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6a. 2010 Citizen Survey Results 10f Zr2 CITY OF MEMORANDUM CHANHASSE TO: Park and Recreation Commission 7700 Market Boulevard FROM: Todd Hoffman, Park and Recreation Director A it PO Box 107 1 Chanhassen, MN 55317 DATE: August 24, 2010 Administration RE: 2010 Citizen Survey Results Phone' 952.227 1100 Fax: 952.227 1110 BACKGROUND Building Inspections Earlier this year the City Council selected the National Research Center to Phone: 952.2271180 conduct the City of Chanhassen citizen survey. The method and survey Fax 9522271190 questionnaire was the same as used in 2005 and 2007. Engineering Phone: 952.2271160 Between May 24 and June 21, 1,200 households were randomly selected to Fax: 952.2271170 participate in the survey. 496 surveys were returned, for a 43% response rate. The average response rate for these surveys is in the 25 -40% range. The margin Finance of error is plus or minus 4 %. Phone: 952.227 1140 Fax 952.227 1110 Here are the Park and Recreation Results: Park & Recreation Phone: 952,227 1120 • 83% of residents' rate recreation opportunities "excellent" or "good" — up Fax: 952.2271110 from 82% in 2007 and 74% in 2005. Recreation Center • 57% of residents used Chanhassen recreation centers — down from 63% in 2310 Colter Boulevard 2007 and 62% in 2005. Phone: 952,227 1400 • 49% participated in a recreation program or activity — down from 50% in Fax 952 2271 aoa both 2007 and 2005. Planning & • 90% of residents visited a neighborhood park or City park — down from Natural Resources 93% in both 2007 and 2005. Phone: 952.227 1130 Fax 952.227 1110 • 96% rated City Parks as "excellent" or "good" — up from 91% in 2007 and 92 % in 2005. Public Works • 90% rate recreation programs of classes as "excellent" or "good" — up 1591 Park Road Phone: 9522271300 from 83% in 2007 and 84% in 2005. Fax: 952.227 1310 • 83% of residents rate recreation centers or facilities "excellent" or "good" — up from 68% in 2007 and 70% in 2005. Senior Center Phone' 952,227 1125 Fax: 952.227 1110 1 The term resident is used to describe the responses of the respondents. The scientific Web Site methodology of the survey allows us to generalize the comments of the respondents to all Vdwvd u:.chanhassen mn.us residents. Chanhassen is a Community for Life - Providing for Today and Planning for Tomorrow Park & Recreation Commission August 24, 2010 Page 2 • 85% rank ease of bicycle travel high — up from 73% in 2007 and 70% in 2005. • 87% rank ease of walking in Chanhassen as "excellent" or "good" — up from 75% in 2007 and 76% in 2005. • A new question asked about the availability of paths and walking trails — 90% of residents responded with an "excellent" or "good ". • Another new question asked about the quality of overall natural environment in Chanhassen — 94% of residents responded "excellent" or "good ". • 90% of residents visit a Chanhassen park at least 1 -2 times per year. One of the advantages of working with the National Research Center is that it allows us to compare ourselves to over 500 jurisdictions across the United States, including 20 in Minnesota. Answers to each question on the survey are put into a 100 point scale (0 being worst, 100 being best), and then cities are rated as above the norm, similar to the norm, or below the norm. Benchmarks are grouped into two categories — Community Characteristics (Q2) and Services (Q13). Of the Community Charactenstics benchmarks, the City rated above the national average for 24 and similar to the national average for three. Of the 35 benchmarks for Services, City rated above the norm for 34 benchmarks. The remaining benchmark — Cable Television — rated below the national average. The Survey also asked three questions designed by the City Council and staff: Question 22a gave residents the opportunity to rate vanous forms of communication from the City. The most effective forms of communication were mailed communications (92 %), The Chanhassen Villager (91 %), and the City web site (89 %). It is interesting to note that the City's Facebook page, which has been operational for less than two years, was rated as very or somewhat effective by 48 %. Question 22b asked residents "Which do you think will be the single biggest issue facing Chanhassen in the next 5 years ?" The most common answers were property taxes (50 %) and property values (30 %). Other common answers were traffic (9 %) and loss of fobs (7 %). In Question 22c, residents were asked, "What do enjoy most about living in Chanhassen ?" Answers were listed, and respondents could check all that applied. The most frequent answers were location (60 %), Park and Trail system (54 %), small town feel (53 %) and neighborhoods (50 %). g : \park \th \commission \2010 citizen survey review.doc Park & Recreation Commission August 24, 2010 Page 3 Residents were also asked an open -ended question, "If the City government could change one thing to make Chanhassen a better place to live, now or in the future, what change would you like to see ?" The full list of responses to the open -ended question is attached. The responses that received 10% or more are: Response Percent of Respondents Retail