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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-06-17 CC REGULAR ANDOVER CITY COUNCIL MEETING – JUNE 17, 2025 MINUTES The Regular Bi-Monthly Meeting of the Andover City Council was called to order by Mayor Barthel, June 17, 2025, 7:00 p.m., at the Andover City Hall, 1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW, Andover, Minnesota. Councilmembers present: Rick Engelhardt, Karen Godfrey, Scott Schue, and Jonathan Shafto Councilmembers absent: None Also present: City Administrator, Sarah Cotton Director of Public Works/City Engineer, David Berkowitz Community Development Director, Joe Janish Fire Chief, Dennis Jones Others PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE RESIDENT FORUM nd Bev Hinkle, 1410 152 Lane, came forward and shared she has been coming to Council meetings st since April 1 about issues she has had with her neighbor’s property. She shared they have made some progress over the last few months with cleaning up this property. She noted she is not the only resident in this area who has an issue with this property. She said there are many others in the audience this evening supporting her. She noted in the last email she received from Associate Planner Breen; she was told that the property owner reached out to the City asking to put multiple sheds in his backyard, and the City is giving the property owner an extension to get the portable shed replaced with a permanent one. She said this issue could end up going on all summer now that he has been granted an extension after providing proof of purchase for the sheds. She stated adding more sheds is not the solution for cleaning up this property. She suggested they put an ordinance in place that limits the number of sheds people are able to have on their property. She noted this property owner already has a small barn on his property. She asked the City no longer delay the removal of the canvas, temporary shed, and that they also limit the number of sheds the property owner is allowed to have in his backyard. She added there should also be a limit on the number of cars someone can have in their yard, as this property owner has nine to twelve vehicles in his yard at any given time. Linda Pardo, a resident on Bluebird Street, came forward and asked if there are any other options for dealing with this property, such as Social Services, as this seems to be an addiction. Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes – June 17, 2025 Page 2 th Judy Kidder, 1565 150 Lane, came forward and shared she has lived in her home for over 30 years, and she has put so much love into her home over these years. She noted the City has put a lot of work into making itself look good and grow, and she would hate to see that diminished by the state of this property. She said she is concerned for her and her neighbor’s safety with the state of this property. nd Carol Vevea, 1396 152 Lane, came forward and shared she often walks and bikes in the area, and she sees the state of this property every day. She shared she used to live in Elk River, and they had an ordinance that stated people could only have a certain number of vehicles on their property, and what is allowed at this property is extreme and looks terrible. She said this property is not safe, and something needs to be done. Dale Schumacher, 15080 Bluebird Street, came forward and shared the same concerns as his neighbors about this property. He shared concerns that this property could affect the property values of other homes in the area. He added he is also concerned for the property owner and thinks a wellness check should be done. AGENDA APPROVAL Mayor Barthel noted the supplemental information received: Item #2D – Consider a Sketch Plan for a Master Planned Development, using a Planned Unit Development (PUD), on an 800-plus-acre Portion of the Rural Reserve, Artemis Development (Applicants) Motion by Godfrey, Seconded by Schue, to approve the Agenda as amended. Motion carried unanimously. APPROVAL OF MINUTES May 27, 2025, Workshop Meeting: Correct as written. June 3, 2025, Regular Meeting: Correct as written. Motion by Shafto, Seconded by Engelhardt, to approve the May 27, 2025, Workshop meeting and June 3, 2025, Regular meeting minutes as presented. Motion carried unanimously. 1. CONSENT ITEMS A. Approve Payment of Claims B. Approve Plans & Specs/Order Ad for Bids/25-30, Removal & Replacement of Bituminous Basketball Court at Sunshine Park & 25-27, Sunshine Park South Parking Lot Mill & Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes – June 17, 2025 Page 3 Overlay (See Resolution R060-25) C. Approve Refuse/Recycle Hauler Licenses D. Receive May 2025 General Fund Progress Report E. Receive May 2025 City Investment Report Motion by Engelhardt, Seconded by Schue, to approve the Consent Agenda as read. Motion carried unanimously. 2. DISCUSSION ITEMS A. ANOKA COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE MONTHLY REPORT Commander Paul Lenzmeier provided a monthly report including 1,112 calls for service, two reported burglaries, 18 thefts, one drug arrest, 318 traffic stops, and 80 traffic arrests. He explained five traffic arrests were for expired registrations, four were for failure to obey traffic devices, two were for failure to yield to pedestrians, 18 speeding violations, two passing violations, three hands- free violations, 14 insurance violations, and 32 driver’s license violations. He noted there are a lot of scams going around that are very believable and encouraged residents to use extreme caution. ththth He shared there was a motor vehicle fatality on 165 and 7 Avenue on May 16 involving a 74- year-old resident who was killed. He stated the suspect fled on foot but was apprehended and is now being charged with several crimes. He added they are seeing a significant rise in juvenile activity, including shootings