Loading...
HRA 12/09/1982 - 29379CITY OF FRIDLEY HOUSING AND REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MEETING DECEMBER 9, 1982 CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Commers called the December 9, meeting to order at 7:33 p.m. ROLL CALL: 1982, Housing & Redevelopment Authority Members Present: Larry Commers, Mr. Prieditis, Mr. Prairie, Ms. Svendsen Members Absent: Mr. Rasmussen Others Present: Jerrold Boardman,City Planner John Flora, Public Works Director Bill Deblon, Associate Planner Jim Robinson, Planning Staff Bob Barnette, Councilman Dennis Schneider, Councilman Ed Hamernik, Councilman Erland Eckberg, 2140 Spruce Trail, Golden Valley Ruth Dunn, Fridley Sun See attached list APPROVAL OF NOVEMBER 18, 1982, HOUSING & REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MINUTES: MOTION BY MR. PRAIRIE, SECONDED BY MS. SVENDSEN, TO APPROVE THE NOV. 18, 1982, HOUSING & REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MINUTES AS WRITTEN. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON COMMERS DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 1. MOORE LAKE DISTRICT a. Proposal for 96 -unit Condominium Project by Erland Eckberg Mr. Commers stated the HRA had sent notices out regarding the presentation Mr. Eckberg was going to make at this meeting. He stated this was an open meeting based on those notices. At this time, he would turn the meeting over to Mr. Boardman, Executive Director of the HRA. Mr. Boardman stated he would like to discuss briefly what the Moore Lake Redevelopment District was. He stated the Moore Lake Redevelopment District was established in early 1981. The boundary on the south is 694, it goes up Highway 65 and includes the commercial /retail area that has the bowling alley, pet clinic, and funeral, home, goes across Highway 65 to include the Shorewood Shopping Center, includes the area along Old Central north to Mississippi St., and then along Old Central south back to 694. HOUSING & REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MEETING, DECEMBER 9, 1982 PAGE 2 Mr. Boardman stated the City, along with the HRA, has established three redevelopment districts in the City - -the Center City Redevelopment District, the Moore Lake Redevelopment District, and the North Area District on University Ave. in the area of the Springbrook Nature Center. Mr. Boardman stated that in looking at the overall city, they have selected areas that have deteriorating conditions, such as vacant lands, property that hasn't developed because of poor soil conditions, and non -use of land (example is the drive -in facility that has not come on the tax roles for the City like it should). Mr. Boardman briefly explained what a tax increment district means. He stated the general purpose of the establishment of a tax increment district is because within the next years, the City and the HRA feel that certain properties will not develop and, therefore, will be a burden to the tax- payers wtthout any development. Tax increment means that the development generated through assistance from the HRA pays for the improvements that are necessary because of that development. Mr. Boardman stated that, at this point in time, the City has not done any traffic studies or traffic analysis in the Moore Lake area,but he would like to explain some of the City's thoughts on the development around the Moore Lake area. Mr. Boardman stated it has always been the City's concern that the Shore- wood Shopping Center is not a viable center in the sense that it is not providing the type of neighborhood services that are necessary within the community. Overall, in the City's comprehensive planning, they have looked at the Holly Center and the Center City area for city -wide shopping, and have designated several areas as neighborhood shopping centers. Shorewood is one of those areas designated for a neighborhood shopping center. It is the City's intent to revitalize the Shorewood area and make it a more viable neighborhood shopping area. One of the problems in this area has been the traffic on Old Central. Those traffic problems are primarily bypass problems. Mr. Boardman stated that with some intersection modifications, they could possibly turn Old Central into a greenway system. One of the intersection modifications would be at Rice Creek Road and Old Central. Another inter- section that needs modifying is at Old Central and Highway 65. Mr. Boardman stated that in looking at the overall development, one way of making this a viable area was to develop more housing. The City of Fridley is about 98% developed in housing, and they feel there is a need for alternative types of housing. They have looked at this area as a viable area for ownership housing such as ownership- townhouse or ownership- condo- minium. They have also looked at doing some type of elderly housing on the corner of Old Central and Rice Creek Road. There is a need in the City of Fridley for elderly housing. Village Green in Fridley and most of the 0 elderly housing in the County have waiting lists that are quite