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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-02-05 Council MinutesCITY OF CORCORAN JOINT COUNCIL AND PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING FEBRUARY 5, 2002 1 Mayor Guenthner called the joint meeting to order at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, February 5, 2002. The purpose of the joint meeting was to review the initial draft of the Comprehensive Plan. Present were Mayor Guenthner, Councilors Bucher, Gmach and Thomas, Pl anning Commissioners Ebert, Hanson and Lymangood, City Planner Sherman, City Clerk Vergin, Planning Technician Jones, and Metropolitan Council representatives Caufman, Goodrum and Hanson. Councilor Gageby arrived late at 7:10 PM. Engineer Vander Top also arrived late at 9:20 PM. MOTION by Bucher, Second Thomas to approve the agenda with the addition of item 3) a) Announcements and item 4) c) Distribution of Materials. Voting Aye: All present. MOTION by Gmach, Second Bucher to approve the Minutes from January 17, 2002 with two wording clarifications to statements made by Councilor Gmach. The first wording clarification pertains to the statement made by Councilor Gmach regarding a survey being completed. This statement should be reworded to state “Councilor Gmach stated he liked the idea of a survey being completed”. The second wording clarification pertains to the statement made by Councilor Gmach regarding the 610 corridor expansion project. This statement should be reworded to state “Councilor Gmach questioned timing and location of the 610 corridor expansion project and its transportation impacts to the City of Corcoran, stating that an update would be in order”. Voting Aye: All present. Mayor Guenthner discussed the status of the administrator position. He directed staff to suspend sending out any more applications at this time and stated that the close of business on Friday, February 8, 2002 would the cutoff date for accepting applications that have already been sent out. Mayor Guenthner stated that the structure of the sub-committee meeting would not be as formal as previous comprehensive plan meetings and he stressed the importance of staying focused and keeping the discussion on track. Ms. Sherman presented the downtown district. The group discussed whether or not to consider economic information while making revisions to the draft version of the future land use map. Ms. Sherman suggested not taking economics into consideration during this phase of the project. Councilor Bucher stated that number crunching was a tool for certain areas in certain situations. Commissioner Lymangood stated his concern over the existing church being identified as commercial and not public/ semi-public. There was discussion that the downtown district needs to have a focal point such as a fountain, town-square, etc. It was also discussed that the downtown district needs to have a common theme. Ms Sherman stated that a focal point and theme would be incorporated as part of the completed downtown district plan. Called to Order Approval of Agenda Approval of Minutes Announcements Comprehensive Plan Downtown District CITY OF CORCORAN JOINT COUNCIL AND PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING FEBRUARY 5, 2002 2 Commissioner Lymangood stated his concern over the identified land uses around the school site. Commissioner Lymangood recommended that these land uses be modified to accommodate more residential development. Councilor Bucher raised a concern over the status of the southeast corner being somewhat unresolved. He questioned whether this area should be left as urban reserve or designated as another land use. Commissioner Hanson raised a concern of how city hall should relate to the downtown district. He questioned whether the city hall should be independent of the downtown district or incorporated as part of it. There was discussion regarding the heart of the downtown district and exactly where it would be located. Councilor Gmach stated that we should not rule out a pedestrian overpass at the intersection of County Road 116 and County Road 10 in the future. Several members noted that commercial development would be easier to construct on the east side of County Road 116 just south of County Road 10 where land is vacant, versus the west side of County Road 116 where substantial redevelopment would need to occur. Councilor Bucher proposed taking everything that was proposed on the west side of County Road 116 just south of County Road 10 and moving it across the street to the east side of County Road 116. Commissioner Ebert questioned where the traffic was to support this much proposed commercial development on County Road 116. Mayor Guenthner stated the school site should be isolated with more residential development and some commercial. Councilor Gmach stated he had noted no huge opposition to the downtown district. Councilor Gageby stated his concern that we do not have consensus from the public on this district. Commissioner Ebert questioned the capacity for the southeast corner of the district that is currently identified as urban reserve. Commissioner Lymangood proposed making the downtown district larger to incorporate the city hall and trailer park. Councilor Gageby stated that we should not limit our vision of future land use based on perceived