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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-12-19 Parks and Trails Minutes CITY OF CORCORAN Corcoran Parks and Trails Meeting Minutes December 19, 2023 - 7:00 pm The Corcoran Parks and Trails Commission met on December 19, 2023, in Corcoran, MN. Present were Chair Anderson, Vice-Chairperson Christenson, and Commissioners Erzberger, Friedrich, Nybo, and Schmidt. Absent was Commissioner Strehler. Also present at City Hall were Councilmember Nichols, City Administrator Tobin, and Recreation Supervisor Christensen Buck. 1. Call to Order / Roll Call Chairperson Anderson called the meeting to order at 7:01 pm. 2. Pledge of Allegiance Chairperson Anderson invited all in attendance to rise and join in the Pledge of Allegiance. 3. Agenda Approval Motion: Made by Friedrich, seconded by Christenson, to approve the agenda as presented. Voting Aye: Anderson, Christenson, Erzberger, Friedrich, Nybo, and Schmidt. (Motion carried 6:0) 4. Minutes a. Minutes – November 16, 2023, Meeting Motion: Made by Christenson, seconded by Nybo, to approve the minutes as presented. Voting Aye: Anderson, Christenson, Erzberger, Friedrich, Nybo, and Schmidt. (Motion carried 6:0) 5. Open Forum Recreation Supervisor Christensen Buck informed the Commission that there were no individuals interested in speaking. 6. Presentations a. City Administrator – Jay Tobin City Administrator Tobin introduced himself to the Commission, highlighting his background in finance, parks and recreation, and his passion for parks. Commissioners provided their history with living in Corcoran and time served on the Commission. 7. Unfinished Business – None 8. New Business a. Hope Community Church Development Recreation Supervisor Christensen Buck provided an overview of the proposed development, including that it was a mixed-use development with 4 commercial lots and 677 residential units, located in the northwest corner of County Road 116 and County Road 30. Recreation Supervisor Christensen Buck highlighted the 2040 Comprehensive Plan showed existing on-road trails on County Road 116 and County Road 30, as well as a placeholder for the Diamond Lake Regional Trail as a proposed off-road trail in the vicinity of County Road 116. Recreation Supervisor Christensen Buck noted that no parks are shown in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan for that area, but as part of the development, a private tot lot is included. Recreation Supervisor included in the overview, following a Three Rivers Park District Feasibility Study, that staff recommendation is provide park dedication credit for the City’s standard 20’ easement protocol, with construction of the proposed underpass to be completed by Three Rivers Park District at a future date. With final park dedication calculations taking place at final plat arrival, proposed park dedication for the development was shown as 0.14 acres of land, and $2,352,906 remaining cash due in-lieu of land. CITY OF CORCORAN Josh McKinney, advisor for the applicant, spoke with the Commission regarding the proposed senior living campus and the intention to create a community with private spaces, that can be accessible via golf cart. McKinney noted the intentional positioning and grading to maintain existing trees and create a natural buffer. Commissioners discussed concerns regarding the number of crossings along the proposed trail route, to which there was interest in having the trail aligned on the south side of Oswald Farm Road. Commissioners noted some concern with the route being through a busy area, to which City Administrator Tobin highlighted this development would have 677 new residential units accessing the trail amenity, with connections to other trails. Commissioners expressed concerns regarding golf cart usage along trails with pedestrians, bikers, etc., to which McKinney informed the Commission that motorized vehicles are not allowed on Three Rivers Park District trails which would help mitigate the problem. Chairperson Anderson expressed environmental preferences for quality landscaping and native trees, to which McKinney highlighted the natural trees, setbacks, and policies set by the Elm Creek Watershed guidelines that align with that vision. Councilmember Nichols inquired about green roofs on the buildings, to which McKinney informed the Commission the intention is to have landscape incorporated. McKinney informed the Commission of amenity areas for the residential areas, such as green spaces, pool, patio spaces, and pickleball. Councilmember Nichols noted during a previous City Council meeting there were discussions of possibly re-evaluating the park plan to determine if an additional park may be necessary to better serve the Hope Development and highlighted that access to the nearby parks in Bellwether should be a priority. Commissioners discussed nearby parcels and discussed the potential for future development around the Hope Community Church property. Brian