lengthy. • HOUSING & REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MEETING; DECEMBER 9; 1982 PAGE 3 Mr. Boardman stated that at the intersection of Moore Lake Drive and Highway 65, there are service road problems that create unnecessary congestion at that intersection. They would be attempting to eliminate the service drive in that area, redirect the traffic flow to the Shore- wood Inn from behind, and provide adequate parking for the Shorewood Inn. Mr. Boardman stated one important resource in this area is Moore Lake. The City Council has committed itself to the clean -up of Moore Lake. He stated he thought one 6f the things they look at when they talk about a tax increment district is how they can best serve the community and best serve this area. Mr. Boardman stated that, at this time, he would turn the meeting over to the developer, Mr. Erland Eckberg, who is making the proposal to the HRA at this meeting for a 96 -unit condominium project. Mr. Erland Eckberg stated he was the owner of Eckberg Assoc. Architects. He stated that for some time, they have been looking for a desirable site for this type of project. He felt the Fridley site was the most desirable and the kind or project they are interested in. Mr. Eckberg stated there are two 13 -story towers that are of brick and reinforced concrete construction. The orientation of the two towers • would indicate that the relationship of the towers to Moore Lake and the exposure of both the south and southwest was very important to the success of this project. He stated access would be off Old Central with the drive- ways leading around to the two units. Guest parking and entrance to the towers would be at grade level. The owners of the condominium units would drive around to the side and drive in at a lower elevation to a two -level garage which has the same configuration as the guest parking lot. Mr. Eckberg stated most of the glass would be facing the water, and they have developed the buildings in such a way so the walls have a shadow affect which would give a very interesting profile to the buildings. Mr. Eckberg stated the main entrance is the amenity level and then there would be 12 levels of residents above that. There are four units to a floor with two electric elevators servicing each floor. There are a total of 45 units per building. He stated they intend to do a lot of land- scaping with berming and trees. He stated trees would be saved wherever possible, plus they would plant new trees and plantings to complement the entire site. The intent is to continue the park -like affect that already exists. They are hoping it would actually upgrade the park affect. Walkways from the existing park would go on into this area and on to a possible senior citizen project on the corner of Rice Creek Road and Old Central. Mr. Eckberg stated each unit has two bathrooms, two bedrooms, one grand room, a large kitchen, snack area, formal dining room, and laundry space. Each room has individual balconies that look out over the water. A lot of the interior walls will be of exposed brick. The entire facility, including the garage areas, will have a sprinkling system. • HOUSING & REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MEETING, DECEMBER 9, 1982 PAGE 4 Mr. Eckberg stated they did not provide for outside tennis courts, out- side or inside swimming pools, because they wanted to keep the monthly service fee at a manageable level, and to keep the site parklike. Mr. Eckberg stated that as the developer of the project, he would also be the architect and the builder of the project. One of the reasons for developing the project was because he intended to be one of the residents of the building. Mr. Boardman stated that in looking at the project development, Staff had looked at the affect of the views of the area. He showed five slides of the proposed development as seen from five different locations. Mr. Commers asked what the total proposed cost was for the overall project and what the size was of the parcel of land requested. Mr. Eckberg stated each building represents approximately $7 million, so the overall project was in the neighborhood of $14 million. He stated the parcel of land is about 10.2 acres. Mr. Prairie asked Mr. Eckberg what the height of the buildings would be. Mr. Eckberg stated that from floor to floor is 10 ft., so the elevation of the walkout facing the lake would be 130 ft. It would be 120 ft. from Old Central because of the change in grade. Mr. Prieditis asked about the cost of each unit and the size of each unit. Mr. Eckberg stated that right now they are looking at a range of $150,000- $175,000 per unit. Much will depend on how the bids turn out when they bid the project. The average size of each unit is 1,540 sq. ft. and about 450 sq. ft. of balconies for each unit. Mr. Commers asked if Mr. Eckberg had done any soil testing in this area to determine the feasibility of the site to sustain these buildings. Mr. Eckberg stated he has talked to people who have looked at this general area and who have told him