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1987 12 16 CHANHASSEN PLANNING COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING 4ItDECEMBER 16, 1987 Chairman Conrad called the meeting to order. MEMBERS PRESENT: Howard Noziska, David Headla, Ladd Conrad, Steven Emmings, Tim Erhart MEMBERS ABSENT: Robert Siegel and James Wildermuth STAFF PRESENT: Barbara Dacy and Jo Ann Olsen APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Noziska moved, Conrad seconded to approve the Minutes o~the Planning Commission Meeting dated November 18, 1987. All voted in favor except Headla and Emmings who abstained. COMMISSIONER INTERVIEWS: NANCY MANCINO Conrad: Basically if you could summarize for us real quickly, what you put down on that application form. Your background. What you do and anything that you feel is relevant for us to hear. Nancy Mancino: I'm originally from Ohio. I went to a small college there and moved to Minneapolis in 1970. Taught in the Bloomington school districts for 6 years as an elementary school ~teacher. Have taught grades 1 through 6. At that particular time, "'due to decreasing enrollment, they were letting teachers go so I took some time off. I took a sabbatical or a leave of absence for a year and got into the advertising community which was a big switch. My husband and I started a prop and special effects company in the late 1970's which I have taken over and have been heading. We do props and special effects for Golden Plump Chicken, Perkins, Dairy Queen, all sorts of national accounts. That's what I've been doing for the last 10 years. Conrad: Second, why are you interested in the Planning Commission versus something else that you would donate your time to in the City? Nancy Mancino: I'm interested in getting involved in Chanhassen, the community. No other committee suggested itself to me. I have been before the Planning Commission a couple of times and it seemed like a good way to learn more about my community and to get involved and to help di rect it. Conrad: We try occur What's The Planning Commission plans. That's what we're here to do. to figure out how growth occurs. Where it occurs. What should at different locations. What do you think about Chanhassen? your philosophy on Chanhassen's growth? Nancy Mancino: First of all, I think the reason why there are so many applications for the Planning Commission is that it's at a critical _time. Everybody just feels that. As you go down TH 5 and as we see the neighborhoods going up around, everyone who has been here for the Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 2 e last 3 or 4 years is saying wow, look what's happening. Not so much do I like what's happening as what it looks like is happening. All the things that are going to be corning up in the next 5 to 10 years. Not only traffic but where housing will be. Where the commercial areas will be and it's starting to just really show itself physically. What I have seen so far, I have liked. I have liked seeing where the commercial is. Where it's targeted growth is. And seeing what's happening to some of the neighborhoods. Other than that, I do not have an indepth as to what's really happening over near Chaska but I have seen what I have liked and I have just felt a big growing surge goi ng on. Conrad: To give you just a little bit of a description of the time commitments. We meet twice a month which means there are two nights a month that you've got to be here. We require people to be here 75% of the time simply because we need a quorum and we have a lot of folks that are putting money into Chanhassen and we owe them the opportunity to meet with us on time. Besides those two nights there are special nights and for every night we're here, there's probably a night you'll spend reviewing and reading the data the planning staff has created for us. Does that seem like too much time commitment to this job? It seems kind of nifty but how are you at time? _Nancy Mane i no: I sa t down th i s afternoon with Dan and I did read the ..,time commitment and that was one of the bigger questions I asked myself. Was I going to be a 100% committeed and I mean 100%. We decided I would be 100% committed to the timing and to the involvement. Whether it be looking at locations, whatever it takes to be able to do si te planning. Conrad: Last question before we turn it over to any particular commissioners, what questions do you have about us or the planning staff? Anything that is of interest or you don't know about the Planning Commission? Nancy Mancino: Because I've never been on one that was the question I had. When you get applications for zoning ordinance changes, special use, do you actually go to the certain areas and how much comparitory work is there in deciding on the application? For each member? I guess it would be different for each one of you. Conrad: I guess I would hesitate with your question a little bit. When we get into the zoning issues, what zone goes here and where and whatever, a whole lot of work is put in. Once the zone is there, the zoning maps, we kind of adhere to that but to figure out where zones are and where the downtown is and jump into the downtown..., I've spent years trying to figure out what the best place is for different things. The Planning staff spends a whole bunch of their time. Basically, if we do our job right, we're directing the planning ~taff to do a lot of the legwork for us. They make the recommendations. We do give give them some guidelines but they really do drive a whole Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 3 e bunch of what goes on here. Their job is to kind of review and make sure that it's our philosophy. In terms of site review and in terms of the time, we get into specifics at these kinds of meetings... Are you interested in how we address a particular issue? How much time we spend going out and looking at a site? Noziska: I think how much time we spend really depends on what your familiar with in the area. If someething is coming up in your backyard you probably won't spend a lot of time. If it's coming up at the other edge of town, you'll probably drive over and look at it. Conrad: There used to be a time when we had a lot of lobbyi ng on the planning staff. I don't see that a whole lot anymore but probably before, Howie, you've been around when there was a whole bunch of lobbying from individuals and residents got real interested in issues and you just got a whole lot of comments. You don't see that much anymore. Nancy Mancino: They would call up with questions or...? Conrad: Questions and if there was an issue, they would get their whole group, whoever it would be. _Nancy Mancino: This isn't really a question. I know that one of the ..,questions I was wondering about for the Planning Commission or City Council, was there and were they at arms length with people that you have known...with special interest due to whatever? Conrad: I think we're probably, everybody probably, if somebody has a special interest, we're not real prone to putting them on. I think to serve the community the best you have to be pretty open minded. However, I have special, everybody here has special interests. Noziska: I don't think anybody is totally lackluster or you're going to get accepted. Obviously if you've got a particular interest, then it's better that that doesn't have an opportunity to drown us. Why did you ask that? Do you think there's a special interest we need to know about? Nancy Mancino: No... Erhart: You live south of TH 5 right? Nancy Mancino: Between TH 5 and TH 7. Emmings: I don't really have any questions. I've been asking everybody if there is any particular issue that called their attention, that's provoked their interest in the Planning Commission? Any current issue or any issue in the your neighborhood? e Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 4 e Nancy Mancino: Not really. I have a visual interest in Chanhassen because that's what I do. I love Paisley Park. If we could get more buildings like that. I like the visual beauty of it. It's different. It creates some energy that no other development in Chanhassen has created. It sells more than any any other structure around. So that's a part of my overall interest. Noziska: Have you ever participated before in a community related activity such as Park and Rec or any studies or commissions and how much time would ... Nancy Mancino: working. Because I've decided to take some time off from Noziska: You have. How come? Nancy Mancino: Because I've been doing it for 20 years and I've decided to take a few months and just spend my time doing some things that I really want to get involved in. I'm taking some courses and... Conrad: Anything? What do your neighbors say about what's happening in the City? Anything good or bad? ~ancy Mancino: Since we don't have any neighbors, there is one other ,.,louse on our driveway and one of the things is, we're kind of isolated and of course in the neighborhood next door they ar~ older and half didn't want the sewer or half of them wanted the sewer and half of them didn't and yet they got the sewer. A lot of people out where I am, their houses were built in the 50's and there's just not much change around there. GRANT JOHNSON *A PORTION OF THIS INTERVIEW WAS NOT TAPED. Grant Johnson: ...A portion of trees were being cleared for homes and that they would personally benefit from having access to their land. She told me, she said you know you've got to realize that the value of our home is not the home but it's in land. Their lot, they have potential for three individual lots. I said I realize that but she said I've been here for 30 years and it's always been like this and... That's what we hate to see go. But she did say that she realized it. For medical reasons they have been able to obtain a loan and make improvements. Headla: If you were on the commission, what would you have done? ~rant Johnson: Probably the same thing. I don't know if anyone _topped to talk to the Carlton's. I think the developer was going to Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 5 e contact her but I don't know if they would have talked. But it's hard sometimes for them to understand. Intially they didn't want to accept the outlot. Headla: Did we accept the plan? Grant Johnson: Yes, in so many ways, yes. Noziska: What was the the Improved 494 Steering Committee about? Grant Johnson: That is an organization made up of private businesses or people within the are that work along 494 and who want to make an effort, an attempt to instill changes changes within the companyies that work along there to try and improve the traffic levels on 494 knowing that there won't be a phyysical improvement to 494 at the very earliest within 10 years. Knowing that the highway is gecurrently over capacity and