and Dining Opportunities 20% Government performance, taxes 19% Transportation: traffic, mass transit, 14% enforcement/planning Growth, planning, land use and development, 13% maintaining community character Recreation and cultural opportunities 11% The full results, which are available on the City's website at http: / /www.ci. chanhassen .mn.us /comm/survey.html, come in three sections: • Report of results • Benchmark Report • Report of Open -Ended Question These survey results will be very helpful as the council, commission and staff continue to prioritize issues in the coming years. g : \park \th \commission \2010 citizen survey review.doc .fir The National Citizen SurveyTM CITY OF CHANHASSEN, M N 2010 Report of Open -ended Question j - NATIONAL RESEARCH C E N T E R IH4. 3005 30th Street 777 North Capitol Street NE, Suite 500 Boulder, CO 80301 Washington, DC 20002 www n -r -c.com • 303 - 444 -7863 www icma org • 202 - 289 -ICMA City of Chanhassen 1 2010 CONTENTS SurveyBac kground ........ ............................... ............................. ............................... 1 About The National Citizen Survey'"' ..................1 Understanding the Retiults 2 About Closed -ended and Open -ended Questions . 2 Verbatims 2 Verbatim Responses to Open -ended Questions 4 If the City government could change one thing to make Chanhassen a better place to live, now or in the future, what change would you like to see? .4 Retail and dining opportunities 4 Government performance, taxes 5 Transportation: traffic, mass transit, traffic enforcement/planning . 6 Growth, planning, land use and development, maintaining community character 7 Recreation and cultural opportunities (rec center, community center, library) . ....9 Infrastructure issues (roads, water, internet, etc) 9 Economic development and jobs 10 Code enforcement, animal control 10 Education, schools, youth opportunities 11 Quality of life, sense of community, volunteer opportunities, diversity 11 Law enforcement, police ................ 12 Don't know 12 Other 12 The National Citizen SurveyTM City of Chanhassen 2010 SURVEY BACKGROUND ABOUT THE NATIONAL. CITIZEN SURVEY The National Citizen SurveyTM (The NCSTM) is a collaborative effort between National Research Center, Inc (NRC) and the International City /County Management Association (ICMA). The survey and its administration are standardized to assure high quality survey methods and comparable results across The National Citizen SurveyTM jurisdictions. Participating households are selected at random and the household member who responds is selected without bias Multiple mailings give each household more than one chance to participate with self- addressed and postage paid envelopes. Results are statistically weighted to reflect the proper demographic composition of the entire community. The National Citizen SurveyTM customized for this jurisdiction was developed in close cooperation with local jurisdiction staff. The City of Chanhassen staff selected items from a menu of questions about services and community problems; they defined the jurisdiction boundaries NRC used for sampling; and they provided the appropriate letterhead and signatures for mailings. City of Chanhassen staff also determined local interest in a variety of add -on options to The National Citizen Survey' Basic Service. The National Citizen SurveyTM 1 City of Chanhassen 2010 UNDERSTANDING THE RESULTS ABOUT CLOSED -ENDED AND OPEN -ENDED QUESTIONS Questions can either be asked in a closed -ended or open -ended manner. A closed -ended question is one where a set of response options is listed on the survey. Those taking the survey respond to each option listed. Open -ended questions have no answer choices from which respondents select their response. Instead, respondents must "create" their own answers and state them in their own words. The verbatim responses are categorized by topic area using codes. An "other" category is used for responses falling outside the coded categories. In general, a code is assigned when at least 5 -10% of responses will fit the code. Advantages of an open -ended question include: Responses are not prompted, allowing respondents to provide answers that are not anticipated or well known. This type of question tends to capture response options that come to mind most quickly The final result can be richer, since verbatim responses are included in an appendix, giving you and others a chance to "hear" the voice of respondents in their own words There is a smaller risk of missing important dimensions. VERBATIMS Respondents were asked to record their opinions about Chanhassen in the following question: If the City government could change one thing to make Chanhassen a better place to live, now or in the future, what change would you like to see? The verbatim responses were categorized by topic area and those topics are reported in the following table with the percent of responses given in each category. Because some comments from residents covered more than a single topic, the first two topics mentioned by a resident was categorized and counted for the table below. Those verbatim responses are grouped by the first