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2022-02-08 CC Meeting MinutesMOUND CITY COUNCIL MINUTES February 8, 2022 The City Council of the City of Mound, Hennepin County, Minnesota, met in regular session on Tuesday, February 8, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers in the Centennial Building. Members present: Mayor Ray Salazar; Council members Phil Velsor, Paula Larson, Sherrie Pugh, and Jason Holt Members absent: None Others present: City Manager Eric Hoversten, City Clerk Kevin Kelly, Community Development Director Sarah Smith, City Planner Rita Trapp, Orono Police Chief Corey Farniok, Orono Police Sergeant Tim Sonnek, Brian Farrell, Joe Bruns, Rhonda Eurich, Kathleen Marie, Judith Morrison, Mary Davis, Claudia Lacy, John Koppi, Anna Schmidt, Todd Schmidt, Christine Sloat, Ron Hendley, Kathy Peacock, Susan Johnson, Anders Kemppainen, Kevin Johansen, Jerry Jerome, Linda Cordie, Amy Roelofs, Johan Chem in -Danielson, Jim Myers, Chris Carlson, Nate Horne, Scott P., Margie Saatzer, Kim and Marie Schulz, Helen Canning, Scott Gates, Dan Saatzer, Jeff Wrede, Amanda Moodie, Rusty Storkorger, Michelle Herrick, Jason Zattler, Kassie Ricke, Ginger Skaya, Crystal Johnson, Nancy Paulson, Mike and Nancy Myers, Jim Murphy, Graham Neve, Pete Meyer. Consent agenda: All items listed under the Consent Agenda are considered to be routine in nature by the Council. There will be no separate discussion on these items unless a Councilmember or citizen so requests, in which event it will be removed from the Consent Agenda and considered in normal sequence. 1. Open meeting Mayor Salazar called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. 2 Pledae of Alleaiance 3. Approve agenda Hoversten included replacement pages 221 and 237 for Item 4A claims and additional pages for item 7, pages 405.1-405.16, additional comments from the public. MOTION by Velsor, seconded by Larson, to approve the agenda as amended. All voted in favor. Motion carried. 4. Consent agenda Larson requested the 01-25-2022 meeting minutes be revised to include adding Pileated Wood Peckers and correct paragraph four, page 268, to indicate she received phone calls from two Minnetrista residents that are for the development, not against it as stated. MOTION by Larson, seconded by Holt, to approve the amended consent agenda. Upon roll call vote, all voted in favor. Motion carried. A. Approve payment of claims in the amount of $79,246.87. B. Approve minutes: 01-25-22 regular meeting (as amended) Mound City Council Minutes — February 8, 2022 C. RESOLUTION NO. 22-16: RESOLUTION APPROVING PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT ESCROW REDUCTION REQUEST FOR VILLAGES OF ISLAND PARK D. RESOLUTION NO. 22-17: RESOLUTION APPROVING THE MAJOR SUBDIVISION/FINAL PLAT OF SUNSET VIEW VILLA 5. Comments and suggestions from citizens present on any item not on the agenda. Joe Joe Bruns, 2630 Settler Circle, said Republic Services has bought Blackowiak and Randy's Sanitation, leaving only one waste hauler for the City which isn't good from a competition standpoint. Bruns said there is an effort on Nextdoor to lobby Suburban Waste to provide services in Mound and Bruns wondered if the City reaches out to haulers do the haulers have to contact the City. Hoversten said the hauler would reach out to the City to apply for a permit. Hoversten noted there are two providers to the City, Republic and Waste Management. Kelly said Suburban Waste Services has made an inquiry but has yet to return an application. 6. Orono Police Sergeant Tim Sonnek presenting the January Activity Report Orono Police Chief Corey Farniok said he was at the meeting to report on the three burglaries in Mound on February 7t" and others in neighboring cities as well as metro -wide. Farniok said there were three burglaries on the 7th which took place inside houses and two vehicles which were broken into. Farniok said all the thefts on the 7t" were through unlocked vehicles that contained garage door openers. Farniok said a group of three to four suspects would go from vehicle to vehicle to find one unlocked with a door opener and then enter the owner occupied home, take items in the immediate surrounding such as vehicle keys, wallets and purses and quickly leave. Farniok said all stolen credit cards were used at the Brooklyn Center Walmart self -checkout kiosks to purchase $500.00 Visa Gift Cards. Farniok stated these brazen thefts are happening metro -wide and law enforcement is asking the community to lock your doors and take garage door openers into the home. Farniok added these in -home thefts are a game of chance and there could be a confrontation in a home and someone could get hurt. Farniok asked the public to please take precautions and if you see something in your neighborhood please call the Orono Police Department because seconds count in trying to respond to these crimes. Farniok said the group doing the burglaries did not have jammers to disrupt Ring cameras which helped identify the clothing they wore which matched descriptions in other cases. Sonnek presented the January Activity Report and said there were 298 total incidences compared to 362 in January of 2021. Sonnek said the lower case number is most likely related to the number of sick days officers have taken resulting in less officers on patrol. Sonnek said there were eight crashes, four alarms, six animal complaints, 54 medical calls, one fire assist, one burglary, one DUI, seven domestic calls, six harassment reports, six mental health calls, six thefts, 38 parking complaints, 15 welfare checks and 38 traffic stops. Sonnek said the homelessness issue has not been an issue of late. Velsor said he wanted to thank the OPD for publishing the blotter in the paper. Council Member Larson recused herself from Item 7. 7. Planning Case No. 21-18 Public Hearings — major subdivision -preliminary plat of "Northland Mound" involving Mound City Council Minutes — February 8, 2022 vacant parcels generally located southwest of the intersection of Commerce Boulevard and the Dakota Rail Regional Trail on the eastern shore of Lake Langdon; a conditional use permit application for a planned unit development in a shoreland area for a 104-unit market rate, multi -family apartment project; and a street vacation of a previously platted, but never constructed street. Also review of site development plans for Northland Mound and a public lands permit application to allow for the construction to occur on the City parking area immediately to the east of the site. Applicants: Northland Real Estate Group Requested Actions Trapp presented the Northland Mound proposed apartment development and the land use and subdivision requests, noting the Council review process for the public hearing includes public input, Council discussion and Council action. Trapp presented an overview of the proposed development west of Commerce Blvd. and south of the Dakota Trail. Trapp added the area is zoned as mixed use in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan). Trapp said the applicant is proposing a 104-unit market rate building with 33 studio apartments, 40 one -bedroom and 31 two -bedroom apartments. Trapp showed views of the building drawings. Trapp said there are five requested actions by the applicant; major subdivision -Preliminary Plat, Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for a planned unit development in a shoreland area, Vacation right-of- way (ROW), Public Lands Permit (PLP) and Site Development Plans. Trapp said staff are also requesting a resolution agreeing with the Planning Commission that the development is consistent with the 2040 Comp Plan. Trapp said the site is three acres in size and will be formed into one lot with drainage and utility easements and the preliminary plat includes the recently agreed to sale of City property adjacent to the private properties. Trapp said this is a Planned Unit Development (PUD) which is required for a mixed use district which gives the City the opportunity to shape the project. Trapp said the proposal meets the requirements for size. Trapp said the applicant is asking for the following: • Vacation of two ROW's which are platted but were never constructed. • Public Lands Permit proposal to improve public parking spaces, add landscaping and storm water management Trapp said the project evaluation determined the vacation of the ROW foundational as the ROW's are integral to the development. Trapp said the determination is whether the ROW `as is' provides a public benefit or if the vacation provides public benefit. Trapp said the ROW's do provide public access to the water but have not been developed and the area is narrow and would not provide significant public access. Trapp said integrating the ROW's into the development will provide a tax benefit to the City as these areas will be added to the tax rolls as part of the proposed redevelopment which the City in general has seen as favorable. Trapp said the Comp Plan guidance is Mixed Use Downtown Lakes Area which identifies the area as commercial/residential which permits townhome and multi -family use and the proposal meets the number of allowed units as they