GPD capacity. The group identified the following unresolved issues with this district: land uses around the school site, flexibility of commercial development, rerouting of County Road 10 and County Road 50 and phasing. CITY OF CORCORAN JOINT COUNCIL AND PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING FEBRUARY 5, 2002 3 Ms. Sherman presented the southwest district. Commissioner Hanson stated that there should be a walkable trail near Lake Jubert. The group questioned the reason for having the corner of County Road 19 and State Highway 55 identified as business park/ light industrial instead of regular commercial. Ms. Sherman stated that this property was earmarked for business park/ light industrial so as not to compete with the commercial development of the north edge of Medina. A question was raised over the residential area identified in the distri ct plan. Ms Sherman stated that this area was identified as residential given the existing wooded areas on the property. Commissioner Lymangood raised that concern that locating business park/ light industrial next to urban residential invites problems. Discussion was raised regarding the proposed frontage road north of State Highway 55. Commissioner Hanson stated his concern over the orientation of the buildings along this road. He stated that the buildings should be oriented so the backs of the buildings do not face County Road 19 or State Highway 55. Further discussion addressed that the Natural Resources Areas should be identified on the map, especially the Maple Basswood areas that are located in this district area. The recommendation from the group was to leave the Maple Basswood areas as business park/ light industrial but designate that this area will need special treatment. The group discussed creating a transitional area from the business park/ light industrial to the urban residential areas. Ideas that were discussed included the following: adding an open space corridor and/ or varying densities in the urban residential area with higher densities used as a buffer. The group also discussed extending the business park/ light industrial area furth er north along County Road 19. Councilor Gageby stated his concern over the amount of white space on the map that has not been designated with a land use. Mayor Guenthner started the discussion of the Burschville area. He stated that this would be the perfect area for additional commercial development and that the existing district should be enlarged to accommodate some growth. Councilor Gmach proposed enlarging the district about a .5 mile to the east and west. Councilor Gmach favored controlling access to County Road 19 by concentrating access on County Road 10. Councilor Gageby proposed also enlarging to district to the north and south. Commissioner Ebert stated the creek and power lines served as existing natural boundaries. Southwest District Burschville District CITY OF CORCORAN JOINT COUNCIL AND PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING FEBRUARY 5, 2002 4 Commissioner Lymangood stated that the Natural Resource Inventory should be reviewed prior to the district being enlarged. The group reached the consensus to have the planner present further options for more discussion based on access and natural boundaries. There were also comments made about extending the district to the power line on the east side of County Road 19, but not on the west side. Commissioner Ebert commented on the need for a transition on the north side of the lumberyard. Ms. Sherman presented the northeast district. The group discussed the commercial area along the west side of County Road 101. The group reached the consensus that this area should be identified in two phases with the south half of the commercial area included in the first phase and the north half of the commercial area included in the second phase, which would be left in reserve until a future date. The group discussed not developing the business park/ light industrial area immediately and holding this area in reserve for the time being. Discussion continued that the business park/ light industrial area and north half of the commercial area should be tied to some sort of trigger. Councilor Gmach stated that he felt assigning land uses to the corner of County Road 116 and County Road 30 was premature at this point. The group identified the following unresolved issues with this district: land uses at the corner of County Road 116 and County Road 30, amount and location of urban residential development, preservation of capacity and existing septic issues. Mayor Guenthner stated that at the meeting on February 19, 2002 he would like to have the following items on the agenda: confirmation of the changes proposed at the meeting tonight, discussion of the intersection of County Road 116 and County Road 30, discussion of the greater city and discussion of the southeast corner of the downtown district (urban reserve area). He also stated that he would like a regional land use map that identifies land uses for a two mile radius outside of the City and he would also like staff to provide the district areas with Natural Resource Inventory overlays. MOTION by Guenthner, Second Thomas to adjourn, 10:15 PM. Voting Aye: All Present. Respectfully Submitted: Tracy Jones, Planning Technician Northeast District Adjourn