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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-05-2025 City Council Work Session Minutes CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION Mayor Amáda Márquez Simula Councilmembers Connie Buesgens Rachel James Justice Spriggs Laurel Deneen City Manager Aaron Chirpich City Hall—Shared Vision Room, 3989 Central Ave NE Monday, May 05, 2025 6:00 PM MINUTES CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order by Mayor Márquez Simula at 6:15pm. Present: Mayor Márquez Simula, Councilmember Buesgens, Councilmember Deneen, Councilmember James. Councilmember Spriggs. Also Present: Andrew Boucher, City Planner; Aaron Chirpich, City Manager; David Cullen, Public Works Superintendent; Mitch Forney, Community Development Director; Kevin Hansen, Public Works Director; Dan O’Brien, Fire Chief; Kristin Peterson, Fire Department Admin; Brad Roddy, Assistant Fire Chief; Will Rottler, Communications Coordinator; Emilie Voight, Community Development Coordinator; Chris Bower, MNDOT; Frank Alarcon, Metro Transit; Tim Lamkin, Bolton and Menk; Barrett Corwin, Alatus; Alex Eberhart, Alatus; Tony Kuechle , Alatus; Paul Edner, City Resident. WORK SESSION ITEMS 1. Ice Breaker: What is a topic you could give a TED Talk on? Mayor Márquez Simula led the group in an ice breaker topic. 2. Rainbow Site Development Update. City Manger Chirpich introduced the topic as well as the team from Alatus to review the status of the rainbow site redevelopment on Central Avenue. Additionally City Manager Chirpich went over the recent challenges the project has faced including financial concerns and the need for modifications to the loan agreement and bond refunding strategies. Overall, this project has been negatively impacted by rising interest rates as well as the lack of options for financing partnerships. Tony Kuechle, Alatus indicated that Alatus has been moving forward with options for funding the project, and the needed infrastructure for the project. There is ongoing work related to the updated traffic study and finding a suitable grocery partner for the site. Additionally, there is an ongoing examination of the site plan to identify financeable portions that can be started immediately. Barrett Corwin, Alatus also spoke to the interest rates and how the project has been negatively impacted. Alatus is committed to the site plan and is looking at all options to get the project moving forward. Mayor Márquez Simula inquired what was needed from the council. City of Columbia Heights MINUTES May 05, 2025 City Council Work Session Page 2 City Manager Chirpich focused on the positives of the projects, and that this project will move forward but that there will be additional loan modification documents that are presented to the EDA and the council for approval at upcoming meetings. Councilmember Deneen inquired about what was occurring with the underwriting staff to move the project forward. Mr. Kuechle indicated that there will be multiple meetings coming up regarding this topic and they hope to have more information for the Council after these meetings. Councilmember James asked where the project falls in the priority for Alatus. Mr. Kuechle indicated that the project falls in the top three priorities for Alatus. Councilmember Buesgens stated that she is concerned that there is not a market for a grocery store in this space. She does not want to have the construction held up because of the retail partners. She would also like to get the financing extended for three to five years, due to the volatility in the market. Mr. Kuechle and Mr. Corwin confirmed to the council that the grocer is not holding up the project and elaborated on the financing options for this development with a fixed rate low interest loan and that there is new legislation that updated the tax code to build work force housing. They also offered for the Council to tour one of the recently completed Alatus projects in St. Paul. Chris Bower with MNDOT asked for the traffic study that is being completed by Alatus to be sent to him as soon as it is available. City Manager Chirpich indicated that moving forward there will be monthly updates for the council related to this project. 3. MnDOT: Layout Recommendations for Central Avenue. Public Works Director Kevin Hansen introduced Chris Bower with MNDOT for the continued discussion regarding reconstruction that will occur on Central Avenue. The goal of the conversation is to continue to build consensus on where the project is headed. There are many areas where there is consensus, however there is continued discussion needed related to single lane roundabouts (46th and 47th) and the number of northbound lanes from 37th to 48th. Mr. Bower is proposing that all changes on University Avenue in Columbia Heights are postponed until at least 2030. He reviewed recent traffic studies and lane configuration that could handle increased traffic that is shifted from Central Avenue. Councilmember Deneen was supportive of waiting until 2030 related to improvements to University Avenue. City of Columbia Heights MINUTES May 05, 2025 City Council Work Session Page 3 Mr. Bower stated that MNDOT heard from the community partners that there are concerns related to the need for road and utility maintenance as well as a northbound bus lane. Mr. Bower understands that there is a concern that the bus lane will lead to misuse, and there