topic listed in each comment whenever a respondent mentioned more than a single topic. Verbatim comments that contain more than one topic nevertheless appear only once (in the category of the first topic listed), however the analysis in the following table counts the first two topic areas given by all respondents who listed more than one. Results from the open -ended question is best understood by reviewing the table of frequencies that summarize responses as well as the actual verbatim responses themselves The National Citizen SurveyTM 2 City of Chanhassen I 2010 If the City government could change one thing to make Chanhassen a better place to live, now Percent of or in the future, what change would you like to see? Respondents Retail and dining opportunities 20% Government performance, taxes 19% Transportation traffic, mass transit, traffic enforcement/planning 14% Growth, planning, land use and development, maintaining community character 13 Recreation and cultural opportunities (rec center, community center, library) 11% Infrastructure issues (roads, water, internet, etc) 6% Economic development and jobs 6% Code enforcement, animal control 6% Education, schools, youth opportunities 6% Quality of life, sense of community, volunteer opportunities, diversity 5% Law enforcement, police 4% Don't know 3% Other 9% Total may exceed 100% as respondents could select more than one category The National Citizen SurveyTM 3 City of Chanhassen 2010 VERBATIM RESPONSES TO OPEN QUESTIONS The following pages contain the respondents' verbatim responses as written on the survey and have not been edited for spelling or grammar. Responses have been organized by coded topic areas. IF THE CITY GOVERNMENT COULD CHANGE ONE THING TO MAKE CHANHASSEN A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE, NOW OR IN THE FUTURE, WHAT CHANGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE? Retail and dining opportunities A shopping area like they have in Maple Grove or St. Anthony village Add more restaurants. Add more retail stores, we have to go to EP to shop Allow more restaurants in Chanhassen. An Asian grocery store with lots of produce and meat and fish. Other than that it is a good place to live. But the winter is so cold. Another grocery store such as Rainbow also - A Jo Ann's Availability of a retail store. Better restaurants. Better restaurants. Better retail. Better shopping areas. Better shops & restaurants. 2. Better schools (you compete w /MTKA) (make Chanhassen -their own school district!) 3. Lower taxes! 4. Make Hwy 5 a major thorough fare w/ no lights - this hwy (41) are too unsafe. Bring in more business & shopping, which hopefully could help lower property taxes. A shopping mall would be great in this area. Build a Panera's. Get some good restaurants in town! The talk in town is that the city is so difficult to work with that business give up and go to other cities. I know I drive to Eden Prairie a lot to eat out. Chanhassen is missing out on those tax dollars. Have better thought out retail development. Building materials, landscaping and tenant mix are very poor in comparison to Eden Prairie. Improve quality of businesses downtown. Make it easier for restaurants & retailers to build -make it easier for residents to add on to house Permit issues are to demanding. Is there a need for a police force? Make HWY 5 crossing more passable. More adult restaurants we tend to always go in to Eden Prairie to dine. More family dine -in restaurants & more take out/fast food too! Wish we didn't have to go to Eden Prairie for variety. More family type restaurants, more shopping (non - grocery, non - target). More fine dining choices. More high end restaurants in the area ! More legal retail to keep owners here. Keep up the great work! More mom & pop /small family owned bar or restaurants. Rey Azteka is a shining example. More restaurant options. More restaurant sit down style. More restaurants & shopping south of Hwy 5 More restaurants The National Citizen SurveyTM 4 City of Chanhassen 2010 More restaurants /shopping. More retail & restaurant development to draw people from surrounding communities. More retail shops. 2. More restaurants 3. Movie theaters (larger). More retail stores & restaurants. More retail. More retail. More shopping availability - We need more than target! More shopping, closer. More shopping, restaurants, development! That increases property value which is horrible right now. More shopping -other than cub - (Burleys) too expensive no other query. Would like to shop local rather than EP. The western suburban have no good ladies clothing store - neither does Ridgedale. I have to shop by catalog - sometimes that's not the best. I don't drive out of my area any more so I don't get to other shopping areas. Walmart, built in area. We do not have enough restaurants! Wider variety of retail and restaurants Find myself going to Eden Prairie for these tasks. Would like more shopping options but not the traffic associated with it so, that is a deleme, right? Would like to have a Country Buffet restaurant here. Government performance, taxes Be more friendly. A lot of depts aren't responsive to phone calls, Follow -ups, or Follow - throughs. Some employees like to use their power over the local citizen. Control city expenditure - yearly budget. Fewer rich, spoiled people on council. More people & young kids making choices! Hire or train current city staff to recognize that individual property owners have rights, and that city employees should leave their personal values at home I answered "I don't know" to a lot of questions because I stopped following what the counsel does While generally competent, the counsel has proven unnecessarily intrusive at times or favored a small number of individuals to the detriment of the larger community. I would like the city to make sure there are enough staff resources in the future to ensure that the city is able to be "Practice" in the planning for the future (Trails, Roadways, Developments zoning, etc) and not minimize staff levels and become a "Reactive" city Improve property taxes - too high patrol and issue speeding tickets on more residential roads Keep taxes (property) down! Keep taxes down, control spending on schools Keep taxes reasonable. Kepp - T & M Furlong as Mayor. Less negative attitude toward Chanhassen residents who are paying the Chanhassen city government employees salaries via high taxes (2) Chanhassen employees leave the impression they truly do not wish to help a resident. Even Bloomington (Hennepin County) have a better attitudes towards their residents. Listen to what residents want for the neighborhood. Don't spend foolishly. Lower property tax rate. Lower property taxes to relate to the current value of our homes. Lower property taxes! Lower property taxes. Lower property taxes Lower taxes! Lower taxes, better police visibility and coverage, different cable provider The National Citizen SurveyTM 5 City of Chanhassen I 2010 Lower taxes. Lower taxes. Lower taxes. Lower taxes. Fix pot holes. Make city officials and employees accountable for moneys spent. Make sure contracts are fulfilled to specifications. Make sure city employees fulfill their job responsibilities re homeowners abusing wild life areas. They need to go on the lot to see abuse. Manage overall tax structure better, property and school being of most concern. More awareness and attention to property tax rates, and using the money very carefully as if it we your own. There are tough economic times ahead. We all have to pull in our budgets and together our belts and prepare for challenging finances. More communication More responsiveness to home owners by the city council & planning commission Promote lower property taxes. Property taxation must go down when property value real market value declines. Residents have been selling homes and repurchasing homes for less money & taxes than paid on previous homes owned in Chanhassen. I have had only one complaint in the last few years when a portable toilet was not provided at a City Park, problem was corrected. Reduce property taxes. Reduce taxes, more restaurants Reduce taxes. Run government budget economically We tax payers think you gov't people don't understand the stresses and strains on our household budgets. We want you to tighter your belts like we've had to Taxes are high since decline of property values More communication around volunteer opportunities is community. Taxes too high! Need to cut grass shorter on the new Chan N.S Baseball field. Taxes. The street assessment would be paid for by the city with an amount added to the city portion of the tax bill each year so we wouldn't have to pay a large assessment when your street is repaired - Look at Minnetonka for suggestions! Vote more democrats in office. Transportation: traffic, mass transit, traffic enforcement /planning Address the traffic issues on Barber blvd - not monitored, much speeding and traffic on Powers blvd. Be forward thinking regarding growth of roadway systems to accommodate spread of new suburbs traveling to major highways. Better bus system - weekend service & closer park & rides. Better local public transportation not everyone drives, yet they need to get around! Better traffic enforcement on Lake Susan Hills drive. (East) People drive 40 -50 mph past my house every day. Better traffic flow - including traffic signal timing, construction, pot holes etc - better snow removal in the winter time too -at intersections mainly -would cut down on accidents City planners are crazy about stop lights Way to may in a city of this size. One cannot travel with stopping several times (and wasting fuel), many times when no other vehicle is coming. Continue to enforce speeding on Lake Lucy Rd. Downtown connection (Bus) to southwest light rail if /when built! Fix the traffic issues - stoplights non -stop on Hwy 5. The loop that was extended off 494 has now made Chan and EP a terrible place to drive. Have better public transport options to get to /from Min /St. Paul. The National Citizen Survey 6 City of Chanhassen 2010 Have pedestrian traffic movement over hwy 5, another walk over I would like an overpass for Hwy 5 at 101. Churches should not be allowed to have huge amounts of acreage tax free. Improve walk ability, downtown. More green space. Improve walking within downtown — i.e. better