are calculated on an area -wide basis. Trapp said the Site Plan shows that nearly the entire development would be more than 50 feet from OHW level where wetland buffer setbacks come into play. Mound City Council Minutes — February 8, 2022 Trapp highlighted the major components of the Site Plan as shown included in the agenda packet. Trapp said traffic and parking were analyzed by a Professional Traffic Operations Engineer who estimated 472 trips a day generated by the units out of 9,100 on Commerce Blvd., an increase of less than 5% which is considered de minimus. Trapp noted there are concerns about traffic and parking in the area that are existing conditions. Trap noted the utilities at the site have reviewed the application materials and any concerns will be worked through by the City and the developer. Trapp noted the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) rules will be triggered at the site, but noted the MCWD does not see any significant red flags in their initial review of application materials. Trapp said two letters were received from the MN DNR area hydrologist which stated the project complies with shoreline rules and noting the impervious surface doesn't meet the requirements but Trapp said this is a mixed use project and not residential and staff interprets the rules for mixed use as the same as business/industrial which can be up to 75% impervious with the applicant proposing 48%, noting the MCWD approves the storm water management plans. Trapp said the other DNR concern was shoreland density which the City uses as part of the PUD process to allow for multi -family projects based on site density rules. Trapp noted nearly the entire community is in a shoreland area. The DNR did not recommend the vacation of the ROW due to access to the lake. Trapp said there are public access areas nearby such as Veterans Park a % mile from the site and other areas the City could develop for public uses. Trapp said the ROW isn't useful for access as a standalone space. Trapp summarized public comment received as follows: • Traffic circulation is the greatest concern which is an existing condition that this development cannot solve and parking • Snow storage • Storm water management and environmental protection • Lighting • Views across Lake Langdon • Tree removal from the site Trapp noted the Planning Commission (PC) meetings on January 4t" and February 11t reviewed the applications and allowed for public comment on the development plan. Trapp said the PC voted unanimously to recommend approval of the plans and that the sale of the City parcels was consistent with the 2040 comp plan. The PC did express concerns about traffic circulation but noted these are existing conditions. Velsor asked even though Lake Langdon is not hugely trafficked is there a City tool that can be used if concerns arise about motorized use on Lake Langdon. Hoversten said the most practical control would be the City pursue a public boat launch on the lake which prevents transient access, noting lakeshore owners create their own access currently. Hoversten said if the operated a public boat launch, it could request power restrictions by the DNR but noted the City is not interested in opening up the lake to public transient traffic. Velsor asked if there is an outdoor pool planned which Trapp said no. Mound City Council Minutes — February 8, 2022 Holt said asked about the lighting plan for the building and stated he wants to disclosure he lives on the south side of Langdon and will see the development from his couch. Holt stated he has been on the lake in a kayak and the lake is swimmable. Hoversten said Langdon's water clarity has graded out similarly to Halsted and Cooks Bay on Lake Minnetonka. Holt said he moved to town because of the view and residents on his side of the lake talked about not wanting to see a huge light show at the development as the church lights are already the brightest lighting on the lake. Trapp said the lighting is not to extend outside the edges of the property, noting the residents don't want too much light either as this is not a commercial building. Trapp showed a photo provided by Northland with mostly interior lighting and exterior lighting set to be downcast onto walls and sidewalks. Trapp added there is has been a photometric survey completed without significant issues. Holt asked about the setback from the lake which Trapp said is an additional 37 feet beyond the 50 foot OHW setback, noting the wetland in this area has to be protected and can't be disturbed. Pugh asked if the setback is similar to Westonka Estates and the other apartment building on Langdon. Hoversten said they may have been built before the setback rules were established. Hoversten said the purpose of the tree survey was to see which trees are healthy with the idea to preserve as many as possible, noting off -property trees won't be effected by the development. Holt said a good number of trees need to be taken down and Trapp said the wetland needs to be figured out and protected. Holt said the parking for 104 units includes 93 enclosed and 34 surface and asked if that total included the City owned parking strip. Trapp said 19 parking spaces are on City property and are included in the public lands permit for improvements such as curbing and landscaping. Trapp said the parking study national standard for this building is 125 and the parking on the property is at 127 spaces. Holt said if he lived there he would park on the City parking and go into the building from there. Holt said the PC discussed traffic and how access to the building was going to happen. Trapp said the applicant conveyed to staff between the two PC meetings that there is a private easement agreement between the property owners and the church who have been granted the right to cross and have access into the area behind Commerce Blvd. Holt asked about the parking along the easement access which Hoversten said is private property with an easement to allow OLL to get to their parking lot. Hoversten said the easement allows access to the other Meisel properties as well, noting the private easement access must meet design standards for a public street with parking but it is up to the private owner to comply. Hoversten said this is a private easement and the lot owner can dictate their private lot/road to their benefit. Salazar asked about the outcome of the discussion of the easement and Hoversten said he talked to Northland about the language of the easement and if they had questions about the interpretation of the agreement those questions should be directed to Northland's attorneys. Pugh said she listened to the PC where the easement was seen as a challenge, but noted the other issue is the church and their parking lot, a condition that already exists. Pugh said the people are saying that not doing the development will fix the problem. Pugh added there is a problem existing and the lack of a building will not fix the problem when the problem already exists. Pugh asked if anyone has really dealt with what is the problem and what will fix it and can it be incorporated into the development strategy. Mound City Council Minutes — February 8, 2022 Velsor said he is surprised there isn't a drawing from a traffic engineer as it would seem there should be up to three stop signs needed in the access. Hoversten said they generally can be looked at as subdivision improvements through the design process. Velsor noted the development committee said getting in and out of the area needed to be looked into and he didn't feel it has been looked at. Velsor he doesn't have a problem with the project but has a problem with how school parents are going to drop off and pickup while the access from the project converges on the private easement and shared access. Velsor said what this area will look like should be figured out now and not during the final plan. Hoversten said the PC included the condition in their recommendations that traffic concerns be considered as part of the risk reduction process, noting engineering exists to make the situation feasible. Velsor said he needs to make sure there is a tool to make sure the access and safety is in the control of the City. Hoversten said the tool is part of the Development Agreement and that Bolton and Menk will review the plans to determine the basic engineering standards are being met. Velsor said Northland needs to meet with OLL to determine their needs as the easement is a shared access. Hoversten said they also need to speak with the owner of the easement, and all parties need to know what their rights and obligations are before any solution included in a Development Agreement is produced, which will allow the Council and staff to see the specifics as part of the process and ensure the PC condition of a traffic design reviewed by an engineer is met, once again noting this can be built; but the concurrence of stakeholders may be more difficult. Salazar said we need to know more about the traffic as this is not a clean ingress and egress, noting his daughter went to OLL and he remembers the traffic, buses and parents at the parking lot and play area. Salazar said this