Lother, Lead Pastor for Hope Community Church, noted that the addition of the Hope Way roadway was intended plan for future development and access points. Lother informed the Commission of the reasoning for the alignment of the Diamond Lake Regional Trail, highlighting that the current location should allow for less flooding during rain events. Motion: Made by Friedrich, seconded by Erzberger, recommend the trail be moved to the south side of Hope Way, and acceptance of a combination of off-road trail easement and cash-in-lieu of land to satisfy park dedication requirements. Voting Aye: Anderson, Christenson, Erzberger, Friedrich, Nybo, and Schmidt. (Motion carried 6:0) Commissioner Nybo inquired about the apartment height limits to which Councilmember Nichols responded that there was a height limit but does not limit the number of stories. 9. Reports/Information a. 2023 Year in Review & 2024 Priorities Recreation Supervisor Christensen Buck highlighted accomplishments of the Parks and Trails Commission from 2023 including coordination of the annual tree giveaway, touring the open space and neighborhood park in Bellwether, welcomed two new commissioners, and finalized consultant selection for park planning. Recreation Supervisor Christensen Buck noted 2024 priority options including continued development of the Diamond Lake Regional Trail, designing the open space park and boardwalk in the Bellwether development, City Park remaster, wayfinding, determining future project finance options, and updating development/park standards. Commissioners inquired about if they would see a representative from HKGi at Parks and Trails Commission meetings, to which City Administrator Tobin informed the Commission that working through staff help keeps costs lower than having them in attendance at meetings. Commissioners discussed updating the development/park standards, to which Councilmember Nichols informed the Commission that he believes it was shared with Council, but not formally adopted. Councilmember Nichols and City CITY OF CORCORAN Administrator Tobin noted that focusing on the development/park standards in the beginning of the year, while highlighting characteristics that are distinctly Corcoran, may be helpful to accomplishing the other priorities. Chairperson Anderson expressed his concerns with accessibility, size, and other areas of improvements that were determined from the development of previous parks. Commissioners discussed the open space park in the Ravinia development and their desire to bring the project back to a meeting for further discussion. b. Active Planning Applications – Informational Only Commissioner Nybo inquired about the location of the 3019 Addition (PID 07-119-23-14-0003) and about holding worship services in a home. City Administrator Tobin informed the Commission that there would start to be other code issues related to ADA accessibility, parking, etc. if the size of the offering hits a certain threshold, regarding worship services. c. Recreation Supervisor Update Recreation Supervisor Christensen Buck provided an update on items she had been working on including ice rink attendant hiring, the cooperative agreement with Three Rivers Park District, and coordination of the 2023 Holiday Toy and Food Drive. 10. Subcommittee & Miscellaneous Reports a. City Council Report Councilmember Nichols highlighted the items discussed at City Council meetings since the last Parks and Trails Commission meeting including adopting the updated City logo, retirement of Canine Officer Zeke, approval to work with HKGi for park planning contract, and the hiring of City Administrator Tobin. Vice-Chairperson Christenson inquired about accepting virtual participation, to which Councilmember Nichols informed the Commission of instances where City Council meetings experienced spamming of meetings. Councilmember Nichols informed the Commission that the policy for virtual participation may be revisited with new meeting software. b. Garden Club Report Chairperson Anderson noted that it is winter, but minimal frost. No activities have occurred but will start up in the spring. c. Park Dedication Fund Councilmember Nichols inquired about interest on the park dedication fund, to which City Administrator Tobin informed the Commission that a consultant will be assisting with finances with the resignation of the previous Finance Manager. City Administrator Tobin informed the Commission that work would be done on the park dedication fund investment strategies during 2024. 11. Other Business/Announcements – None 12. Commissioner Liaison Calendar 01/11/2024 01/25/2024 02/08/2024 02/22/2024 03/14/2024 04/11/2024 01/11/2024 Friedrich Nybo Christenson Strehler Anderson Erzberger Schmidt 13. Adjournment Motion: Made by Christenson, seconded by Nybo to adjourn the meeting at 8:34 pm. Voting Aye: Anderson, Christenson, Erzberger, Friedrich, Nybo, and Schmidt. (Motion carried 6:0) Submitted by Jessica Christensen Buck, Recreation Supervisor