sidewalks etc. Light rail to Carver County less money spent on parks every 5 blocks & work on street repair Make the stoplights on Highway 5 more efficient, they're awful! A meter telling drivers how fast they should drive to hit all the green lights would be a good idea! More daily /weekend bus transportation. More parking, some business places are hard to reach - cramped in. More stop signs or lights at busy intersections. Powers blvd is much too long of a stretch & speed is a major problem. More transit. Not so many stop lights to get through Chanhassen. Our community has no sidewalks. Children walk, run, bike in the street. Have to walk in the street to get to any park, or walking path. Planning a larger "Lake Lucy Rd" sign at the west connection with highway 41. Several friends have had difficulty trying to see the small sign, especially at night. Please evaluate the timing of the stop light of Hwy 5 and Market blvd I wait for over 5 minutes at times and there is no traffic! Thanks. Public transportation to major areas in metro (i.e. light rail) to help w/ growing traffic issues & environment. Continue to educate families of educ. Opportunities for their children (i.e. Spanish immersion) so they can be plan for & make the right decisions ahead of deadlines. Put a traffic light on powers or stop sign - or Hopkins or Victoria. Bring something other than fast food to Chan down town Quit putting signs up bragging about if being the best place to live -look at the ponds and paths in Chan - embarrassing. Require sidewalks in all housing developments. Slower traffic on #5 and some what slower in neighborhoods. Some way to slow traffic going mainly west on Lake Drive. Speed going east can also be too fast. Southwest village transit to run during the weekend. Speed bumps in residential neighborhoods. For some reason people drive very fast in our neighborhood and I've never seen any enforcement of the speed limit. I've seen kids almost get run over if they are riding bikes in the neighborhood. (we live on Bighorn Dr.) Timing of stoplights both on main street and going from downtown area on to Hwy 5 Hypiedly wait at 101 +5 for at least 5 minutes in the morning to turn on to Hwy 5 to get to work. Traffic law enforcement. Better understanding of community needs. Traffic lights that are all green at once, not just every other block - too much stop & go on Hwy 5. Wider streets in downtown Would like to take a bus more often but there isn't service in middle of the day The trolley was great when it was here for the summer. Plan on taking southwest to twins games. Wish there were more buses on bus service to St. Paul (Museum), Como Park etc. Growth, planning, land use and development, maintaining community character Be very careful about land use development & very selective about which businesses are allowed Being sure that new development will not negatively affect the water supply which can become low in summer Restrict water usage of businesses with lawns. Better city planning - Do not need retail (strip malls) at every stop light or hwy 5 with signs that light up. I do not want to live in Las Vegas -The movie theater/Walgreens /library /halls what's next? The National Citizen SurveyTM City of Chanhassen 2010 Better pricing and more homes for sell. When I recently got here. It was very hard for my family to find an affordable home or I wouldn't mind buying an expensive home, if there were more options in the housing market. I think it's too expensive for the quality of homes it sells Better /more well thought out planning -very hap- hazard & uncoordinated. Chan was quaint until the "Strip Mall" era. The entrance of Eckankar The 1st taints the original Chan town look, the 2nd. A lost opportunity to use the land for something better Cheaper houses and internet; more jobs availability. Community input in planning process. Due to bad economy -would like to see more rental places, getting too expensive to live here. More Pt. Jobs would be helpful & flex ability for kids to get jobs. Lot of places won't hire 16yr olds they want 18yr old- not fair to kids! Encourage affordable housing / diverse housing. I love living here. I think we need more senior housing. Improve the availability of housing for families with 3 or more children with middle or low income. Eden Prairie and Chaska offer twice the opportunity and value for housing for renters; many people loose jobs or income and have no place to turn in Chanhassen for quality housing that they qualify to live in. The rental options are dumps Keep development slow — I don't want to live in a place like Apple Valley way overdeveloped! I would sooner drive to EP to shop! Love green space & country feel it is why we live here! Keep the small town feel. Keep the small -town atmosphere. Don't let roads /traffic get out of hand Less growth. Maintain natural beauty of the area. Use money wisely to maintain what we have not expand too rapidly. A pool? Make a more like a city then a suburb, with an actual downtown and more pedestrian - friendly. More affordable apartment options - Chanhassen seems high compared to other cities. Mountain bike trail. Help get light rail to Eden Prairie