryzmus: I'll bring that up to staff this week.
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City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
Mayor Hamilton: So we need to table this until, oh and the sign also should be
a part of that.
Bernie: I have not been following this but I am wondering why the restriction
is placed on a businessman to have restricted hours when the competition
certainly dictates that putt-putt courses, their best hours are from 8:00 to
10:00 at night. I'm wondering why his position is so unique that we should have
to restrict him from sunrise to sunset?
Mayor Hamilton: When we first looked at this Bernie, John had a hand drawn plan
that he brought in here and the neighbors objected to it. We tried to work with
John all the way through this process and it's been kind of one frustration
after another and just as it occurs now he's got lights out there that were not
approved and he goes ahead and puts them up there without getting permission
from the City. If he wants to have lights out there, he should come in here
with a plan like anybody else that's going to try to do something. To just go
ahead and do it, like Bill says, that's not the right way to do it. This was
several years ago when the first plan came along and we said we weren't going to
allow him to have the high pole standards and at that time was when we said
sunrise to sunset would be his operation. So I think since that time John has
talked with the neighbors and they have seen that it's not going to be the
nuisance that they thought it was going to be but he's got to come back to us
with an amended plan to try and change it.
John Pryzmus: .. .I have worked with the neighbors...
Councilman Johnson: When you started talking about your water system, I hope I
you realize that when you start serving that water to people, either in that
machine or in that water fountain, you have created a public water supply by
State Law and you have to do certain water quality tests on that on a routine
basis. You'll need to coordinate that with the County Health Department. You'll
need to do that and file your reports of this. At one of my rural plants I work
with, they have one coffee machine that is hooked up to water, otherwise they
have bottled water everyplace. We got stuck because you have more than 25
employees there, as a public water supply system. So you're in the same boat
there so watch out for that one.
Mayor Hamilton: He hasn't hooked it up yet.
Councilman Johnson: It's a fairly simple test and I think they're probably
going to be annual tests, I'm not sure. Our test requires to be once a year
testing for bacteria and that kind of stuff.
Mayor Hamilton moved, Councilman Geving seconded to table review of the Pyrzmus
Driving Range and Miniature Golf Course until a plan is brought back with
additional information. All voted in favor and the motion carried.
REQUEST FOR KENNEL PERMIT, 1630 LAKE LUCY ROAD, PHIL MATHIOWETZ.
Jim Chaffee: Mr. Mathiowetz is here who is the applicant for the kennel permit.
He is here because we've had complaints from a neighbor, Mr. Krueger, which I'm
sure Council is well aware of since he was sending all the information on the
64
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City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
J problems that were occurring there. As my cover memo states, it's been
approximately 5 months since we heard from Mr. Krueger and at that time, 5
months ago, Mr. Krueger did state that we would be hearing each and every time a
problem occurred. I would like to point out that as Public Safety was made
aware of these problems, we worked with Mr. Krueger as best as we could and we
' advised the County Deputies that when they responded to one of Mr. Krueger's
complaints, that they were supposed to take action. Those remedies still exist.
We are not sure that there is a problem. Therefore, we are recommending that
the kennel permit be approved with the understanding that the remedies available
' to Mr. Krueger are still applicable at any time after the kennel permit is
approved, if the Council should approve it.
' Councilman Horn: Have you talked to the deputies?
Jim Chaffee: Yes.
Councilman Horn: Because we were told by Mr. Krueger that the deputies were
actually out there and heard the dogs barking and told him that that wasn't a
problem.
Jim Chaffee: Right, that occurred one time. Deputy Swenson went out there,
verified that the dogs were barking. He did write a complaint to pass onto
Steve Madden. From that point no action was taken for various reasons. As a
result of that, we advised the deputies that if they should respond again, they
can take action. They don't have to write a report and pass it onto us. They
can write a citation.
Councilman Horn: So there haven't been any further reports by the deputies of
further incidents like this since that time?
' Jim Chaffee: No, there haven't.
' Mayor Hamilton: Mr. Mathiowetz have any comments?
Phil Mathiowetz: No, not really. I guess we work as hard as we could to do
anything that anybody asked us to do. Currently all dogs are taken in to an
' inside insulated garage at night and put in a kennel there. The CSO was out and
inspected the facility and I think she has issued a memo also. I guess I would
just ask for approval.
Councilman Geving: How many dogs do you have?
' Phil Mathiowetz: Right now?
Councilman Geving: Yes, what's the maximum number of dogs that you can have?
' Phil Mathiowetz: The most I can handle would be 5 and I have 4 at the time.
Some of them are gone at various times. Off and on they may be in Iowa for
professional training. They spend part of the time they're home.
ItCouncilman Geving: Are these show dogs?
Phil Mathiowetz: Show dogs and field dogs.
' 65
City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988 ''
Mayor Hamilton: What kind of dogs are they?
Phil Mathiowetz: German Shorthair dogs.
Councilman Boyt: So far I gather from what we're read, that you have taken some
action to reduce the impact to the dogs. I saw some things about screening them
so they couldn't see the road for instance or the front of the house. Is that
right?
Phil Mathiowetz: We built a privacy fence along the whole side.. . They can't 1
see up onto the road. For all intensive purposes, people can't see in and the
dogs can't see out and that pretty well eliminated any problems with people
walking by. We require, as people walk by. .. I think some of Mr. Krueger's
concerns may be a bit over stated. We've done everything that I think we can.
I'm always open to suggestions if anyone has anymore. I'll try anything if
anyone has any concerns.
Councilman Boyt: One point that Mr. Krueger made was that the dogs seem to be
in control when you were home and when no one was home, there seemed to be more
of a problem. How are you controlling the dogs when you're not at home?
Phil Mathiowetz: I guess I have a fairly large disagreement with Mr. Krueger
over that part because I don't hear them when I am home, at least on the
weekends or during the week when someone is home. We've had people stay and
take care of our house when we're gone, and they haven't had any problems. We
did have a problem with one dog and we put a bark collar on it, put a little
electronic schock collar, so I had her surgically debarked and that didn't work
11!
all that well so I just sold her. I just got rid of her. I bought a young dog
now that has a bark collar on it and that controls him.
Councilman Boyt: I have a couple of comments, just in general. I think some of
these I've already mentioned to Mr. Chaffee so I won't go over them but my
biggest concern is that this was supposed to be reviewed in April and it's
August. Next year if there's a complaint between now and next April, I want to
be sure that this is reviewed in April not August as our ordinance requires. I
think that from what I've heard, efforts are being made. From what I read from
Mr. Krueger's commitments to do things, he hasn't followed up on that. I have
some sympathy with him. I think that we can all understand how a barking dog
can wake one up and you choose not to call to complain. You just hope the dog
stops and 5 minutes later it stops and you go back to sleep. That's still a
problem, even if you don't call and complain. I think you've taken reasonable
action to stop your dogs from being a problem to your neighbors. I think as
long as you continue to take reasonable action, you'll probably be able to have
a private kennel there. I think it's the City's responsibility to be very
responsive to people who are seeking quiet. I think the City has taken every
effort to do that and I would expect they'll continue to take every effort.
Phil Mathiowetz: Can I respond? As far as making the application in April, we
contacted the City and they said that they were reviewing the application form
and they would send it out when they got it ready. It took some time and
although I guess I didn't send it back any faster, I will take part of the blame
for that but I think the City has got a take a little bit of the rap.
Councilman Boyt: I agree with you.
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City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
I
Phil Mathiowetz: I'll apply in April again.
Councilman Boyt: I'm not holding you at all responsible for that. I think
that's the City's responsibility and we didn't follow through on it and I think
you should be approved for a permit between now and next April.
Councilman Geving moved, Councilman Johnson seconded to approve the request for
' Kennel Permit for Phil Mathiowetz at 1630 Lake Lucy Road up to April, 1989. All
voted in favor and the motion carried.
' DISCUSSION OF DECK REQUIREMENTS FOR CHAPARRAL QUAD-UNITS.
Mayor Hamilton: Jo Ann, we had asked you to bring this back to us with some, in
fact I think we made a motion dealing with some of the things that I thought you
had put in your recommendation like still charging $75.00. I think we had said
two weeks ago that we didn't want people to be charged for that, as I recall.
' Since no one else had been charged, we said no one will be charged from hereon.
I must have misread it. The size of the deck was my only other concern. It
seems like we should say the size of deck, if you're going to put one on there
' is going to be so big and not give them a choice. It's got to be the full width
of the unit, however far out they've been making them so it's about the same as
the rest of them. But you know there are some that are like a half a deck. I
II I think it looks like heck. We shouldn't allow those to be built. They should
11 / make it the full width. They look nice. They do a nice job on those.
Councilman Geving: I think Tom the real issue is that the deck shouldn't extend
more than 10 feet into the variance area, the sideyard or frontyard or whatever
the variance position is so that it doesn't exceed more than 10 feet. We don't
care about the size of the deck.
' Mayor Hamilton: I do.
Councilman Geving: The Cimarron Homeowners Associations can control that
' anyway.
Mayor Hamilton: But if we tell them that we want to see just full width decks,
' it looks much better.
Councilman Geving: I hope that they do put a full width but I'm only concerned,
personally from a variance standpoint, not exceeding 10 feet into the variance
' area.
Mayor Hamilton: That's fine. For aesthetic reasons, if we made it he full
' width, that would be much better for the whole neighborhood is what I'm saying.
Did you have anything you wanted to add?
Jo Ann Olsen: We came up with general guidelines on what we wanted. Are you
'/ saying that you still want each one to come in separately? Then you're also
saying that any deck that does come in would have to be 10 x 20.
I
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City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988 1
Mayor Hamilton: I think that's a good idea. I don't know what the rest of the
Council things but I would.
Councilman Horn: I disagree with that. I think it's a good idea that everybody
should have a double car garage too but we can't legislate that.
Councilman Johnson: I like large numbers on the house too. ,
Councilman Boyt: We can require all that if we want to.
Mayor Hamilton: That's a totally different issue. A double car garage, we're
just talking about a stupid little deck.
Councilman Geving: What's wrong with this recommendation that you're providing
here? 1 and 2. The decks can not exceed 10 feet from the building and a 20
foot frontyard setback must be maintained. Three, administrative approval with
no variance procedure and that there will be no cost to the applicant.
Councilman Horn: It doesn't do what Tom is suggesting.
Councilman Geving: No, but it does what I want and that's to resolve the
problems on these quads once and for all.
Councilman Boyt: The Board of Adjustment and Appeals had a different opinion 1
Mr. Geving.
Councilman Geving: I understand that. 1
Councilman Boyt: And I anticipated that you might represent them. They
indicated that they wanted to see all these variance requests. That they felt
it was important that they review them and that there should be at least a
charge sufficient to cover for the posting of these in whatever the official
newspaper is at the time. I think that since they're the body that handles
this, we should support their request here and require a fee large enough to pay
for the public notice of the variance request and require that. I don't think
they intended for the person to go through the $200.00 expense of identifying
all their neighbors and sending a mailing to them but a nominal expense and
giving the Board of Adjustment and Appeals the opportunity to review these.
Mayor Hamilton: Gee and you were the one that wanted to waive all the fees. '
Councilman Boyt: I know. I changed my mind.
Councilman Geving: How could you flip flop in two weeks?
Councilman Boyt: I listened to them.
Councilman Geving: You listened to them?
Councilman Johnson: He listened to you.
Councilman Geving: You listened to me and now you're flip flopping.flo in . I don't
understand your statement at all. I don't represent the variance board. I
represent one person's opinion on this Council and I think the proposal that was
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City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
set for us tonight with two options and I added a third, will resolve this
matter. If you want to add a cost to it, that's entirely up to the Council.
' Councilman Johnson: I would like to see the Association permit or request a
change to the PUD contract because we're requesting a change to somebody else's
PUD contract without anybody having anything to do with the PUD contract
requesting the change themselves. I think the more appropriate route would be
for the Homeowner's Association to request that. I do believe that we should
then hold a public hearing.
' Mayor Hamilton: Why do you need to complicate a very, very simple issue? I
don't understand this.
Councilman Johnson: We're eliminating 15 public hearings by having one. I
don't know if we can change a PUD contract and a whole PUD without going through
some process.
Barbara Dacy: Staff felt an equal responsibility about this whole issue because
of the history involved and how the decks got built. The addendum to the
existing development contract will have to be approved by Council. We'll put it
on the Consent Agenda but our main object here is, while I appreciate the Board
of Adjustment and Appeals wanting to see each and every application, we're
' basically talking about the same type of setback and we can save everybody time
and money becauase it takes time to make these legal ads and notify 500 people
around a very dense development. We felt we could accomplish this fairly
expeditiously.
' Councilman Johnson: I want to do it once for the remaining 15. Get it off the
books. Get the remaining 15 of these done.
' Barbara Dacy: One of the options was to have a blanket public hearing for the
remaining 15 lots in the Chaparral PUD.
' Councilman Johnson: Yes, I guess we have an applicant more or less but the
Homeowner's Association is saying they would like this and we would hold it and
since the City I think is at fault here, to a point and some previous city
' employees were granting a lot of decks that didn't meet this in the past, that
we should make the public notice this one time.
