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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-06-2022 City Council Work Session MinutesCITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION Public Safety Bldg —Training Room, 825 41st Ave NE Monday, June 06, 2022 6:00 PM MINUTES Mayor Amado Mdrquez Simulo Councilmembers John Murzyn, Jr. Connie Buesgens Nick Novitsky KtJocobs City Manager Kelli Bourgeois The following are the minutes for the Work Session Meeting of the City Council held at 6:00 pm on Monday, June 6, 2022, in the Public Safety Building, Training Room, 825 41st Avenue NE, Columbia Heights, Minnesota. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Mayor Marquez Simula called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm. Present: Mayor Marquez Simula; Councilmember Novitsky; Councilmember Buesgens; Councilmember Jacobs; Councilmember Murzyn, Jr. Also Present: Lenny Austin, Chief of Police; Kelli Bourgeois, City Manager; Aaron Chirpich, Community Development Director; Mitchell Forney, Community Development Coordinator; Sara Ion, City Clerk/Council Secretary; Eric Johnston, Police Captain. WORK SESSION ITEMS 1. Central Avenue Traffic Safety Update. Captain Johnston lead the discussion on information related to safety and traffic updates on Central Avenue. Overall, there are speed issues in the area with 60 crashes year to date in 2022 (142 city wide) with one fatal pedestrian accident in April 2022. The concerns with speed fall in the 89t" percentile, with an average speed of 39 mile per hour. Chief Austin stated that changing behavior is hard and takes time, and many of these issues date back to the 90's. The police department continues to monitor and enforce as appropriate, but it is hard to issue tickets as a long-term solution to the problem. Councilmember Jacobs inquired if there was a comparison to last year. Captain Johnston did not have the previous year data at this time. Councilmember Buesgens also asked for a copy of the PowerPoint presentation. 2. Embedded Social Worker Contract Discussion. Captain Johnston lead the discussion related to Canvas Heath receiving additional funding from the Federal Government. Because of this they have not been billing Columbia Heights since February of this year. The Police Department has been speaking to grant management at the Federal Government to get a second social worker for evening hours. This would be for a licensed social worker in a co responder model. The Police Department is looking to fill the role as quickly as possible. There will be overlap, and this person would train and mentor with Eileen. City of Columbia Heights MINUTES June 06, 2022 City Council Work Session Page 2 Currently the Police Department is getting ready to run the first metric evaluation of the social worker program, hopefully they will have more information at the next work session. Captain Johnston stated that we are very fortunate to have Eileen. As a whole in the social work consortium, Columbia Heights is one of the first Departments to have this position staffed and we have had great results so far. Mayor Marquez Simula stated that she has had a lot of great feedback from the community about the position. 3. 4720 Upland Crest, Attached Garage and Parkland Discussion. Community Development Coordinator Mitchell Forney lead the conversation related to 4720 Upland Crest. In May of this year Community Development Staff was approached by the owner of 4720 Upland Crest regarding the building of an attached garage on the site. 4720 shares its southern and longest border with Hill Top Park. As is, the property owner is not able to build an attached garage due to City Code requiring a minimum of 20'x20' for new garages. An attached garage of 20'x20' would place the garage over the property line and into the park space. Because of this, the property owner is interested in purchasing a piece of the park to allow him to build the attached garage. The property owner plans to build the garage attaching it to the house where the deck is currently located. This report compares 4720 Upland Crest to the neighborhood, covers a variance that was previously granted, and discusses several options for consideration by the Council. 4720 Upland Crest is very similar to other houses in the neighborhood and closely resembles those on the same block. One aspect of the property that differs from most is the presence of a hill in the front yard. This hill is mirrored by the property across the street, but no other property deals with a similar incline. Of the 25 houses on the same block, all but one of them have a garage located in the rear yard of the property with two of them being attached. 