would be the possibility of implementing a part-time bus line to mitigate the issue. Councilmember Buesgens inquired about how many times there has been major work completed on Central. She also asked about the number of accidents that have occurred. She and Councilmember Deneen inquired about the conversion of bus lanes to parking if needed in the future. Public Works Director Hansen indicated that there will be watermain work that needs to be done with or without this project. There is also sewer cleaning, street sweeping and misc. repair work completed yearly. Mr. Bower indicated that MNDOT will be making many of the design ideas available for the public moving forward. MNDOT will not make any of the municipal consent items available as that is something that is initiated by the council. MNDOT does feels strongly that there should be a single lane northbound from 45th to 49th as this is a critical area for safety. Councilmember Buesgens stated that she feels strongly that the commuter traffic will decrease on Central Avenue with the proposed improvements. Her top priority is that this corridor is safer, and she would like there to be a single lane each way. She does not want a bus lane, and she wants to have Central be pedestrian friendly. She wants this area to be safer for pedestrians, and less convenient for commuters who do not live in the community. She would like additional research related to road diets and their success. Councilmember Deneen asked for data related to bus lanes misuse. Her concern is that there will be a negative impact on traffic if there is not a bus line. Councilmember James also stated that she does not want to lose the roundabouts from 45th North, she would like to have the extra bus lane to mirror what is being done in Minneapolis. Councilmember Spriggs wants to prioritize pedestrians and make the Central Business District a priority. Mayor Márquez Simula inquired what staff’s recommendations would be. Director Hansen was concerned that road diets are not always successful and that there really needs to be a compromise. He would like to focus on the safety / roundabouts in the 45th and 49th but also having the bus lane northbound because there seems to be more traffic backup. Additionally, he added that traffic control component for road closure will need to be contracted out and included in future budgets. Mr. Bowers stated that there is not any data related to bus lane misuse, and that there are very few cities that have undertaken a project of this magnitude. MNDOT wants to City of Columbia Heights MINUTES May 05, 2025 City Council Work Session Page 4 continue to provide space to bring forward conversations related to what options are most viable for the community. There will be community meetings monthly moving forward, and to give people time and space to work through what the best options are. MNDOT will start designing for both options south of 45th and Mr. Bower will return for the June Work Session Meeting. 4. Gould Ave NE and Peters Pl Parking Update. Community Development Coordinator Emilie Voight provided an update on the parking concerns that have been occurring on Gould Avenue and Peters Place. She reviewed the effectiveness of the implementation of parking zones and the need for continued enforcement in the commercial parking area. Councilmember Buesgens inquired about contact with businesses. She would also like to get information related to parking meters. Councilmember Spriggs would also like additional information related to parking meters. Councilmember James inquired about the residents’ requests for parking permits and if that would be feasible. Councilmember Deneen inquired about restricting overnight parking. Community Development Director Forney indicated that they would come back with more information related to parking meters and restricting overnight parking. Coordinator Voight spoke to the parking permits not achieving the objective of making sure that driveways would not be blocked. Permits would not restrict where a car could park, it would be something that would be hard to enforce because neighborhood homeowners and apartment residents would be able to apply for a parking permit in these zones and not everyone could use them at the same time. The consensus from the Council was that the current steps that have been put into place are working, but there could be additional enforcement. Additionally, the Council would like more information on parking meters and restricting overnight parking. Paul Edner, City Resident, asked if the residents od Peters Place / Gould could address the Council. Mayor Márquez Simula indicated that the residents could address the Council at the upcoming City Council Meeting during the Community Forum. 5. Green Step Cities Progress Discussion. City Planner Andrew Boucher provided an update to the progress the city has made regarding the Green Step program, as well as planned updates / proposed projects. Councilmember James stated her appreciation for the work that the Sustainability Commission has done to complete this report, and that she looks forward to the additional items that are going to be implemented. She looks forward to additional information on City of Columbia Heights MINUTES May 05, 2025 City Council Work Session Page 5 what department will be completing aspects of the plan. Councilmember Buesgens and Mayor Márquez Simula echoed their appreciation as well. 6. Malt Liquor at City Events. Community Development Director Mitch Forney introduced an update to City Code that would allow alcohol at City Events, and to remove the 3.2 malt liquor limitation. He indicated that this item was brought forward by Communications Coordinator Will Rottler to allow additional vendor participation with this exemption. Coordinator Rottler spoke about the opportunities that will be created by amending the City Code. Councilmember Deneen inquired about sampling events, and THC Beverages. Director Forney indicated that he would seek additional clarity on THC Beverages. 