Barbara Dacy: And know that we have no idea whether these 15 other people even
want that.
Councilman Johnson: I still think that has to go onto, the easiest way is into
the PUD contract. I'm not sure what kind of notice we want on that.
Barbara Dacy: I think the Homeowner's Association is going to appreciate
' anything...
Councilman Geving: Mr. Mayor I'd like to make a motion on this. I would like
to make a motion for approval of the decks located in the Chaparral quad units
111 for the remaining 15 units and the 3 conditions, actually 4 conditions that I am
going to add to this is that the decks can not exceed 10 feet from the building.
That there will be a 20 foot frontyard setback must be maintained. That these
applications will be administratively approved by staff and will follow no
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City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988 11
formal variance procedure. Fourth, we will attach a $25.00 application fee for ,
this process.
Councilman Horn: Second. '
Councilman Boyt: I have a question.
Councilman Geving: I added the $25.00 because that did came out of the
discussion that we had earlier with the Board. We agreed that there was some
cost in processing these and others like them. I believe that at least some
costs should be attached to this. There is some research and you've got to
remember now, the action we're taking tonight might be in existence for an awful
long time. Even well into years to come before those 15 ever come before us as
a city. ,
Councilman Boyt: I'm going to amaze you again Dale but stated that way, I would
say that we shouldn't charge the $25.00 fee because there isn't any unusual
activity going on here. We're not publishing it in the newspaper which is what
the Board of Adjustment and Appeals was using to justify their $25.00 fee. And
we just two weeks ago granted the opportunity for people to bring projects to
the City that were under $2,000.00 and have them reviewed for free. I don't
think we should turn around and say to these people, you now have to pay $25.00
because you happen to live in Chaparral.
Councilman Geving: The fee is conditional. We did talk about your time Jo Ann.
Jo Ann Olsen: I think what we talked about was that it...
Councilman Geving: So your time would be extremely minimal?
Jo Ann Olsen: Yes. Just like any other building permit. i
Councilman Geving: I'd like to amend my motion then to delete the $25.00 and
state that there would be no cost for this application. 1
Councilman Horn: I'll amend my second.
Councilman Boyt: I'd like to move to amend your motion again because I think '
the city is going out of it's way to do these people a favor in an area that we
never intended to have them pursue in the first place. I think given that
special condition, it would be appropriate to say what size deck we want to have II
so I would support Tom's request that we tell them the decks must be 20 feet
wide.
Mayor Hamilton: I'll second your motion.
Councilman Geving: I have to ask, can we still get a 20 foot frontyard setback
if we allow a 20 foot?
Jo Ann Olsen: Width.
Councilman Geving: Then I have no problem.
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City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
ICouncilman Johnson: I don't like placing Tom's taste on other people. I like
the 10 foot deck myself.
I Mayor Hamilton: Well, you go out there and look at them and tell me that the 10
foot looks better than a 20.
Councilman Geving moved, Mayor Hamilton seconded an amendment to the motion to
amend condition 1 to read, the decks cannot exceed 20 feet from the building.
' All voted in favor except Councilman Horn and Councilman Johnson who opposed and
the amendment carried with a vote of 3 to 2.
' Jo Ann Olsen: If somebody comes in with a 10 x 10, do they have to have a
variance?
Councilman Geving: I would say yes based on what we just passed.
Councilman Geving moved, Councilman Horn seconded to approve the decks located
' in the Chaparral quad units for the remaining 15 units with the following
conditions:
' 1. The decks cannot exceed 20 feet from the building.
2. A 20 foot front yard setback must be maintained.
' 3. The applications will be administratively approved by staff and will follow
no formal variance procedure.
4. There will be no fee charged for these applications.
All voted in favor and the motion carried.
Councilman Boyt: I have a question on this now that we've passed it. I'd like
' to see if we can take action against the developer.
Jo Ann Olsen: I asked Roger about that, he said it would be difficult.
' Councilman Geving: These were built in 1979.
Jo Ann Olsen: It's under different ownership now.
Mayor Hamilton: Yes, the people who built them went bankrupt.
' Pat Farrell: You've got two problems. Statute of Limitations and.. .
Councilman Johnson: I don't like seeing and continuing to see violations occur
and then afterwards we approve them and not take any action. In this case,
because the Statute of Limitations and the previous owner went bankrupt, there
isn't anything to do but we do need to get tough on our ordinances eventually.
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City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
COUNCIL PRESENTATIONS:
Mayor Hamilton: Jay, you wanted to talk about a zoning ordinance?
Councilman Johnson: I would like staff to put together or actually I've been
telling them I will put it together and I've never got around to do it. The
zoning ordinance change on conditional use permits and maybe if they believe,
other permits would be like the wetland alteration permit, to include an
inspection schedule to be approved by the Council and an inspection fee for
conditional use permits. What I comprehend here is for construction yards and
other places that have some fairly strict conditional uses applied to them that
can be broken routinely. That we will have an annual inspection of those
facilities against those conditions. Less stringent for and also a group of
types of conditional uses where you have an inspection every 2 years and every 3
years and I believe there is also a category where the conditions may be such
that it's only a structural condition. You will use shake shingles or
something on your building. Whatever that thing is. You only need a one time
inspection to see if they have complied with those rules. Right now you get a
conditional use permit and after you've put it in, you've had your inspection,
they say everything meets the conditional use permit and that's the last of it.
There are people out there that all the trees have died and the berms have been
removed and things like this that we're not getting them inspected. I want to
see those inspections made and that inspection should be at the cost of the
person that's being inspected who has the special use permit. The conditional
use permit. That's what I would like to see. I never have gotten around to
writing this up except for on the bottom of my piece of paper again on the
airplane this evening as I came in. Those are my thoughts on that. If the '
Council would like me to write the ordinance and present it to the Council as
such, I'll do that too.
Mayor Hamilton: I don't think that's your job.
Councilman Johnson: I don't think so either. Take my general guideance here
and I think staff can put in an ordinance amendment together and present that to '
Planning Commission. -
Mayor Hamilton:. Any discussion about that?
Councilman Boyt: Makes sense to me.
Councilman Horn: How many people do you have to have for the staff to do this? '
Councilman Johnson: The fees will pay for it. It's self financing.
Barbara Dacy: We'll be happy to take a look at the whole process. We'll be
doing that in-house to see how we can keep better track of things and putting
them in the computers and so on.
Mayor Hamilton: Bill, you wanted to talk about a Fire Marshall.
Councilman Boyt: Right. It's my understanding that last week the Council
discussed the position of Fire Marshall. You didn't discuss the Fire Marshall?
72 '
ICity Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
1117- Councilman Horn: We discussed the specific salary offered to this specific
person.
Y i�
ICouncilman Boyt: And that there was some question first into how we conducted
the search. I'd like to clarify that the search was conducted because I know
I for one that I talked to Mr. Ashworth and the decision was made that we would
conduct a search for a Fire Marshall. So the City Manager can speak for himself
on this issue but it's my firm understanding that he approved that search. They
conducted a search and found somebody that was very highly qualified for a
r
position that was supported by the Fire Department. Was supported by the Public
Safety Commission and resulted in a salary request that was $6,000.00 over the
budgeted amount. I think that we should seriously reconsider this issue and
I make that offer. This is a position that we definitely need to fill. This is a
proactive move that could only make this community better and safer and in the
long run save us a lot of money for fire protection. And to turn down the
r opportunity to get a very well qualified person in a hard to fill field, is to
miss an opportunity that we may not get in the future. I think for us to look
at moving a carousel building, which I supported, which was an expensive move
for $50,000.00. For us to look at straightening out a corner, which I didn't
I happen to support, for a minimum of $10,000.00 and feel that we had the money to
do that, to turn around and say we don't have $6,000.00 to make an offer to a
highly qualified Fire Marshall is something that I'd like us to reconsider.
IDon Ashworth: We did look for applications. We have not finished that process.
We will hire an individual who I think will be very well suited for the
r position. It will be within the budget and the guidelines established under
your personnel policy. That decision should be made by the end of the week.
The person selected will have the support of the Fire Department.
IMayor Hamilton: And Public Safety Commission.
Don Ashworth: I don't know if they will have seen the person but the Fire
rDepartment will be in on those interviews.
Councilman Boyt: Don, are you saying to me that you're going to be able to hire
as well a qualified person for $6,000.00 less?
rDon Ashworth: I'm saying that the position that we would look to is a
continuation of a position as it was which is really a Fire Inspector. The
r individual that we're looking at, or the group of people does not need the
highest qualifications that specifically would be obtained by the individual who
was brought back to you about one week ago.
ICouncilman Boyt: The individual that was brought back to us a week ago is also
a qualified building inspector.
rDon Ashworth: I don't know that that's a necessary requirement.
Councilman Boyt: It's not a requirement of the Fire Marshall but it's certainly
111 something that could help the City.
Mayor Hamilton: Do we need more building inspectors? I thought we had plenty
of those.
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City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988 ',
Councilman Boyt: We have building inspectors who are bringing in a g reat deal
more money than we're paying them so clearly they are busier than we've staffed
it to be. We've got a situation in which building inspectors are not catching
all the violations that are happening in this City so maybe there is an
opportunity for additional building inspectors but above and beyond that, I
think our experience in the last year has shown that a Fire Inspector is not
sufficient to meet the needs of this city. When you're looking at a Rosemount.
When you're looking at the bakery situation. You're looking at major builders.
When you're looking at the Dinner Theater. We've got situations in which we
clearly need the expertise of a Fire Marshall. I think it's short sighted to
say that $6,000.00 can not be spent to bring in a person with those sort of
qualifications.
Mayor Hamilton: One of the major reasons we did not want to do that is simply
because it does not follow the guidelines that have been established and follow
the practice in the City for the past several years. If we start now with this
position, bringing in someone well over the mid-point, the mid-range of that
particular job, where do you start? People will start coming in and say, well
if you're going to hire this guy higher than where he ought to be, then you
might as well give me a salary adjustment too. I would think that you would
understand that being in the type of position you're in. You just don't open
that door.
Councilman Boyt: I understand it very well and the justification for a mid-
point is that that's what you pay a highly experienced person to do the job
well. Well, that's what we have so it would be very reasonable to pay the mid-
point for that job. It's not a good personnel practice to limit yourself to I
paying under the mid-point to get an individual and if we had done that, we
wouldn't have hired Gary Warren.
Mayor Hamilton: What this City has done over the years is, and the Council
talked about this long before your being around, when we hire individuals for
the City, we talked about hiring those people who were either just coming out of
school or just moving into a position. Perhaps their first in charge position
with the understanding that they would stay with us and grow and develop and
become better in their field. We know that we can't pay the high salaries that
Minnetonka and Edina and Hopkins and some of the other surrounding communities
can pay. We just don't have those kind of funds. I think we've stuck with that
pretty much. We still do have excellent employees. We've been very fortunate
in that regard. I see no reason to deviate from that. We can still get an '
extremely good person to do this job that's going to do a very good, very
effective job. I don't think we need to be paying the top of the line for a
Fire Marshall. We have people to do the job just as well for fewer dollars.
Councilman Boyt: I'll stop after this comment. With the mid-point, what ,
p you've
said is that's what we're willing to pay someone to do that job. It's my
understanding that that wasn't what the person was asking for was to be paid at
the mid-point. That's not busting your salary scheudle to pay somebody what
you've already agreed is a reasonable salary for that job. Because they happen
to come in with more experience can be a real benefit to us. We've got it
sitting right in front of us. The City is evolving and we can't start with
rookies in every position we've got. This is one of the most critical positions
the City has.
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City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
' Don Ashworth: I don't disagree that there's a critical need and we'll have
[ somebody on that I think has the confidence of Fire Department in terms of doing
the job. If we're going to make amendments to position classification. If
Iwe're going to change the position write-ups. If we're going to change how
people are to be brought in and under what guidelines and what not, then that
should be considered when we do all of our write-ups. When we update our plan
' at the end of the year. The proposal, you did not meet the guidelines as far as
bringing the personnel. Did not meet the guidelines. ..position. It's that
simple.
' Councilman Johnson: In general, I've got a reputation for supporting public
safety very strongly. I also support Don with what he just said that we will be
getting a good man or a good woman for this position. I disagree with Tom's, I
' don't think we're, while the decision was made before you and I were on the
Council Bill, I don't believe that currently, in the current situation, that
it's good to always bring somebody in for the mimimum side, 1 or 2 years out of
' school and stuff. That has worked well for us in the past but in some cases it
hasn't worked real terribly well, in my opinion. I do believe that certain
positions, you don't want somebody and I don't think we're going to get a 1 or 2
' year out of school person for this position. I think we're going to get
somebody with a fair amount of experience in this field. It's a critical field.
I think we can also, if something comes in that that person feels is beyond his
capabilities, a large project coming in, we pay a considerable review fee. That
' person should be willing to come and say I need some professional help here and
we can hire a consultant to come in and provide him help on that review. There
are safety consultants out there who are totally qualified Fire Marshalls that
we can get, I believe.