the soil is favorable in the area he is looking at, but he has not done any soil borings at this time. He felt they were holding these buildings back far enough so they would be out of the poor soil area, but that would have to be confirmed with a soil test. Mr. Commers asked Mr. Eckberg what the feasibility of the project was in terms of the availability of financing and what would be the timing on the project, if there was a go- ahead. Mr. Eckberg stated that if the concept is approved by the HRA, they would build an actual model of one of the units on one of the vacant pieces of land near the site, and then presell 80% of the first building. They would not start any construction until 80% of the units in the first building was sold. • HOUSING & REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MEETING, DECEMBER 9, 1982 PAGE 5 Mr. Commers stated that from the time 80% of the first building was presold, what would be the timing required to actually begin and finish construction? Mr. Eckberg stated the construction phase would take about 12 months. As soon as they presell the 80% on the first building, they would start preselling for the second building so there would not be a time lag between the construction of the two buildings. Some people may even prefer to be in the second building. Mr. Prairie asked that if there were not enough sales on the second building, would a second building be built? Mr. Eckberg stated he believed that if they were able to sell 80% of the first building, the second one would sell fairly easily. Mr. Commers asked that with regard to this particular site, was there any possibility of any leeway of movement of the buildings within this area? Mr. Eckberg stated the buildings can be shifted. However, they have located in the most idealistic spot with relationship to the lake, the road, and the geography of the land. Mr. Commers stated he would now open up the discussion and hear comments and questions from the audience. Mr. Walter Rydberg, 6127 Woody Lane, N.E., stated he has lived in this area for 25 years. He remembered when the sewer and water was put in and he did not think the sewer and water pipes were big enough to handle these big buildings. The same was true for electricity, plus the City was talking about building another apartment for the elderly on the corner of Rice Creek Road and Old Central. Where were all these utilities going to come from? He stated there is also a traffic problem. How is this traffic going to be handled? Mr. Boardman stated that when Mr. Eckberg came in with this proposal, Staff looked at it in relationship to the total development in this area. The sewer and water and storm sewer are all in place and will handle a great deal more than this one project. This proposed project, plus a town'house project, and an elderly project would generate approximately .2 cu. ft. per second flow. The existing line capacity in that area presently has a capacity of 6.25 cu. ft. per second. There has never been a problem in this area with sewer capacity. The water line is a 12 -inch line, and the sewer line is an 8 -inch line and would handle the capacity. According to the (.City Engineers, the capacity right now is far below what the actual usage could be. Mr. Commers stated they do recognize there is a traffic problem, and that is part of the reason why they are trying to do some redevelopment in the area in order to help remedy the traffic problem that does exist. Whether or not this project goes, there is going to have to be some traffic improve- • HOUSING & REDEVELOPMENT :AUTHORITY'MEETING, DECEMBER 9, 1982 PAGE 6 ments on Old Central, either in terms of trying to divert the Medtronic and Onan traffic over to Highway 65 before it comes down to Rice Creek Road, and something has to be done at the initersection of Old Central and Highway 65. But, they need some development to get the taxes from the development to make the changes that are necessary. Ms. Jackie Lentz, 6053 Central Ave. N.E., stated she was very impressed with Mr. Eckberg's buildings. They would be lovely to live in, but most of the residents feel the site chosen is not the most favorable for them. She stated she had been chosen by a group of the neighbors in the district to present a letter and petition to the HRA. Ms. Lentz stated that a couple of years ago when the HRA had their initial hearings on the redevelopment areas, she did attend and at that time, there was talk about the possibility of townhouses, duplexes, and those types of housing being in this area. There was no out -cry from the citizenry at that time, and she felt those kinds of things were acceptable; however, at that time, nothing was mentioned about the possibility of highrises and certainly nothing was mentioned about taking people's property and homes. Consequently, it came as quite a surprise to the residents who received the letters and information in the mail a couple of weeks ago; possibly most surprising to those people whose property was involved. She stated they had a neighborhood meeting, and