More affordable housing for low - to middle class, or retired people. More affordable housing for young families. More affordable housing. More affordable housing. More affordable living facilities I live next door to an apartment complex with underground parking - could I go there in the event of a Tornado warning/watch? Let us know! More low income housing to help struggling families in the area. More senior housing & family restaurant. More single family housing under $400k. Preservation of crop land. Reconstruct downtown so that it feels and looks like a town and not one big strip mall. Revise residential zoning laws to preserve the personality of existing neighborhoods Minimum lot sizes should be determined by the area, not a "one size fits all ". Slow down growth /expansion to remain small. Sometimes charge comes at a cost. I think Chanhassen is a great place to live. The small town feel in a large metropolitan holds a lot of appeal to me Given the current economic conditions everyone is feeling and facing, the goal of the city should be to focus on maintaining the status quo w/o great impact financially to its citizens. I'd like to see Chanhassen set apart from other suburban cities. Thank you for asking for my feedback. Stay the course on planned growth. Stay the course with zoning/planning parks /trails, maybe promote more restaurant and high end retail. Stop urban sprawl - big boxes This city has been blessed with many great Mayors. I hope the city will plan well for future growth due to the New Freeway The city has so many parks, rolling hills, and endless miles for bikers. The National Citizen SurveyTM 8 City of Chanhassen 2010 However many bike trails need researching which would help bikers use the trails rather than dangerous roads - "Do not use" that R rough surface - especially electric bikes which R B- coming popular. Recreation and cultural opportunities (rec center, community center, library) A better bigger community center with a lot of weight & exercise equipment. A public, outdoor swimming pool would be a fantastic addition to Chanhassen. To swim in an outdoor pool you have to leave the community. Add a pool to the Chan Rec Center! I have a membership at Chaska Community Center because of this Add a recreation dub w/ membership dues & more class options, similar to Chaska? Add more for recreation like Chaska rec. Schools. An improved recreation center - the exercise equipment is old, it is very small and really only used for basketball & private meetings. Better community center. Build a center for the arts or have prince donate "Parsley Park" to the city! Complete development of unfinished trails (Bluff Creek Blvd). More gas station. Continue community programs & events — i.e. Memorial day services; 4th of July; fire fighter open house; the neighborhood watch; night out events. Enhance the Rec. Center. A better fitness facility, a city pool, better mirror the Chaska comm. Center Even more bike trails (paved). More upscale shopping, like an arbor lakes would be nice. I would love for us to have a community center similar to the one in Chaska with indoor skating, swimming, gym, etc Improved rec center /community center. More equipped library (bigger space, more materials) A fitness center with many sports available. More trails! Offer more activities interspersed in the community encourages residents to walk or bicycle rather then drive (to encourage physical activity in daily life and encourage a feeling of neighborhood communities). (I sent the Mayor of Chanhassen an article about this 1 -2 years ago, and received no response). Please add more recreational activities such as sport events, volunteer opportunities. Recreation center that is comparable to Chaska's. Recreation opportunities in the form of the limited rec center and no municipal golf course hurt the city and it's image. We have 3 small children that love the outdoor splash pad in St Louis park. We would recommend having a splash pad /outdoor pool that was for use by the public at no cost. Infrastructure issues (roads, water, Internet, etc) Wireless internet (like Chaska) We have had repeated water shortages in the summer due to poor well sizing & placement. The city continues to issue new permits when water service has to be rationed to existing residents. Bad management! Sweep streets more often - especially 17 -50 bikes don't get flat tires. Street improvement (Paying) Quality of water (tastes gross). Patch up the streets that are in poor shape. More cable TV options, find a way to lower property taxes. They are too high for the area! More cable opportunities -not tied to just one. Community center similar to Chaska - Community outdoor pool. More places for youth (bowling, pizza) The National Citizen SurveyTM 9 City of Chanhassen 1 2010 Have had many issues with Mediacom Think it would be nice if we could have water that did not need to be softened. Water has ruined fixtures. Got a new cable co. Get rid of Mediacom as cable provider. Fixing the ruts in the road better. (esp. On 101). Fix the potholes when called - Hate being ignored Fix sinking street / gutter in front of my house - causing damage to my vehicles - Hate