Phil Mathiowetz: Besides trying to raise a few dogs, my profession is a Fire
' Marshall for another community. I guess from a fire protection standpoint for
our community, at the rate we're growing, I have to agree totally with
Councilman Boyt. What you're asking someone to do for the money that you want o
pay them...first off, I don't believe that you can get a qualified person to do
' that. I know just about every Fire Marshall and every inspector that's
qualified to handle this job in this area. With the projects that we've got
coming into this community, particularly things like Rosemount which is some
' 300,000 square feet. It's a highly technical project. You're asking someone to
come in here and try to take a job that is way out of his league. I've been
doing this for some 15 years and a project like that would terrify me and it
would take me a long time to sit down and work a project like that out. Someone
' coming in here with minimal qualifications that you can expect to get for that
kind of money, is not going to be able to handle the job. He's not going to be
able to provide for this comlmunity what needs to be provided. The $6,000.00 or
the $31,000.00 or $32,000.00 that you're asking, that they were proposing to pay
that individual is at the middle part of the Fire Marshall salary. We do an
overall salary survey every year to determine that. The qualifications of that
person are going to be up at a reasonable level. You are not going to find
somebody down at that level. I'm sorry. I wish you could because I pay taxes
too and I'd just as soon keep down those costs but it's not going to happen.
For someone to come in here that has a number of years of experience for that
IFlevel of pay at $25,000.00, I would seriously question your motives.
Mayor Hamilton: I guess that's what we'll have to find out when we interview.
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City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
Councilman Horn: I think he might be right and we will have to take a look at
that position. The problem is that we're doing this in the middle of a year and
I don't think that you set precedent in one situation. You have to set your
guidelines for the year at the time that we do that, we may very well find out
that that is the thing we need to do is to change up our guidelines for our Fire
Marshall but you don't come in just because somebody happens to walk in and say
I'm going to change my guidelines. The other thing that I think we should
discuss here in the next year is what our procedure is for this. It seems to me
if we're going to develop a city management team, we need to let them make those
kinds of decisions. If they can find within their budget a means to accomplish
this, it shouldn't even come to us. If Jim can live within his budget and he
gets this guy and he can get that $6,000.00 somewhere else or whatever it is or
for whatever it is this year, it shouldn't come to us. We can't manage every ,
employee in this department. That's what we have City Manager's for. That's
what we have group managers for.
Councilman Boyt: He's not saying the $6,000.00 isn't there. Don isn't saying '
that.
Councilman Horn: I think he implied that it would be outside of the budget
guidelines.
Councilman Boyt: He didn't say the money wasn't there. ,
Don Ashworth: It's a matter of semantics. If you want the $6,000.00, I think
we could find it but it is not currently budgeted in that fashion.
Mayor Hamilton: I think we need to see who is going to be suggested for the
position and go from there.
ADMINISTRATIVE PRESENTAIONS:
PROPOSAL FOR EROSION CONTROL SERVICES, CARVER COUNTY SOIL CONSERVATION DISTRICT,
CITY PLANNER.
Barbara Dacy: Our recommendation is on the top of page 2. What we have
prepared is that the Council adopt some erosion.. .to start working out an
agreement.
Mayor Hamilton: Is this really necessary? This isn't something that we can't '
accomplish now?
Barbara Dacy: Just looking at the engineer project board.. .
Mayor Hamilton: The reason I ask is because you look at the fees associated
with it and we keep adding on more and more fees everytime a guy turns around.
We've got more fees to deal with. That's more on the developer. You can only
have so much.
Gary Warren: I think it really relates to what kind of accountability you want '
as far as the erosion control. We can put a high priority on it and really work
hard at the platting on the spec process. The plans are in but we are short
handed as far as the inspections and. .. We're dealing more on a crisis basis in
the field and with the magnitude with the planning process that we've been
76
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City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
doing, I think a specialist on this thing should be brought in.
Councilman Geving: I think it's a good idea.
' Barbara Dacy: We can reevaluate the fees. Those are just...
' . Councilman Geving: I just want to know right now whether we're interested in
pursuing this. I think it's a good idea and I think we ought to go ahead with
it.
Mayor Hamilton moved, Councilman Geving seconded to authorize staff to prepare a
letter to the Conservation District Board stating the City's intent to pursue an
' agreement with the Conservation District. All voted in favor and the motion
carried.
' ANNEXATION/DEANNEXATION REQUEST, MERLE VOLK.
Mayor Hamilton: He's not here. Do you want to talk about this or was he
supposed to be here?
Don Ashworth: No, it's simply a notification to the City Council. I don't know
' if the City Attorney wants to make any comments or not or if you want to have
any comments from him.
If Mayor Hamilton: We received some information that needs to be not discussed but
I guess...
Councilman Geving: This is confidential.
Mayor Hamilton: Yes, and I think it states clearly what our p osition is. I
guess the move is up to Merle.
' Councilman Johnson: I'd like to hear from our coituuittee of councilmen that we
sent to Chaska to get tough and do some negotiating over the swamp land they
offered us and see if they've come up with a better offer yet.
Mayor Hamilton: I talked with Shirley Beyers and with Bob Ropetke, the Mayor.
Told them I'd be willing to sit down anytime they'd like to to discuss
this. I've never heard from them. I'm not going to chase them around.
Councilman Johnson: Have you done this formally in writing that we could take
' it into the Annexation Board and show them that Chaska has not responded to our
requests or is it only a verbal that we won't be able to prove anywhere other
than standing up and sitting on a stand staying we've got. ..
Mayor Hamilton: I think you'd find that Chaska will still make their original
offer.
Councilman Johnson: Which Council said we didn't think that was a real fair
offer. We'd like them to consider a few other things. Have we counter proposed
anything to them?
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City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988 1
Mayor Hamilton: Yes, we did. In one meeting you and I met with, I don't recall '
his name. He was an inspector or something.
Don Ashworth: I'm not sure of the meeting that you're referring to.
Mayor Hamilton: It probably was this spring sometime and I expected for that
meeting that there would be someone there that could kind of make a decision and
it was some guy, he just said, well I can't do anything.
Councilman Geving: I really believe that we should pursue a meeting with Bob
Roeptke and their City Manager with the original team that we proposed and try
to get as much out of this as we can. That means whatever negotiation you guys
can do, I just don't want to drop the ball on this and let the courts decide.
If we've got something to gain from this, and I think we can, one or two
meetings with Bob and his City Manager, I think we could resolve this. I don't
know if we've got a counter proposal. We've never really come up with a 40 acre
tract that we'd be interested in.
Mayor Hamilton: Why don't you see if you can get a hold of the manager and see
if we can't talk to them because I have asked both Shirley and Bob and I've
never gotten a reply or response from them.
Councilman Johnson: I'd like to see, not necessarily, it doesn't have to be 40
acres but acreage with a future potential as great as what the future potential ,
for this area will be.
Mayor Hamilton: I don't think you'll find any. That's why they're saying the
property down there by the pickle factory.
Councilman Johnson: What I'm thinking of, they want the property by the pickle
factory over in this little area over here. What I was looking at is the
property by the pickle factory then you cross the railroad tracks and take this
little clump there. Just take that. It's less than 40 acres but it's on TH
212. It will be commercial when we get sewer there and so will this be
commercial when we get sewer there. That may have a potential value. It's got
probably better taxes on it now because of existing industry on it.
Mayor Hamilton: We can discuss some alternatives and see what we can come up
with.
Mayor Hamilton: Don you wanted to talk about some water.
Don Ashworth: We are in the position to move to the next step in our watering
ban as far as the restrictions. I would hope that the newspapers would pick
this up. I've asked Molly to come in and we'll try to do some type of an
article thanking everyone for living through the ti.meframe while we got the
water tower in service. For those people that have held off in putting out
their sod or other type of plantings. That we will have a permit system
available. Sod, you need 5 days of continuous watering to be able to
effectively have that grow and then they can move to an every other day schedule
and it operates just fine so there's two points there. One is we're able to
loosen the restrictions and secondly that we want to thank everyone for living
through this past summer with us. Again, those people who did hold off on
78 ,
,' City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
IIeither sodding landscaping, h
9 or p g, t at we are in a position to provide them with a
permit to allow them to water a little bit more than an odd/even schedule would
II allow.
Councilman Johnson: Good idea. I'm glad we're finally getting away from the
' hour restrictions.
Councilman Horn: My only comment is, like other things, why did the City start
' doing it before we allowed other people to do it? I've heard a lot of comments
on the City watering every day. I think we have to set an example on what we're
doing ourselves.
' Don Ashworth: We tried to address that though in terms of when we went into
that whole ban situation, anyone who came in and showed us that they were under
contract to lay the sod, they were given permits to go ahead and do that sod
' work. We held off for as long as we could but we are under contract to get that
sod done. There was a question earlier, how much longer do we hold off on the
paving, finishing off that wear course down there and on the one side you're
kind of questioning why we're not finishing up. On the other side, we're trying
' not to put in dead trees or dead sod or whatever else. I don't think it's a
double standard.
Councilman Johnson: We participate it as a double standard because now it's not
a double standard if we pass this tonight but they were watering at all times of
the day. 5 days, 7 days a week. There was one Saturday that the guy was
watering up to about 12:00. I woke him up in his truck and reminded him we had
a watering ban but he said, yes but we don't do that. I said the Sheriff will
z- be over here in a few minutes to discuss it with you and he shut the water off.
I think we should have been more sensitive to this and I would like to move that
' we go to the odd/even watering restrictions if this requires a motion by
Council.
Mayor Hamilton: I second that.
Councilman Johnson moved, Mayor Hamilton seconed to move the watering ban to an
odd/even watering restrictions. All voted in favor and the motion carried.
' Mayor Hamilton: Barb, you wanted to talk about Reuter?
Barbara Dacy: Yes. The Chaska City Council is heading toward final approval on
the composting project on Monday night. I was contacted late last week by Mr.
Schmidt and Gustafson that live in the area. I updated the Council about the
progress of this plan on June 13th. At that time the Council had no major
concerns but the Schimidt's and the Gustafson's would like the City to send a
letter to Chaska stating their concern for the potential odors from the compost
plan in view of the number of homes in the Ti.mberwood subdivision and because
their property is situated in a low spot, they're comparing it to the compost
's site as well as Healthsted Laboratories have done some additional research on
3 other composting facilities and have some varying reports as to the air quality
from composting plants and basically have stated it's concern. I told them that
the City Staff, myself, there's no way that we can respond to some of these
' environmental issues because that's why we have the PCA to regulate some of
' 79
City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
these larger concerns. We can certainly continent as to alerting Chaska to make
sure that as many impacts as possible are realized on the Chanhassen folks. I
just wanted to gain your concurrence tonight if that would be acceptable to send
to the Chaska Council a letter outlining those general items. (ii
Councilman Geving: Can we prove that? Can we prove that there is going to be
odor? I didn't smell any odor when I was over at the Reuter plant in Hopkins. '
Barbara Dacy: That's where I was trying to explain my point that the
appropriate agencies are going to have to look at what's going in is according
to State Law but basically his intent, or I should say the homeowner's intent is
to alert the Chaska Council that the City of Chanhassen is concerned and not
necessarily making the recommendation of approval or denial. Just stating a
concern to make sure that those impacts are properly discussed.
Mayor Hamilton: I would think they would be. I can't imagine that they could
put them in there without doing those things. '
Councilman Johnson: I've been involved in this. Plus the State of Minnesota
legislature this year passed a new law requiring immediate action to be taken by
anybody who releases an obnoxious odor who irritates somebody so there is
something there. I have no problem personally with saying that we have citizens
near this plant and our primary concern is the potential for odor. It doesn't
accuse anybody that they're going to be emmitting odors. This is an airobic
plant. I'm fairly confident that they'll do a very good job. There are some
slight potentials in there of my analysis of the plant to produce some odors but
they have done quite a bit to control it. This new State law will really give
these people some teeth.
Mayor Hamilton: Does the Council want staff to write such a letter? It would
seem to me that if the Schmidt's and Gustafson's are concerned, they could write
a letter on their own behalf I guess.
Barbara Dacy: And they have and they've been going to all the hearings and so
on but they were looking for an official response from the City.
Mayor Hamilton: Personally I would not be in favor of writing anything that may
sound the least bit negative because I think it's an extremely good project to
have in our area and I hope they give it final approval but I guess if it's a
vanilla type comment that says make sure you meet all the requirements of noise
and odor, why. ..
Councilman Johnson: Should we throw some mother and apple pie and all that
stuff in there about our support of the environmental processes and the
composting? That we believe this will relieve much pressure on our landfill,
however we do have concern over odors since this is bordering on three sides to
the City of Chanhassen. Give them support but at the same time saying we
support you Reuter but we're watching you too.
Councilman Geving: It sounds like you almost have that letter written.
Councilman Johnson: I think Barb does.
(7::
80 '
{
City Council Meeting - August 22, 1988
ICouncilman Horn moved, Mayor Hamilton seconded to adjourn the meeting. All
voted in favor and the motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 12:35 a.m..