should have already been looked at. Hoversten said the existing problems are there now and the City needs to be careful not to lay problems on the developer which they didn't cause. Salazar said there is a congestion issue and a lot of traffic there during school and Mass. Salazar said the PC determined this is a preexisting condition and not the responsibility of the developer, but noted there isn't carte blanch for the developer to exacerbate the conditions. Salazar said the development is joining our City and there needs to be more concern about health and safety. Salazar said signs can be added but the developer needs to coordinate with OLL and the school. Salazar said the ingress to the north makes it look like two-way traffic and the alley is 23 feet wide. Pugh said her point is that OLL knows that there is congestion and knows how the traffic can be improved. Pugh said the developer should not have to solve these problems alone and OLL needs to be working together to be part of the solution. Pugh said if this development gets approved, the City needs to get the County to address the traffic concerns on Commerce and Shoreline because this traffic goes out onto those two streets. Salazar said the church is receptive to listening but the conversation has died between OLL and the developer and nothing has happened. Salazar said if he was taking care of it then this would have been addressed as it is not a clean entry and exit and safety is a concern. Salazar noted a development in another City where there were no traffic concerns that affected a church, parishioners and school children. Holt noted the private access is pretty tight when you drive through and he assumed that once it passed through planning, the PC concerns would have been figured out with answers for the Council. Trapp said the challenge is that the roadway access is private. Mound City Council Minutes — February 8, 2022 Hoversten said the process includes the risk reduction stages with the developer bringing forward their engineered plans which are reviewed by the City to see if standards are met and going beyond that process puts the City at risk designing without engineering input. Hoversten said this is a built in condition to get from an idea to a project. Hoversten said the traffic engineer indicated the site is technically feasible and the City will address the engineering of this traffic area in the development agreement stage of the risk reduction process for the developer. Salazar said this project is nice but the people here tonight are here for this matter and Salazar is concerned about green lighting the project without the traffic issues figured out when there is this kind of ingress and egress. Pugh said the Council has not said to the developer to go ahead and do this project. Salazar agreed. Velsor said before the Council votes on the resolutions tonight he wants to know what the vote on the resolutions means. Hoversten asked if the Council wants to handle access through the area with a specific condition of approval or if they want conditions met prior to approvals being granted. Hoversten said the Council can give the developer the approval to complete the conditions such as with the landscape plan which is then reviewed by staff or the Council can establish conditions on the traffic plan which can be reviewed by the City Traffic Engineer and laid out in the resolution before the Council. Holt said one of the many reasons he ran for Council was his concern about the crosswalk across Commerce Blvd. Holt said he knew there is an agreement with the Hennepin County for the Shoreline Trail crossing, but he is wondering when the Commerce Blvd. crossing will be completed. Hoversten said this will be done in 2023 before the County resurfacing project on Shoreline. Holt asked about the Commerce crossing and Hoversten said the City and Three Rivers have both asked the County to look at the Commerce trail crossing. Hoversten said the City doesn't own the road or the trail and is subject to the timeline of County projects in the area. Hoversten said the City has expressed its desires for the Commerce crossing to both Hennepin County and Three Rivers Park District. Holt said he drives through the area and wants the overhead lighting for the Commerce Blvd. crossing. Pugh said the Commerce and Shoreline intersections are all related. Pugh said she is concerned about Commerce and Shoreline entrance and exits onto the street from Walgreens, OLL and the trail. Holt asked about the alleyway on the west side of Commerce which Hoversten said there is nothing to stop people from using this public alley, noting it is a one-way entry. Pugh said there is an agreement on parking and snow removal on the private property. Hoversten said the City does the work and bills back the property owners excepting the two ROWs which are City owned. Holt said Auditors Road is going to be shut down to which Salazar said Auditors Road will be an access to the Artessa Development but will not the cut through as it will become the new center city park. Holt said drivers could cut across the ice cream shop. Holt commented on the PC discussion of the trip generation study, noting it was an old study. Trapp said the Commerce Blvd. traffic count numbers are from 2016 and the trip generation software is new and is specific to this development's impact. Trapp said traffic counts are not produced yearly and are generally done on a rotating basis throughout the County. Hoversten said there haven't been regional changes to traffic to drive a new traffic count. Holt said he thought traffic has changed since 2016. Hoversten said this 2016 data was after the Hwy 12 improvements and better access to core of the metro area. Holt said he was concerned about storm water going into the lake. Hoversten said the development will treat storm water prior to it getting to the lake which is happening now. Trapp the storm water treatment is below ground and is professionally designed and the parking lot run-off will be treated at Mound City Council Minutes — February 8, 2022 the surface. Trapp added these treatments need to be approved by the MCWD. Salazar, Hoversten and Holt discussed storm water run-off and the MCWD which regulates the rate, volume and suspended solids that will be in the plan by the developer. Holt said he lives next to a storm water outfall into Lake Langdon and said the fertilizer and other items from lawns go into the lake, noting the treatment plan of the development will be better for the lake. Holt asked about the sewer and Hoversten showed the location of the sewer and water lines the developer can hook up to. Holt said the sewer line could disrupt traffic but Hoversten said it could be done trenchless through an easement. Brian Farrell, 3106 Priests Lane, thanked the Council for the thoughtful discussion about the development and said he understands it isn't a simple decision and appreciates the role the Council plays in leading the discussion. Farrell said the Council has been vetting the project for a month or two and his team has been in planning for five to six months including dialog with the Council and PC. Farrell said this is not a back of the envelope plan and civil and architectural teams have been working on this and have been in direct communication with the City and working on ways to improve the project to meet City's needs. Farrell said this type of product doesn't currently exist in Mound. Farrell said the development allows people to stay in Mound, will attract new young professionals to live and work in the area and will provide employers housing options for their employees. Farrell said this will be a highly amenitized housing option with walkability to businesses, the lake and the Dakota trail. Farrell said they have talked to numerous businesses around town who are very excited about the project helping their businesses. Farrell said the PC unanimously supported the development. Farrell said this team has been working directly with Staff on the traffic concerns in the area to determine steps and their understanding is that the engineered plan must come before our building permit is approved. Farrell said the majority of the traffic concerns are on property we do not own. Farrell said the original plans with the north entrance as the main entrance were changed to make the south private easement access the primary entrance to the development. Farrell said this will include stop signs to control the traffic. Velsor said the County Roads 110 and 44 intersection had traffic issues and after Council discussion they felt they needed to do something and they got HC to add a four-way stop. Velsor said the plan for the development needs to be more than throwing in stop signs. Velsor said he would like the other property owners to sign -off on the plan and if they haven't met yet it is disappointing. Farrell said he sat down with the Church very early in the process to explore parking options. Farrell said he has talked with John Biglow from OLL who talked to him at the Council meeting on 1-25 and again last week. Farrell said he sent Biglow the signage and landscape plans and he said he is