4720 Upland Crest has an approximate lot area of .16 acres. Of the properties on the same block, 9 have an area of .16 acres, 12 have an area of .15 acres or less, and 4 have an area of .17 acres or more. In 1979, the former owner of 4720 Upland Crest received a variance to complete a project like the one proposed. The Planning Commission approved a 1-foot setback variance for the owner to build an attached garage on the side of the house. The variance allowed the owner at the time to build a 14'x24' attached garage. A similar variance if granted today would not work due to city code requiring new garages to be 20'x20'. Option 1a, is referenced in attachment 4 and is highlighted in green. The proposal is for the property owner to purchase a total of 1,738 sq/ft of park space. As proposed, this is achieved by extending the front and back lot line of the subject property by 13feet into the park space. With the purchase of the parkland, the owner would be able to build a 20'x24' attached garage and meet all set back requirements. With the addition of the park space the total lot area would equal 8,899 sq/ft. City of Columbia Heights MINUTES June 06, 2022 City Council Work Session Page 3 Option 1B, is referenced in attachment 6 and is highlighted in yellow. This proposal is for the property owner to purchase a total of 1,830 sq/ft of park space. As proposed, this is achieved by extending the front lot line 6.7 feet and back lot line by 20.7 feet into the park space. With the purchase of the parkland the owner would be able to build a 20' x 24 'attached garage and meet all set back requirements. With the addition of the park space the total lot area would equal 8,993 sq/ft. Option 1C, is referenced in attachment 8. This proposal is for the property owner to purchase a total of 1,340 sq/ft of park space. As proposed, this is achieved by extending the front lot line approximately 2.3 feet and back lot line by 17.7 feet into the park space. With the purchase of the parkland the owner would be able to build a 20' x 24' attached garage and meet all set back requirements. With the addition of the park space the total lot area would equal 8,503 sq/ft. Option 2 is the path in which the City does not agree to sell park land to the property owner. The current situation allows the homeowner to build a detached garage in the rear yard without the need for any variance or parkland acquisition. As stated above, 24 of the 25 houses on the same block have garages in the rear -yard. Building a detached garage in the rear of the house would also maintain a similar layout with the entire neighborhood. If the City decides to sell park land, Community Development Staff reasoned that the valuation should be based off the estimated market value of land for 4720 Upland Crest. This takes into effect the estimated market value of residential property without any buildings or improvements. 4720 Upland Crest has a current estimated market value of land at $93,600, and an area of 7,163sq/ft. Which equates to a per sq/ft value of $13.06. Further analysis established a block average of $13.51 per sq/ft which contains both larger and smaller lots. At the proposed value of $13.06 each option would be sold for as follows: 1a would sell for $22,698, 1b would be sold for $23,899, 1c would sell for $17,500. Community Development Staff recommends option 2, in which the council does not sell parkland. At this time the owner of the property could build a garage in the rear yard without any need for parkland or a variance. As stated before, most of the houses in the neighborhood have garages in the rear yard. The neighbor across the street has a similar issue with a hill in the front yard, yet still has a garage to the rear of the house. Currently the owner of 4720 Upland Crest has not done enough to establish a need for the acquisition of parkland. Upon a recommendation by the Council, staff will work with the owner of 4720 Upland Crest to move the garage project forward. Councilmember Jacobs inquired if there would be a restriction on putting a garage in the back yard. Community Development Director Chirpich stated that he did not feel that there would be a concern with that. City of Columbia Heights MINUTES June 06, 2022 City Council Work Session Page 4 Councilmember Jacobs feels that the photo does not do justice to how steep and high the slope of the hill is. She does not want to sell park property. But she does think the garage should possibly go behind the house. Councilmembers Novitsky and Murzyn stated that they were against selling park property. Councilmember Buesgens stated that she goes back and forth and does not want to set precedent. Councilmember Jacobs wanted to know where the off-street parking is located. Community Development Director Chirpich stated there is no off-street parking. We desire off street parking and garages in the city. We assume that the grade challenges have led to the lack of garage. The proposed garage would be a tuck under, if we sold property it would be a sliver of parkland and staff thought that this should be brought to council for review. Mayor Marquez Simula stated that she likes being flexible and not worrying about precedent. She likes the idea of the home being improved and becoming more modern. She wants to see upgrades being made with the sacrifice of a very small pieces of land to keep people in our community longer. Councilmember Jacobs is concerned about the precedent and being equitable and fair about the use of parkland for a garage and being cautious. Councilmember Buesgens was curious