II2
Submitted by Don Ashworth
City Manager
' Prepared by Nann Opheim
1
I
't
1
It
' 81
CHANHASSEN PLANNING COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING
AUGUST 17 , 1988
Chairman Conrad called the meeting to order at 7 : 30 p.m. .
MEMBERS PRESENT: Tim Erhart, Steven Emmings, Ladd Conrad, Brian Batzli ,
Jim Wildermuth and David Headla
' MEMBERS ABSENT: Annette Ellson
STAFF PRESENT: Barbara Dacy, City Planner and Jo Ann Olsen, Asst. City
Planner
' CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT TO LOCATE A CHURCH IN THE RURAL DISTRICT ON
PROPERTY ZONED RR, RURAL RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT AND LOCATED ON THE EAST SIDE .
OF HWY. 41 APPROXIMATELY ONE MILE NORTH OF HWY. 5, WESTSIDE BAPTIST
CHURCH.
Jo Ann Olsen presented the Staff Report.
' Headla: I 'm not quite sure I understand where it says Page 5, July 13th,
the Planning Commission recommends approval of Conditional Use Permit.
Number 1, the two approved septics sites must be staked and preserved
prior to receiving a building permit . Aren ' t they staked now?
Olsen: We' re just saying that they have to remain staked. A lot of times
after a site has been approved or when grading of the site begins, a lot
of times they' re not properly roped off and the sites are damaged.
Headla : And I understand there really isn ' t any other hard spots with
this or with the applicant. The applicant is aware of all this and they
agree with all this?
Olsen : I don ' t know if they agree with it .
' Headla: Do you have any hard spots with any of this?
' Bryan Pike: Oh yes . I have a few. Do you want to hear?
Headla: I guess I 'd like to hear if there ' s a serious disagreement .
' Bryan Pike : When we put the site plan together , we had this 60 foot
easement going across as well as the sewer line that you can see clearly,
this stiped line going across . When we came to the planners , we were told
that we needed a 50 foot setback from that 60 foot easement road and
originally when we put this site plan together we designed the parking
lot, we see the edge of the parking lot, it is 50 foot exactly from that
' 50 foot easement road back and the church which we originally wanted to
put up in the corner, the church that we originally wanted to put up here
facing this way we moved down here because of the 50 feet again from this
road. We noticed in the Minutes of the last meeting one of you asked them
a question about the possibility or whether they had reserved easement
rights . We understood that there were not. I ' ve done some checking with
our attorney and there are not. We understand then that it is still
I
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Planning Commission Meeting
August 17, 1988 - Page 2
possible for us to move our building up in here and build in this area.
If we did that, it would open up a primary site. This line right here is
the sewer construction limits. We did give them permission to move down
into here some dirt that came from this 52 foot hole that they had over
here but this area hasn' t been touched where the church is. It would
enable us to put a primary site right next to our building. The soil
borings were done right in here. We feel for the primary site a simple
septic system, if it fits with the soil borings . I got this report
yesterday. I sent my secretary after it at 4 : 30 and I looked at it later
in the afternoon. Then I called the architect about 5:00 so some of this
is new to us but what we' re being told is that a mound system 350 feet
away is going to cost us about $12,000. 00 to put up. From what Machmeier
says at the end of this report, it sounds like he thought we might have to I
even pump to that 350 foot mark. Is that what you understood? So the
pumping would be an additional cost to us as well . What we' re hoping is
to be allowed to make an adjustment to this plan to swing that building up I
and we' ll submit new soil borings into that area that is right below the
church or if it' s required by you, we' ll do the whole thing. We were not
given an understanding that we could put the church up in that area
before. We were told that we had to stay back 50 feet from that 60 foot
easement .
Erhart : There is a 60 foot easement or there isn' t a 60 foot easement?
Bryan Pike: There is a 60 foot easement with property owners that are
behind us so they are not land locked to the east .
Erhart: So the City has that easement right?
Bryan Pike: No , the City doesn' t have it.
Olsen: This plan is providing a 60 foot easement for the future road.
Erhart : Because you' ve asked them to provide it? I
Bryan Pike: Who ' s providing it?
Olsen: You show it on your site plan that you ' re providing that 60 foot
easement.
Bryan Pike: We provided the 60 foot easement for the people that we
bought the property from to the east. Brian Klingelhutz, Leland
Getschatch and Leland Basalm and Leland Getschatch. I
Erhart: So that' s in your contract with them?
Bryan Pike : It' s in our city. The city has nothing. . .
cErhart: But it' s in your contract.
Bryan Pike : The 60 foot easement is but no 50 foot setbacks on both
sides.
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1 Planning Commission Meeting
August 17 , 1988 - Page 3
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' Erhart: Well , that doesn ' t matter .
' Bryan Pike : Oh yes it does . There' s 1. 5 acres of land that we were told
we couldn' t touch that we can now touch.
' Erhart: But you have to provide, does that contract say exactly where
that 60 foot easement is going to be?
Bryan Pike: It says that 60 foot easement is right here and we checked
' with our Attorney and that is all they got. They don' t have any rights
to a 50 foot setback. I don' t think intentionally but we didn' t have
proper information when we sent this to our architect and we want to move
' that building to gain as much of our property as we can. In fact when we
master planned this thing, if we ever grow to the point of needing bigger
buildings , which we hope we will someday, we really limited ourselves to a
' point where we have to cover everything just about out there with parking
lot to meet the current City requirements for our next bigger building.
Conrad: Jo Ann, explain that. Are we talking about a 50 foot easement
from a 60 foot right-of-way?
Olsen: A 50 foot setback from an easement .
Conrad : And that was whose condition?
Olsen: I 'm sure this was information that was given, there is plans for
Lake Lucy to be continued through that property and that would be best to
maintain that 50 foot setback.
' Erhart: Our ordinance states that a 50 foot setback exists from a street,
not from an easement .
Olsen : From right-of-way.
Erhart: An easement for right-of-way?
Emmings : The 60 foot easement they have through there, to landlock,
otherwise they have. . . is a 60 foot easement for a road, right?
' Olsen : Right .
Emmings : And does the City have the right to have this property owner
stay back 50 feet from that road easement or don ' t we?
Olsen : Technically it' s from right-of-way.
Dacy: We recommended the 50 foot setback because that' s what the Zoning
requires from a street. Sooner or later there will be a road traversing
that property.
Emmings : Lake Lucy. You' re talking about Lake Lucy or are you talking
about the road from the people behind?
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Planning Commission Meeting
August 17, 1988 - Page 4
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Dacy: Lake Lucy. The applicant is sayin g well , I want to move closer,
than he should be aware that if Lake Lucy Road comes through, his parking
and/or building may become non-conforming because they' re within that
setback.
Emmings : But once it' s there it' s there right?
Dacy: Right .
Emmings : It sounds to me like they want to change the site plan. Can we II
look at it now?
Conrad : You do want to change the site plan, is that what you' re saying? I
Bryan Pike: We' re not asking to make a major change but. . .
Conrad : But you do want to change the site plan?
Bryan Pike: Yes .
Conrad : Do you want to just have us table this until you can bring it
back?
Bryan Pike: If you think that that is . . . ,
Conrad: It' s sort of up to you. We'd like to see what you really want to '
take to City Council versus something that' s kind of well , we' re not sure
where this is. We'd really like to see the absolute final .
Bryan Pike : I don' t know how you all function but is it possible for us
to say we want to move it up here? We have our architect here to show you
exactly on the condition we could continue on and cover the other areas
that are mentioned in here that are talked about?
Conrad : Okay. If we find too many cases where we' re not seeing something
close to what ' s going to go to City Council, we will table it. If we find '
one or two that we think you can solve in two weeks with staff because we
think that there' s an agreement, then we don ' t need to see that final plan
that you ' re going to present but if you continue to add different issues ,
then we' ll table it and have you bring it back so we can see more.
Bryan Pike: Okay. There' s two other points that are in here and they are
conditions that we want to bring up. That is , we were wondering if we had
enough screening . It looked liked in the ordinance that the screening
that we have would be appropriate. If we ' re not, I don't have the species
of theses and we' re going to have to by and get them but we do have
screening that is in here. There is more actually than we show. We don ' t
show every tree that' s here. some of these are pretty good sized trees .
We had a picture up here that we could show you some of them. It said in
\_ the ordinance that if there was already existing , that that could be
considered as part of the screening. And we don' t have to screen for a
road that as we understand , this is the firmest that I 've heard about this
road. Each time I 've asked there' s always been the possibility that that
' Planning Commission Meeting
August 17, 1988 - Page 5
' road would never go through. If that road never goes through, then we' re
wasting a lot of space and effort. Okay. We have a picture of those
' shurbs . Is that a possibility? Do we need to put that extra screening up
is what our question is?
'
Emmings : What extra screening? Where does it say he has to have extra
screening?
Olsen: The ordinance requires that there be screening between the
vehicular area and the road right-of-way. There are some existing trees
out there .
' Emmings : But what I see here Jo Ann is it says they have to provide a
landscaping plan. Couldn' t they present that plan and if there' s adequate
screening , I supposed they wouldn' t have to do more. As I look at this,
all you' re being required to do right now is provide the landscaping plan.
You can put the existing vegetation on that and as long as they' re
satisfied.
Bryan Pike : Okay. So we submit that to you? That part?
Olsen: Yes. The only thing that doesn' t allow to count is . . .
' Bryan Pike : The only other thing was the paving. The paving of the
parking lot. We' re wondering if we can stay with gravel . It would be our
sincere desire and hope to put pavement out there because it'd be a lot
nicer but our budget right now, would not allow us to build the building .
It would be an additional $27 , 000. 00 to put that in right now and we ' re
trying to build a building and we ' re saying that in this area, we' re not
going to be disturbing anybody. Our traffic flow is definitely not the
traffic flow that' s right across the street in Minnewashta Park and that
is not paved. It' s all dirt so we' re wondering if that were doing .
' Conrad : We ' ll mull that through. Okay, Dave. You' re still on .
Headla: He' s got me really. . .across the street there. He' s right, that' s
all gravel . I was convinced he needed blacktop but he sited something
else. I ' ll pass .
' Conrad : Let me throw it back to Dave. In terms of the plan that ' s been
presented, do you want to see that back? Are you concerned that the plan
is going to be different? What ' s your feeling? Do you want that to come
back here or do you want to do it in conditions? Do you feel comfortable
with it as it is and let the City Council have at it Dave?
Headla: I think it was an interesting question that you asked and I want
' to throw it back to Barb and Jo Ann, are they comfortable with it? Are
they just a little ways away if they make the change? They've been so
involved with that . After we get done I 'd like to hear their opinion on
'�- that.
Conrad :
Jo Ann , what do you think?
1
Planning Commission Meeting
August 17 , 1988 - Page 6
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Olsen : That ' s the first I ' ve heard of it too and I would expect it to be
a major change. They' re changing all the parking area also.
Conrad : You would change the septic site too I would imagine.
Bryan Pike: The primary site.
1
Carey Lyons : My name is Carey Lyons , . . . the architects and we are
designing their structure. That would be the intent. To move the church
to this area to allow the primary septic site. To move to this area so
the church would not be required to go 350 feet and possibly pump to that
primary site because it would be a suitable site adjacent to it. There
would be some rearranging of parking and access to the building and there II
would be the relocation of that one site but beyond that I think we could
work with the staff to meet all your requirements and not hold the project
up.
Conrad: Let' s talk about this setback from a right-of-way. I guess I
still don't know what, if that is our standard, a 50 foot setback, it is a
standard?
Olsen : It' s from a dedicated right-of-way and this isn ' t a dedicated
right-of-way. 1
Conrad : It isn ' t a dedicated right-of-way.
Batzli : What section is that in? What section is that 50 foot setback? 1
Dacy: The rural , it ' s under the RR setback. It ' s 50 feet. It ' s more of
an issue for . . . 1
Batzli : Well , right-of-way is not defined in the Zoning Ordinance so I
doubt it' s right-of-way you' re talking about. 1
Olsen : It' s from the property line.
Batzli : Easement , on the other hand is and it' s either public or private
for what that ' s worth.
Dacy: Again, if it' s not 50, if it ' s below that , then the applicant is II taking his chances as to the non-conformity of the building in the future.
Conrad : And what is the risk to the City?
Dacy: As far as what?
Conrad : As far as allowing them to build within this setback area?
Dacy: At this point, none .
Olsen : They might end up with a church with barely a setback once the
street is in.
i
' Planning Commission Meeting
August 17, 1988 - Page 7
11( Conrad : So once the street goes in.
Olsen: You might have a church parking lot. . .
Dacy: And we don ' t know if they' re talking 40 feet or 30 feet or what so
' maybe it ' s an issue that we can resolve. I don' t know.
Bryan Pike : Do you build 60 foot roads through there? Is there not some
' extra space in there anyway?
Dacy: For a 60 foot roadway is a typical right-of-way for a street which
could accomodate two lanes of traffic and boulevard areas.
' Bryan Pike: So there is some extra space on both sides of the road then?
' Dacy: Yes , but that ' s not included in your setback calculation because
the right-of-way, that boulevard area may be used for installation of
utilities , pole lines, trails .