in need of improvement but nothing will be done. Noziska: Where did you have ... Grant Johnson: It's an ongoing thing. We had 2 or 3 meetings. The purpose really eventually is to get our group studying the impacts of various changes and the purpose is to get employers to, going around 4Itto all the employers there, to convince to work on staggered times. ... Noziska: Where's your office again? Grant Johnson: I office out of Eden Prairie. The committee is not really organized in any single location. It's all volunteer and it was approached by the gentleman who heads it, Larry Mockrel, Mockrel's approach by an organization or a government body setting 494 and what the alternatives are. One of the alternatives would be, initially is to restrict development and that's the way the city often will respond when you have problems like that. So as a developer, as he is, the interest and push is to try and convince businesses to ease the load that exists on there right now so the won't have to respond and react. Everyone on the committee is a volunteer. Noziska: What interest group are you in or are you still in? Grant Johnson: Oub club name is Cosmopolitan. It meets every Thursday during the winter months. Noziska: Do you enjoy it? Grant Johnson: Very much, yes. I've been on the executive committee for the past three years in a row and they ask, I think they were refer...if I would take the office next year... ~onrad: Thank you for coming. We appreciate you corning in. .y the phone and get nervous. It's going to take a while. Don't wait Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 6 e MICHAEL KLINGELHUTZ Conrad: If you could summarize your background for us. Some of the stuff you put on the application form. Whatever you think is relevant to tell us. Work experience. Education. Whatever you'd like. Michael Klingelhutz: I've spent just about all my life in Chanhassen. I grew up here and went to Chaska High School. Farming with my dad and decided to go to college out of High School and went to the University of Minnesota Duluth for 2 years and during that time I didn't know what I was majoring in. I said I was majoring in whatever I got the best grades in and I kind of emphasized biology and was leaning toward forestry but the job situation was such that there was no hope for forestry so in one of my classes I had some soil science and I was really interested in that. I pursued that. I went to the university of Minnesota and got a major from that at the University of Minnesota in Soil Science. After graduating from there I took a job out in Princeton working for Control Data trying to develop some agriculture...whatever their problem was and then get a computer printout of it. I played with computers but that wasn't working out very well. It was kind of poorly set up from the start and my perception of Control Data after I worked there a little while was that it was top heavy with managers...They were probably real good at what .hey were supposed to be doing but there were times in the field when ~hey weren't doing very well so I quit up there. I got so disgusted that I quit. While I was up there and we were trying to get people started in farming, Control Data was trying to get them started in farm i ng, I ki nd of got the itch to do it mysel f so I came back and too k over my dad's farm and starting milking cows. For the last 3 1/2 years I've been milking cows. They're gone now. I participated in that herd program. Looking back at it now, I don't think I would have participated in the program because it was hard. It was a change of lifestyle. It has been very hard. Right now I'm still in farming raising beef and I pursued a couple of on-site sewage treatment plants this spring. Conrad: Why apply for the Planning Commission? What's your interest on that compared to applying to Park and Rec or something else? Michael Klingelhutz: The reason I applied is, I was in the barber shop and the person who was cutting my hair who had been to the Council meeting...and where the water quality and the all the lakes in Chanhassen and I realized that agriculture was a factor in water quality but I also have a pretty good understanding of hydrology and agricultural out in the urban land and I thought maybe I could contribute. Right after that there was advertisements in the Bullentin. I have some free time now so I decided to apply. I have an interest in the community too. ~onrad: Conrad: Do you have a particular phuilosohphy of growth for ~hanhassen? We're growing a whole bunch recently and any direction you Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 7 e see for the growth? Any changes that you would like to see accomplished in the next 10 years? Michael Klingelhutz: I'm not opposed to the growth that is taking place but they are emphasizing a lot of things that I wouldn't do. This park plan. A decent trail system. I think Chanhassen has, with all it's lakes, a great water resource that a lot of other communities don't have and trying to protect that and trying to improve it. Really I don't have any bones to pick with the way things are going. I don't want to see it stop but at the same time I don't want to see it completely overrun in the next 3 years. Conrad: In terms of time, the Commission, we meet twice a month. It takes two nights out of the month of your life every month. You have to prepare probably the night before for a couple hours and maybe on the weekends go out and review some sites. We also require 75% attendance to make sure we have a quorum. The attendance record is important. Do you see that as a problem? Is that committment too great? Michael Klingelhutz: No, right now I have two little children at home so my wife and I are home a lot and I have free time now. Conrad: In terms of questions you have. Problems. Anything 4Ilhat you don't know that you would like to direct to us about the Commission, city, things you can think of? Michael Klingelhutz: Not particularly. I was wondering, has the recreation center been before you guys yet or will it come before you? Barbara Dacy: For site plan review but the issue is going to be as part of the referendum. That's why the Task Force was created and Dave was on that. BRIAN BATZLI Conrad: If you would want to just give us a brief rundown on your background. Whatever you think we should know about you. Whatever you think is important, why don't you start that way. Brian Batzli: I grew up in the community. I grew up in Tonka Bay and I went to school at the U of M. Got an electrical engineering degree. Then went on to William Mitchell where I got my law degree and in the meantime got married, settled down in Chanhassen and have one daughter who just turned one and another one on the way and I kind of ended up here tonight. Conrad: Tell us why you're interested in the Planning Commission. ,-,There are a lot of places to devote your time. Any particular reason ~why here versus something else? Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 8 e Brian Batzli: I guess to be honest, I first applied for the Park and Recreation Commission and talked to Mayor Hamilton and he kind of said, thanks for coming by and I think with your background you should consider the Planning Commission as well. I thought about it and it seemed to make some sense. I think more than anything else my reason for being here tonight was to get more involved with the community and kind of become more of a part of Chanhassen. I'm very familiar with the area and I guess I want to put something back into the area. Now I'm living in Chanhassen. Conrad: You've been here for a while and seen us grow in that time. Probably traveled TH 5 a time or two. Really what we do is we plan for growth. That's what we are supposed to be doing. Where things go. How many people and where to put them. Do you have any philosophies on growth for Chanhassen? Anything that will guide us in the next 10 years. Brian Batzli: I think like it or not the community is going to grow. I think there are some people who have lived here for a long time that kind of see it as a passing of an era. When I grew up here, if you drove through Chanhassen down TH 101, there were cornfields on either side and they are now houses. I think a lot of it depends on an individual's perspective on whether they want to see Chanhassen become ~he next Edina or the next St. Louis Park. You can have square blocks, ~hich is kind of a passee thing for city planning, or you can do a lot of cul-de-sacs and other things which break the monotony but I can tell you from driving through Edina you don't live in an area you can't find any body or any thing. I guess my philosophy is, I don't like to see rigid city blocks and I like to see a more structured growth to the community than what I'm seeing in some other areas. I just don't see it so much in Chanhassen and especially I saw it in my particular neighborhood, got involved in kind of a plea with the Council to not hook up, we were kind of on a deadend in Fox Hollow and they put a road through a planned park there on the west end. I guess things like that make a lot of sense. Although our neighborhood was kind of outraged at the time, it seemed to make sense that in case of an emergency, you need a second entrance into the neighborhood. Things like that. Interestingly enough, when the big rain hit, the only entrance to the neighborhood was flooded out and no one could get in or out for several hours and I think the Planning Commission's duties are at some times really kind of work with the community. I don't know that it was really explained to the neighborhood as well as it might have been and the expectations might not have been set but I think something like that actually hit home. I think that the Planning Commission and the Council and the people that work for the city really have done a good job in things like that. I think there has been a good compromise so far as far as doing a good job of planning the community. I know there's been some criticism of the new downtown and I don't really know all the if's, and's or where's about that but for what I read on the ~ew little Chanhassen newspaper but I think part of the planning is to ~et as much community feedback as possible before the fact because once Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 9 e it happens, it's very expensive to change it. Conrad: In terms of time commitment, we meet twice a month which takes two nights out of your life. It probably takes another night each of those particular times preparing for the meeting and maybe some weekend time to go out and review a site. We require 75% attendance here which is real important because we've got folks coming in here. We hold public hearings and if we don't have a quorum the people are disappointed. What kind of constraints