Mr. Boardman had been very generous to spend a lot of time with them answering questions and explain- ing the project. Ms. Lentz read.the following petition letter: "We the undersigned home- owners in the area currently included in redevelopment district I on the east side of Moore Lake respectfully request that consideration of the highrise condominium proposal on the west side of Central Ave. be denied. This request is. based on several areas of concern; a few of which are: (1) The property is, and has been at all times, zoned R -1 single family residential, the same as our homes. (2) All existing structures are less than two stories in height and the proposed multi - storied structures would be aesthetically inappropriate in our area. (3) The uncertainty of what type of traffic will be generated on an already heavily traveled road (Central Ave.). (4) The problem for the homeowners whose homes would be removed in locating any comparable property near a lake. (5) The potential loss in value to remaining homes near the highrise structures. "Thank you for your consideration of our concerns. We would be pleased to work with a neighborhood committee to assist the HRA on any proposals for improvements and /or developments in our area." Ms. Lentz stated she would also like to express a few more concerns that have been raised by the neighbors. HOUSING & REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MEETING, DECEMBER 9, 1982 PAGE 7 Ms. Lentz stated one of those concerns was the usage of Moore Lake Park. Right now the park is almost to the point of being overused. If they added 96 more units, that is anywhere from 96 -200+ people. The neighbors had been led to believe that tennis courts might be part of the new development, but that is not the case. Moore Lake Park has already got overloaded tennis courts. She stated the baseball diamonds and the picnic facilities would be very attractive for the people from the new develop- ment to use. Is this truly fair to the people in the City who are already able to use those facilities? Ms. Lentz stated the view and amenities the residents have with Moore Lake Park is one of the reasons why the neighbors bought in this particular area. Is that to be set aside in order to develop a highrise condominium? Ms. Lentz asked if an environmental study was going to be done which would deal with the usage of the park, and how a development of this kind would affect Moore Lake as a lake. Ms. Lentz stated the neighborhood, including the four property owners affected, had received this information in plain brown envelopes. Perhaps there is a manner in which the HRA can relay information to the people in a more considerate fashion. If she was one of the four property owners, she would have been very distraught and very upset and wondering as to what exactly was going on, and why they were not given some consideration to be at least forewarned of this kind of thing. Ms. Lentz stated the neighborhood wants to be of assistance to the City. They realize development needs to be done in this area, and they would like to help the City in finding a developer that would be acceptable to the City and the neighborhood. They would propose setting up a committee that would be updated on new plans, etc. She thanked the HRA very much for their time. MOTION BY MR. PRAIRIE, SECONDED BY MS. SVENDSEN, TO RECEIVE PETITION NO. 11 -g2 INTO THE RECORD. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON COMMERS DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Mr. Commers asked Mr. Boardman to explain the removal of homes, if this project would proceed as it is presently proposed. Mr. Boardman stated there are six homes that would be removed for this development as proposed. By law, the HRA is required to meet the require- ments of the Federal Relocation Act. That requires them to get appraised values on those homes. The owners can also get their own appraisals; the City would then attempt to negotiate a purchase value. That purchase value would.be offered if a value can be negotiated. If a purchase value cannot be negotiated with a property owner, then the HRA has the alternative of going to condemnation. Preferably, the HRA would not have to go that direction. 0 HOUSING & REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MEETING, DECEMBER 9, 1982 PAGE 8 Mr. Boardman stated that, secondly, under HUD regulations, the HRA would pay damages (relocation fees). Those fees are set up to $15,000, and there has been action in the legislation to even increase those fees. Mr. Commers asked Mr. Boardman if this proposed project would require an environmental study in terms of its relationship to Moore Lake. Mr. Boardman stated the development itself would not require an environ- mental assessment according to the Environmental Quality Commission. The only requirement of the development in relationship to Moore Lake is that it cannot be in the floodway. Shoreland management is not in effect in the metro area. Shoreland management is a 100 ft. setback. He stated the HRA can request