happy to work together on the problem. Farrell said he is fine having a condition on approval to work with staff and the other property owners on a mutually agreed upon traffic plan. Velsor said he wants an agreement or understanding between the private parties in writing ensuring the plan in every body's best interest. Salazar said he wants to make sure Farrell understands there is a church, parishioners and a school with buses and drop-off and pickup of children who also use a portion of the parking lot as a play area and nothing has happened on a resolution to the traffic and parking problem. Salazar said he needs to see a plan with a clean entrance and exit agreement with the other property owners and he said he is worried about the development. Farrell said he has received guidance from Staff and the PC and he asked what he could do and felt he met their concerns. Farrell said he spoke to the person who owns the easement about the traffic flow. Farrell said he would like to purchase parking spaces but OLL did not agree. Farrell said while he can't control Mound City Council Minutes — February 8, 2022 the other entities but he understands there is a need for assurances there will be an approved traffic plan as a condition. Farrell said he has invested time and money in the project and needs to know that he can go forward with the development before finalizing traffic conditions. Pugh said she needs a traffic condition which is mutually agreed to and Farrell said he needs approval with conditions to go forward. Pugh said she understands there are three entities that need to work together which is complicated. Farrell said he has no control over the property owned by other groups, noting the PC unanimously supported the plan and he is happy to work with Staff on a mutually agreeable plan. Salazar said Farrell needs to work with the other entities to figure out the traffic as there is not a clean ingress and egress from the site in the current plan. Farrell said they have worked out changes at the request of the City staff and PC. Farrell said he called the private owner of the easement who doesn't want parking spaces removed from their tenants. Holt said he wouldn't have voted for the development in PC if he knew there wasn't a traffic agreement at this stage. Salazar said he wants economic vitality in the City but health and safety are more important and told Farrell he needs to get with the other entities to figure out the traffic conditions. Velsor said he needs a comfort level with a plan and something sketched out on how the entities see how the traffic situation will look. Salazar asked how Farrell is going to get the residents of the development from using the OLL parking lot. Farrell said he is happy to meet with OLL and the owner of Paddle North but he is under timelines for a private sale and would like to know if there is an approval from the Council with a traffic condition. Salazar repeated his contentions about parking and Hoversten asked how or when the Council will give a deadline for Farrell to meet traffic conditions and give Farrell the assurance that his project will go through. Salazar said this should have been done beforehand. Farrell said he has an easement granting access rights. Pugh and the Council said Farrell needs to work with the other property owners and the property owners need to work with the developer as well and that OLL needs to come forward to work out the problem with the developer and identify what the problem is. Hoversten said he doubts that if the safety issue was as concerning as being stated that OLL wouldn't have fixed the problem already. Farrell reiterated he can't control the other entities and Velsor said he understands there is an easement access and he wants all the entities to get together to figure out all of the traffic problems. Salazar said he wants to table the item. Smith said the public hearings are scheduled and the Council would have to continue the meeting to a set date announced this evening so a re -noticing doesn't need to occur. Smith said the options are for the public hearing to be held this evening to let the public comment on the proposal and then continue the public hearing at a future date. Smith said the Council is under the planning application timeline for action which is 120 days following submittal of the plat and subdivision matters. Smith said the 120 days applies to land use actions on the shoreland and CUP or the PUD which is March 31 st with any extension/continuance granted by the developer. Smith said there is no time requirement for a vacation or a Public lands permit. Salazar thanked Farrell and said he looks forward to hearing back from him after meeting with the other parties involved. Salazar opened the public hearing at 9:15. Mound City Council Minutes — February 8, 2022 Michelle Herrick, 2630 Westedge, said she lives on Lake Langdon and has spoken with a DNR representative who has problems with the hardcover count who told Herrick the development is too large. Herrick said there are things about Northland we don't know about and Northland is working with the Ackerberg Group and the Urban Land Institute who work with the Metropolitan Council all groups associated with HUD and Section 8. Herrick said the Council should investigate who Northland is working with. Herrick said the development should not be approved and that the PC was strong armed by staff. Herrick said the Council should ask for an extension and bring the project back to the PC as the PC did not properly vet the development and resolve the issues brought forward. Herrick said she understands the City has some financial issues and doesn't want her taxes raised but she doesn't want to bring in 104 apartment dwellers to fix this. Herrick said she wants a better understanding of the hardcover, drainage and easement at the site and an investigation of Northland as she stated the City of Lindstrom is working with Northland and with HUD. Pugh asked what is the problem with the Urban Land Institute which Herrick said supports low income and Section 8 housing. Pugh said the Urban Land Institute is a professional group of developers and architects. Herrick said she owns land here and doesn't want low income housing brought in as we have enough of that. Rhonda Eurich, 5585 Sherwood Drive, said she has worked at OLL for 35 years and there isn't a traffic problem at OLL currently as there would be with a 104-unit apartment building added to the area. Eurich said last August the developers met with OLL and asked to lease or sell part of the OLL parking lot and the answer to the developer was no. Eurich said Northland asked about the parking again but that there hasn't been much discussion with Northland. Chris Carlson, 5950 West Branch Road, Minnetrista, said he owns property in Mound. Carlson said he watched the PC meeting and Farrell was told by the PC one of the conditions was to resolve the traffic issue with the other property owners and then voted on the development and passed it with the condition very clearly stated Carlson said the Tonka Bay development which was mentioned earlier was proposed to be much bigger and worked though making that development smaller. Carlson said Farrell took the gamble to build as big as they can but it doesn't mean the City has to build a 104 unit building. Carlson said the elevator could be lower and a smaller development would solve a lot of issues. Carlson said the project should be cut in half as every developer claims they need the biggest building they can get. Carlson said once it is built you can't change it and the tenants of the development will park elsewhere. Carlson said this is a small town and we like it here and we want to keep it small. Carlson presented a petition with hundreds of signatures who don't want high density and want to keep their quiet small town. Jim Meyers, owner of 2331 and 2339 Commerce Blvd., Twin Cities Closet Company and the bank building, said they love Mound and the location. Meyers said he appreciates development in this town and that they do a lot of condominiums as part of their business but the parking in the area is the issue for us. Meyers said if the proposal goes through there will be parking issues and 104 units will park all over. Meyers said the building with the vacuum business has been sold to as a wedding planning center which will need parking and will be looking to park in our spots. Meyers said they want to cooperate and the community to thrive but we hear all the concerns and don't want traffic in our alley. Johan Chemin, 6039 Beachwood Road, said the building as viewed from Google Earth and the other plans shows the view from the trail is a long featureless wall which kills the peacefulness of the environment. Chemin said the featureless wall goes against the 2040 comp plan. Chemin said preservation of the views of Lake Langdon are in the Comp Plan and wants Mound to retain its small town feel. Chemin said the building is an eyesore and is trashing the view of those who live behind the 10 Mound City Council Minutes — February 8, 2022 building and it is important for the vision to preserve the environment and