involving minors, as young as 15 years old. He shared their Social Worker started this week, and she will be following up on many of the calls they are seeing. Councilmember Schue asked if the suspect in the motor vehicle fatality case was also charged with a DUI. Commander Lenzmeier said yes. Councilmember Engelhardt asked if the Sheriff’s Department has gun locks available. Commander Lenzmeier said he is not sure if they have any on hand, but they can direct people on where to find some. B. ANDOVER FIRE DEPARTMENT MONTHLY REPORT Fire Chief Jones reviewed the Fire Department's monthly report. He shared he will be reviewing stst the data from January 1 through May 31 since this is the first monthly report of the year. He shared there have been a total of 736 calls for service so far for the year, which is down from the same time last year. He noted there have been 487 calls for medical service, which is also down from last year. He said there have been 14 structure fires so far this year, which has doubled from the same time last year. He noted they have given mutual aid to other cities 35 times so far this year. He shared around 70% of the calls they received are for EMS. He stated they have five full- time staff members and one part-time staff member. He added last year they had 36 paid on-call firefighters, and they currently have 44, with an additional six in the hiring process. He noted they have done 127 inspections so far this year, and they anticipate this to increase throughout the year, given the amount of new construction taking place. He added there have been nine fire Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes – June 17, 2025 Page 4 investigations since the beginning of the year. Councilmember Shafto asked if any of this year’s data seems unusual or concerning based on other years. Mr. Jones noted most of the numbers are fairly consistent with other years. Councilmember Shafto asked about the ideal number of paid-on-call firefighters they would like to have. Mr. Jones said the ideal number would be around 60. Councilmember Engelhardt asked for an explanation of why the Fire Department responds to certain EMS calls. Mr. Jones said they respond to several calls as the Fire Department acts as a ‘catch-all’ for calls that come in. He shared they are public servants and respond to the needs of the residents. Councilmember Engelhardt shared there had been a few gas line issues recently and thanked the Fire Department for their response to this. Councilmember Godfrey asked if they are training more potential investigators to keep up with the increase in fire investigations this year. Mr. Jones said they have six individuals who have signed up for the Anoka County investigation team. He noted the investigation team is shared with the whole County. Councilmember Schue asked about the turnaround time for getting an on-call firefighter through training. Mr. Jones said the process from the time an application is submitted to the time someone is through EMT school takes around a year. He stated the EMT school is 16 weeks, and the fire academy is 14 weeks. He shared they started with 12 applicants, and they are now down to six. Councilmember Schue noted it looks like they should be increasing their recruitment if the goal is to have 60 paid on-call firefighters. Mr. Jones shared they recruit year-round, and they host two fire academies a year. He noted they recruit via social media and community events. Councilmember Schue thanked Mr. Jones for his recruitment efforts. Mayor Barthel asked how many times a firetruck leaves the station for a cancelled call or false alarm. Mr. Jones shared sometimes they can stop the truck before it leaves, but it is dependent on how quickly the information gets from the caller to dispatch, to the fire station. C. CONSIDER VARIANCE REQUEST FRONT YARD SETBACK - 13797 JAY STREET NW, RANDALL & SHERYL HUBIN (APPLICANT) The City Council is requested to consider the recommendation for approval by the Planning and Zoning Commission and approve or deny the variance request. Community Development Director Janish reviewed the Staff report in regard to the variance request at 13797 Jay Street NW. He shared the Planning and Zoning Commission’s Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes – June 17, 2025 Page 5 recommendation of approval. Councilmember Shafto shared he would prefer for the variance not to be as large as it is; however, this is a good example of the practical reasons for a variance outweighing what is in the City code. He shared his support for this request. Motion by Shafto, Seconded by Schue, to adopt Resolution No. R061-25, approving a variance for the property located at 13797 Jay Street NW. Motion carried unanimously. D. CONSIDER A SKETCH PLAN FOR A MASTER PLANNED DEVELOPMENT, USING A PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT (PUD), ON AN 800-ACRE PORTION OF THE RURAL RESERVE, ARTEMIS DEVELOPMENT (APPLICANT) The City Council is requested to review the proposal and comments from the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting and provide feedback to the applicant related to their proposal. Mr. Janish reviewed the Staff report concerning a Planned Unit Development (PUD) on an 800- acre portion of the rural reserve. Councilmember Shafto noted if this project moves forward, it will have a big impact on the City. He shared he watched the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, and a lot of the questions he had about this development were answered during that meeting. He recommended anyone who is interested in more information on this development watch the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. He asked if they have an idea of the timeframe of the AUAR and who is involved in this. Mr. Janish said this would be a nine-to-ten-month process. He explained there are multiple State agencies that would get copies