7. City Hall Emergency Action Plan. Fire Chief Dan O’Brien, Assistant Fire Chief Brad Roddy and Fire Department Admin. Kristin Peterson presented the City Hall emergency action plan, detailing evacuation routes, reassembly points and procedures for different types of emergencies. Mayor Márquez Simula stated that she would like there to be a ramp on the side of the Chambers Dias to make it more accessible. City Manager Chirpich indicated that he would revisit the building code and the cost to see if this could be implemented. 8. Leadership Retreat – Executive Summary Review. City Manager Chirpich reviewed the outcomes of the recent leadership retreat, including the adoption of behavioral and operation norms, utilization of the True Colors assessment program for council and staff and the ongoing efforts to implement the proposed changes discussed during the retreat. Councilmember James thanked the retreat planning team. She indicated that she would like to see the norms posted in meeting rooms. Mayor Márquez Simula would like to have the norms document included in the packet for meetings. She would like to address council and staff by first name, and to utilize a “fist to five” method to get consensus on items that are in the packet and to see if the council would like to immediately move forward with a topic. City Manager Chirpich informed the council that staff will continue to work on getting meeting packets prepared by Thursday prior to a meeting. He asked for additional clarification / feedback on the agenda topic proposal system that was discussed at the retreat. The consensus of the council was that they did not want to move forward with the agenda topic proposal system. In addition to adding things to the planning spreadsheet the council will also send an email to the City Manager / Mayor related to items to include on future agendas. City of Columbia Heights MINUTES May 05, 2025 City Council Work Session Page 6 8. Council Corner. Review Language for Consent Agenda / Public Hearings. Mayor Márquez Simula reviewed recent updates to the wording on the council meeting agenda for the consent agenda and public hearing portions of the meeting. Review St. Anthony Village Commercial Tobacco Ordinance. Mayor Márquez Simula wanted to know if the council would like more information on the recent updates that St. Anthony Village has made to their tobacco ordinance. Council consensus was that Staff could prepare information on updates that could be made to the current city ordinance to move forward with similar revisions. Youth Commission Participation. Mayor Márquez Simula inquired about what was being done to promote the Youth Commission. She would like to have the recruitment period mirror the main boards and commissions. Councilmember James would like to see the openings posted at the Library and Murzyn Hall. Coordinator Rottler spoke about the efforts the Communications Team can undertake related to promoting the program alongside division heads. Board and Commission Training. City Manager Chirpich informed council that staff is still working on a training for city board and commission chairs (and all members) on how to handle conflict / potential need to recess a meeting. Monthly Event Notification, Attendance and Past Event Updates. City Manager Chirpich informed council that the Lions would prefer not to have councilmembers riding in a city vehicle for the jamboree parade. He asked for guidance from the council as to how to proceed. The council consensus was to engage in a conversation with the Lions related to allowing council to ride on city vehicles in the parade. Mayor Márquez Simula would like to have transparency and clarity with civic group participation. She would like to have subcommittees to review all the community groups that engage in shared projects with the city. Mayor Márquez Simula inquired about upcoming events, and Coordinator Rottler showed the council the new meeting / meeting and events and calendars that Communications and IT has set up for the council to better track events. Monthly Proclamations and Meeting Guests. Mayor Márquez Simula discussed upcoming proclamations for Public Works Week, Police Week and Menstrual Hygiene Day. There was also a discussion about adding a proclamation for monarch conservation in the future. City of Columbia Heights MINUTES May 05, 2025 City Council Work Session Page 7 Relocation Costs by Developer. Mayor Márquez Simula would like to have staff investigate the issue that was brought up at the EDA Meeting related to relocation costs by developer. The consensus was to have staff report back at a future meeting, ADJOURNMENT Mayor Márquez Simula adjourned the meeting at approximately 10:45pm. Respectfully Submitted, ______________________________________ Sara Ion, City Clerk/Council Secretary