' Wildermuth : How close to the easement do you propose to place the
building?
ICarey Lyons : We don ' t know at this point. We just discussed the issue
1: this afternoon so we haven' t had a chance to analyze it to determine
exactly where it would best fit and allow that primary site to move up
' adjacent to the building.
Conrad : I 'm going to interrupt you . If they don' t know, I think we have
to table the issue until , if you' re talking a couple feet, I think we
' wouldn ' t mind it but if you don ' t know yet, I think we' ve got to have you
knowing. If you were here saying we are going to do it exactly this way,
I think we could probably pass something conditioned upon that kind of
' knowledge but if you don' t know yet, am I off base? I don' t want to
belabor a meeting when we are probably going to table it if they don ' t
know. I guess I 'm kind of uncomfortable.
Headla: I think it' s appropriate Ladd .
Emmings: The other issue is, if there ' s a strong likelihood that there ' s
' going to be the extension of Lake Lucy Road going through this property in
the future, I think they'd be foolish not to take it into account even if
they don ' t have to. We ought to make sure we know what our basis is for
' imposing it because I think there should be that setback from that
easement that we mentioned .
Batzli : I think we also have the basis to look at that since this is a
conditional use.
Conrad : So if you'd like to revise your plans , I think we could go ahead
tonight with the plans as you've presented and we could pass a favorable
motion but if you do want to change them, we will table this until you can
come back and tell us specifically what you want to do.
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Planning Commission Meeting
August 17 , 1988 - Page 8
Carey Lyons : I can understand your point and your stand and it ' s very
Y
easy to see that you feel that way but it ' s also, you should also
appreciate that if we' re allowed to build within that 50 and we just are
now made aware of it, why are we the only ones to be penalized?
Conrad : I just think you should know that what the Planning Commission' s ,
role is , is to take a look at as close to absolute plans as possible so we
can make right decisions . What you' re telling us is you' ve presented us ,
and through whatever reasons, I understand that you just found out some I
information this afternoon and I appreciate that and you can' t react in a
few minutes but on the other hand, our role here is to take a look at what
really is real . What really is being , what you want and so far , what
you' re saying is we want to change a lot of things. Parking lot .
Location of church . Septic systems and I think it ' s not appropriate for
us to say we agree because we don't know what you ' re talking about yet .
So we understand that you got new infomration and you certainly have the I
right to change whatever you've got but on the other hand, from our role,
I think it' s not appropriate for the Planning Commission to react to
something. Our charter is to react to something that' s being presented as I
actual and you don' t have that to us tonight .
Bryan Pike: How long of a delay are we. . .
Conrad : I think it' s a simple, straight forward. I guess it' s going to '
depend on where you want to locate the church. I think generally we would
ask staff if they really believe a road is going to go through there , I
think that' s what Mr. Emmings just said, if there is a road that we
anticipate that will be going in there , we' re probably going to hold you
to that 50 foot setback. I think what we challenge staff to do is say, is
that a real thing . If the road is kind of imaginary and we may never do
it from the City standpoint, then we take a look at that and say, gee if
we' re not convinced that it' s needed for Chanhassen , then we'd be able to
slip some of those maybe standards or regulations, whatever . But if they I
come back and say, yes we really believe to serve the neighborhood to the
east, there has to be a road there, then we' re probably going to uphold
pretty much the standards that we set . And I think it' s also to your
benefit.
Bryan Pike: I think Jo Ann has already stated that it isn' t something
that is legally, that the City can take. '
Emmings : That' s something we want to look into .
Batzli : I would disagree with it for one. I 'm just reading the Statutes . I
Emmings : I found a definition for right-of-way here.
Batzli : But it' s from, it' s a setback. If you go to setback, they define
it as roadway easement. Easement is both a public or private right .
Headla : But we haven' t adhered to that. '
' Planning Commission Meeting
August 17 , 1988 - Page 9
Batzli : I don ' t know what we' ve adhered to . I 'm just reading what g t the
Code says .
' Bryan Pike : What does that mean?
' Conrad : These are two lawyers , I don ' t know. Let' s try to resolve that
before the motion occurs. It means we don ' t, as lay people up here, we
don ' t understand what the law specifically commands us to do . As Planning
' Commissioners , we don' t know what' s right or wrong and we'd like the staff
to consult and tell us what is appropriate . So if we don' t have to
enforce the 50 foot, if you have full right to use that 50 feet, that' s
your perogative. We don' t know. We can ' t tell what our ordinance is
' telling us to do right now. Therefore, if we table it, we' re talking two
weeks . You' re two weeks further down the line. Is that right Jo Ann?
Can we sneak him on the next agenda?
Olsen: Sure.
Conrad : So we'd bring you back as soon as we can which is two weeks from
now so we' ll delay that. It may be to your benefit. On the other hand,
if you want to run with what we see, I think we can react to that. We
haven' t discussed bituminous. I think the other thing they deserve to
' hear though, a little bit of conversation on what we want to do with the
parking lot. Jim, what do you want to do with the parking lot? They
don' t want to pave it.
' Wildermuth: I think in view of the contours involved , it would be very
desirable to pave it.
' Batzli : I agree with Jim.
Emmings: I agree.
' Erhart : I agree .
' Conrad : I think the same. We' d like to see it paved . At least I think
you ' re taken care of on the landscaping. That looks clean to me. Paving
you' ve got to do probably. Based on what we ' re saying . City Council
disagrees with us occasionally. We get involved in setting precedent and
' things like that in terms of what the ordinance. It ' s hard for us to say,
well you don' t need to pave and we understand the financial considerations
that you' re under but when the next group comes in and says they don ' t
1 want to pave, we don' t always have rationale to say why you don' t need to
and why they should . So typically we uphold the ordinance because the
ordinance is driving a lot of our decisions here. What I 'm saying is
we' re looking at the ordinance. The City Council may have a different
' opinion.
Bryan Pike : Does the ordinance require it in that area?
' Olsen: For commercial , it states for any commercial or industrial uses or
similar uses like that , they must be paved . Concrete curb . It ' s in the
' parking section. It was staff ' s interpretation that the amount of traffic
Planning Commission Meeting
August 17 , 1988 - Page 10
on that parking area is similar to other uses that we have proposed in
rural areas where there' s a lot of traffic where it ' s going to be eroded .
Run off into wetland locations . 1
Bryan Pike: What I understand her to be saying is that it ' s her
interpretation of that ordinance.
Conrad : You persuade us that it' s not based on your interpretation of the
ordinance, I think you may have a chance because it doesn' t necessarily
say church. You could dig into it a little bit and say, based on our
interpretation on how we read it, we don ' t need to.
Bryan Pike: Would it be wrong for us to say go with this plan for tonight
and then present our change to the City Council? Is that wrong to do
that?
Olsen : Staff would recommend that it probably` be taken back to the
Planning Commission.
Bryan Pike : See , we' re pressed for building before fall . We' re in a I
situation where we' re meeting at 1: 00 in another church. We' re hoping to
get it up. If we have to break frost ground , we know that we' re not going
to be able to afford that.
Conrad : I suppose that ' s your right . It ' s not the process we like to
follow because typically we kind of like to clear the way for the City
Council so that when we say something regarding planning , they say yes . I
The planners. These lay people who think they' re kind of planning . They
agree with it. It makes sense but on the other hand , you have the right
to go in and say this is what was approved. Here' s another plan that was I
not approved and you potentially could present it to them. They
immediately, it' s a gamble on your part. They could table it and say send
it back to Planning Commission because they haven ' t reviewed it this way.
It' s a gamble. It would cost you an additional two weeks but it' s sort of I
up to you.
Batzli : Jo Ann, what is the likelihood that MnDot gives up an access
permit for the current arrangement of their driveway?
Olsen : I spoke with Evan Green and he sounded like that wouldn' t be much
of a problem.
Batzli : So with this condition, you probably wouldn' t have a change
approving it with them applying for the driveway access permit? They '
wouldn ' t have to change.
Olsen: Right.
Conrad : What do you want to do?
Bryan Pike : We don' t want to throw that political hot potato at the
Council .
Planning Commission Meeting
August 17 , 1988 - Page 11
Conrad : I 'm glad you' re doing that . I 'd prefer you to come back. Any
other comments on this one? I didn' t let you folks to my right talk about
this one a great deal , but anything else?
Emmings: I think I 'd look at the same thing that Bryan did. I think we
should make a motion to table it . We should also have the City Attorney
look at it and maybe Bryan could just outline what he ' s been scribbling
over there because I think we can impose the 50 foot easement but I think
we should get a legal opinion on that because that' s going to make it real
simple for them.
Batzli. moved , Emmings seconded that the Planning Commission table this
matter in order for the Westside Baptist Church to determine whether they
want to rearrange their site plan and also move that the staff has the
City Attorney review whether a 50 foot setback is required in the RR
district in this case and the setback is defined as a roadway easement.
The definition of easement includes both public and privately held rights .
All voted in favor and the motion carried.
Olsen: And just for the record, we did not have a current address for
them. I had to call somebody to get their reports to them. I 've talked
with them by phone.
Dacy: The point being that what he represented is not exactly true as to
when he received that report.
PUBLIC HEARING:
PRELIMINARY PLAT TO SUBDIVIDE 76 . 5 ACRES INTO TWO LOTS OF 66. 5 AND 10
ACRES ON PROPERTY ZONED A-2, AGRICULTURAL ESTATES, AND LOCATED AT 775 WEST
96TH STREET, TIM ERHART.
I I
1 Public Present :
Karen Hasse 630 West 96th Street
Jo Ann Olsen presented the staff report.
Conrad : It ' s hard for me to understand the 30 and 60 foot easement Jo
Ann. If you could graphicly help us .
Olsen : It' s in the rural area so any roadway easement right-of-way would
have to be 60 feet. We did obtain 30 feet when the Worm property came
through, the Jeurissen and Worm property so what we are requesting from
the applicant is the additional 30 feet that would be necessary to provide
us with the 60 foot and it would jog up. Typically you would want it to
' continue straight across . What we' re saying is that these properties , the
only time you can acquire that right-of-way easement is when the property
is platted and these two pieces of property can not be subdivided until
I
Planning Commission Meeting
August 17 , 1988 - Page 18
Dacy: That ' s correct . According to the UBC and their classification on
this building and it' s occupancy.
Batzli : I guess I 'd like to see the Public Safety Director take a look
both at what may or may not be stored within the sales building and also
what the water useage of this place will be during water shortages because
I assume they would be exempted from watering bans . I also had the same
concern about differentiating between outdoor sales and displays. I think
if we limit some applicants by specifying that they can ' t perform outdoor
sales rather than displays , we should be somewhat consistent.
Conrad : So you want the trees inside?
Batzli : No, I didn' t say that. They can display them all they want out
there but they' re not going to set up cash registers outside.
Emmings: Condition 4, I agree with the applicant ' s statement that, I
think we ought to do it now. We ought to look at this thing and figure
out what' s going to be adequate. Tell him he has to do it. I think it' s
always hard to go back a year later and tell him he' s got to do more.
Especially if his screening involves plants that aren' t going to have
grown to their full height in a year . I can see you want to leave the
door open a little bit but if that' s the case, if we' re going to leave
this in than I think it' s got to be rewritten because all it says is the
site will be reviewed in a year and it doesn' t say what you' ll do if you
deem it to be inadequate. If it ' s going to be left in, I changed it just
to read that the screening of the site shall be reviewed in one year and
if the City determines that the screening is not adequate, the applicant
shall be required to do additional screening. Make it say something . If
that ' s what you mean to say, then let' s say it that way but on the other I I
hand like I say, I 'd be inclined to say let' s evaluate the plan and then
just impose it now and take number 4 out all together .
Conrad: Let' s follow that up. What' s the concern that we don' t have the
right screening right now or what' s going to change in a year that we
can' t anticipate? Obviously we don' t know everything but what are you
thinking Barbara? ii
Dacy: I think maybe Steve described it the best as far as to leave the
door open to make sure that the greenhouse is screened. To make sure that
the display area is properly contained . What the applicant has suggested
is that instead of number 4 that you put in a condition that says the
conditional use permit shall be required prior to expansion of the use.
If you want to go the route of approving the plan with the conditions as
is and making it clear that if he wants to come back and expand the
conditional use permit is required at that time.
Emmings : Won' t that be the case anyway?
Dacy: Yes. I 'm just offering that just to make it clear .
Conrad : Restating what is required so the applicant understands .
II�
Planning Commission Meeting
' August 17, 1988 - Page 19
c
IN Emmings : Is it clear that , you mentioned Shorewood Nursery and I guess I
agree. This looks to me like that type of operation and I spend a lot of
' time over at Shorewood . . . As far as you mentioned that they have trucks
and a design business and so forth. It's kind of , almost a contractor ' s
yard type of use. This could not be used that way I take it?
Dacy: If it' s a contractor ' s yard, no.
Emmings : But let ' s say, if they do have trucks and Bobcats and so forth
for doing plantings, I 'm assuming that they can' t be parked there?
Dacy: That' s not what ' s being proposed , correct?