being ignored! Encourage quest to expand high speed Internet availability and speeds in Chanhassen, so media com will have some competition Dump media com cable (easily the worst company I've ever dealt with) Clean up the weed in Lotus lake - It is choking the lake and in some cases could make the lake unsafe and unhealthy. City owned internet & cable. Economic development and jobs City government needs to be more willing to work with new businesses. Per several discussions, our city government makes it very difficult to want to do business in Chanhassen. Our residents deserve more businesses and services (and places for Chanhassen residents to work). This doesn't mean franchises only Fewer automotive businesses. Better planning for Emerald Ash Boret. Find a way to attract & retain new businesses that will remain as a mainstay in to city, not here today & gone tomorrow, at a reasonable rate of overall growth. Have a office to help people get work. Country or State. Have an increase of professional jobs Have community activities & areas for teens. Have police actually investigate crime rather than hand out parting tickets. Let more businesses come into our city limits - especially around the new 212 hwy. !! More activities or a place of business for teenagers! (i e.. Bowling alley, game rooms,) not much for them except movie theatre. Lighten up on small business /design roadways & parking lots, so you can go to and from retail businesses make building codes the same for everybody and also do not use outside consulting firms waste of money. Make downtown Chanhassen more business friendly, invite more retail shops, give a "Facelift" to the existing town market shops. More decent paying jobs for college educated, young people More employment opportunities. More job /employment opportunities. Property values up and more jobs! Recruiting & creating a lot more job openings in the government services transit or bus services frequently even on Saturdays from home to downtown Chanhassen Code enforcement, animal control Address the 25% hardcover rule and provide or allow for some leeway. Ask the bldg. Insp. To relax and work with the builders. Better management of homes in dis- repair (New Perce Duplex homes & St. homes in substantial dis- repair - garage doors /roofs fully apart, Lawns not moved, etc.) Enforce property rules (excess junk, long grass). If not an ordinance, something for barking dogs. Enforcement of park rules -also dog faces being cleaned up. Walking paths are full of dog faces -some people bag it and then just throw it in someone's yard. Gravel drive ways to not be considered hard cover so when residents want to improve (i.e.) (additions) not forced to make more hard cover. Isn't Green the way to go, wake up! The National Citizen SurveyTM 10 City of Chanhassen I 2010 Homes that are abandoned need to be kept up with curb appeal. Some in this area are bad. And two on frontier & 78th area that is lived in but looks like a junk yard / why can't the city talk to them! Make them clean it up! Just a comment: The new( ?) lights for the fields @ Lake Ann are ridiculously bright. City code? Keep dogs off sidewalks, trail & street. Owens let them poop all over. Less restrictions on residential land uses fences, decks, hard cover. The trail from Carver Beach to the Fox chase neighborhood is in need of log cut up /clean up. It used to be kept so nicely. Now it is neglected and even dangerous. Plus the DNR pushed a dead deer over the edge of the road into the Woodland area (instead of removing it) It is such a lovely trail along lotus lake - but in dire need of attention. Thank you. Way too many junk vehicles in driveways & yards in my neighborhood. Education, schools, youth opportunities Continue to invest in our future. Education kids Take care of our environment as close grows. This is an attention to clear We need to keep it an attraction /benefit. I'd like to see more for teens to do More activities /programs for high school area citizens. The community would be more cohesive if all the students were aligned within the same school district. Right now the town is split between Chan high and Minnetonka high, and the support \news\ is not reflective of that. The school's spending an incredible amount of money (Ball fields @ Chanhassen H.S.) and then complaining about not having enough money. Spend responsibly please! Quality of life, sense of community, volunteer opportunities, diversity A more welcoming atmosphere. Chanhassen will start to become a aging community just like other suburbs before them - They need to continue to make it affordable to live here now and in the future so the people that live here will continue to live here. Cheaper Diversity, more affordable housing, public transportation. Improving cultural /racial diversity understanding. As an African - American living in Chanhassen, I feel unwanted, not understood, & suspected. Make this place that everybody want to live More volunteer opportunities for people in Chanhassen to help other. Much more aggressive enforcement of quality of life issues Solicitors without permits should all be cited, weeds, junked vehicles enforcement. Get rid of eye sores. It sets the tone that larger issues wont be tolerated. The National Citizen SurveyTM 11 City of Chanhassen 2010 Law enforcement, police Deputy sheriff office in our city not Chaska, only - follow -up of long time problems difficult to explain to new police officer when called - example -flat tire- recurring problem - suspicious tenant in Condo. Where my auto is parked! 