09/20/1982 - 00012840THE MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING OF THE FRIDLEY CITY COUNCIL OF
SEPTEMBER 20. 19 2
The Special Meeting of the Fridley C1ty Council was called to order at
7�35 p. m. by Mayor Nee.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:
Mayor Nee led the Council and audience in the Pledge of Allegiance to the
Flag.
ROLL CALL:
� MEMBERS PRESENT: Mayor Nee, Couneilman Barnette, Councilman Hamernik
MEMBERS ABSENT: Councilman Schneider and Couneilman Fitzpatrick
Present at the meeting were City Council, City Staff, Don Pollard, Cu6
Foods, Charles Hooley, Cub Foods, Rae Lewis, Cub Foods and Naney J.
Hendrickson, President, Fridley Chamber of Commerce.
Mayor Nee welcomed everyone to the meeting. He stated Councilman Hamernik
and Councilman Barnette had asked to have this meeting convened in order
to review the question of the rezoning for Cub Foods or other
alternatives, Because the City is concerned about Cub Foods' possible
departure from Fridley, he felt this meeting was appropriate, but was a
little bit out of the ordinary. The normal process would be consideration
by the Planning Commission and a publie hearing on the petition for
rezoning by the City Councal, and then aetion by the City Couneil, either
denial or approval. As he understood it, as a result of the dialogue at
the Planning Commission public hearing on September 15, Cub Foods either
has or intends to withdraw their request for rezoning.
Mayor Nee asked Councilman Hamernik to give a short presentation on the
pros and cons and what the problems are,
Councilman Hamernik stated that as a result of the discussion at the
� Planning Commission public hearing, he and Couneilman Barnette felt they
should sit down and discuss thas further. They really feel Cub Foods has
a lot to offer the City of Fridley, Cub has offered a lot in the past, and
even though it doesn't seem to be in the best interest of the neighborhood
to proceed with what Cub was requestang, the City feels they have other
options they would like tc explore with Cub Foods, He felt it would be in
the City's best interest ta do everything possible to keep Cub in the City
of Fridley. He stated the indications are that Cub is very anxious to
proceed; consequently, time is rather short.
Mayor Plee asked Nancy Hendrickson, President of the Fradley Chamber of
Commerce to introduce a letter into the recocd that she had written to the
City regarding the possible departure of Cub Foods from the City of
Fridley,
Ms, Hendrickson stated the Fridley Chamber of Commerce, after hearing of
Mr. Hooley's recommendation to consider withdrawing their proposal to
locate in Fridley at the site they had selected at 73rd and University,
has officially gone on record recommending that the City consider the
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SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 20� 7q82
rezoning request in view of the economic growth this
communiLy, as we12 as inereased tax base. The Chamber
coneerned with a company of that size and square
outside the City of Fridley.
PAGE 2
would bring to the
of Cammeree is very
footage relocating
Mr. Qureshi stated Staff has been in contaet with Cub Foods for about nine
months. Originally, it was the desire of Cub Foods to expand on their
present site, and then they decided the site was too small to expand any
further, and they started looking at different sites in the community.
Mr, Qureshi stated Cub had its start in Fridley, and it was the first
store they ever opened. They are expanding all over the nation, and the
Czty certainly does not want to lose them from the community. He stated
Staff has shown them a number of sites that at least meet Cub�s area
requirements. However, there are other constraints put on them by the
parent eompany, Super Va1u, whieh limits their option of 2oeating in the
community
Mr. Qureshi statea one location Staff had shown Cub was 81st and
University, and the City had understood the site was eliminated because of
its being close in proximity to Jerry's Super Valu in Blaine. They have
now found out that the reason the site was eliminated was because of bad
soil conditions. He stated they want to make sure they have explored all
avenues doubly so they know they have given Cub every opportunity.
Mr. Oureshi stated that re�arding the 22 acre site at 81st and University,
the City has recently installed a traffie signal so there is good access.
There is a 9 ton road with 5 lanes coming on to the signal. He stated
this site is part of a tax increment district whieh would make some monies
available through the HftA to help correct the soil conditions. If the HRA
wishes to do that, according to their calculations, the HRA could provide
about $130-140,OOD toward soil correction. The sate is part of an
industrial area, and there would not be the objection of being too elose
to any neighborhood that would be affected by traffie problems.
Mr. Soardman stated the HRA could get involved in land acquisition or
paekaging of land and/or soil correction or both, depending on their runs
on the generation of the taxes on the proposal.