the natural spaces and resources should be protected. Chemin said the there is nothing added for harvesting solar energy though this is in the 2040 Comp Plan. Chemin said there are no electric charging stations. Chemin said how will the construction affect the aquifer and surrounding structures with the building pillars being pounded. Chemin said Langdon was a sewer dump and we don't know what is in the muck of the lake. Chemin also stated concerns about the bedrock which could fracture the gas and sewer lines. Chemin said he has concerns about the transit and parking and how are 135 cars going to park which is a liability as well as how are the cars going to enter and exit Commerce Blvd. which could be a burden to the City. Claudia Lacey, 5940 Loring Drive, Minnetrista and owner of a building on Commerce Blvd., said she loves this town and is in favor of more residents in Mound. Lacey is concerned about the traffic and parking and asked what is the magic with the number of 104 units and is there some government aid involved. Lacey said if she lived in that building there is no way it can be done with no parking. Lacey said 50 or 70 units would be better, Lake Langdon is a gem and we can't get this wrong. Lacey said she is for progress but I don't want more low income housing in Mound as we have enough of it. Crystal Johnson, 5625 Grandview Blvd., she said she lives on the Grandview car lane and I know that twice a day I can't get out of my driveway. Johnson said there is also pre-school and multiple times a day vehicles are entering and leaving. Johnson said that the City is taking away Auditors Road and adding 127 plus cars to the school traffic and thinks it is crazy we are using 2016 data. Johnson noted the Incredible Festival and school recess and said she thought if someone is having a barbeque on the roof while a funeral is being held it would be disrespectful. Mary Davis, 3021 Inverness Lane, said she called HC about the 2016 traffic study and was told it had nothing to do how drivers get on 110. Davis said she attended the PC meeting who were not comfortable with going forward with the development without the contingency and wanted to point out this has not been met. Davis said there isn't a problem at OLL right now but will be if there is more traffic. Davis said traffic isn't just a Sunday thing as activities happen during the week and at night. Davis added the Church and the schools are the livelihood of the community and keep in mind what we are impacting and OLL is one of my fondest places. Cassie Ricke, 1410 Preserve Blvd., Minnetrista, said she works at OLL and is a parent at OLL. Ricke said she is the Director of Enrollment at OLL and can speak to the traffic flow at OLL which currently has 200 students and 131 families and about 80 to 115 cars entering and exiting twice a day. Ricke asked the Council to imagine doubling the traffic and what would happen with the occasional backups that occur now. Ricke said the private easement is only 23 feet wide and doesn't meet the national standards for traffic and two Chevrolet Suburban's currently can't pass. Ricke said that two weeks ago a Mother and two kids in the car were hit broadside at Commerce and the private easement, noting thankfully everyone was fine. Ricke said the 2016 traffic study of Commerce was before the 550 home Woodland Cove development in Minnetrista which has added cars which are using Commerce and are passing OLL. Ricke said the OLL parking lot and playground is roped off until 3:00 p.m. when the two playgrounds are in use, and then other events are held in the parking lot with extended day care until 6:00 p.m. and she is concerned for the safety of children. HE Mound City Council Minutes — February 8, 2022 Jason Zattler, 2345 Commerce Blvd., St. Bonifacius resident, said TC closets and the Zattler insurance building own most of the private parking lot which he said gets used. Zattler said he put together nine points which he sent to staff and the Council and said safety is the Council's job and commended the Council for standing up and saying something about it. Zattler said he is impressed the Council said something meaningful tonight and noted he found it really interesting Farrell was talking to Hoversten mostly and not the Council. Zattler said he is concerned about his liability and public parking for OLL events and they are working together and if this development goes through you put through a wedge and parking and traffic will become a problem as it isn't a problem right now. Zattler said you guys need to stop being willy-nilly and take a vote on the development as everyone knows the access isn't wide enough for the new traffic. Zattler said the map depicted isn't good and the parking along the easement isn't represented well. Joe Bruns, 2630 Setter Circle, asked about sealing off the traffic at the private access to the OLL parking lot. Scott Picha, 2273 Cottonwood Lane, said he attend three other meetings on this issue and said his main comment is that until the Council has a good idea what the future will look like you will never succeed at developing a better community for everyone if you just listen to the business owners, noting Lake Langdon is a beautiful lake but was used as a sewer dump. Picha said to fill in Langdon and put in housing and to think outside the box. Picha said people in this town don't want middle or lower income people in town and if you don't have tax generation you are going to have a ghost town. Picha said he feels bad for the developer as I think he has been trying to work with the City and said he doesn't talk to anyone in the City as he has been lied to in the past. Picha said this could be a beautiful town but I don't see any creativeness, noting Walgreen's is up against the sidewalk and is a solid wall. Picha said the City needs to look at itself and stand behind the vision. Picha said Mound is very difficult to develop and people need to think of the whole and not their little part of it. Scott Gates, 4363 Wilshire, said he has experience in creating developments and is not thrilled with the Artessa project but at least it is multi -density. Gates said the traffic problem is legitimate and there is a development process from committee to concept plan before the PC and Council review. Gates said checks and balances are in place that don't go away with each new step of the process. Gates said the PC is a recommendation and their approval is a step in the process and to let the experts do their job and give their advice to the Council. Gates said the developer needs certainty to move forward in the process. Gates said the traffic needs to be addressed as part of the process and traffic data and trip generation are national industry standards. Gates said to remember this project will bring 30-35 million to the tax base and is an attractive product and if the traffic issue can be resolved it shouldn't be a condition of approval at this stage of the process. Gates said the attack mentality has no place whatsoever and the Urban Land Institute support every spectrum of land development and the developer is very respectful. Gates said people need to work together. Linda Cordie, 2531 Lakewood Lane, said if the City water system handle the development and the Council should look into adding solar panels to planning requirements. 12 Mound City Council Minutes — February 8, 2022 Peter Meyer, 5748 Sunset Road, said he has concerns about whether any soil samples have been done as the north area of the site was used for dumping. Meyer said he is concerned about fire access and about the families in there. Meyer said how can a 23 or 24-foot road fit fire trucks. Meyer said he was concerned about power lines and concerned about the Auditors Road closure as a lot of people cut through that way. Meyer noted the new traffic from Lost Lake and the busy trail crossing which is in constant use in summer. Meyer asked if there are any Metropolitan Council or County tax dollars coming in to the project or the rebuilding of the roads just off of the project and who is going to pay for the road upgrade for the 104 unit building. Meyer said he is concerned about the parking for the businesses as there are too many units. Meyer the bottom line is he doesn't want inner city density or congestion in Mound. Ginger Skaya, 5975 Maple Forest, Minnetrista, said she has a son who graduated from Westonka Schools and another child at Shirley Hills and OLL. Skaya said she just because you can do something doesn't mean that you should it and a lot of creative thinking needs to go into the big picture. Skaya questioned if this development is right for this part of the City at this time. Skaya said she checked in with the Mist in Spring Park and it doesn't have a wait list and has 10+ vacancies at that high end unit. Skaya said that teenagers can't afford a studio in the development and to remember the safety concerns and the two business entrances on the private easement that are a deterrent for both customers and kids safety. Skaya said she is excited to get involved and is disappointed of what she is hearing the discrepancies from the PC to this week and is losing