City Council Minutes 01-18-1996 SpecialMINUTES
SPECIAL JOINT MEETING
MONTICELLO CITY COUNCIL AND
MONTICELLO PLANNING COMMISSION
January 18, 1996 - 5 p.m.
Council Members Present: Brad Fyle, Shirley Anderson, Clint Herbst, Brian
Stumpf, Tom Perrault
Planning Commission
Members Present: Dick Frie, Richard Carlson, Dick Martie, Rod Dragsten,
Jon Bogart
A special joint meeting of the Monticello City Council and Planning Commission
was held for the purpose of reviewing the draft of the comprehensive plan.
Steve Grittman of Northwest Associated Consultants explained that the draft
comprehensive plan consisted of four sections, including 1) tactics, which
summarized meetings held with community officials, business owners, home
owners, city commission members, and city staff; 2) inventory, which summarized
the condition of the city at the present time; 3) goals and policies, which uses tactics
discussions and neighborhood meeting information to formulate what approach the
city wants to take from a planning prospective; and 4) development framework,
which relays the planning ideas relative to the goals and policies. Grittman noted
that the city was then divided into four general areas, with the plan showing a
more detailed conceptual plan for each area.
Grittman focused the discussion on the northeast area of the city between the
freeway and the river and east of Highway 25. He noted that an issue discussed at
the neighborhood meetings was the amount of traffic on Broadway traveling east,
and three options were developed by the planner to address the issue.
Option A would permit the current land use pattern to remain and would relocate
through -traffic from Broadway to a higher density area such as 7th Street, which
may prompt the truck traffic to stay on the freeway until the Highway 25
interchange rather than using 7th Street or residential streets through town. This
could solve the truck traffic problem in the single family area of Broadway, which
could then be maintained as a local boulevard with a median and trees presenting a
grand entry for local traffic to the downtown area. It was also noted, however, that
a large portion of 7th Street would need to be constructed through an undeveloped
area to the east in order to accomplish these objectives. In addition, the County has
right-of-way authority over Broadway, and the City would need to meet with
County officials to determine the feasibility of this option.
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Option B would alter the land use pattern on Broadway by permitting the existing
homes to be remodeled for apartment units. This option would not require
relocation of a roadway and would continue Broadway's role as a major collector
transportation route; however, Grittman noted that when single family homes are
allowed to increase in density, deterioration of the area sometimes continues.
Option C would allow conversion of the area from residential to commercial use
with traffic remaining on Broadway. It was noted that the traffic volume is
adequate to support commercial use; however, Grittman noted that there was
concern regarding the lot depths, and it was likely that the commercial users in the
converted area would not be new but would come from somewhere in the current
commercial market.
The group discussed option A and whether adding stop signs or "no truck through -
traffic" signs on Broadway would be a less costly and more effective way to
discourage trucks from traveling that route. It was noted by the planner and staff'
that Broadway is a county road, and the City does not have the authority to
regulate the placement of stop signs. It was also noted by staff that the County
plans to expand Broadway to four lanes from the high school to the lights at County
Road 118/East County Road 39 within the next couple of years, which would likely
increase the amount of truck traffic; therefore, if the City favors rerouting traffic, it
should be discussed with the County prior to their investment in Broadway
improvements. Concerns were also raised regarding the current amount of traffic
at the Highway 25 interchange and the amount it would increase if option A was
implemented.
Planning Commission member Jon Bogart stated that the group should concentrate
on traffic patterns in relation to encouraging the downtown to develop into
something that will thrive. It was his view that traditional downtown retailing is
no longer viable and that the City should encourage development using the river as
an asset. Option A could accomplish that by lowering the amount of traffic on
Broadway and making it a safer area for use by pedestrians.
Planning Commission Chair Dick Frie noted that a large amount of the Broadway
traffic comes from commuters and vacationers using the route as a short-cut to the
detriment of the city. A plan should be developed to encourage this traffic to use
Highway 25 as access to the freeway.
Consulting Engineer Bret Weiss noted that the Minnesota Department of
Transportation also has some control over the use of Broadway, as they provide
funding to the County. He noted that it has been suggested in the past that the
signal lights on Highway 25 be re -timed so that traffic doesn't have to stop at each
light, which would make Highway 25 a more positive roadway for truck travel.
Also, improvements to the Chelsea Road/Highway 25 intersection in conjunction
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with the re -timing of signal lights could greatly impact the current congestion on
Highway 25. In addition, Weiss noted that an interchange at County Road 118 has
been discussed, and if 7th Street was extended to the area of this interchange, it
would likely deter much of the traffic from traveling on Broadway.
Planner Steve Grittman noted that once the City establishes goals for the
Broadway and downtown areas, then the City can meet with County officials to
determine if and how those goals can be accomplished.
It was the consensus of the group that the long-term conceptual goal for Broadway
would be to maintain it as residential and to reduce the amount of heavy vehicle
traffic. Grittman noted that the final comprehensive plan could state the long-term
conceptual goal and the mention of options to accomplish the goal rather than
declaring a specific plan at this time. Assistant Administrator O'Neill noted that
City staff will be meeting with County officials on January 23, and staff' could
inform them that the through-traffic/truck traffic is an issue that the City would
like to work with the County to resolve.
The group also discussed how to control the residential growth in the community.
Planner Steve Grittman noted that the City could use the zoning ordinance to
identify a single family zone with a larger minimum lot size and limit the amount of
traditional single family lot size areas, which would still allow for a complete range
of housing to occur. It was noted by staff that creating PUD zoning areas would
allow some negotiation with developers, which could help increase the step-up
housing market. Consulting Engineer Weiss also noted that the City could raise
fees, which may slow some of the growth. If development continued with the higher
fees, the additional funds raised would help to maintain the community. He also
noted that the City could allow smaller lots but in exchange require amenities such
as additional park land, etc. The comprehensive plan could also state a specific
amount of units per acre in PUD areas to allow the developer some flexibility in
development.
Planner Steve Grittman stated that he will revise the comprehensive plan
document accordingly and distribute copies for review.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
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Karen Doty
Office Manager
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