do you have for time and does that kind of standard bother you at all? Brian Batzli: No, the standard doesn't bother me. Where there would be a constraint would be where more than likely a work or some family type constraint obviously but I'm an associate at a fairly large law firm so not knowing whether a partner comes at the last minute and gives me something for a client that has to be done the next day. I guess to be honest with that, there may come a time when I simply don't have a choice that I can't attend for some reason like that or some other family emergency or family matter. I don't have a problem with 2, 3, 4, the kind of timeframes that you're talking about. Interestingly enough, that was going to be one of my questions when I had a chance and I'll hold that question for now but there is kind of a discrepancy between the By-laws and what I was told. ~onrad: We'll move right into that. Just throw out any questions that you have for us. Brian Batzli: I guess I was curious because I asked when the meetings were and I was told the first and third Wednesday of the month and the By-laws say the second and fourth week of the month and I was just kind of curious when they actually were. Dacy: We switched for 1988 so the By-laws have to be amended the first meeting in January. Brian Batzli: If I might suggest another amendment, the 4.2, stick to the subject at hand. I think that didn't really fit into the tone of the rest of the By-laws. Stick just seemed like a wrong word. I guess my other question was really directed toward how many matters normally come before the board each month? I'm just kind of curious. I've now and then scanned the public notices to see who's asking for a variance request and such but that didn't really give me a good feel for how many people normally are applying for variances and things like that. What is a normal meeting usually entail? Conrad: We had a lot of meetings that go to 11:30-12:00 which gets real depressing when you start thinking about how the next day starts out and that's really a function of how quickly the community is developing. Not necessarily variances but we have a lot of ~ubdivisions coming in and people are wanting to build. We have growth ~and we've got to talk to them. When they get in and they have to do Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 10 e certain things at certain times so typically, like tonight we're just doing one thing, we're interviewing people. There are some nights during the wintertime when maybe subdivisions and that type of stuff is not as prevalent. We do more planning. We get into more comprehensive plan, zoning issues and things that we can help direct staff on. There's not a standard. I think maybe anywhere between 4 and 8 issues we attack ranging from zoning changes to variances to subdivisions to, it's just allover and I don't know that there's a typical evening. Erhart: You lived in Chanhassen I 3/4 years and you lived where before just prior to that? Brian Batzli: I lived in Wayzata. Erhart: Why did you move to Chanhassen? Brian Batzli: We were renting an apartment in Wayzata, my wife and I for the two years after we were first married and we started looking around for homes and wanted to build. We looked, really to be honest, in Plymouth and Eden prairie and Chanhassen and the reason that we chose Chanhassen was to get in the Minnetonka school district. We thought it was a growing community that was in the western suburbs which is where we wanted to be and we thought a house in such a ~ommunity, a house bought in that area would be wise investment. So we ~ad the school district we wanted. It was in an area we wanted and we thought it was a good place to settle down and raise kids and have a house that was worth something. Erhart: Other than fixing TH 5, what do you think the single thing we could do to Chanhassen? Brian Batzli: I guess the thing that I see, and it's always kind of puzzled me and maybe I just don't know enough about urban planning but for instance, an Edina type community doesn't really have a downtown and that's always bothered me. I really don't think of anyplace in Edina. They've got like a shopping mall here and a little bit there and a little bit there and the one thing that I really like about Chanhassen is the little stretch of downtown. There's kind of a downtown. It's got some historic background to it. It's an area where they've got the main conveniences on each side of the street. Almost like an Excelsior. Kind of a rustic downtown but it's still a viable downtown and I don't know if you can really call it a downtown because you think of Minneapolis downtown when you say that but I like that concept. The one thing that I would do would really be to work at preserving that feeling and I guess I've seen some little community shops, like the E-Z Stop stores springing up in various places in Chanhassen and I think that's good to a degree but I guess I would always focus on there being a central place where people feel like that's the center of the town and a center where people can identify _nd feel like this is Chanhassen. And improve TH 5. - Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 11 e Conrad: If you were on the Planning Commission and your neighborhood was Fox Hollow and planning staff says you've got to have a second access to that area, your neighbors, as we all know, just simply do not want one, would you feel comfortable talking with them? Brian Batzli: I do. I think the problem with what's there now is it was kind of an assurance that this is going to be a second entrance and it's going to be used for emergency vehicles and no traffic is going to use it but what in actuality is happening, because I live right on Fox Hollow Drive and I'm 3 houses from where the park is going to be, the school buses all use it. Everybody uses it. It is a thoroughfare, the way it's set up right now. Whether that means putting up speed bumps and stop signs or whatever, to discourage traffic so it is what it should be rather than a thoroughfare. Conrad: I've never seen a car on that road. Brian Batzli: The school buses go on it every morning. Everybody goes on it. RICHARD GAVERT ~onrad: We'd like you to tell us a little bit about yourself. Your ~ackground. Your work. Whatever you think is important for us to know. Maybe it's the same stuff you put on your application form but whatever you think. Richard Gavert: I'll be 46 years old the first of next year. I own Rails n Roads n Rudders here in town next to Animal Fair. I was a policeman in Chicago for 6 years, 8 1/2 months during which time I received two honorable mentions. I was cited for public service the Westside Civic Organization. I worked with Western Transportation Company. Actually that's it. Conrad: Why the Planning Commission? A lot of things you could put your time towards. Any particular reason why the Planning Commission and why not the Park and Rec and not City Council? Richard Gavert: I think it would be more of a challenge. Conrad: For what particular reason? Richard Gavert: Simply the interest. Conrad: The thing that we do here in the Planning Commission is control growth or direct growth. Instruments being zoning, comprehensive plan, review of subdivisions which requires some philosophies. We send signals to staff to come up with that stuff. Do AToU have a philosophy of growth for Chanhassen for the next 10 years? ~nything you'd like to see. Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 12 e Richard Gavert: I'd like to see it grow more and we could use better public transportation stretched out over longer periods of time. Especially evening like the Eden prairie Center and so forth being open at night. Just in general, more growth. Conrad: In terms of time commitment, we meet twice a month which means that for each of those times we have a night's worth of studying issues. Going through documents staff gives us. Maybe a weekend occasionally going out to a site or reviewing a site. We require 75% attendance for our meetings. That is critical that we have a quorum to rev i e w w hat eve r i s com i n gin fro n t 0 f us sot h e que s t ion is, with t hat kind of commitment, do you have the time to spare or see any problems in making the 75% requirement? Richard Gavert: Never see any problems. Conrad: We'll open it up if you have any questions about anything you need to know. What you don't understand about the Planning Commission? What we do? Any questions you may have? Richard Gavert: I'm here to answer your questions. Headla: I see when you were in Chicago you were cited by a Civic 4Itrganization for services. What kind of services? Richard Gavert: Just general civic, mine was for example they lost a boy who was mentally retarded and located him and returned him home. Basic things like that. ...1 hear a lot of people talking about the main street, how they don't like it. Essentially the people feel that the lanes are too narrow. If a car would stall in the wintertime, they would clog up the street. A lot of people don't like the idea of the trees that are being used. They would rather see strictly maples, the sign of the City. That's about the way I feel. I think they should use, we've got a mapleleaf on our flag, we should use all sugar maples down the main drag of town. Emmings: I've got kind of a personal question, if it's too personal you don't have to answer, just tell me it's too personal but you seem to have a pretty successful carreer going as a police officer in Chicago and I wondered why you left that behind. Richard Gavert: At the time I began to change my mind about being on the job, a fellow that I worked with got shot down. His partner was shot 5 or 6 times and he survived. That started to break the camel's back. Then a fella that was a member of the Gay Men and Boy's Organization went after my oldest son. At that time I decided I'd better get out before something happened to me so I just threw my star down and quit. _rhart: ~ears? You've lived here 12 years. Have you owned this business 12 Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 13 e Richard Gavert: No, it's been a year ago last August. Erhart: What did you do prior to that? You were a police officer in Chicago. Richard Gavert: I qui t the pol ice department in Chicago in 1975. Moved out to Utah and then moved up here. Erhart: What did you do here in the 11 years prior to owning your own business? Richard Gavert: Initially I started here, to move in here I worked for Flame Industries over in the Jonathan Industrial area. Then I went to work for Instant Webb. Then I went on to the Railroad. Erhart: What were you doing at Instant Webb? Richard Gavert: I was working shipping and receiving. Part of it was supplying the paper that the presses needed each night and bale up what