trust in the process as there is nothing different in the proposal since the PC. Skaya added the developer doesn't have kids and said she grew up in the City of Perham in central MN is vibrant and doesn't have high density housing but has people with heart as does Mound. Skaya wondered who the City is getting connected to and adding high density haphazardly is not going to keep people as it deters walkability to local businesses and doesn't make her feel like I want to do that with my kids. Skaya said the development will be a burden on the City and someone needs to figure that out. Paula Larson, 5713 Lynwood Blvd., owns the property at 2316 Lynwood Blvd., asked the people present to raise their hand if they are in favor of the project. Salazar said there were four people in favor of the development and Larson said there was only one because she didn't count developers who are residents of Mound. Larson then asked for a show of hands of those present who were against the development and said the majority didn't want the development. Larson said she is doing a title search and the people who live in the Lynwold Park neighborhood have a lot on Langdon which allows them to have access and to be able to put a dock on the lake. Larson said she is trying to figure out what is what the access and whether they have an easement and how long did it run. Larson said, for the Mound tax payers there is no gold at the end of this four story, 104-unit, high density, market rate multi -family unit. Larson said the only one who is going to carry off this pot of gold at the end of the development rainbow is the developer. Larson said when was the last time your taxes were reduced because of development coming to town. Larson said it has never happened so don't be bamboozled. Larson said she sees two areas where the employees have talked about profitability for developers and not one place where staff talks about the tax payer and who pays the bills and their focus is off. Larson said with 104 units there will be 200 or 205 residents so with all those people the police will be called over there and who is responsible for paying for those police calls. Larson said the second thing is the fire department will be called and as this is a four story building we don't know who is going to fall off who is going to pay for that; not the developer who is going to count his money. 13 Mound City Council Minutes — February 8, 2022 Larson said there are other things with the tax payers are going to pay for what but what about our school district and is development concerned about us being stuck with the bill. Larson said she called one of the school board members and wanted to know where we are with the schools and the population increase by this development. Larson said the school board member never called her back with the School Superintendent's response. Larson read the City mission statement which she says is the Council's job. Larson read through team work and cooperation quality services which respond to the needs of all citizens fostering a safe which is your primary job in government which is to keep our lakeshore community safe. Larson said why would you build a house that you can't get to. Larson said she drove around the site and said the entrances and exits are backward and there are morning traffic problems as the turn in at the alley next to Twin Cities Closets is so short and narrow and not a proper entrance. Larson said the egress at the private easement is totally inappropriate and to try to blame OLL is what I am hearing. Larson said why was OLL not allowed to put in a sealed bid for the land and you decided the best thing and do I dare say this is a form of religious discrimination you didn't allow the church to bid on a piece of public property. Larson said both Pugh and herself will look at this at the Council workshop next week. Larson said the parking is not adequate and to think about reality as the parking study is using 3/ths of a car per studio and they are trying to shoehorn the statistics to fit their particular project. Larson said we live in a residential town and we love our 14 miles of lakeshore which is why we live in town and I agree with the developer that he is not going to allow them to park their boat trailers in their parking space. Larson said where are the renters going to park all their toys which she thinks will be in the parking lot next to the community businesses along Commerce Blvd. Larson said the developer will upset the status quo back in the area that has been there forever and please think about what your job is here and the danger and unsafe conditions and inadequate parking. Larson then again read the City mission statement. Chris Carlson, Minnetrista resident, approached again and said he drove through the area to see his insurance agent and there weren't many cars but there was someone picking up two special needs kids cutting across the private easement and there wasn't room for both vehicles to pass. Carlson said he knows a lot of people who use Auditors Road to beat the stop light. Claudia Lacey, Minnetrista, pointed out that the enrollment at the OLL school is up 100% in the last few years and so what if it doubles again. Lacey said it went from 100 to 200 students Nate Horne, 4561 Merganser Drive, Minnetrista, asked Hoversten if he wanted to build a house in the City of Mound I would have to submit plans and Hoversten said if your project conforms to zoning through a site plan review and you can go forward to specs and work out the details from there. Hoversten said the zoning review process then allows some assurance to the property owner to go through the planning approval process which is a phased risk reduction which all building processes for all property owners must work through. Horne said I can't come to a meeting and say I have all this money invested so that would all be on me to take that risk. Hoversten said a property owner isn't made to go through the risk reduction process and you don't have to go through PC review if you have a conforming application to the zoning. Hoversten said the intensity is different due to the size of the project and if the zoning is different. Horne said the City seems lenient with the developer as he doesn't have all of the details done but is allowed to move ahead. Hoversten said the requirements haven't been waived in regard to this proposed development. Hoversten said the risk is on the developer to go forward and that hopefully the direction of the Council is clear and so are the conditions for the project so the developer knows what to do to meet those conditions on the project. Hoversten said this is a downtown lakes mixed use 14 Mound City Council Minutes — February 8, 2022 district which is a residentially focused project and has zoning and planning requirements which must be met and a multifamily project in a mixed use is a more intense process. Gates, addressed the Council again and said the Council is following the process and the developer is following the process set by the City Council. Gates said he is responding to the comments about the developer getting all the benefits of the development isn't true. Gates said this development could create up to $400k a year in property taxes while the Harrison's Bay project added $180k which is smaller so my numbers aren't out of line. Gates said that over 10 years this property would bring in $4 million in taxes which is a huge amount of money and saying the developer is the only one to profit is false as the money is generated and the tax payer benefits. Salazar closed the public hearing at 10:47 p.m Pugh said she wanted to apologize about information that she had about OLL having a parking problem and one of the speakers explained clearly what was the problem and the developer should be able to respond to those concerns. Pugh said she voted no on the development last meeting because of a process issue and that she was not necessarily against the development. Pugh said she has done some homework and to put into the record that I have done housing development for 35 years and people often say false things. Pugh said when the Council goes through the annual tax levy it is presented that 24% of residents live on the lake and pay close to 50% of the taxes and the 74% off lake pay the other half while commercial pays 2%. Pugh said we need to understand we have disparities in the community and she said she is very upset about the HUD complaints coming from some people in the audience. Pugh said in 1966 my family moved to Mound and bought into the town and the town held a meeting because a black family was buying a home. Pugh said she hates all the innuendo about the undesirables of any group that this community doesn't want here. Pugh said there is a mixture that lives in this community. Pugh said it is unacceptable that there is this group that we don't want. Pugh added we are putting the city in a negative position for development and the same complaints about density and who is going to live there come forward. Pugh said she asked the staff to look at every community around us and whether they have been building market