an environmental study if they so choose, but it was his understanding that one was not required. Mr. Commers stated the question was raised with regard to improvements and utilities that might be needed and whether new curbs and gutters might be needed on Old Central. Would any of these improvements be assessed against the property owners? Mr. Boardman stated that would be totally up to the HRA as to the direc- tion they want to go on a parkway system and how much the HRA would want to get involved in the development of that parkway system. He stated he was not sure what assessments there would even be. All Staff is suggest- ing at this time is they have the potential of looking at doing something with Old Central from Rice Creek Road south to where it joins Highway 65. It is merely a suggestion at this point because they feel it would enhance the environment, not only of the park area, but also for the people along Old Central. Mr. Commers stated that to clarify what Mr. Boardman has said, there are no plans for the redevelopment of Old Central at this time. If there is some plan to redo the area, at that time, it would be up to whatever body is going to do the remodeling and improvements to determine whether they can pay for it or whether there would be any assessments. Mr. Prieditis asked Mr. Boardman if any study has been done on the current traffic on Old Central. He was trying to relate how much traffic is gener- ated now by Medtronic, Onan, and other firms and businesses to how much it might increase with 96 more family units. Mr. Boardman stated there are traffic counts on Old Central, and he would guess there are approx. 10- 12,000 vehicles per day on that road. That is a heavy load, and that is why the City feels traffic should be directed over to a highway that is developed to handle that volume of traffic. Mr. Bill Donohue, 1316 Hillcrest Dr. N.E., stated about 15 years ago he read in a Minnesota Historical Society review that Moore Lake was one of the oldest native American sites in the U.S. He believed there was an old Indian burial ground behind St. Philips Lutheran Church. He wondered how many people actually knew about the history of Moore Lake. 0 HOUSING & REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MEETING, DECEMBER 9, 1982 PAGE 9 Mr. Ed Kaspszak, 1317 Hillcrest Dr. N.E., stated he is opposed to the concept and the proposal as presented. However, as a taxpayer, he was also keenly aware that something needed to be done in that area. His only regret was that more thought and planning had not been put into it after so many years. He stated he was in the area when there was no Highway 65 and they took Old Central to get in and out of Minneapolis. Highway 65 came about because of the Highway Dept., and he can remember the large cranes digging into what was a swamp. That particular swamp has been dry, and it has also been flooded. Moore Lake is just a man- made hole. A few years ago, it was of great concern that Moore Lake would even survive at all. It was touch and go between the City Council and the federal government to get enough federal funding in order to make a study to see if the lake was even salvageable. Mr. Kaspszak stated he is in the marketing and advertising business, and he has a lot of clients who build condominiums. He questioned any kind of development where there is a risk that the lake may not even remain a lake. Mr. Kaspszak stated he found out about this project strictly by word of mouth. He was insulted as a taxpayer that a petitioner had to come to his door and inform him of what was going on. He had received no notice. He was told he did not live within the 350 ft. That was a ridiculous • rule when it affects his property. He stated he bought the house, because the sunsets are fantastic. This particular project, the way it was pre - sented, would ruin that particular perspective, not only for him, but for everyone else who lives on Hillcrest. Mr. Kaspszak stated this whole development as presented is totally out of character with the neighborhood. He is not against development in that general area, but he felt it was improper that people should be asked to leave their homes. The concern has always been raised about the traffic from the north to the south, but he has not heard anything about the traffic that goes from the south to the north, which is also heavy. Mr. Commers stated that with respect to the notices that were sent out, the HRA did attempt to comply with the requirements, even thought it was not satisfactory to everyone. There has to be some reasonable limitations on who gets notified of these kinds of things. He stated they agreed to go as far as Woody Lane and did not follow up on Hillcrest. With regard to the lake itself, part of the reason for setting up the tax increment district was to lend some assistance to the reclamation of Moore Lake. Also, the City Council has approved a plan to go forward with trying to do some things with the lake. He asked Councilman Schneider to tell the status of Moore Lake from the City Council's