of this, that would be put out for comments. He shared they did an EAW with the Fields at Winslow Cove development, which was a lower-level environmental review. Councilmember Shafto asked where in the process they would determine who would be responsible for the open space and boulevard trees in the development. Mr. Janish said they would have continued conversations with the applicant on this project as they move forward into the AUAR process. Councilmember Shafto asked when the Park and Recreation Commission will have their master park plan complete so they can give the Council a recommendation on what to do with this open space. Director of Public Works/City Engineer Berkowitz said they need to provide the applicant direction on whether the project will be moving forward before they can get into the master park planning to determine what improvements would be needed in this area. Councilmember Shafto shared he has more questions about this development, but he expects them to be answered through the AUAR process. Councilmember Godfrey asked who will complete the AUAR. Mr. Janish explained the Council Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes – June 17, 2025 Page 6 will decide who conducts the AUAR. He said the intention would be that they bring in a consultant that the applicant would pay for. Councilmember Godfrey asked who the Environmental Quality Board (EQB) is. Mr. Janish said this is a State agency that focuses on the environmental components of these projects. Councilmember Godfrey asked who determines the mitigation measures that are required by the AUAR. Mr. Janish said this would be determined by the EQB. Councilmember Godfrey asked if the trails and parks in this development were to be public spaces, what this would do for the liability for the City. City Administrator Cotton said they can look into this and get an answer from the City Attorney or the League of Minnesota Cities. Councilmember Godfrey thanked the applicants for their response to the input received by the Planning and Zoning Commission and other comments made by residents. Todd Stutz, Artemis Development, came forward and shared they have been hard at work on this project behind the scenes for some time. He said they have received a lot of positive feedback from residents at the neighborhood open house and the Park and Recreation Commission meeting. He added they also presented their plan to the Planning and Zoning Commission, where they received a lot of feedback that they will be looking into using to improve their plan. He shared they will be meeting with the neighbors on the northern and southern boundaries of this lot. He stated they have a consultant that they will be recommending for the AUAR. He explained an opportunity like this does not come around often in a metropolitan city, and this is a great opportunity to do something really special. He said the development of this neighborhood would start in the south and move north. He noted they do not anticipate even starting the grading work for this project until 2027. Jake Walsh, Artemis Development, added there will be several consultants involved in the AUAR. He shared they have already begun wetland studies and rare plant studies on the site. Councilmember Shafto shared there was good feedback given at the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. He noted parks will be an important part of this development, and he would have a preference that most of the parks in the development be public parks. He said he would like to get the residents’ feedback and input on what they would like to see in these parks. He added he likes the idea of still having open space with natural plantings in the development to keep the character and wildlife that many residents enjoy. Councilmember Godfrey shared Connexus Energy feels that it would be necessary to have a substation on this site. She asked if power lines to residents would be underground.. Mr. Berkowitz shared they require power lines in residential areas to be underground. Councilmember Godfrey asked if underground power lines would be doable given the amount of peat in the area. Mr. Stutz shared these power lines would be above the peat areas. Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes – June 17, 2025 Page 7 Councilmember Engelhardt thanked the developers and Staff for bringing this to the Council and residents for input. He said this involvement will help make this development successful and what the City wants. Councilmember Schue agreed with Councilmember Engelhardt. He shared he has taken the opportunity to visit another of the developer's developments in Lakeville. He said he likes the cooperative nature of the developer and appreciates the response to concerns from residents. Councilmember Shafto noted these big developments can be difficult as they pose such a change to the community. He explained this project would increase density, which would decrease the tax burden on the City. He said they have been working with the Met Council to meet their density requirements, but it has been difficult. He noted if this development does move forward, he would not want it to be any denser than what is currently being proposed. He stated if they moved forward with a less dense development in this area, then they would not be increasing the tax base in a way that would be beneficial to the whole City, and the properties in the development would not have high enough taxes to cover the increased infrastructure. He said they have to balance what residents love about Andover with the financial realities of the City. He noted he feels good about partnering with Artemis Development on this project. He added they still have a very long road ahead of them with this project, and he hopes that the residents continue to stay involved and give the City their feedback. Mayor Barthel said they will need two good exits and entrances into this development. He asked the developer to work with the Fire Chief on the width of the roads to make sure it is sufficient. He thanked the developer for being cooperative and open to suggestions thus far in the process. He shared with residents that the final development will not be the same as what was proposed this evening, as they will be making a lot of changes as this project moves along. He asked everyone to keep an open mind as this project moves through development. He explained the Met Council dictates the sewer systems, and they need to abide by the rules to hook up to the sewer system. He shared they met with their local representative this morning. He added they have approved developments in the past that were less dense than they should have been, which has made meeting the density requirement more difficult. 