rate developments. Pugh said she wanted to go on the record that in Tonka Bay they built Kerrick, an 86 unit building and Long Lake will build a 70-unit townhome project and a 57 unit Zhivago coop, Orono has 37, 48 and 56 unit developments of market rate apartments planned. Pugh said why is it that the other communities can get the multifamily housing done and this town acts like it's the plague adding terrible people and terrible organizations coming to town and this attitude is biased and it is wrong. Pugh said it is important to understand the marketshare for single family homes which Mound at 74% is the second highest to Orono with their large lots and greater than Excelsior, Spring Park and Tonka Bay. Pugh added that most of the rental units in Mound are in individual smaller units. Pugh said she is the Chair of the State Age Friendly Committee and she said it looks like this City doesn't want to accept anybody and reject over 50% of those over age 65 who own homes in this town. Pugh said a livable community is one that is safe with good zoning practices, transportation, that has a diverse population with a diverse economic base and Mound doesn't have as much room to grow and should do it correctly and welcoming it with the remaining space. Pugh said it upsets her that this town wants to be one thing and then completely shuts out anything new and it is not reasonable. Pugh said she worked in North Minneapolis and people don't understand that there are $500K homes there and it isn't all black people and has 60% home ownership. Pugh added that people here can act ugly. 15 Mound City Council Minutes — February 8, 2022 Velsor said he is in the apartment development business and when somebody wants to rent with us they need to go through a financial check and a background check so saying these buildings bring in crime is not true as the tenants go through background checks. Pugh said we all raised our ears when the developer brought up the 33 studios in the development when nationally 28-30% of the population are single and there is a need for efficiency units so be careful about your judgements. Holt said the big picture from what he has heard and from his own thoughts based on PC discussion is the development feels big and he traveled to Burnsville to check out another Northland project and to see and feel it for himself. Holt said the property felt big and was 110 units with four levels with underground parking on the back. Holt asked how you get 110 in four levels and then 104 units in three levels. Holt said he is back and forth on this project and sees positives with local restaurants in town. Holt said when he moved to town he thought this would be a perfect spot to be developed but he's not sure if it should it be a 104-unit development or something at a lower number of units. Holt said there are a number of apartments in this area and he talked to people at his work who are young, professional 30 year olds and they said they don't have many living options in the area and most of his basketball buddies said the development sounds like a great idea, for the most part. Holt said he told Northland at PC that the road needs to be fixed and the plan for getting in and out of the development. Holt said if the private easement removed parking along the road that would solve a lot. Holt said there will be traffic due to Artessa and another 104-units traffic which add a couple of hundred cars. Holt said the development is too huge, too massive for Mound. Holt said to fix the road and he is not opposed to something happening there but 50, 60, or 80 units would fit. Holt said he was expecting discussion of Fire Department access at PC which Hoversten said comes through during building plans and specs. Smith said utilities and Police Department and Fire Department have received the development information thus far. Holt and Velsor said Woodland Cove has an 850 lot development in the works and Holt reiterated that traffic is his main concern. Salazar said his concern is the safety of the ingress and egress and parking. Salazar said the resolutions are before the Council with the option to approve them, postpone them until the safety questions and concerns are answered, or do we want to move forward and entertain a meeting to come to a mutual understanding between the three parties including the developer, the owner of the private easement and OLL. Salazar said should there be this many units or less units. Holt said what if two parties, the developer and the church will play ball and the paddle guy doesn't want to play ball. Salazar said the paddle north company makes a good product and have made an investment in the City and bought a building and are working out lease details with tenants and have only owned the building for 3 or 4 months. Salazar said the question is we told the developer he needs to re -plan for the ingress and egress and going forward is 104 units palatable for our residents or is less more digestible for our citizens. Holt said he would love to see something here that is smaller and he doesn't want to push away the developer and wants future developers to come to the City. Salazar and Holt discussed a reduction in units for the development. Pugh said she would like to look into reducing the size and to come back to the Council on why it isn't feasible and to also work on the safety issues and traffic issues at the Planning and Council meeting next week. Velsor said he knows there is a benefit of scale due to the type of construction needed and going up is more cost effective and I don't know the numbers but it might not work. Velsor said he looks at 104 units is not that big compared to what is out there. 16 Mound City Council Minutes — February 8, 2022 Salazar said he understands the economies of scale and said the only reason to go into business is to make money. Velsor said project costs have gone up 20% since the plan was presented. Salazar said the economies of scale are not our responsibility and not everything is to be built to benefit the developers. Salazar said health and safety of our citizens is our function and said is it fair to say that our citizens are opposed the size of the project. Pugh said we have heard voices of against the size and multifamily and those who support the development. Salazar said if this was a 50-unit development if would be more digestible for our citizens. Holt said yes and the parking could be better responded to at a smaller size. Velsor said he would like to think people could get behind this project but he doesn't know what people can get behind in this town. Salazar said he loves Mound and has lived here for 30 years and his birth town is San Francisco with traffic, congestion and you name it. Salazar said he understands the small town comments and we are all for the small town and figure out where to go from here. Salazar said there are two things to look at the size of the development and the developer needs to hammer out a deal on parking and access. Farrell approached the Council and said he understands the severity of what you are addressing. Farrell noted the cost of the land purchase and the soil conditions and there have been other developers who didn't do their projects due to the soil conditions. Farrell said he is a small developer and 104 units was a pared down approach after meeting with the PC and staff said the district had allotment of 110 units. Farrell said the purchase price and how we are guided led to the size of the project. Farrell said if he was to cut in half the project seems arbitrary since we have met the standards for parking and increased traffic understanding we need to work on these problems but to cut it in half then we are no longer interested and you would struggle to find someone to develop this area at that level. Farrell said they need to be at 100 units and the site allows up to 130 units. Farrell said he will meet the neighboring property owners and come up with a resolution and he said he took a risk on Mound and trusted the Council and have followed staff and process guidance. Farrell said he is a resident of Mound and is committed to the project and Mound and stated he is frustrated as his team has worked though this project and is hearing false information by the crowd which he didn't respond to in order to be respectful. Farrell said he trusted in the Mound process and invested in Mound and said he is committed to meeting with the adjoining land owners but said paring down to half is not workable for us. Pugh said she heard several times tonight people talk about a solar investment. Farrell said they could look into it but the pay back is much longer than originally meets the eye and Pugh said the costs are better now. Farrell said he was open to look into grants that support that. Holt asked about the comments about Studio apartments and HUD. Farrell said the Lindstrom project was not subsidized housing as HUD offers a construction financing program and Farrell said the Lindstrom project will be funded by a bank loan and then a Fannie or Freddie loan. Farrell said regarding the Studio comment they found the Studios and one -bedrooms are typically the ones to fill up first and for us to do affordable housing is not in our business plan. Holt asked how many apartment complexes does Farrell own which Farrell said 4 buildings with 100 units. Holt asked how many Section 8 projects and Farrell said zero and their business plan is to hold their buildings. Holt said then Farrell get investors to help fund his projects and typically they are his equity partners. 