about treating each property as its own from her time on the planning commission. Community Development Director Chirpich is less concerned about variances applying to this property. City Manager Bourgeois stated that there is a type of dedication that you cannot sell, and this is not the case. The Council would have to be very clear as to why the finding of facts would lead to the sale of this particular property. There is not a variance for the sale of the park property, so there would not be a public hearing. Councilmember Novitsky would like to know if there would be a single or double car garage built. The new homeowner did not clarify what he wanted to build when he purchased the home. City of Columbia Heights MINUTES June 06, 2022 City Council Work Session Page 5 Community Development Director Chirpich stated that there could be a code compliant 20x20 two car garage built on the site. Mayor Marquez Simula is interested in hearing what the property owner will do with the garage and property. Community Development Director Chirpich inquired as to how Council felt about moving this item forward. Councilmember Novitsky, Jacobs and Murzyn would not want to move forward with selling park land. 4. ACHRA Renewal Discussion. Community Development Coordinator Mitch Forney led the discussion in regards to the City of Columbia Heights participation in the Anoka County Housing & Redevelopment Authority's (ACHRA's) levy. In 2007, The Anoka County Board of Commissioners authorized the ACHRA to exercise powers of an economic development authority pursuant to Section 469.1082 of the EDA Act. These powers were only authorized in cities or townships within the county that adopted a resolution electing to participate in said economic development activities. In 2007, the City adopted its first resolution to participate in the ACHRA Levy and has continued to participate ever since. As part of the levy, the City agreed to four conditions: (1) to participate for a minimum of five years, (2) the ACHRA may levy an additional property tax, (3) the ACHRA may deduct a 15% administration fee from the levied property tax, and (4) the ACHRA would retain absolute authority and discretion in determining whether a fund reimbursement request meets the statutory objectives. The last ACHRA levy participation resolution was passed by the City in 2017. This resolution renewed the City's commitment to the ACHRA levy through the 2022 fiscal yar. Over the life of the levy the EDA has utilized the funding for a multitude of projects. These projects include but are not limited to; the 3989 Central redevelopment project and the related cell tower replacement, remediation of the Root Property, land acquisition, building demolition, and the redevelopment of the new library. It is undeniable that the City and the EDA have benefitted from the flexibility of and access to the levy funding. As stated above, a piece of the agreement is the payment of a 15% administration fee to the ACHRA. This fee pays for the salaries of ACHRA staff and other ACHRA related activities and programs. The ACHRA is responsible for the administration of Federal, State, and other Anoka County Programs. The ACHRA automatically renews all the participating cities every five years unless they receive a resolution removing a city from participation. In the past, the City has reconsidered its involvement in the ACHRA every five years. Going forward, the City can decide to continue renewing its participation every five years or participate until the Council sees fit to remove the City. City of Columbia Heights MINUTES June 06, 2022 City Council Work Session Page 6 The first decision the Council must consider is whether the Council would like to re -new the City's participation in the ACHRA Levy. Staff recommend renewing participation and continuing to provide the City and EDA with the funding needed to drive future economic development activities and initiatives. The second decision to consider is whether the City Council would like to renew ACHRA participation every five years, or set up automatic renewal moving forward. Selecting automatic renewal still leaves the City with the option to opt -out of participation. Community Development staff have no recommendation. The path selected by the Council will be formalized by resolution at an upcoming City Council meeting. Councilmember Murzyn thinks it is a good idea to stay with this program. Mayor Marquez Simula agrees that it is a great program. Councilmember Jacobs inquired about automatic renewal. She does not want to make the choice for future councils, unless there is a trigger to alert. Community Development Cordinator Forney stated that it would be a staff process if there was an automatic renewal. Staff would alert Council when it was time. Councilmember Buesgens stated she would be for an autorenewal because it is a great program. Councilmember Novitsky stated he would be against an autorenewal, but he is for the program because it is a great program. Councilmember Murzyn stated that he is against the autorenewal process, but it is a great program, and it is a good refresher for the council every five years. Mayor Marquez Simula asked what the pros were for the auto renewal process. Community Development Director Chirpich stated that it would be one less step, but it is really a good opportunity to make sure it is included in the budget and to make sure that we are getting the full benefits of the program in addition to our own EDA program. He confirmed that we will keep the program as is and get a resolution for approval to the Council at the Council Meeting. 