Mr. Hooley stated that $13�,000 would only be a drop in the bvcket for
what that would cost to build the land up to support a building and
parking lot, He stated they have looked at this site and are verq
familiar with it, as well as every other available site in Fridley. He
thought they were looking at more like $b00-800,000 ,7ust in site work
alone. They do not want to get into another situation with sxnking
parking lots like they have had with their present store.
Mr. Hooley stated he would be very skeptical because of the soil. They
could consider it, although they are in the position right now to move on
another commitment, He stated that if the tax increment financin� was
sufficient to cover the site costs to bring it up to a buildable site, he
thought they would be interested, but they still had the problem of being
so close to Jerry's Super Valu,
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SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 2D� 1982 PAGE �
Mr. Flora stated the City could take some exact soil borings to find out
what the soil is really like.
Mr. Poardman stated that, regarding the 81st and University site,
realastically, the City would need an engineering report on the soil, they
would have to take a look at the cost of soil correction, run some figures
to see whether or not the tax increment dxstrict would support that, and
then analyze whether they would have the money to do the soil correction.
� Mr. Hooley stated he thought it was a viable site, but the timing is so
essential. They are presently using two sema-trailer trucks at �4600/month
per truck �ust for extra room. He stated the aecident ratio is 32�
highter at this store than any other of their stores, and they don't feel
they should keep their employees working under those conditions. They are
not trying to get out of Fridley, but it is mandatory for them to move
quiekly.
Couneilman Barnette stated they have been getting some calls from the
other businesses and other residents in Fridley saying they don't want Cub
to leave Fridley. He stated they would like support from the residents in
whatever form necessary to eneourage Cub to stay in Fridley.
Councilman Hamernik asked about the 21-acre site on Osborne kitty-corner
from the present Cub store,
Mr, Hooley stated the store really needs to be on a ma,7or thoroughfare,
Councilman Barnette asked Mr, Hooley if the downtown Center City site was
definitely out,
Mr. Hooley stated the Center City site would be a�ood site and would help
the City of Fridley a lot, but the site was definitely out for them. He
stated they would like very much to put their store there, but it will
,7ust not fit.
� Mr. Robert Schroer, 490 Rice Creek Blvd., stated it appeared Cub Foods
would really like to stay in Fridley, and a.t appeared they would like to
stay on the 73rd Ave, site they had ohosen. However, it also appeared
that the residents (and he was one of them on the south) did not want the
traffie problem. He asked how much time and effort has been taken by the
City to try to ehange the road system. The Highway Department has done it
for Daytons and in other areas to accommodate shopping centers. It aeemed
there could be a way a road system could be developed to fii ihat
particular area.
Mr, �ureshi stated they have been in contact wzth the Highway Department
to see what the possibilities were of slip-offs from Unlversity onto this
property to reduce some of the traffic load. It was the Highway
Department's response that the City could apply, but the chances are
minimal, These kinds of things have not been done in reeent times.
Mr. Flora stated the 73rd & University intersection has ,7ust been improved
to provide 4-5 lanes, and there are plans to widen 73rd between Aniversity
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SPECIAL CDUNCIL MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 20, 1982 AP GE 4
and Highway �165 to allow for four lanes of traffie through that east/west
segment, h'ith the improvement of signalization at 69th, there are a
number of controls and a roadneck which does support a large volume of
traffic.
A resident stated he hoped the Cub Foods people realized that they, as
Fridley taxpayers, would like to have them stay in Fridley. He liked to
shop there, he liked the employment, he liked the tax base, and he liked
them as business people, Furthermore, even if Cub does not relocate in
Fridley, they wi11 continue to shop there.
A resident stated that, as a woman who shops at both Cub and Jerry's Super
Valu, she did not think Cub enfranged on Jerryts Super Valu nor did
Jerry's Super Valu enfringe on Cub, As far as Cub being off the main
thoroughfare, every woman knows where Cub is or wall find it.
Councilman Hamernik stated he thought they had arrived at a concensus that
the Fridley people would like Cub to stay in Fridley and that Cub would
like to stay in Fridley. He hoped they could build on that and work out
some mutual arrangement.
Mayor Nee stated City Staff would get the necessary facts and information
within 2-3 weeks and present the information to Cub Foods to see if
Fridley had a viable package on the 81st & University site.
Councilman Barnette stated he would like to thank Councilman Hamernik for
putting this meeting together and making the meeting as open as possible.
The meeting ad,7ourned at 8:45 p. �.
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Lynn Saba Willi .
Acting City Couneil Secretary Mayar
Approved:
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Nee
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