was going out in the morning. Erhart: And at Flame? .ichard Gavert: I was in inspection. Erhart: What's Rails n Roads? Richard Gavert: It's a hobby shop. The rails are for the trains, the roads are for cars and the rudders are for planes and boats. Erhart: Was it a hobby that you had? Richard Gavert: No one will ever believe how we got into this one. We went out in January of 1986 and bought a new Chevy pick-up truck. Nobody was in sight. I was driving through town and spotted a for rent sign and said if we're going to debt we might as well go into something we want to do so we cancelled the truck and went and rented it. Erhart: Is the business successful? Satisfied? Richard Gavert: We're kicking along. The street being torn up didn't help matters. Erhart: What do you think that you can do on the Planning Commission? You say you want to increase the growth. What do you think you can do on the Planning Commission? Richard Gavert: I feel we should have more industries in town to take the tax burden off of everybody. I more or less feel you should have a tl:imit as to how many houses and that go up over a period of time. Sort of a growth planning stages. X number of homes this year and so forth , ~ Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 14 Ie on out so it's not putting an excessive load on the water and sewers and so forth. Erhart: here? Have you lived at that address for the 12 years you've been Richard Gavert: Yes. Conrad: What have you heard from your neighbors on the recreation center? Richard Gavert: Not too thrilled about that either. Conrad: Any reason? Richard Gavert: Most of them seem to feeL, as well as I do, that it's too much money to layout at this time. Maybe 3 to 4 years down the road when the City is on it's feet, so to speak would be the appropriate time to do it. Going back to the first question, I'm also the president of the... ANNETTE ELLSON ~onrad: Could you review your background. Whatever you think is relevant for us to know. Where you work or business or education. Annette ElIson: I'm a resident of Chanhassen. Maybe I'll explain when my husband and I first bought a house. Before that we were renting in Eden prairie for three years. From Bloomington, I grew up there and went to undergraduate in Wisconsin. Originally in home economics and business. Worked for Litton Microwave for almost 6 years before they decided to move on to Memphis. I'm just finishing up my MBA program at the College of St. Thomas. I've been taking classes out of the Chaska Branch. I've been going pretty much full time there and working internships right now working at First Trust. I've also been at internships at ad agency. I worked for Hewlett Packard so I've got a varied background as far as that's concerned. The reason I'm more interested in planning than anything else is because planning is the area that I would like to gain more experience that I'd like to go toward in my career so any type of experience in the planning background I know that I would enjoy. I'm aiming for market planning right now. I'd like to venture into corporate planning. I think planning is really exciting. I always liked looking into the future. I like reading the futuristic stuff. You can call me a futurist or whatever, I always love reading things of that nature and I think planning is the answer to almost everything. I think if people plan for things in advance, you can head off other problems and things like that so I was more interested in the area from that standpoint. I ~an't think of anything individual about me that is unique or anything ~ike that. Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 15 e Conrad: That's okay. I think you've answered the second questions. In terms of Chanhassen's growth, you haven't been here that long, maybe a little over a year, we are a planning body. That's what we're trying to do. We try to figure out how we should grow. Do you have a philosophy of growth that you'd like to see implemented in Chanhassen over the next 10 years? Annette ElIson: I can't really say. It's been on my mind lately. Where would I like to I'd like to do is I'd like to look at how other c i ties do tha t. Wha t are the pros and cons if you were to go more industry oriented or if you were to go with thus and such. In other words, I think I'd like to look at all the good and bad points to each thing before I sort of decided I'd like us just be all suburbia and I wouldn't like to see any business in here or anything like that. I don't really know all the pros and cons to that and what it entails as far as revenues and taxes and things like that so I think I would hold where I'd really love to see them go pending getting more research on it or seeing what, patterning after maybe some other cities, what's ,the good when they decided to do this and what was the bad when they decided to do this and look at other things. I see some cities are planning for no growth like in Florida and stuff like that because they don't think roads can support anything and stuff like that. I've been read i ng abou t why they dec ided tha t and it makes a lot of sense for .hat area...I'm a good researcher and I'd be willing to do all that. Conrad: In terms of time, we meet twice a month and many times until midnight. Typically each of those meetings takes a day of preparation or an evening. Maybe if we have special meetings, maybe if we go out to sites and review it so there's a time commitment. We require a 75% attendance record here. We just need that. It's really critical. Does that present any problems? Annette ElIson: No, actually this is one of the reasons I haven't gotten involved in anything up until now is because I've been going through the night program at school which has been anywhere from 3, 4 or 2 nights a week plus outside studying and things like that and I kept telling myself, you know I really would love to do my share in all these other kinds of things for the community but I knew that I wasn't able to give the community what was deserving. Not to say that I have umpteen hours of free time now that I'm done with school but I know that I've had all these nights of never watching an evening show and things like that and I know what a commitment is like going to school, both inschool hours and out of school hours and a lot longer driving than coming here and things like that so I think now is a good time for me because I've already done the commitment of balancing a career, balancing home and balancing outside activity. It would be harder for me to sit back and fall in love with one episode of the evening shows or whatever and then try to go back into that sort of commitment. I think it'd be easier for me now to make the transition into another 4Itommitment because I'm used to that already. I had to go to school those nights a week then the outside time in doing the homework or Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 16 e research or going to the library or whatever so I think I'm ready for it because I've done that. Conrad: What questions do you have of us? Annette ElIson: When I originally called I wanted to get a lot of information because I don't know, I have an idea in general on what kind of stuff the Planning Commission does and I started asking some secretary and I said I really want an answer to these questions and she said, well so and so not's here but I'll send you the things. I wanted to know if you have steps in planning. Do you have a procedure that you do? It sounds like you've already got like a plan, a comprehensive plan. Maybe you update it every year or whatever and change it as things arise but do you have like a set of step by step procedure that you do the planning. Like first you do the situational and analysis? Where are we now? Where we would like to be? Are you 10 years out? Are you 5 years out? Are you 3 years out planning? That's the kind of thing I was interested in knowing. Conrad: I think you almost answered my question. We have a comprehensive plan and we have a zoning plan. Those are the two key tools that we use to plan out 10 years in advance. We're right now trying to come up with the the year 2000 plan. What are we going to ~ook like? How many people? What does it mean for sewers? What ~oes it mean for transportation so we update that~ How often do we update that? Dacy: The original plan was adopted in 1982 so we roughly go on a 5 year cycle. Conrad: It's kind of a sense of philosphy for us~ It's a piece of paper that gives us a philosophy. Gives the Planning Commission together a philosphy and then also it gets the endorsement or the direction by City Council so that somehow we have a strategy for moving. Then to support that we take a look at zoning which becomes a more precise tool. What can go where? The Comprehensive plan they've got big general areas and how it's going to happen. The zoning kind of gets into specifics as to what goes where, in terms of the numbers and densities and that kind of stuff. Actually that's what a lot of us have been trying to do is to structure so we've got those in place. Then the individual things that come to you are much easier. When the ,Subdivisions come in or major developments or commercial centers, it's a whole lot easier to tell them why you want them or why you don't want them. Annette ElIson: That's what I was hoping. I've been involved in just small little things. Certainly not planning a city by any means, where there hasn't really been a structure and it's very frustrating. I don't think I'd want to work without one to tell you the truth because Af that exact thing. People don't have the organization that they ~anted and that sounded like a good idea and you go off on that tangent Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 17 e and that sounds like a good idea and they go off on that tangent rather than seeing here's the long range goal and how is this going to meet that long range goal. Another question I had, somebody mentioned that most of the Commission, maybe each one of you is elected or nominated after umpteen tries and usually people aren't taken the first time. Is that true? Is that a requirement that you have to show initiative 5 years in a row. Conrad: It took me three times. Howie, it took you a couple times. and I think the rest of you got on, it took you two times? Emmings: I came and interviewed one time and then the people that were here re-upped. Yes, I was here two times. Noziska: We have 3 out of 20 so we've got three spots and 20 applicants. Simple mathematics tells you that ... Annette Elison: I thought it was three openings but some of them were people tha t some on the comm i t tee wan ted to come back so it's not really three it's like one. Conrad: There are two openings that are totally vacant. The third opening has a current commission member reapplying for it but there's Mt least two people. The pitch that I always give is it took me ~hree times. I kept coming back... Annette Elison: I had another question, on the training in, I was told thats not a prerequisite that you know all the ordinances or the zones or whatever but I'd hate to sit down and meet with people without some sort of background. Is there like any resources that you can learn the stuff before, do you know what I mean? Conrad: You just have to sort of jump into it. I think if you read the Comprehensive Plan but I think you wouldn't mind that. I think it would certainly help you to understand where we're going and if you read our zoning rules and a few other miscellaneous documents. There are planning manuals that are quite simple too. Some things that I've read that help you to give you some philosophies and concepts. Dacy: We do prepare a packet for each of the new members. A whole stack of stuff. Annette Elison: I've had the training in the doing stragetic plans and things like that but first of all you need to know your product and kno w wha t you want it to be and I can't say I kno w the zoni ng and the ordinances all that well but like I said, I'm a good researcher. I would be more than willing to take time away from the Commission to do research at other cities and things like that because I think we can learn not only from your own mistakes or your own ideas but what's .appening in other places. I think that's something that I'd like to o if I was on this. Is just see what other people are doing. Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 18 e Headla: The planning for the meeting, reading the comprehensive packet is where it comes out. I think that's probably 85% of the information. YOu may want to go to other places but I think the staff does a real good job in that and if you study that. Annette Ellson: That was another question I had. Who prepares all that stuff? Is it you ladies? I was reading that you can't ask questions or you can't comment or whatever on and that was something I didn't understand in here or maybe it was just that they don't want your preferences, comments or something like that during the meeting? You're only suppposed to ask a question? Can you elaborate on that? Dacy: I think that's referring, in the By-laws there's a process of how the public hearing should proceed and I think that may refer to the public when after the public hearing is closed and the discussion is just contained between the commission members. That's the only thing I can think of. You can answer as far as the process. It's pretty free wheeling. Conrad: I let people talk and that's one of the reasons we have a forum like this. Annette Ellson: What I was wondering, it sounded like you couldn't ~ay, well, I'm seeing it this way or between yourselves. Do you give ~our opinion only during the vote, and why and then you debate it so . each side gets a little. Conrad: There's an interplay up here so we understand other people's opinions. Annette Ellson: That's what I thought. That's what I couldn't do when I was reading this. I was thinking that's the whole idea behind... Headla: I think that's just during the public hearing because you want the public to get in as much input and then after they close the public hearing then there's questions up here. Noziska: We follow Robert's Rules. Emmings: It's our own revision of Robert's Rules. Annette Ellson: The other questions, actually I pose this for each one of you. I had a few people's phone numbers and I thought, well I won't call you guys at home and ask you a question but I'd like to know what you like best and least about being on this commission. Maybe it's the same for most of you or maybe it's not the same. Headla: I like the interchange up here. I think a lot of things come through to the table. A lot of things get discussed but we have one A=ellow who seems to worm his way all the way through this and he can ~ut it in a motion and I'm still surpsied by that. Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 19 e Noziska: I think it gives you quite a perspective on what's going on and most generally before it happens so I think that's one of the most interesting things about the commission. What else can I say. We're the first to review any revisiion to the Comprehensive Plan. The County Engineer, perhaps TH 5, what mayor may not be happening in some road development here and there and may ask for your opinion or you may already have your opinion figured out but you can at least show concern about what happens so I think that's probaby one of the most interesti ng thing s. It's fai r ly challeng ing. It consumes your time. Emmings: I adopt what they said and as far as what I don't like about it, it isn't too hard to think of other ways you would just as soon spend your time but it's interesting enough and you wind up confronting some of your own basic values by having to make decisions on issues. I thought I'd be very ...when I came here and I found out I've changed my thinking on that almost 180 degrees since I've been here. It's sort of interesting is the first thing I can think of. Erhart: I like the long term planning aspect of it. Secondly, I think that being on the Planning Commission inolves you so you know what's going on in the city and you can comment on particular subject that really perks your interest. You have immediate access to go get something, do something about it _onrad: I think the most frustrating thing is when we make a good decision and the City Council doesn't believe us. Because I've been around a very long time, that frustrates more people. That we can go through issues fairly well. I think we digest and very seldom do you come up with wrong decisions but many times the City Council doesn't agree and that's where we have a concern. You wonder why you spend that much time when our opinions aren't in sync with theirs. Noziska: The direction from the Planning Commission is part of the picture and we can be more philosophical, theoretical and hypothetical about what they end up with. As a result planning may be straight but it may not be in sync with the political situation. Annette ElIson: Does that happen often? Are you at odds an awful lot of the time? Noziska: From time to time and sometimes it's better and sometimes it's worst depending upon the issue and the personalities of the Planning Commission versus those of the City Council. It varies from time to time. And that's not a big problem if you keep the perspective that that's the way the system works. We're supposed to air issues and give our recommendation and they make the decision. You may care or not care. Annette ElIson: That's checks and balances. - Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 20 e Headla: Did you ever think of the Parks and Recreation Committee? They do a tremendous amount of planning there. Annette ElIson: Can't say that I have. I just saw the word planning and I kind of zoned in on that. I don't doubt that they have their share of things like that but no, I hadn't. Headla: Erhart: Are you from this area originally? Annette Ellsson: I grew up in Bloomginton so not this far west. Erhart: .....for First Bank Systems and worked for prior to that? Annette ElIson: Right. I worked for Litton for 5 1/2 years and started my MBA asnd I've been working for First Trust, which is part of the First Bank System, while I was completely this. I was just sort of part time there finishing my MBA. KEVIN ELLSWORTH Kevin Ellsworth: Right out of High School is a good place to start. I worked in a pizza restaurant during High School. ~onrad: Which one? Kevin Ellsworth: Bernatellie's over on the east side of St. Paul where my folks live and then I started school at the University of Minnesota for Civil Engineering for 2 years. Didn't particularly like the Unersity. It was too large. Too informal. So I went to UMD in Duluth for a degree in Acconting. Then I took a job here in the cities at Maaco Hearing Instruments and Cost Accounting Manufacturing. I left there after 2 years and went to Katun Corporation where I was a cost accountant there and international accounting manager. Right now I'm the informational services manager for their math department. I basically work with ... to try and developer systems ... Conrad: And that was for which company? Kevin Ellsworth: Katun Corporation. We distribute photocopy parts. It's a nitch in the market but it seems to be doing very well. We're the worlds largest independent supplier. Conrad: Next question would be, why the Planning Commission? There are a lot of things to do with your time. Kevin Ellsworth: My wife Patty and I found some land and plan to build in the spring of 1989. We plan to spend many years there. That is going to be what you might call our dream home. That's why we're still Avaiting to build it there. She's still in school and when she gets out ~e can afford to bui ld a home. So we plan to make a long term Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 21 - commitment to Chanhassen and we thought it was prudent to get involved in some of the activities that would dictate what the future of the ci ty would be. Conrad: In terms of that, this brings us to the next question. We do planning, that's our job, is to try and figure out what Chanhassen looks like in 10 to 20 years. How we grow. what we encourage. What we discourage. Any philosophies that you would like to have in the in the next 10 years? The next 2 years on on the Planning Commission? Kevin Ellsworth: The interaction I have have had with the Planning Commission was the TH 212 program and that opened up a lot of eyes to try and make the entry into the City would certainly be one of the foremost things. ...1 like what I've seen from the downtown development. My opinion of Chanhassen before I saw it was, there it was. It wasn't the most beautiful city in the metropolitan area but it's really shaping up now and to continue with that I think is really important. To bring more some retail businesses out here. Conrad: In terms of time commitment. We meet twice a month and each time we meet there's some preparation in, like an evening prepration. There are times when you have to go out to a site and take a look at it. If you want to relate to what the neighbors are talking about, you should go out there. We require 75% attendance at our Planning ~ommission meetings. The question we've been asking everybody is can you meet that requirement? It's that important to us. To be assured that that kind of obgliation. Kevin Ellsworth: I'm sure that's important. My interest would lie with the Planning Commission. My work is important to me ...My hobbies are important too but each one of those areas I enjoy. That would not be a problem for me. Conrad: Would you enjoy working with all of us? Kevin Ellsworth: Well, I'd like to get to know you a little better. Conrad: Any questions you have for us? Kevin Ellsworth: The two that came to mind. The one is when I just read through the ordinance and so on, what kind of liability does the Planning Commission have? If you make a bad judgment and the Council goes with it and the developer loses a lot of money or something. Conrad: We're not liable. What do we have, inurance on us or are we totally out of the process? Dacy: You're out of the process because the Council makes the decision. ~onrad: The insurance is carried on the Council. Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 22 - Kevin Ellsworth: Then the Minnesota Statute that they mentioned in the ordinance, does that just kind of reiterate what's in the ordinance? It says the Planning Commission was established according to Minnesota Statutes such and such. That just says that was to establish a planning commission? Dacy: That's the enabling legislation from the State to authorize cities to create planning commissions. Kevin Ellsowrth: If you have an ordinance, that answers all the questions I have. Headla: Since you didn't mention here, I assume you didn't serve on any commission in Minnetonka? Kevin Ellsworth: No. Headla: How corne you want to serve on one in Chan but you didn't apply for one in Minnetonka? Kevin Ellsworth: Chanhassen will be the first place I would own a house in. I lived with my parents most of my life in St. Paul. My father in-law-lives in Minnetonka, that's where my wife and I stay now 4110 we would be there for 2 years at the most. Conrad: You were involved in the TH 212 corridor, what were your concerns about that? Kevin Ellsowrth: The immediate concern was when we saw the southern route going right through our proposed backyard so we carne down to see exactly what was happening there. Conrad: How did you deal with that or where are you on that issue? Kevin Ellsworth: We brought ours to court. It's kind of selfish in that sense but after listening to both sides arguing, we paid a $10.00 fee. To me it was obvious, even without the personal bias that the northern route was the preferred route. It had been agreed to before also I think was important... JAMES WEHRLE James Wehrle: About 160 homes I think, specifically in the the Near Mountain and the other 100 homes adjacent to us in Fox Hollow, we're probably the two groups at the moment and mayor may not have a merger but we're a lot of folks in the new developments, such as myself, are not familiar with Chanhassen. We've been trying to look into a lot of the various aspects of what's going on here and I guess I've never ~een anywhere for any period of time and didn't get involved and ~ 'm just cur i ous to get i nvol ved and plann i ng seemed to be someth i ng I Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 23 e would have a particular degree of background in. I taught at the unversity level a number of different courses but I taught a course in urban ecology which was basically city planning as it relates to econoglical and environmental studies. The other things I taught wouldn't relate here so that doesn't matter. I doubt that too many of you are real familiar with the particular part of town that I represent. I thought it may be of some interest to you and if I may just give you a copy of our monthly newsapaper of Near Mountain that you may keep and pass around amongst yourselves and throwaway once your done with it but we started having meetings in the basement of the Fire house and we got a lot of active people in the neighborhood that are interested into looking into becoming active civicly involved members of this community and finding out what's going on. I just had a neighborhood association meeting at my house until half an hour ago and a lot of topics of discussion had to do with parks going in near us. Plans for traffic patterns through the area. Plans for recreational facilities that we read about in the village. There's a whole lot of interest amongst the community and I guess I was kind of mandated by the folks in our development. Somebody here ought to get involved in this and we saw it in the newsapaper that the openings were available and we talked amongst ourselves who was interested in what and this seemed to be something I'm certainly interested in and thought I'd throw my hat in the ring. ~onrad: You took us through the first three questions up there. Time commitment. You seem like a busy person. We meet twice a month which means anywhere between 7:30 and midnight. My intent is getting out of here before 10:30 but most of the time midnight comes to pass. It also means another night of preparing for that meeting and may take some time actually going out to sites on the weekend or whatever and taking a look at it. How does that fit with your schedule? James Wehrle: I am virtually my own boss. I negotiate with unions. I've got 37 unions, mostly in Minnesota and Wisconsin that I deal with and negotiate their contracts and handle their contract adminstration , board hearings and things like that. It's all in the day time. If I have a meeting in Milwaukee I catch the 8:00 flight out and catch the 4:30 flight back and I'm always home for dinner. Conrad: We require 75% attendance simply to make sure we've got quorum's here. We've got folks coming in , public hearings, developers and we just have to have ...so if you're comfortable wi th that kind of requirement that you can make. Any questions? James Wehrle: Yes, a number. Where does the particular book as a mandate for this Planning Commission? Is it all encompassing every aspect of planning the future of Chanhassen or does it have a particular focus as to the things that you study or make recommendations on? e Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 23 e Conrad: We set the focus along with the planning staff or with the direction from the City Council. I think the biggest job we have is developing the comprehensive plan which encompasses everything in planning our community growth. We're updating that right now. We've been doing that for the last year so if that's a guideline, that means we get involved in everything. If we get the planning documents in line, the zoning in line, then the individual things that come to us, holding the public hearings on any new development, taking a look at subdivisions, reviewing various requests or permit requests, we get into the specifics but the key job is taking a look at Chanhassen and planning for the 10 year growth cycle which we're doing right now. James Wehrle: Does this body function as a zoning commission too as well or is there a separate body? Conrad: We make the zoning recommendations but again, in Chanhassen the City Council takes the final action in terms of zoning. James Wehrle: You said the meetings are every other Wednesday. Is that twice a month or is it actually every other Wednesday? Conrad: Well, it's the first and third Wednesday. 4IJames Wehrle: You said typically the meetings start at? Conrad: 7:30 or 7:35. Headla: I wonder if we should mention that they attend a council meeting about twice a year too. Conrad: We try to cycle people through the Council meetings. One problem is communication between City Council and Planning Commission which is not unique. It's common for almost any group where you're talking about common people interfacing. So it helps us relate to what they're doing. We take turns going to City Council and just hearing what their positions are on our issues so that's a little bit more of a time comm i tment. James Wehrle: I guess I've participated in so many committees similar to what your doing that I feel pretty comfortable and I'm sure it covers such a wide garnet that there are any number of things that you might deal with at any given time. Is ther anything else about me? Erhart: You moved here a year and a half ago from where? James Wehrle: We moved here from Louisville, Kentucky. I was in Louisville for just 10 months before I came here. Before that I spent the vast bulk of my life in Cinncinnati, Ohio. _:hart: _lme.. . You were involved with, you described here for only a short Are there other things that you considered? Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 25 e James Wehrle: No. My wife saw in our neighborhood newsapaper, I'm the president elect or whatever of our homeowners association and I've spend a lot of time with Little League sports or whatever, but that can be shuffled around but that's about the extent of it. Erhart: Is there anything that you are familiar with the Planning Conmmission? Have you been here in the last year or so when for people that you represent thre? James Erhrle: No. I work for Beverly Enterprises which is a Fortune 500 company which is the world's largest owner and operator of nursing homes. To my knowledge, we own no nursing homes anywhere around here. Erhart: No, I was speaking of the homeowners association. Was there any issue there that's... James Wehrle: No, just an interest in becoming civically active. I guess the first thing we did was we got Jim Chaffee to come out and talk with about the neighborhood watch and a lot of the people in the community appartently came down to some City Council meetings to talk about their tax assessments and they started saying they didn't understand Minnesota taxes because in all honestly most of the people in our development are from out of state, or the bulk of them. It's a ~difficult thing to understand. I guess through the normal process ~f people moving in and starting to say things having to do with what can we do about getting a 10 mph or 20 mph speed limit set in our development with the little kids? What can we do by way of, does anybody know if there's going to be a recreational center built in Chanhassen and what can we do about the water sprinkling shortages or whatever and pretty soon people got together and joined together in informal groups and now we just formalized a larger group of several hundred people who have just kind of common interests that were basically new to the community. It's a growing community and why don't some of us get involved. Erhart: Other than TH 5 improvement, what's the single issue that you think or the single thing that Chanhassen can do to further ... James Wehrle: I guess that's such an individualized question. Every different person has their own unique interest and everybody has a different ox to bore and I can see that within the few hundred people that I deal with in our community that they've all got a wide variety of interest and some people's main complaint might be transportation. As far as accessibility of getting through Eden prairie or whatever it takes to get onto TH 5. We did go out of our way in our last