17 Mound City Council Minutes — February 8, 2022 Pugh said do you self -manage these buildings. Farrell said it depends on the situation and sometimes will use a local operator. Farrell said he understands the Council's situation and he said typically the people who show up to meetings are those who oppose projects but Farrell said he has spoken to numerous individuals and business owners in Mound who support this project. Farrell said they were thoughtful in their plan not to displace existing commercial buildings like in the Schaefer Richardson multifamily proposal. Holt noted the parking comment and that you fit the City requirements for the development. Farrell said all developers use the same standards. Holt asked about the Burnsville project and how is the parking situation. Farrell said there is a higher parking setup as there are more two bedrooms because it was designed and targeted for the 55+ community originally. Salazar said we heard everything tonight and reducing the scale of the project is not doable for the developer. Salazar said we have heard from our citizens and we agree that it is an accurate observation, reduction in size and addressing the parking and the egress and ingress at the private easement. Salazar said the Council should base the approval on the developer not being able to make money and he can't make money at 50 units. Salazar tried to get agreement among the Council members to take a stance on the size of the project to not cause the developer to come back with a proposal which is too many units to be approved or accepted by the citizens. Salazar and the Council talked about the need to keep the project at 50 units which is what the citizens will accept and work on the other issues at the site. Salazar said the developer said he can't do 50 units and it is not the Council's responsibility for the developer to make money and we need to pick a side. Salazar then asked for a friendly poll of the Council. Velsor said when he first looked at the project he was impressed with the design and there isn't this type of nice place to rent in town and it looked as something the town needs and he said he doesn't have an aversion to 104 units. Velsor said to have the amenities with this project more units are required and to have the economy of scale to make it profitable. Velsor said the access to the property must be figured out. Salazar said to keep in mind the Council is here for our citizens that is why this meeting has gone on so long. Velsor said he looks at the rental inventory in town and he said he talked to his kid's teacher who was just out of college and couldn't find anything to rent which was respectable in Mound. Velsor said the teacher rented in Hopkins and those are the kind of people who want to live here and can't find it here. Holt said he prefers a smaller project and when I drove to Burnsville it was big deal with a different layout imagined what I would see at the site and the people who come down the trail and he said he is 50/50 and maybe could do the 104 units. Holt said there are other developments which could fit better for Mound. Holt said went he went around to the 3600 houses in Mound and the Schaefer Richardson deal going on and it was not a great location. Holt said this is a better spot than Schaefer Richardson and if you could fix the road problem than maybe I could go with 80 units would open up more parking spots. Holt said 50,60, 70, but 104 is a little much and I don't know. Pugh said the traffic is the main issue for her and how we work through all that and get everybody on one accord. Pugh said 100 units isn't my favorite and I used to work for a company that builds 100 unit buildings so I understand the economies of that type of building. Pugh said the height of the building is at treetop level and won't stick out and the design is nice. Pugh said the block that I lived on in Mound 18 Mound City Council Minutes — February 8, 2022 everyone's parents moved away as there isn't alternative housing available in this town. Pugh said an upscale apartment would be to our advantage as she said the City is redoing Surfside Park and the City Center, and there is a new City sign and the Artessa Coop so now is the time to do it and she will vote yes. Salazar said he learned a lot and when I first saw this project I thought this would work and it is not Commerce Place which was a shopping center and that worked out it was not razed and an apartment building wasn't built. Salazar said I thought this would work and after listening to citizens tonight it is not what they want and the size is not palatable and the traffic is the other complaint. Salazar said he likes serving the public and we want commerce and shops and in order to do this we need an influx of people with money and a building like this with amenities will bring in these people. Salazar said I don't think 100 units will work for our citizens or we will never hear the end of it. Salazar said it is not going to work and there are issues with traffic and parking and responsibility is in regards to the health and safety of the citizens. Salazar said a 50 unit would work but he can't vote for 104 units because in my book I represent the citizens. Holt said he echoed Salazar 100% and if the building was 80 units he would support it. Salazar said when I first looked at this it was kind of big at 80 units at that time and now it is 24 more. Pugh said let's just vote. Salazar said he is sorry and I am glad that you came and you made your opinions very well known and you made your cases known. Farrell addressed the Council and asked where does the 50 unit come from? Farrell said he has been following the staff and PC guidance and has a lot vested in figuring something out and the PC recommended approval. Farrell said he requests the opportunity to work with staff and PC which was a unanimous vote. Farrell said this is coming out of left field. Salazar said he is not intending to mislead you by any means but we thought this proposal would work but not without the acceptance of the community. Farrell said he feels mislead and would like the opportunity to work with staff and PC will what is palatable and I think 50 units is somewhat arbitrary and I have heard 80 or 90 units from Council because we have six months into this and there hasn't been another developer to get this far along in the process. Velsor and Pugh agreed that this was a fair ask from Farrell to make an effort to see what works. Holt said 104 seems too big and a lower number is for us to figure out and I just don't want to turn people away that want to do something here. Holt said the main thing I have heard is it is too big. Hoversten said the Council needs to make a decision and what is the number of units they want to give to the developer. Hoversten said the Council doesn't have a number right now other than what the Council doesn't want. Farrell said we would like to take a look at the site and come back and offer something. Hoversten said the developer can extend the timeline or the application could be withdrawn and resubmitted and to continue the dialog the developer can request the extension of the application Farrell said he can extend the application and continue the dialog to continue the process. Salazar asked if Council was receptive of Farrell's extension which they concurred. Salazar said there are no guarantees said he thought this project was going to be fine. Hoversten said the items can be tabled with no date certain on when this is going to come to the Council again. Smith said can the City do the mail notification but without the noticing of 10 days in advance. Smith said the City has complied with its obligation by this hearing. Smith said it would be a good idea to send out a mail notification to those within 350 feet. 19 Mound City Council Minutes — February 8, 2022 MOTION by Salazar, seconded by Holt, to table items 7A to 7E to a date undetermined at the request of the applicant. All voted in favor. Motion carried. Larson rejoined the Council. 8. Information/Miscellaneous A. Comments/reports from Council members/City Manager: Hoversten noted: • Joint City Council/Planning Commission Meeting on February 15th at 7:00 • City Offices closed on February 21 st for Presidents Day • City Council Meeting on February 22nd B. Reports: Finance Department —December 2021 (Preliminary) Velsor had a concern about Republic Services driving a huge truck on his street and had to back up the truck as it couldn't get up the street. C. Minutes: Docks & Commons Commission —Sept. 16, 2021 D. Correspondence: 10. Adjourn ACTION by Larson, seconded by Pugh, to adjourn at 12:15 p.m. All voted in favor. Motion carried. Attes . Kevin Kelly, Clerk Mayor Raymond J. Salazar 20