Jay Kronick: It' s not being proposed but I would ask the question, what
is the limit on the size truck that I might have? I propose a truck for a
vehicle, a small pick-up truck. Where do you wish to draw the line? I
' will need a forklift for my business . I don ' t anticipate needing a Bobcat
but if I decide to get into the landscaping contracter ' s business , I ' ll
move that operation off somewhere else where it' s suitable. This is a
' retail facility.
Emmings : What you' re asking me is what is the limit? I don' t know.
What is the limit? What would he be allowed to do here and not do?
Dacy: He ' s got to be able to do the things that he needs to do to move
the materials in and out. The vehicles that he has described are not
' vehicles that would be involved in a contracter ' s yard .
Jay Kronick: If I could add one thing, I anticipate the possibility of
' landscape contracter ' s bringing their trucks in and buying materials from
me or truck traffic would come into the site.
Emmings : I don ' t see any problem with that . And it' s clear that if you
' wanted to expand this onto this area that ' s marked future expansion , which
is the lot that' s in the IOP, anything you wanted to do over there, he'd
have to come back to the Planning Commission and the City Council?
Dacy: That' s correct .
Emmings : Now this is a big open field out here and what if he does use it
tfor storage? If he ever needs storage, it ' s going to be an obvious easy
place to go to put it.
' Dacy: Your conditional use permit is based on approval of this plan and
he' s only showing the display on the north and south side of the building
and that ' s all that would be permitted .
' Emmings: Okay. You went through this analysis with the traffic and you
came up with this 1, 100 ADT figure which you thought was real high. If it
were that high, would everything be adequate then? You could handle that?
' Dacy: It ' s hard for me not to say that because what there' s not out there
is any, trip generation analysis is different than a parking demand
Planning Commission Meeting
August 17, 1988 - Page 20 '
analysis and you could have trips coming in , staying for 5 minutes and
leaving . 18 parking spaces could be adequate for the length of stay. I
can ' t answer your question as to if 18 spaces is adequate for 1, 100 ADT.
Emmings : From what I observed, again over at Shorewood, I think it might
be adequate . If the use of this is going to be similar to what' s over at
Shorewood, I think it' s adequate. '
Dacy: Shorewood , I don' t think there' s even close to 18 spaces there.
It' s just a gravel driveway off the road and. . . '
Emmings : I don ' t think I ' ve ever seen 18 cars in there at one time. The
part that' s in the IOP, there' s no chance that could be broken off
separately or sold for some other use or something like that?
Dacy: It' s the applicant' s intent, he has bought the entire property. He
wants both sides for his use . They are separately described so he could ,
if he so chooses, to sell off the IOP parcel .
Emmings : If something like that would happen , would the setbacks be
appropriate?
Dacy: The ordinance would allow for a joint parking situation. Joint
parking lot situation and I think that would happen in this case.
Emmings : And the setbacks as far as the buildings are concerned would be
alright is that , for whatever reason would become a separate parcel? '
Dacy: In the IOP District , it' s 30 foot front setback and the side
setback is the same, so there' s no change there. The IOP parcel can
accomodate some type of small industrial office.
Emmings: Are we looking at the alteration permit now?
Conrad : We really haven' t .
Emmings : I like the fact that the staff report puts in the 12 points from II
the conditional use permit and analyzes this thing based on those 12
points. I think we ought to do that all the time. I think it ' s probably
a lot of work but I think it' s a real good approach to do that because it
really waxes it . You know exactly where you ' re coming from. I don ' t have
any qualms about the outside display but I think there' s something to be
said for being consistent in talking about the restricting of sales . I
don' t think this is similar to storing pop cans outside of a SuperAmerica
or even lawn mowers . . .
Erhart : The gate is intended for what , securing it at night?
Jay Kronick: Yes .
Erhart : So the gate ' s not part of the business during the operating '
hours?
Planning Commission Meeting
August 17 , 1988 - Page 21
Jay Kronick: It will be left open during the . . .
Erhart: Then there' s no fencing around. The gate is simply to prevent
people from using your parking lot at night? Okay, in the wintertime
what, you say you' re going to be open year round , what are you going to
sell?
Jay Kronick: Bird supplies . Food and feeders . Christmas in season.and February I 'm t'
y going to take a vacation. I would not want to
close off the option of operating year round but I may close for a few
weeks in the winter months .
Erhart : I assume you' re going to sell Christmas trees?
Jay Kronick: Yes .
Erhart : I think it ' s a good plan . I also wanted to comment on the format
of staff' s presentation. It' s really helpful to get this down.
Conrad : It is . The socket lighting . Do we have any problem with the
socket lighting? Is it soffit or socket?
Dacy: Soffit .
Conrad : What do we need to do in terms of the applicant ' s request
of the gravel road back through? q t for use
Dacy: I think that we could work with him on that . The only issue that I
want to resolve about having the general public using the road is only for
a liability standpoint and I 'm sure we can come to some type of agreement.
Either a yes or a no. It is agreed that the City will be constructing a
gravel road and we should look at the liability issues .
Conrad : I don' t know what to do with the screening issue with 4 . I don ' t
know how to define that . I think the applicant should know what we' re
thinking about and if we can' t define what we might be looking for ,
I guess my preference is to eliminate it although I do appreciate staff ' s
comments because we don' t really know what we' re doing in terms of
screening the whole site . We don' t know what it ' s really going to look
like until it goes up. But on the other hand, I don ' t know that you can
hang this over his head so whoever makes the motion , you ' ve got to deal
with condition 4. I think we need some clarification on condition 6
because I don ' t have a clue what that means .
Wildermuth: In reading Larry' s report, I understand what that ' s all
about . That ' s the sedimentation and dirt .
Conrad : The natural run-off from the garden center .
Wildermuth : This is strictly the sanitary sewer system. It ' s a real sand
trap to keep dirt from getting into the sanitary sewer system.
I
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Planning Commission Meeting
August 17 , 1988 - Page 34
li
I
comprehensive plan dictates just like everybody else .
Conrad: Any other discussion? Does anybody want to make a motion?
Erhart : I 'm willing to make a motion that we deny the approval of
Conditional Use Permit Request #88-11 as presented to us .
Headla : Second .
Emmings : Whatever we do we' re going to make sure we lay out our reasons? 1
Conrad: We' ll have to.
Erhart moved , Headla seconded that the Planning Commission recommend
denial of Conditional Use Permit Request #88-11. All voted in favor of
denial except Wildermuth and Batzli who opposed the motion and the motion
carried with a vote of 4 to 2. II
Conrad : The conditional use permit is not approved with a 4 to 2 vote. d
The reason Brian for your nay vote to turning it down?
Batzli : My reasoning is that I think we' ve got an ordinance on the books II
that we should stand by it. If we don' t like it, we amend it but I don' t
know that we really have valid reasons to turn this down. All and all I
thought it was a pretty good proposal . I had some concerns with it but
not enough at this point to reject it.
Wildermuth: I agree. We have a set of ordinances on the books and
basically it looks like a good proposal . It' s virtually in the middle of
a 40 acre parcel . It' s well screened from the highway. It would appear
to be appropriate use.
IIConrad : I 'd like to continue on and give the Council reasons for those of
us who voted against it. Tim, can you condense your feelings to a few
words? i
Erhart : Again, just an overall feeling that this is not compatible with a I
rural , really it' s become a low density residential area. I also am I I
swayed by a couple new points that were brought up and that it doesn ' t
even meet the intent I think of the original ordinance which was based on
having someone who lived at the site use their storage shed or garage.
This is not intended . . .at all . Essentially an office and warehouse
building . I think Dave made a great point on the potential pollution.
This is an area that' s particularly sensitive to pollution but moreover
it' s the incompatibility with the surrounding uses and what our overall I
intent of this area is. In both our ordinance and our Comp Plan.
Emmings : I essentially agree with Tim' s comments . I guess this is the
A-2 and this is not, although we do have an ordinance we have to deal I
with, this is not a permitted use. It ' s not a permitted accessory use,
it' s a conditional use which I think allows us to look at it much more
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Planning Commission Meeting
1 August 17, 1988 - Page 35
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carefully. As far as the standards themselves are concerned , it ' s clear
from reading the history and the approval of contractor ' s yards at all in
the A-2, that we intended to include those people who were living in the
rural area and this was sort of a secondary or accessory use of their
property rather than being the whole reason for developing the property as
this plan seems to be. The scale of this seems to be, to me, still too
' large. It would be more appropriate to an industrial area . I think the
traffic issue is an extremely important reason. The reference to the
traffic and as far as aesthetic compatibility, I think is standard 10.
With the types of developments that are going on in the Bluff, and just
with the general nature of the river valley itself, I don' t think this is
aesthetically compatible.
' Conrad : My comments, I think the applicant did a very nice job of working
with staff and presenting a good plan and working issues out. I commend
him for that. I feel that I have two concerns in terms of traffic
problems on TH 212. In terms of the potential` pollution problem down
there which may be worked out . However it ' s still , based on my comments
before, I feel that it' s a greater intensity of use than I anticipated
' that we could allow in a contractor ' s yard . I felt that contractor ' s
yards should be a secondary use to that site and commercial businesses
should go to our industrial areas .
Ii Headla : I agree with you Ladd . It ' s a very good proposal and I think
they tried hard but if I look at the year 2000 and think of the way it' s
going to expand and the number of spills that are going to happen and I 'm
not saying the people aren' t trying diligently. You just don' t control
things 100% . Then the petroleum products that go into the soil and into
the water system, the whole area ' s affected. That really could go over a
large area .
PUBLIC HEARING:
ZONING ORDINANCE AMENDMENT TO AMEND SECTIONS 20-572 AND 20-574 OF THE CITY
CODE CONCERNING PERMITTED AND CONDITIONAL USES IN THE A-2, AGRICULTURAL
ESTATE DISTRICT, CITY OF CHANHASSEN.
' Public Present :
Name Address
J. Hallgren 6860 Minnewashta
David Stockdale 7210 Galpin Blvd .
Diane Weeks
Emmings : Could I ask a question? Are we going to go through these one by
one and vote on every one?
Conrad : I think we have to set direction.
Emmings: Can we get done with one at a time?
Planning Commission Meeting
August 17 , 1988 - Page 36 '
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Dacy: Most of the people in the public are here for the contractor ' s yard II
issue. This is a public hearing. We had intended on some of these that
you could take action on. '
Emmings: What are they?
Dacy: This is a Zoning Ordinance Amendment . '
Emmings: Yes, so we are going to make a motion whether each one is
approved . '
Dacy: Yes , either approved or leave as is or recommend for further study.
Conrad: I suppose we could approve them. I guess my comment reflects , '
they are conditional use permits and I don' t see the conditions . If
they' re going to be conditional , I don' t know what the conditions are yet
and therefore I was having a tough time approving any of these tonight . ,
Erhart: I think what Barb said, there were some that are pretty straight
forward . '
Emmings : If we' re eliminating things, that ' s no problem. We can approve
them with recommendations that staff bring them back.
Olsen : And the ones that we ' re recommending to add already have
conditions. Just generally, what' s been suggested is to eliminate
contractor ' s yards, bed and breakfast and mineral extraction from the A-2
District and then to add temporary retail nurseries , churches ,
recreational beachlots , golf courses, group homes for 7 to 16 persons and
public buildings to the A-2. I ' ll go through the first three that we ' re
recommending be eliminated . The first one is contractor ' s yards . As Tim
Erhart has presented, it was first, the ordinance was a condition to allow
for the existing contractor ' s yards in the rural districts . Staff has
gone through some of what would happen if we do remove the contractor ' s
yards so we agreed that they are coming in each time and not necessarily
the whole business that they' re accomodating on the side. We do hesitate
eliminating it from the A-2 district just because then all those existing II
uses that do have a conditional use would become non-conforming .
Conrad : And so what?
Olsen : They can not increase their size but if they burnt down or if they
Y
closed down for one year, they could not rebuild.
Conrad : That has nothing to do with regulation. Being able to regulate. I
So they become non-conforming, it doesn' t restrict our ability to be
managing these yards in any degree? ,
Olsen: No.
Conrad : In applying the conditions that we had on? I know that staff has
never liked non-conforming uses . In this particular case, it sure looks I
Planning Commission Meeting
August 17 , 1988 - Page 37
11(7
like it ' s a good alternative. I don ' t know why staff doesn ' t like non-
conforming.
' Olsen : First of all , it seems like the intent of the whole ordinance in
the first place was to make them so they were no longer non-conforming .
Currently they are a conditional use which has specific conditions that
' you can eliminate those specific conditions from the ordinance. With
specific conditions to each site , with that conditional use we don' t know
if that' s . . .
Emmings : Wouldn' t they be grandfathered? This is , that would have no
regulation on them whatsoever?
Olsen : That ' s what I think .
Conrad : I would think that their uses would be frozen.
' Olsen: They can' t expand but whether or not. . .
' Emmings : But you have no right to. . . if you can ' t impose the conditions we
have.
Conrad : There is something to that and I think that is why staff has
always told us to make them conditional so you have the regulations
because when they' re non-conforming you lose control .