newsletter to put the TH 5 flyers in there that the Chamber put out. We got all our people to send them in. Other people's concern revolve more around what are we getting for all the high taxes that we're putting out in Chanhassen. We're paying more taxes than let's say ~innetonka and Minnetonka has it's own police. Minnetonka has a nice "'rec center. Minnetonka has this, that and the other social services Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 26 e and that's an issue with a lot of people. Other people just I think moved out here for the quality of life that's already here and don't have any burning issues. I'm not aware of any burning issues to be frank and honest about it that would percipitate some kind of super hard political activity to try and crusade on anything. I think in general there's a need perhaps for some better communication within this community to bring the community together because I think this new paper that's out now, I guess the villager, has done alot to make us, as new homeowners in the Chanhassen area, aware of what is going on and isn't going on down here. Some of the topics of discussion about what Jim Chaffee talking about the perhaps getting our own police versus the County police or new issues that are up for grabs. Improvements to the fire department. I think baically the folks that I talk to are like myself. Relatively young homeowners with kids and are just interested in primarily the quality of life and it's nice that we that we've got the new development going on here in the city and it would be nice to have some sort of little city center that was more defineable as. This is Chanhassen, we can rerate to something other than the Dinner Theater. When you tell people in Minneapolis where you live and you say Chanhassen, they say , Oh, the Dinner Theater. I don't know that there's a particular burning issue anywhere. It's a nice place now and I guess the only question is what can we do to make it nicer. I think there are any number of things. I can't think of anything .pecific. Headla: Over the last 10 years, what's the longest time you've been in a location? James Wehrle: 7 1/2 almost 8 years I guess. Headla: The reason I ask that, when I looked through here, it looked like you hadn't spent very much time in anyone place and I was wondering what's your time commitment to this community? James Wehrle: I've only moved twice in my life. In 1985 I moved to Louisvill, Kentucky and I was with a company at the time by the name of Thomas Industries which is the biggest thing they do is they are the world's largest manufacturer of lighting. Maybe those kinds of lights, maybe street lights, maybe lamps on your table and I went down there because that was their national headquarters and I was there 10 months when the opportunity for the particular job I have now came up. I didn't look for it. I was approached by somebody and it was one of these offers you couldn't refuse so that was the second move I've ever made. I now have the responsibility for an area that involves five states. When I took the current job I have, I was looking for a career potential in that position. Something I wouldn't be moving from. My oldest son is 13 and my daughter is 10 and my youngest son is 6 and I don't want to frankly ever have to move them out of school again until they're graduated from high school and ready for college. So I don't 4Irnticipate a move. Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 27 e Headla: Okay, I think I heard something that you were going to be moving on. James wehrle: I've only really lived one other place and that's Cincinnati, Ohio. I lived 10 months between here and there. Noziska: Jim, you were the executive director of the business associations? James Wehrle: I usually don't mention this because it's something totally unheard of but I'm one of the thousand people in the country that has a, you've heard of a certified public accountant, I'm a certified association executive, CAE. I was the executive director of the Mechanical Contractor's Association. We associated General Contractors and the American Subcontractor's Association. I represented a few hundred construction firms in Cincinnati, Ohio. I handled everything from their pension funds to their health funds to their training apprenticeship centers, their political activity and handled all their meetings and handled all their money. I guess I get to share in the responsibility for the 300 milliorr dollars as Chairman of the Board... I guess it was a natural lead-in to this homeowners association here. Noziska: You did that for 7 1/2 years? ~ames Wehrle: I did that for 5 1/2 years, from 1980 to the middle of 1985. Before that I was with the Cincinnati Board of Education in the labor relations. Started out there actually as a teacher for a short period of time. As I was doing my masters and doctoral studies during the early 80's, I attended two different law schools for select programs. I'm not a practicing attorney. I'm not licensed before the bar in any particular areas of expertise. I'm a human oriented person. I like interpersonal skills in dealing with people and I like a challenge and I like resolving problems amicably. I'm proud to say that in the darn near 20 years of labor, I've only had two strikes that I had to deal with and those were things outside of my control. One of them had to do with the Atomic Energy Commission shuting down a nuclear power plant and a year and a half ago when I first took this job I walked into a strike in Waterloo, Iowa by the united Auto Workers. I've got everybody from the Steelworkers to the Teachers Unions to the Nursing Home groups. If they'll pay dues, they'll try to organize them. Mostly around here it's the United Food and Commercial Workers and everybody in Minnesota is familiar with Austin, Minnesota and Service Employees, an international union, that's the union that took over when the nurses were on strike here a few years ago. Noziska: You have 37 unions, how many people does that encompass? James Wehrle: probably an average of well over 100 people in each of ahose 37 bargaining uni ts so maybe 4,000. 4,000 people everyday, I can ~ssure you that a handful of them file a greivance and I'm proud to say Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 28 e of 100 arbitrations that were filed for in the year and a half I've been on this job, only one has ever finally gone to arbitration because we weren't able to resolve an answer and I won. ...Is there an effort toward any sort of proportional representation throughout the community? Is that a conscientiously applied thought? Conrad: We talked about that a little bit. I think yes. I think it's important but we can't really totally do it. It's really tough. I think we have to take the best person available. That's what we talked about a little bit here. The best person that's really representing Chanhassen. However, we like to get a variety of opinions. Not any kind of intent on our part to make this into hybrid things. The best thing anyone can do is to get a variety of opinions. James Wehrle: The point I want to emphasize is, obviously I make my living in trying to reach fair compromise. I try to be persausive but nevertheless I try to bring peace between all sides. In employee relations it's crucial to me. I feel the same way about the community involvement. There may be individuals within any given part of this community that have particular axes to grind and try to get on a board perhaps with a burning issue that they're trying to promote or an across the board interest in the total community. I have really no alterior motives whatsoever in wanting to participate other than a ~esire to participate as a participator and civic minded. I guess the "'ast thing that I or our newly informed homeowners association wanted to do, being well aware of the fact that we are the newcomers to the community, just to come along and do anything other than to peacefully blend into the community and just participate. I don't want to anything that's in any way, shape or form adversary or confrontational on a particular crusade. I just think if I'm going to live here, I'm going to do my bit to contribute and say my piece and participate in the democratic process. I don't know if I'm reading anything into what you were going after there but I've got no real cause. I'm not here representing anything that the few hundred people in our development want to see accomplished or anything. I just want to contribute whatever I can. I feel some of the experience I've got is probably not applicable undoubtedly. I remember spending almost a year on a light rail transi t study for over a three state area. I'm sure we'll get into some lot less high faluted sophisicated then than that here. The study all came to nothing anyway. Probably the same direction Minneapolis' study is heading but nevertheless, I have an awful lot of knowledge about planning in one repsect or another and I definitely understand politics. I know that this may not be a politcal body directly, as you just eluded to certain politcal body of your Council, so be it. That's life in America. SHERWIN TARADASH ~onrad: Why don't you give us a quick synopsis of your background. ~hether that's work or education. Whatever you think we should know Planning f/lecember that may persuade us that you're the right folk up here. Anything that you think is relevant and it could be just a recap of what you put on your application. Commission Meeting 16, 1987 - Page 29 Sherwin Taradash: In 1981 I moved my family here along with the company. The company's chief role was to do turn key design for hotels and restaurants throughout the midwest. 