point of view. Mr. Schneider stated that 2 -3 years ago, the City Council negotiated the first phase of the Moore Lake reclamation project. That effort • included the diversion of the waters in Moore Lake park area, included a diversion for the waters coming off Harris Lake drainage area, and included the creation of a BASFU area. He stated the next phase of the project includes some minor dredging of the lake, some additional 0 HOUSING & REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MEETING, DECEMBER 9, 1982 PAGE 10 diversionary ditching and channeling of water and control weirs within the lake, as well as some treatment at the bottom of the lake. A contract for that has been approved by the City Council. Mr. Commers asked what amount of monies has been spent on the improvement of Moore Lake to date. Mr. Schneider stated there was approx. $468,000 in the first phase and $468,000 in the second phase. That is not all city money. In the first phase, 75% was non -city money, and the remaining 25% was collected out of capital improvement funds over a number of years. Mr. Commers asked Mr. Boardman if there has been any suggestions on how the HRA could participate in the reclamation of Moore Lake. Mr. Boardman stated there has not been a lot of discussion, but that is one of the possible reasons why the tax increment distirct was established. The HRA can get involved in handling some of the assessments or some of the excess development problems or excess cash flow problems with tax increment that is generated from development. Mr. Harold Swanson, 6064 Woody Lane N.E., stated he was against the development. He stated he had three major concerns: (1) the present • property owners who live along Old Central; most of them have lived there for a long time; (2) the proposed structures are too high for the area; (3) the traffic problem this development could present in the future. Mr. Swanson stated he realized there has to be some development in this area, but he could not understand why the buildings could not be moved a little farther north closer to Rice Creek Road in order to Clean up that area. The present property owners could stay, and they could also divert some of the traffic on to Rice Creek Road. Ms. Dan Nelson, 6080 Central Ave. N.E., stated they have purposely built their retirement home. It is their children's future home, their land, and their view. If Mr. Eckberg wants to move into a condominium, that was his privilege, but she did not want her privilege as an American taken away from her. The question was raised about fire prevention. Mr. Eckberg stated the Uniform Building Code specifically addresses what is required. There must be a complete fire sprinkler system in each unit and all common areas, including the garages. In addition, there are siamese connections on the exterior of the buildings so fire trucks and equipment can add additional pressure to the line if the situation arises. There will also be smoke alarms, and the whole system will be tied into the Fire Dept., so any alarms would be interfaced with the Fire Dept. . HOUSING & REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MEETING, DECEMBER 9, 1982 PAGE 11 Ms. Maria Donohue, 1316 Hillcrest Dr. N.E., stated she was very concerned about the people who would have to leave their homes. She was also thinking of the location and that the people who would live in these condominiums would probably not have children. Fridley needs more children. Fridley's education system is suffering a great deal, and School Dist. #14 lost a referendum because of so many people who do not have children. The education system would suffer even more by having more people without children. Mr. David Landes, 5948 Woody Lane, N.E., asked how the HRA was going to determine what decision was in the best interest of the people and the City. Mr. Commers stated that is why they are having this public hearing, to get all the input they can from the citizens. They will then try to balance that information and try to arrive at a decision that would be fair to the residents and also adhere to the goals the City has with respect to developing that land and increasing the taxes. Obviously, it will not be an easy decision. Ms. Karla Blomberg, 1661 Camelot, stated she was not at the meeting as one of the people directly affected. She stated she was a realtor in the area, • and she has also done some developing in Fridley. As a resident of Fridley, she would much prefer to see this type of development than to see low and moderate income housing go in there. From being in the real estate business, she has seen too many areas destroyed by low and moderate income housing. She stated they do not need that in Fridley. She thought the area could bring in $150,000 homes, and it was great that Mr. Eckberg had chosen Fridley. She stated it made her angry that Fridley is considered a moder- ate income area, and they have a problem bringing in the homes and businesses because of that image. She thought it was great that the citizens are willing to work