Emmings : Because we had all those people coming in for conditional use
permits at the time because we wanted to give them some control .
' Batzli : What would happen if we made another condition that it be a
secondary use?
Olsen : That was one of staff ' s recommendations . Instead of eliminating
' them completely, is to come up with more strict conditions and what we
were trying to define is that they must be an accessory use.
' Erhart: I think we have to find out specifically the answer to that
question is to what happens if the current use is conforming and we make
it non-conforming so specifically what happens?
Olsen : Most of the conditions are those standard conditions that we would
use.
Conrad : Are you totally confident of what you just said?
Olsen: The standard is , yes .
' Batzli : What ' s the gentleman ' s name that runs the excavating business?
Emmings: Lowell Carlson.
Batzli : Isn ' t he a non-conforming use?
I
II
Planning Commission Meeting II August 17 , 1988 - Page 38
Emmings : No . He never came in for a conditional use permit. He' s still II
non-conforming.
Batzli : We' ve never actually imposed our conditional use? I
Emmings : We haven' t been able to because he' s been. . .
IIOlsen : Evasive.
Emmings : He didn' t have to apply for a conditional use permit. He was II grandfathered in.
Headla : He keeps expanding .
II
Olsen : We do have a difficult time controlling that and enforcing . . .
Conrad: Let' s continue on with your staff report but I just wanted to
II
raise that issue.
Olsen : Just a few specific conditions that we added with that conditional II
use permit. I think that if you eliminate it as a conditional use
permit. . . The standard conditions of the ordinance would no longer be
enforceable because it is something that is recorded with the County. In II
summary, we would rather not have them non-conforming uses . We would
still have some control but it just appears that the conditions that we do
have now are allowing uses that contractor ' s yards maybe aren ' t
appropriate.
II
Conrad : I don' t know how we' re going to hold a public hearing on this
tonight if we keep opening them up and closing them down on each issue. II I guess I 'd like to hear the public ' s comments if they do have any on this
particular subject. We' ll run this real loose. I 'd just like to open it
up. I 'd just like to open it up once and close it once on this whole
issue and get their comments as we hit different items rather than opening II
up for each item. Are there any comments on this particular aspect of
contractor 's yards that anybody would like to bring up?
Diane Weeks : I just hate to see you eliminate contractor ' s yards as a I
conditional use. There are many that are very good and I think. . . take
away those as a conditional use, therefore. . . It just doesn ' t seem like a
responsible thing for a governing body to intentially make a property non-
conforming . It seems like. . . intentionally the 15 properties
non-conforming. Up to a few years ago we went through all the hoops and
made all the applications and did everything you told us to do . We' re
II
meeting all the conditions as far as us personally concerned . . .
Dave Stockdale : I live on Galpin Blvd . . I applied for a conditional use II
permit a few years back and prior to the buying the land I purchased the
property, I put my own business out there. . . Right now I 'm enjoying raw
land. We applied for a conditional use permit identical to what was
approved a few years back and similar to the . . . What I saw denied earlier II
is the way our . . . the conditions for denial . . .conditional use permit .
II
Planning Commission Meeting
August 17, 1988 - Page 39
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IDiane Weeks : I just wanted to make. . . If we happen to have a fire or
something would happen. . .we would if we' re non-conforming but we' re still
living on that property. . .
Conrad : What do we want to do on contractor ' s yards right now. Which
direction do we want to set?
' Erhart: Is that true if they burn down that your use is eliminated?
' Dacy: The way the ordinance reads is that no non-conforming use building
or structure except single family dwelling which has been damaged by fire,
explosion, flood, act of God or other calamities to the extent of more
' than 50% of it ' s assessed market value may be restored.
Erhart: Okay, that' s the building and structure.
Dacy: No , it says non-conforming use , building or structure.
Erhart: How do you rebuild a use?
Dacy: The use of having the contractor ' s yard use. Storage of vehicles.
Erhart: Whether or not a contractor ' s yard, the garage or shed burns down
IN: in the A-2 area . . . I agree, we wouldn ' t want to find ourselves in the
situation where a garage burned down and that business . . . I think we' ve
got to be careful to set up that situation. That wouldn ' t be fair .
Dacy: It' s still a use but if the primary use of the garage is to house
those vehicles , what would happen is that the assessed market value of
' that use would have to be determined . . .
Erhart : Whether or not you ' re a contractor ' s yard , it means you would
have to have a garage . . .
Dacy: Correct . If it ' s a garage for your personal vehicles and it burns
down, you can' t rebuild it because of outside parking.
Conrad : Just opinions on what direction you'd like to go . We can vote on
something if we so desire or we can just set a direction for staff on this
issue .
Erhart :
I ' ll give you my comments here. I don' t have any problem, I have
two contractor 's yards on West 96th Street where I live. For the most
' part they' re not a problem the way they are and I don ' t think those
necessarily are so much the concern however I do want to point out that
there is problems with those 10. . . It really comes from, the buildings are
very nice but it comes from the outdoor storage. That ' s the problem with
the Lowell Carlson property. We' ve had some problems in our area with
outdoor storage that tends to accumulate and I think what I 'm trying to
get to here is that i think we can adequately regulate and find a way to
' work with the existing contractor ' s yards and yet basically place a
message that the City is growing. This is becoming more and more of a
residential area and that at some point here, or this is a good point to
•
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Planning Commission Meeting
August 17 , 1988 - Page 40
quit expanding that use. The way we have it now, although you might say
that because of the 1 mile radius thing , the thing is , you can get one of
those guys quit and then another guy like the application we say today and '
I think it' s a good time to just basically make it non-conforming and quit
the expansion of that use . I think there are too many problems . I 'm not
suggesting problems in my area or that the people here cause the problems
but I 'm looking 20 years ahead . It' s difficult to define what it' s like ' .
on the south today is on one end of the spectrum. I know Ronnie has got a
nice brand new house and everything and it' s fairly clean and how do you
define that? I think it ' s a timing thing and I think it ' s time that we do II
what Eden Prairie some years ago and say that we are now going to protect
our low density residential rural areas because there are so many people
living out here now and we' re going to make contractor ' s yards non-
conforming. The option to that is , just make it more strict. I guess I 'd
be agreeable to that too . Obviously I think we all agree that we have to
do something but instead of looking at just making it the primary use
being their residence, make it a condition that too, I think we should try
to eliminate outside storage.
Emmings : I would not be in support of making contractor ' s yards non-
conforming
uses. I think it would be better to have a set of standards.
Maybe they should be more strict but have a set of standards that we' re
comfortable with and rely on those standards and the general conditional
use standards to prove or set restrictions on contractor ' s yards. I think
it 's much better to have, it seems to me what was going on when, or it ' s
obvious that ' s what was going on when this contractor ' s yard was made
conditional uses was to start to get some control over them to keep them I
from expanding . Keep them becoming problems and if we turn them into non-
conforming uses, I think we' ll have them of all coming back again and we
can ' t get rid of the ones that are here. We don ' t have to make more. I 'm II
particularly concerned with the scale of the one we looked at tonight so I
think as a matter of theory, I think it' s better to have good standards
and I would recommend that we'd better spend working on those standards so
we' re comfortable with them and so that they work rather than giving up on
them.
Batzli : I agree with most of Steve' s comments . That' s not to say that if I
there was a way to eliminate them in the A-2 district, which we would run
into the non-conforming problem, I would be in favor of that as well but
it doesn' t look like it' s going to go that way so I would recommend trying
to consider a new set of standards where we would be insuring that it ' s a
secondary or accessory use. You' re going to run into problems such as
this gentleman that has split off the land running into the same problem
Tim had trying to get a mortgage. He' s going to try and get a
contractor ' s yard with this other parcel of land , it' s going to have to be II
office definition of an accessory use if it' s on an adjacent parcel .
Wildermuth : I agree. It sounds like we need to change our regulations '
rather than a straight outlawing of contractor ' s yards in the A-2
districts .
Headla : I feel we should have a contractor ' s yard but the conditions that
Steve mentioned, I think we ought to look at. One of the things I think
Planning Commission Meeting
August 17, 1988 - Page 41
' that we really want to control is the size. That' s one of the main
things , if we can control that we can control a lot of the problems .
Conrad : I agree with your comments . Let ' s direct staff to take a look at
some of those conditions that may give us a little bit more control in
terms of size. What else besides size are we looking at?
Headla: I think the type of equipment. When you start bringing in these
great big diesel tankers and burning diesel oil .
' Conrad: So that from an environmental standpoint, the equipment type may
be appropriate. The amount of outside storage.
Dacy: Employees .
Conrad : Number of employees .
' Batzli : Can we make it a different setback from wetland areas?
' Wildermuth: How about trucks to and from the site?
Dacy: Vehicles would be the best way.
11( Conrad: Take a look at accessory use, secondary use versus primary use.
Headla : Let me just make the comment on traffic . Lowell Carlson has
several vehicles and they' re going up and down but I don' t think it' s
wrong . I think it' s appropriate. I don ' t have a problem with his
vehicles going back and forth. It' s the other huge trucks go up and down
the parkway. . .so vehicle useage like that for like a ma and pa operation,
let them have it.
Erhart : Can I ask Ron, how many vehicles do you have. . . in your operation?
' Ron: Two trucks .
' Erhart : You' ve got what , two besides your personal vehicles you ' ve got
three trucks?
Emmings : When we approve these as a conditional use, do we record that
information at that time? The number and type of vehicles that are going
to be used and keep that information here so we always know that?
' Conrad : Intensification is something we' ve never been able to deal with
either . It can border on being unfair . We can freeze the use that
whatever you apply for, that' s what you get but on the other hand, in the
1 cases where intensifi.cation . . .and that' s why it ' s a conditional use but we
still have a hard time measuring the real impact .
Emmings : But on the other hand , if you see someone coming in with a plan
and they' ve got a building and they' re going to put all their vehicles are
going to be inside and their outside storage is going to be minimal and
they' ve made provisions for screening and so forth so it can not be seen,
Planning Commission Meeting
August 17, 1988 - Page 42 1
what do we care? I don' t know. That doesn' t bother me.
Conrad: Anything else on this? Okay, does that kind of give you some
feel?
Diane Weeks : I was just wondering , you' re talking about . . .and people
coming in . . . '
Conrad : Yes there are . Not on yours but on other contractor ' s yards and
there are cases where they are poorly maintained. There are abuses and we
hear about the abuses at different times during the year . I think what
Chanhassen has tried to do is accomodate a limited scale use of property
because we' ve always thought it was fair to do that. The primary intent II was, at least my philosophy has always been, if somebody else had property
and they had some work that ' s associated , they should be able to work off
of that property. That seems right to me. Tonight we saw something where
it was obviously a larger scale . That ' s just big and all of a sudden we
get a little bit nervous I think, or I am when I see something like that
but going back to your question , there are abuses in contractor ' s yards .
There are traffic patterns that the neighbors just complain about. We
tell contractor ' s you' ve got to use certain road access and if they have a
lot of trucks going to that location, those different truckers don' t
always take the preferred highway pattern so you create traffic patterns
that maybe you prefer not to and then the neighbors come in and complain
so it ' s not consistent and it all depends on the scale and nature of the
operation. The other reality is, Chanhassen is growing and neighbors are
moving . Whether we want them or not , people are moving into Chanhassen .
We' re trying as a Planning Commission, trying to figure out where that
puts us . Let everybody use their property fairly but also be realistic
and say there' s growth out here and somehow we have to anticipate what' s
going to happen when those people reach us .
Emmings : Maybe some things that we can look at are setbacks for storage .
Another thing that I 'm wondering , you just brought it to mind , have we
approved any contractor ' s yards under the standards that we presently
have?
Dacy: The Admiral Waste application and when they went through the '
ordinance. . . before all these folks came through the process . . .
Emmings : Except Lowell . I guess my question is this . As far as ,
complaints that we get, if any, do we keep track of those by the way?
Dacy: Yes . Since we' ve had the Code Enforcement officer . '
Emmings : Do we have any ability if we get complaints about one particular
contractor ' s yard, do we have any way, I supposed if he' s violating your
standards then you use your enforcement but if it ' s not violating some
condition of the permit, then there 's nothing you can do about it?
Dacy: If the complaint is valid and if they are violating any ordinance
requirements or permit conditions . It depends on what they' re complaining
about and what actually is occurring .
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' Planning Commission Meeting
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Emmings : It would seem to me that the types of complaints that are coming
in, all ought to be constructive to us as to what kind of conditions we
should be imposing I guess is what I 'm trying to say.
1 Erhart: Your thing is, I 'd like to tie down the actual use a little more
specifically. One thing right now where we ' re using it for actual
contractor ' s yard, landscape contractor , building contractor but when you
talk about these garbage trucks under contractor ' s yard , I think we ought
1 to tighten that up. Basically let' s talk about people who run their
businesses out of their garages or storage sheds .
' Conrad: Next item. Bed and Breakfast.
Olsen : Bed and breakfast . When this ordinance was amended , we researched
bed and breakfast quite a bit and we came up with specific conditions that
' we feel will allow bed and breakfast to be compatible in the A-2 district .