1981 through 1983 were fairly decent years but they were starting to wane because of interest rates and that kind of development ceased to become important. During the same period of time I also acted as a marketing function for a group of individuals looking to market and develop hotel projects within the midwest area. Having to sit on this side of that table in quite a few municipalities as well as before City Council. Understanding both sides of the tables' attitudes towards planning a development. That occurred from 1981 through roughly 1983 and then I became a marketing consultant for a developer in the this community and went into the city of Minneapolis, city of St. Paul, St. Cloud, Willmar, to help them get some type of identity in those communities to develop commercial and residential projects. Again, being obviously on this side of the table and not on your side of the table. That basically ended in early 1985 where I activated my real estate license. My wife had been a broker in Iowa. When we moved here in 1981 she became active with Edina Realty. I activated my license in 1985. Became an active realtor selling .esidential properties. In 1981-1982, my wife had the opportunity to orne out to Chanhassen to Colonial Grove on Lotus Lake. She, using her terminology, babysat one of Herb Bloomberg's homes on Sandy Hook Road. One that had been vacant for a considerable length of time. Turned around and sold that home to some folks and had to turn around and resale that home again. The point of making that statement is, we liked what we saw of the area in Colonial Grove and we only said that perhaps when it came our turn to bu i ld a home, tha t' s where we would want to do it. So in 1986, actually early 1986, we made a decision to develop a home in Colonial Grove. Knowing Herb, to a degree, we got involved with some of the development that was necessary to spearhead the rest of that thing. We did a parade home on Sandy Hook Road for our own home. That spearheaded the balance of the development in that last phase, if you will. Got involved in that. Got involved in some other activities in the community as far as residential was concerned. It's our feeling that this is a community we chose to live in. We weren't born here like maybe some of you were. We chose to live here. We choose to want to stay here. I'm also kind of done doing marketing and developing and those kinds of things and I'm involved in other areas which are not in development at all. I'm an active realtor. I'm at most times employed and able to sale land as well as residential. I'm not in commercial real estate at all. I got involved in a property with Trammell Crow in Eden prairie and became the catalyst to get that job taken care of. It was the only major piece of land that I was involved in. Skipping around a little bit, just to kind of give you an overview here. We're committed to the area. I've done enough on this ~ide of the table to know, I think I know, what's necessary to help a committee, planning committee, to gain what it needs for it's Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 30 e comprehensive plan as well as it's immediate plan where you are looking at a growth period here. I think I could be of some very good help here. I think I have the background to do that. I also, as well as my wife, both hold securities licenses as well as insurance licenses so we have a broad spectrum of where we're at. Kind of a scattered overview. Conrad: You kind of covered the second question, why the Planning Commission. There are a lot of things to donate your time to. Another committee would be the Park and Rec. The Planning Commission, any particular reason you chose that? Sherwin Taradash: Basically, again, taking from my background and the truly love of land and the good use of land. That's something I know, or I think I know. Some other things are something I don't know and am not that comfortable with. I am comfortable with this and it's a need for me to fulfill. Something basically we talked about. Give back something that I've got which is experience, is all I've got, for this role. Conrad: What we try to do here is plan which means plan land uses and associated with that becomes highways and all sorts of other nifty stuff. Right now we're working on a Comprehensive Plan which is a planning tool. That plan takes us up to the year 2000. What kind of .hilOSOPhY of growth would you try to work into that comprehensive Ian if you were out here right now? What type of philosophies would you like to insure were incorporated into Chanhassen for the next 10 years? Sherwin Taradash: I'd like to see a balanced program between commercial and residential that made sense. Not on the short term, but the long term. In talking the comprehensive plan, if I were sitting on that side of the table, my concerns would be that it number one is orderly, good growth for the community. That whatever the land was dedicated by zoning for the use of, whether it be commercial or residential, I would want to know that that had some really great consideration rather than just being placed before a committee and because it was hot then had to be passed through the committee. I would rather have the long range plan on paper and follow it then to come back in and start rifling in with some hotbed items. I guess I don't know if I'm answering it specifically but I think just trying to take the good orderly growth that a community needs in both areas of commercial and residential on the long range program. Conrad: In terms of time, we meet twice a month, every other week which many times occurs from 7:30 past 10:30 until 12:00. It requires a day of preparation usually for each meeting and we require 75% attendance which is real critical. Usually are meetings are quite packed and we don't want to postpone. Does that present any problems in terms of your time availability? e Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 31 e Sherwin Taradash: My profession doesn't take me out of the community. I don't have to travel so that's no problem. As far as my own time, it is my own time. I would dedicate that time. Conrad: What questions did you have of us about the Planning Commission? Sherwin Taradash: Yes, I did have a couple. Where are you with the comprehensive plan? For how many years have you been working on the comprehensive plan? Conrad: We're revising it right now. We put it in, the one that I'm familiar with, several years ago, 5 years ago at least and we're now updating the comprehensive plan. We worked this last year on it. There are still some sections that we're working on right now. How many sections do we have left by the way? Dacy: We have the transportation and implementation chapter left and there are some holes that we have to go back and fill in some of the other ones. Conrad: So we're updating it. We're updating it to guide Chanhassen through the year 2000. Over the next couple months we'll be doing ..that. Then this will go to City Council for their input and the ~rocess will have some public hearings and will probably have this many people as you see in attendance tonight. That's a cynical comment but most people don't think in terms of participating in the planning process. They would love to participate when it affects themselves downstream but anyway, the comprehensive plan is... Emmings: Are there are particular issues that you are aware of in the community or in your neighborhood that provoked or prompted your interest in being on the Planning Commission? Sherwin Taradash: No particular issue. Most of the issues I think are laid to rest. Conrad: What I like in this process is finding out is thinking and it's a good chance to find out what talking about. What do they like about Chanhassen? dislike? what the community your neighbors are What do they Sherwin Taradash: I think the only thing that's disliked, and it has nothing to do with Chanhassen and I think this is something we will hear until there is legislation that changes the property tax issue. I think it's merely a tax situation. I think that's the only negative comments we have in our neighborhood is taxes. Property taxes. I think the neighborhood itself, Colonial Grove, is unique as other neighborhoods in this community are unique. We have some people that ~ave lived in the community, our neighborhood community, for 25 years ~ut we also have a great many folks in there now, I'm trying to Planning Commission Meeting December 16, 1987 - Page 32 e remember, I think there were 20 new people in our neighborhood, who are active in taking interest in the City of Chanhassen. One in particular is my next door neighbor who is a superb individual. Where he gets his energy I'll never know. This guy's a pilot and he's working in public safety, fire fighting and he's a volunteer fire person. Very happy. He wants to be active. Some of the other neighbors would like to be active, they just have to find the way to do things. The older residents, I don't mean that necessarily by age but by virtue of being in the community, some as you know or may not know that are active locally in chambers and some are complacent and I think we've got no different neighborhood than any other neighborhood. You've got some that are complacent, some are vocal, some that are aggressive in seeking to participate. The principle issue again is one of property things. There tends not to be seemingly a major issue in our community relative to change. The consensus is, what a marvelous thing that is happening to our downtown. I think we all have to agree that is something that has been long overdue. Conrad: What do you think about that building that's cockeyed in main street? Sherwin Taradash: I'm not an architect but I'll tell you, I think that's an absolute disaster but disasters can also turn in to be .omething, if you approach it properly and take a character's thoughts f making it his monument, and I don't know if that's the case or not, but I'm sure that with some marvelous landscaping, good landscaping, you could easily turn that into... Forget moving it off of that foundation and just look at some really heavy duty landscpaing. That's what it's going to take. Right now you've got to live with it and look the other way and again, I think that could be turned around. So someone made an error in judgment. Conrad: Thanks for your time. Barbara Dacy prepared a summary of the Commission's discussion on the Planning Commission candidates. The Commission interviewed a total of 16 candidates. M. Ryan Byrd did not appear at the interviews and the Commission decided not to include his name as part of the consideration. Jim Wildermuth was unable to attend tonight's meeting because of his leg injury. Mr. Wildermuth however did convey his intention to reapply for reappointment to the Planning Commission and to staff. The Commission identified seven finalist from the 16 applicants. The Commission established a scoring mechanism and each commissioner . identified the two top candidates from the field of the seven finalist. I _he Commission unanimously recommended to reappoint Jim Wildermuth . . ased on his service to the Commission for the past year and a half. Planning Commission Meeting ~cember 16, 1987 - Page 33 The scoring for the remaining two openings were tabulated and Annette ElIson and Brian Batzli were the top candidates. The Commission established the ranking system in order to convey to the Council the Commission's preference for the candidates to be chosen to fill the vacant positions. However, the Commission also directed staff to provide the Council with the list of the names that were considered the finalists. The Commission felt that Ms. ElIson and Mr. Batzli had positive attitudes about the community, were enthusiastic to serve for the three year term and would be good decision makers. Submitted By Barbara Dacy City planner Prepared by Nann Opheim