together with the City in the development of this area. Ms. Sharon Sandberg, 6436 Pierce St. N.E., stated she was at the meeting because she had been informed by someone who came to her door that every- one's home on her block would be torn down. She felt more correct inforcia- tion should be sent to the people behind the Shorewood Shopping Center, so they are aware of what is going on. She stated she was in favor of con- struction. Fridley needs more children and more areas for the elderly. She was not opposed to the proposed project, but she needed more information. There is too much emotion in a lot of the statements being made, and not enough facts are coming out. Mr. Jim Jorgenson, 5730 Polk St. N.E., stated he got very disturbed when he hears that a commission feels they have the right to decide to take beautiful homes in this area and tear them down so an individual can come in and profit maybe a million dollars by developing the area. He felt the • decision the governing body (the HRA) has to make has to agree with the people in the general area. If the HRA does not agree with the people, then he felt those people should take some action, and he would be strongly in favor of supporting whatever action those people took. 0 HOUSING & REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MEETING, DECEMBER 9, 1982 PAGE 12 The question was raised about the high water table in this area and whether underground garages could even be built. Mr. Commers stated it should be determined what the water table is in this area. It is possible the project is not even feasible because of a high water table. Mr. Prieditis stated he felt the water level was academic. He felt the two major objections were the height of the buildings and the possibility of present homes being removed. Maybe a committee should be formed and they could work with the people and the developer in making a decision and seeing if any compromise is possible. Mr. Kaspszak stated that a 12 -story structure would be in the neighbor- hood of 1/5 of the-size of the IDS towner, and they should think of it in those terms. Mr. Ray McAfee, 1360 Hillcrest Dr. N.E., stated it was high time the City Council and commission representatives gave a little thought to the feelings of the residents. They haven't heard what kind of taxes the City is going to gain, if they are even going to gain any. They need children in the schools, and they are not going to draw families with children by • having $170,000 units. Mr. Edward Rush, 6028 Central Ave. N.E., stated he felt Dennis Schneider, their councilman, should have come around to the people involved and presented this proposal.so they would have known what was going on a lot earlier. Mr. Commers stated this is the first meeting where this presentation has been made regarding this particular proposal. The neighborhood is hearing about it the same time as the HRA, and the presentation was not made prior to this evening. Mr. Schneider stated the material the residents received in the mail is the only material he has, and he had that material only about three days before it was mailed to the residents. He agreed an error was made in that the people whose property was directly affected should have been talked to personally, rather than receiving the material in the mail. He took responsibility for that error. But, he could not have told them anything that was different from what they had received in the mail. Ms. Elaine Gray, 6062 Central Ave. N.E., stated her home was included in the redevelopment area; however, in 1981 when the redevelopment area was established, she was not notified that projects like this would come up. Do the homeowners by Sandee's Restaurant know they are also included in the redevelopment area and that this could happen to them? She stated she does not get the Fridley Sun and, therefore, does not see the public • notices that are published in that paper. She felt that when personal property is involved, homeowners should be notified personally. • HOUSING & REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MEETING, DECEMBER 9, 1982 PAGE 13 Ms. Barb Reiland, 6068 Woody Lane, N.E., asked if the HRA would keep in touch with the neighborhood, possibly through one person, regarding all Procedures with this project. Mr. Commers stated the HRA would be happy to advise a spokesperson(s) from the neighborhood on anything that comes up on their agenda regarding this project. He asked that someone contact Mr. Boardman with the name(s) of who to contact. He stated that when the HRA makes their decision, the input from the residents will definitely be taken into consideration. 2. NORTH AREA DISTRICT: a. Request for Assistance by G. W. Paschke Mr. Commers stated this item would be continued at the January meeting. 