We feel it should be maintained as a conditional use in the A-2 district.
Erhart: The reason why I brought these to your attention is because I do
not have strong feelings one way or the other on the rest of them but I
started writing up a philosophy of the A-2 district and these got brought
1 in so don' t feel that on the rest of the issues that I have no strong
feelings one way or the other . I 'm not against bed and breakfast
establishments .
Conrad : Does anybody want to eliminate bed and breakfasts from the A-2?
I guess the 5 rooms is really arbitrary. I guess I could go along with
the 5 rooms but there are great bed and breakfasts with 7 rooms. I think
' it' s just an arbitrary number. If somebody came in here and had a use
with 7 rooms , I would be ready to change it on the spot. That' s my only
comment. It' s just as good as any other number.
' Batzli : I like 5. I hate to disagree but 5 is a great number for a bed
and breakfast and I would hold firm. I ' ve been in a lot of bed and
breakfast in my day and 7 , they don' t cut it . You want the small homey
feeling of a bed and breakfast. Not this large bussling hotel of 7 rooms .
Erhart : Can I come in at my house and make that into a bed and breakfast?
' Dacy: As a conditional use.
Erhart : Is it the intent of the bed and breakfast to use old homes or
' just. . .
Emmings : That ' s what typically is built.
1 Erhart: We' re not . . . to build a motel out there?
I(— Dacy: If it' s owner occupied .
Emmings : What are you thinking?
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Planning Commission Meeting
August 17, 1988 - Page 44
Erhart : I just bring it up.
Batzli : I 'm being slightly facetious when I say hold the line at 5 rooms II
but I 'm envisioning this small owner occupied type place. My only
experience with them is overseas and they' re really neat and you get to
meet people along the way. I don' t envision trying to let people build
hotels in the A-2 district.
Emmings: Maybe it ' s the place to put a little intent statement .
Conrad : You don' t want to turn the asssumption seminary into a bed and
breakfast? Something like that would be really intriguing for me and I
don ' t know how we justify it but it was a case where it might be an
interesting use down there. I would like to do something totally out of
the ordinary right now and ask if there are any other comments from the
public on any of the items . Is there a motion to close the public
hearing? ,
Erhart moved , Wildermuth seconded to close the public hearing . All voted II
in favor and the motion carried. The public hearing was closed .
Conrad : Let' s run with the bed and breakfast and let ' s keep it in there .
There' s mineral extraction.
Olsen : We' re saying if you want to remove it, we should study it further
to see what impacts it would have. I
Conrad : Should we direct staff to study it further?
Erhart: Yes, I think so. I have a concern about mineral extraction. '
Conrad : I don ' t know how much study you want to put into this . It
doesn' t seem like it' s worthy of a whole lot of time. 1
Wildermuth : Especially with only one site in the City.
Conrad: I 'm not in favor of mineral extraction. I see no benefit to
Chanhassen but I guess I would like to have staff take a look at it and
say is there any. . . ,
Olsen : We just have to work out . . .
Erhart : Barb , we had a question here while you were out and that was, if
we were to eliminate contractor 's yards or let 's say mineral extraction
and they are now under regulations of a conditional use permit with a
number of conditions, do we lose that ability to enforce those conditions
once we eliminate them from the ordinance?
Dacy: No and I ' ll confirm that with the City Attorney but I would say the
opposite . Yes , we would be able to enforce the conditions of their
original approval . The non-conforming status really protects the City
from the use from expanding . For us not to be able to enforce the
' Planning Commission Meeting
August 17, 1988 - Page 45
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Iconditions of approval , then they can go hog wild .
' Emmings: Yes , but you know what you' ve done there. I guess what you've
just said is , we can pass an ordinance and drop all your non-conforming
uses to come in and get conditional use permits so we can impose
conditions on you and then we ' re going to jerk out your conditional use
' permit and make you non-conforming uses so that they can' t expand or if
you' re destroyed , and by God , I ' ll tell you, I 'd be willing to take over a
lawsuit against the City. That'd be a dirty trick.
1 Erhart : You' ve got one of those guys as non-conforming anyway because
they' re not . . .and none of them have 5 acres so they' re non-conforming
' anyway.
Emmings : Well , how would they get permits?
' Dacy: Because the 5 acre standard and all those other standards weren' t
passed until 1987 .
' Erhart : Okay, is anybody prepared just to eliminate mineral extractions
tonight? I vote just to eliminate them.
Olsen : There may be other issues .
lk: Headla : What happens if I want to clean up my barnyard with a Bobcat? Am
I supposed to get a permit for that? I see you talk about grading in
' here . I come through with a Bobcat and I scrape my barnyard . Farmers
scrape their fields . Where do you draw the line on grading?
Dacy: That ' s part of the reason why we' re saying we prefer to study it.
Headla: Okay, I agree.
' Batzli : Is mineral soil?
Dacy: Yes .
' Conrad : Okay, look into that more .
' Olsen : Temporary retail nurseries . Number one , we can ' t really control a
temporary use and we just feel that retail nurseries is too intense a use
in the A-2 district .
' Conrad : But we could allow it temporarily. How could we do this? How
could we accomodate a farmer who wants to sell produce on their land
' during the selling season?
Erhart : I know you' re not going to vote for this but I keep coming across
this idea that you can make a temporary use. I looked back in the Minutes
again and I read , in 1981 a permit was issued and I can ' t figure out under
what section of the ordinance but we issues a permit in 1971 for a 5 year
conditional use permit. Now isn ' t that a temporary permit?
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Planning Commission Meeting
August 17, 1988 - Page 46 I
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Dacy: That' s illegal .
Emmings : We got a letter from our Attorney that says it ' s illegal . II
Conrad: I really like that idea. You've got 3 years.
Emmings : And that ' s what they' re asking for . You say give me 3 years . II
Why can ' t we enforce that?
Erhart : Our Attorney. I guess the one that hit me was the fellow who now II
is downtown so I think it all worked out. His initial proposal was to put
a retail nursery out in our , actually it was our RR district. I just felt II
it was sort of ridiculous. Given that we could give this guy a temporary
permit, if we could enforce this temporary, it made good sense to take TH
101 or TH 5 and allow them to put a temporary use. That was my only
thought .
I
Dacy: What Roger is coming back and saying is that State Statute says
that if it runs with the land, then the property owner has realized a II certain amount of investment of that use and on the land . For the City to
come back 3 or 5 years later , even though he may have agreed to that
condition and come back and say, no you can ' t do it anymore, Roger was
saying that the City is on shaky ground because the temporary nature of it II
is not really valid . He has made a solid investment in that land .
Emmings : Under the conditional use section it says that they are not '
personal but run with the land . So you throw that into that calculation
and that makes it, that' s the problem but if you couldn' t make them
personal , what if we had some way to give a certain individual the right
II
to do something on a piece of land for a certain period of time? Don' t
call it a conditional use permit . Call it something else . Call it a
license.
Dacy: You can ' t avoid that though. It ' s either permitted , accessory II
or . . .
Emmings : No . If it' s a conditional use , why can ' t there be a license? I
Dacy: Even if it ' s a license for a business , that use still has to II conform with the Zoning Ordinance. We just can ' t establish another set . . .
Headla: Why can' t we ask him to post a bond that he' s going to get out
after x number of months?
I
Dacy: It' s still the same issue.
Headla : Yes , but if you' ve got the money in hand , he ' s got a little more II
incentive.
{
Dacy: But still requiring them to leave within a certain amount of time,
with or without money, what the Attorney is saying is that ' s not I
consistent with State law.
II
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Planning Commission Meeting
August 17 , 1988 - Page 49
Erhart : And we allow them in the A-1? That ' s my argument for
recommending is if we allow them in the A-1, why wouldn ' t we allow them in
the A-2?
Olsen : It was always the intention.
Conrad: Yes , it should be. Public buildings. Any feelings on that?
Erhart : Same thing . It ' s allowed in the A-1.
Conrad: Going back to group homes. Do we have conditions for the A-1?
Olsen : They have to be a mile. . .
Conrad : Anyway,- I think that takes us through it. I think the things we
could, do you want to handle all these collectively? We could make a
motion that dealt with beachlots .
Olsen: I have a recommendation that covers this .
Erhart moved , Headla seconded that the Planning Commission recommend
adding churches , recreational beachlots and group homes for 7 to 16
persons as conditional uses in the A-2 District. All voted in favor and
the motion carried .
APPROVAL OF MINUTES : Erhart moved , Emmings seconded to approve the
Minutes of the Planning Commission meeting dated August 3 , 1988 as
presented . All voted in favor except Batzli who abstained and the motion
carried .
OPEN DISCUSSION:
Erhart : Barb and I talked about the last meeting on this TH 101 thing .
I think I sort of spoke on behalf of the Planning Commission a little bit
on indicating that we were all concerned , we felt that issue was important
to try and resolve this TH 101 thing . . .
Emmings : What' s the status right now?
Dacy: It ' s going to Council Monday night. Pursuant to the Planning
Commission ' s direction, we are investigating other options beyond the
north and the south leg. We met with MnDot today to try and determine
some type of understanding of schedule so depending on which options is
chosen, we wouldn' t lose TH 5 as proposed so we' re hopeful but cautious .
Batzli moved , Wildermuth seconded to adjourn the meeting . All voted in
favor and the motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 11: 15 p .m. .
Submitted by Barbara Dacy, City Planner
Prepared by Nann Opheim
Planning Commission Meeting
August 17 , 1988 - Page 47
Conrad : . . . It seems like if you want to make an investment and build this
structure and you know that it has to comply or it has to cease after 5,
that doesn ' t seem like an unfair thing and I don ' t understand that .
Erhart: Especially if you' re going to deny it. You can deny it entirely
and it would seem to me you could allow. . .
Emmings: There' s a conflict here too that someday might be a problem but
a nursery is defined as an enterprise which conducts retail and wholesale
sale of plants grown on the site. That could be an agricultural use or
nursery as accessory and directly related to the care and maintenance. It
doesn' t say anything about. . .
Conrad : Okay, churches . Add churches . Anybody against churches?
Anybody concerned with the recreational beachlots?
Batzli : I guess backing up to the churches for one moment, I am really
disappointed that this church who has that interceptor line running 10
feet outside their door can ' t hook up to it . They' re 150 feet or whatever
away from a Class A wetlands. The perfect time to do it and there' s so
much red tape around here , they can ' t hook up. It amazes me.
Conrad : That' s just the way it is. You sign a contract and you sign
stuff and you have to live up to it.
Batzli : It ' s like that guy last time who instead of fighting City Hall
moved out of Plymouth to Chan only to find that we were just as bad as
Plymouth .
Emmings : Golf courses are okay?
Conrad : Staff is looking for direction. Keep them small or make them
big? I don' t care if they' re big or small . What do we care?
Batzli : For instance , the Lafayette Club. Let' s look at that . Small 9
hole golf course. Residential all around it. Now obviously it' s got the
lake as a huge buffer and a railroad tracks running right behind it but a
place like that, I don' t know. I guess I would call a City like
Minnetonka Beach or wherever the heck they' re located in and ask if
there' s complaints about a big club like that on a small piece of land
because they have functions continuously. Wedding receptions and
everything else.
Headla : It isn ' t that easy access to it either .
Batzli : I was trying to think of other ones that were big that have a lot
of receptions or not so big actually that were built up around , for
instance, Minnetonka Country Club. Are they in Shorewood?
Emmings : Yes .
Planning Commission Meeting
August 17 , 1988 - Page 48
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Batzli : Fairly close to residential on the one side and they just go
right over the 10th fairway to residential .
Emmings : In Hopkins, Oak Ridge has houses on two sides of it.
Erhart: It gets back to this non-conforming thing. We have a golf course
in our City and we make it non-conforming . It ' s a resource there that' s
not well done but I think it' s starting to get to a point where it' s
starting to come along . I 'd like to see us encourage that place to grow
into a real asset. Right now they can' t grow.
Emmings : You' re seeing housing developments now where they' re being
advertised as built around golf courses .
Erhart : Look at the one in Victoria .
Batzli : What' s the one in Eden Prairie?
Conrad : Edenvale .
Batzli : Condos built all the way around it.
Erhart: They' re doing one out here in Victoria. The golf course is part
of the subdivision .
Conrad : But here you recommended that it be a conditional use in the A-2.
Erhart: What was the option, a permitted use?
Conrad : Yes . It probably should be conditional . I think just the shoe
size and the fact . . .
Olsen : And in the unsewered area too .
Batzli : I think that was our initial concern when we talked about it was
because if we do make it a large facility and they have a lot of
receptions and all that kind of thing there, and it is unsewered, what
kind of problems are we going to run into?
Conrad : We' re saying to staff on this one, we think a big golf course and
clubhouse is acceptable . Are we not saying that? What we' re now looking
are their conditions that we might want to hold up. Group homes .
Emmings : I don' t know much about group homes .
Batzli : I don' t have any idea what a group home is .
Olsen : We have a definition of one.
Dacy: We have one now on the north side of TH 5.
Headla : The old Harold Vender farm.