1341 lake drive west Condo # 202. It's own police department. More police patrols in neighborhoods! More police patrols of neighborhood. (2) Attract more restaurants. More police visibility in certain neighborhoods and /or locations to decrease crime and possibly enforce less gang (illegal alien) activity. Police officers! Police pulling over distracted drivers (cell phones etc.) Too dangerous to walk 'downtown' by Byerlys & the library & Main Street in general. Don't know Can't think of any. Don't change a thing! Don't know - haven't I lived here long enough. Don't know. Don't know. Don't know. I am content now. I have worked in Chan for the past 4yrs & have currently moved here. So far I am very happy with everything. I'm satisfied with Chanhassen as it is. It seems things are going well - am excited that Chanhassen dinner theatre remains here. Just keep doing exactly what you are doing - I recently heard an update from Mayor Furlong © the service center & continue to remain very impressed @ the Mayor & his staff & all their hard work on our behalf - Thank you very much! No suggestion This a fine place to live. My family is here. No suggestions. Thank you. To keep doing the excellent job for our future! Unsure. We're very satisfied, thank you. When you are rated the 2nd best city in the nation. What can I say but excellent. Other A place to dump yard waste - brush instead of the environmental center (because you have to pay). This has been included through taxes in previous towns we've lived in. All garbage collection should be on the same day for the neighborhoods. Vendors must cooperate. Streets look unkempt for days with trash on curbs for different vendors Highway 5 road noise is extremely loud! Bigger post office, get fire station out of downtown slow up traffic on powers (entire length) Turn lot into a more user friendly road with E.P. (2 best cities in MN share. Worst road in MN) Burning bans, they create too much air pollution. Churches should not tie up huge amounts of acreage (Westwood & Eckankar) - big tax revenue loss. I'd like to see some upscale retail shopping in the future. City should not allow telephone company equipment and resulting fan noise in the middle of residential areas. Every thing. The National Citizen SurveyTM 12 City of Chanhassen 2010 Follow the lead of Toronto, Montreal, and 200 other municipalities in Canada, including the entire provinces of Ontario and Quebec and ban the use of 2,4,0 herbicide. At least have the city stop using it. The fumes make life unbearable for those of us with chemical sensitivity. Every year I dread the arrival of spring and the chemical attack. This city would be ideal, even with dandelions, were it not for the hypocritical poisoning of our air in our 'Green' community. Please, ban it now! Have a place do take our tree (Yard waste) trimmings to Have the DMV office and the longer library (open) time If we report to office need for maintenances (only done) day per week if at all. More attention to apt. Complexes i.e. Cleanliness of bldg poor availability to contact offices & maintenance personal by residents. Difficult to find office open daily or at all. Maintenance available 1 day per week wanted 18 days for repair of leaking bath vanity drains week at present smoke a lawn beeping waited 9 days for repair of laundry washer -still waiting! any emergency calls we are charged 50 00 for each as we don't make call takes the 1st notification to office of a need regardless of how long we have to wait for repairs. Isn't there a local business that could have done this survey? We like to support local businesses whenever possible. More posting of community events at the street level (we don't read the newspaper). It would be nice to have one country -ish bar We always have to go to other cities to go to any bars. Overall wonderful place to live! Need city phone book for new residents. Perhaps more services for full time single parents Preserve all of the things checked above in 22.C. Renovate the parking lot at market square. It's a mess. Smile!! Some way to save our ash trees. Implement city -wide low cost high speed internet, like Chaska, make an arrangement with Chaska community center to be able to pay resident rather than non- resident fees for using their pool. Stop increasing water bills. Stop using sand for snow /ice control in the winter Less salt as well, on local neighborhood roads. Not needed - We live in MN. Only use on collectors and above and in other special places The collection of Christmas trees & old apple Ames - hazardous waste. The power of HOA'S are ridiculous! Outrageous taxes -not appealing considering it's the #1 or 2 place to live under 20,000 PPL Lazy admin To clean out more ponds Variances should be free. Weather is really bead The National Citizen SurveyTM 13