3. FINANCIAL: a. Check Register MOTION BY MR. PRIEDITIS, SECONDED BY MR. PRAIRIE, TO APPROVE THE CHECK REGISTER AS PRESENTED. • UPON A VOICE VOATE, ALL VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON COMMERS DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 4. OTHER BUSINESS: a. Letter dated Dec. 6, 1982, from Kent Hill, Economic Development Assistant, regarding the Fridley Plaza Office Building Mr. Boardman stated he had drafted a response to Mr. Hill's letter. He had tried to respond based on what he felt were the HRA's concerns and understanding of the project. Ms. Svendsen questioned Item #3 in Mr. Hill's letter regarding who would be responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the parking lot and driveways owned by the HRA. Mr. Boardman, in his drafted letter, had stated that "The HRA has in the past been responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of property under its ownership and will continue in its responsibility. She stated that in discussions with the City Council and the HRA, it was her understanding from Mr. Qureshi that the City would do the maintenance. Mr. Boardman stated that in the contract documents, the owners of the office building are paying the HRA "x" amount of dollars within the lease. • Mr. Commers stated that was not proper. The HRA has never thought of having to maintain the parking lot. That was never brought up or pointed out. That is a financial burden to the HRA. The HRA is not'in the business HOUSING & REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MEETING, DECEMBER 9, 1982 PAGE 14 of maintaining anything on an ongoing basis, and they should never be put in that position. Mr. Coroners also expressed concern over Item #5 in Mr. Hill's letter regarding signage. In Mr. Boardman's drafted letter, he had responded that "Signage also falls within the realm of the City code compliance. However, the HRA is very interested in the overall signing development of the district. We have not covered signing in our contract documents with the office building or the clinic and very much want to review any sign application with the City. The HRA will consider a letter of understanding with both projects requiring review by the HRA." Mr. Commers stated that somehow they had missed this point in the contract documents also, and signage is a very important point. Ms. Svendsen stated Mr. Haggerty had been very specific verbally that there would not be any signage on the outside of the building. Mr. Prieditis stated he considered signage an integral part of the building design. The HRA has not seen the working construction documents, and maybe this is the time to see the documents exactly as presented. • Mr. Boardman stated he has discussed this with Mr. Haggerty, and Mr. Haggerty has stated he is willing to go with whatever signage everyone approves. Mr. Boardman stated he felt the HRA does have the control in the contract documents, although it is not specifically stated that all sign plans will be reviewed. The HRA still has plan review on all structures. Mr. Comners stated the maintenance issue and the signage issue should be discussed with Mr. Haggerty in January. He would also like Mr. Boardman to find out what the City is willing to do as far as maintenance. It was the concensus of the HRA to allow Mr. Boardman to respond to Mr. Hill's letter with paragraphs 1, 2, 4, and 6, but to delete paragraphs 3 and 5 until this has been discussed with the City. b. Billing for Fixture Appraisals. Mr. Boardman stated he had not put this on the check register, primarily because he wanted to get a breakdown on these costs. The fixture appraisals have been done on Lennies' Laundromat, but have not yet been done on Dr. Ryans Clinic or the Battery Discount. He asked the commissioners if they wanted to authorize payment now for the bid cost of $3,700 or wait for the next check register. It was the concensus of the HRA members to authorize payment of $3,700 to The American Appraisal Company for fixture appraisals. • HOUSI_NG & REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MEETING, DECEMBER 9, 1982 PAGE 15 c. Lease of Hardware Building to Clothing Liquidators, Inc., for a Retail /Liquidation Operation. Mr. Boardman stated he had visited the operation in Cambridge as requested by the HRA. He stated it was a clean and good operation. Mr. Carson's financial statement was also adequate and substantial. He stated he had also included an additional clause in the lease which narrowed the lease down from an 18 -month lease to a 12 -month lease. W. Carson was allowed to go in with an 18 -month lease with the condition that if the HRA gave a 150 -day notice prior to the 12 -month period, the lease could terminate in 12 months. Mr. Boardman stated this would be a weekend operation only. ADJOURNMENT: MOTION BY MS. SVENDSEN, SECONDED BY MR. PRAIRIE, TO ADJOURN THE MEETING. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON COMMERS DECLARED THE DECEMBER 9, 1982, HOUSING &REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MEETING ADJOURNED AT 10:50 P.M. Respectfully submi, ted, ynnp Sa a Recording Secretary hl � so o -1 L. 573 �� l k s? N �o O o74 let LIZ dos 3 � t hoar (Aj oZ° IN 0 123 133z -/ ;2 ;?- W, C-� /,,I H e- 61;Z9 z6)4" &aa 4&A-e Je GOB 6Z) �f � Zo ,-74 136a MR l/vC1��� �c� I �3 r� � /7e, C.,; co