3. STAFF ITEMS A. ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT City Staff updated the Council on the administration and city department activities, legislative updates, updates on development/CIP projects, and meeting reminders/community events. (Public Works/Engineering Department Report) Mr. Berkowitz reviewed the Public Works and Engineering Department report. He shared they have been receiving a lot of calls with concerns about potholes, and they are working on patching these. He noted there is a form on the website to report problems, such as potholes. He said the Pine Hills North shelter building is nearing completion and will be available for rental soon. He shared the roundabout projects on Nightingale Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes – June 17, 2025 Page 8 Street and Veterans Memorial Boulevard, and Nightingale Street and Crosstown Boulevard began th on June 9. He added the roundabout design for Bluebird Street and Crosstown Boulevard will start in the next few weeks, and he hopes to hold an informational meeting in the fall. He stated their staff is very busy with this year’s road projects. He noted there will be a pre-construction meeting for Fields at Winslow Cove Fourth Addition tomorrow. He added they will be doing a mill and overlay to the Sunshine Park parking lot, and they will also be replacing the basketball court at this park. He shared staff has also been working on the Capital Improvement Plan, which they will be discussing with the Council shortly. He shared the Andover Family Fun Fest will be thth July 11 and 12, and Public Works Staff has begun to prepare the site for this event. He noted there will be no parade this year due to the construction of the roundabout. Councilmember Shafto asked when Starbucks at Clocktower Commons is expected to open. Ms. Cotton said they have not been given an official opening date, but she thinks it will be before school starts back up. Councilmember Engelhardt shared he had residents asking him why Andover does not have a Central Park. MAYOR/COUNCIL INPUT Mayor Barthel shared condolences for the Hortman family after the tragedy that took place this weekend. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Schue, Seconded by Engelhardt, to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Ava Major, Recording Secretary REGULAR ANDOVER CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES – JUNE 17, 2025 TABLE OF CONTENTS PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ..................................................................................................1 RESIDENT FORUM ..............................................................................................................1 AGENDA APPROVAL ..........................................................................................................2 APPROVAL OF MINUTES ...................................................................................................2 1. CONSENT ITEMS ..........................................................................................................2 A. Approve Payment of Claims ........................................................................................2 B. Approve Plans & Specs/Order Ad for Bids/25-30, Removal & Replacement of Bituminous Basketball Court at Sunshine Park & 25-27, Sunshine Park South Parking Lot Mill & Overlay (R060-25) .........................................................................................2 C. Approve Refuse/Recycle Hauler Licenses ....................................................................3 D. Receive May 2025 General Fund Progress Report .......................................................3 E. Receive May 2025 City Investment Report .....................................................................3 2. DISCUSSION ITEMS .....................................................................................................3 A. ANOKA COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE MONTHLY REPORT ...................................3 B. ANDOVER FIRE DEPARTMENT MONTHLY REPORT .............................................3 C. CONSIDER VARIANCE REQUEST FRONT YARD SETBACK - 13797 JAY STREET NW, RANDALL & SHERYL HUBIN (APPLICANT) (R061-25)...................................4 D. CONSIDER A SKETCH PLAN FOR A MASTER PLANNED DEVELOPMENT, USING A PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT (PUD), ON AN 800-ACRE PORTION OF THE RURAL RESERVE, ARTEMIS DEVELOPMENT (APPLICANT) ..................5 3. STAFF ITEMS ................................................................................................................7 A. ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT .....................................................................................7 MAYOR/COUNCIL INPUT ...................................................................................................8 ADJOURNMENT ...................................................................................................................8