5. Filling Vacant Library Board Seat. City Clerk Ion stated that during the City Council Work Session on May 2, 2022, Council made the determination that if there was a Commission or Board vacancy occurring in the months directly following interviews and appointments that the Council would fill the vacancy from the candidates who submitted applications during the recent application City of Columbia Heights MINUTES June 06, 2022 City Council Work Session Page 7 period. The candidates to select from to fill the vacancy are those that were interviewed and not appointed. There is one current candidate, Chris Polley to fill the vacancy caused by Tricia Conway leaving the Library Board at the end of April. The appointment of this candidate would be for the remainder of the term left vacant from June 1, 2022 to March 31, 2024. Council has asked to review the notes they took during the board and commission interviews. The hard copy notes were redistributed to council, to be recollected for data privacy purposes. Councilmember Jacobs asked if we only reached out to those candidates who wanted to serve on the Library Board. City Manager Bourgeois stated that it was just those who applied for the Library Board. There were two candidates remaining, and only one was interested. Mayor Marquez Simula stated that she thought he was a good candidate, he is a teacher and involved with the youth in the community. He mentioned enjoying diversified books. He would be a good choice for finishing the term. Councilmember Buesgens stated she had no problems with the candidate that is remaining. Councilmember Jacobs stated that her concern was that he was not picked at that time of the interviews, and it was not the consensus of the five of them at the time. Councilmember Buesgens clarified that Councilmember Jacobs wanted to interview again? Councilmember Jacobs finished her comment by stating that her concern was that he was not chosen in the last round. There were reasons that he was not chosen as an incumbent. She is split between his school associations being an asset and being a conflict. There could be bias. He received average ratings. She would prefer to go out into the community and do interviews again, however this would take time to complete the interview process again. Councilmember Novitsky would not give him his vote to go back on the board. He has served for two years on the board as the liaison. At first, he liked his school connections, but he is the least vocal of any of the commissioners. What we were hoping to get out of him has not been accomplished. He would like to have other options. Councilmember Murzyn feels fine with him coming on to finish the term. Councilmember Buesgens stated that when she was liaison to the board people did appreciate the input he had. Councilmember Novitsky stated that he did not see that during his time on the board. City of Columbia Heights MINUTES June 06, 2022 City Council Work Session Page 8 Mayor Marquez Simula stated that if she was to choose right now, she would have him finish out the term and move forward. Councilmember Buesgens and Councilmember Murzyn confirmed that is what they would like to do this as well. The interview materials were recollected. City Clerk Ion mentioned that there is an open position for the Charter Commission that will need to be advertised as Joe Schluender did not reapply for his position. Charter Commission vacancies are advertised, applications are received by the Clerk and the applications are forwarded directly to the Judge for appointment. Councilmember Novitsky and Councilmember Jacobs noted that they want to make sure that we get as many applicants as possible for city boards and commissions and get people from the community involved. City Manager Bourgeois and City Clerk Ion clarified the process for filling a vacancy occurring six months after appointments were made. The process will be to fill the vacancy from the candidates who submitted applications during the recent application period. The candidates to select from to fill the vacancy are those that were interviewed and not appointed to that specific board or commission. Mayor Marquez Simula, Councilmember Buesgens and Councilmember Murzyn confirmed that they are comfortable picking from the pool of applicants that was just interviewed. 6. Council Group Photo: Reschedule for June 27th at 6:30 pm. City Clerk Ion noted that Council group photos have been rescheduled for June 27h at 6:30pm in Council Chambers. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Marquez Simula adjourned the meeting at 7:05 pm. Respectfully Submitted, Sara Ion, City Clerk/Council Secretary