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From YouTube: June 11, 2015 Zoning & Planning
Description
Minneapolis Zoning & Planning Committee Meeting
A
Good
morning,
I'll
call
to
order
the
regular
meeting
of
the
zoning
and
planning
committee
today
is
June,
eleventh
2015
I'm,
Lisa,
bender
I
chair
the
committee,
and
we
have
quorum
of
committee
members,
including
council,
member
Reich,
Goodman
and
Johnson
council
president
and
council
member
Warsaw
me
are
not
currently
here
we
have
five
items
on
today's
agenda
item
number
one
is
approving
an
application
submitted
by
tannic
architecture,
design
to
vacate
part
of
an
alley
at
420,
east
hennepin
avenue.
Item
number
two
is
north
side
station
historic,
landmark
designation.
This
is
a
at
2418
washington
avenue.
A
I
will
move
items
two
through
five
on
our
consent
agenda
and
then
we're
going
to
have
some
discussions.
While
pull
item
number
one
for
discussion,
any
discussion
on
items
two
through
five,
seeing
none
all
those
in
favor,
please
say:
aye
aye
any
opposed
and
those
carry
so
for
item
number.
One
I
think
we'll
start
with
presentation
from
staff.
B
Chair
vendor
and
fifty
members
for
the
project
at
420
east
hennepin,
there
were
two
applications
required
for
the
overall
project,
that
being
a
site
plan
review
and
the
alley
vacation
that
counts.
Member
of
endor
mentioned
the
cyclan
review
was
approved
at
the
april
27th
meeting
and
the
the
planning
commission
also
recommend
approval
of
the
alley
vacation
details.
B
The
alley
vacation
has
existed
this
way
since
at
least
1912,
when
looking
at
sanborn
maps,
the
right
way
exists
on
paper
only
and
does
not
function
as
a
public
alley
and
Public
Works
and
CPD
did
not
see
this
as
part
of
a
public
transportation
corridor
or
needing
seeing
that
it
had
a
public
purpose
in
and
of
itself
so
see.
Pet
did,
recommend
approval
of
the
alley
vacation
and
the
Planning
Commission,
as
I
mentioned,
did
support
that
recommendation.
B
With
the
building
being
eight
feet
from
fifth
street
and
then
being
at
the
property
lines
along
central
in
Hennepin
Avenue,
that
was
encouraged
by
staff
and
their
parking
at
the
back
of
the
site,
and
it
is
a
one-story
brick.
Building
that
would
have
three
tenants
mentioned
in
the
staff
report.
See
pet
did
encouraged
them
to
go
higher
were
an
activity
center,
but
this
was
this
was
the
applicants
proposal
and
it
didn't
they.
They
decided
to
go
this
route
instead
of
having
a
building
that
was
greater
than
one
story
a
night.
B
E
D
B
I'd
for
and
I'll
I'll
turn
over
to
holla
here
in
a
minute,
but
I'm
definitely
having
a
building
that
activates
the
street
corners.
It's
pedestrian
had
improves
the
pedestrian
realm
and
improves
pedestrian
experience
by
having
entrances
storefronts
on
each
elevation
and
in
terms
of
just
enhancing
the
activity
center
that
we're
in.
So
that's
that's
what
I
would
say
in
terms
of
in
terms
of,
as
are
more
specifics,
that
I
could
try
to
answer
or
turn.
B
B
Would
that
was
something
that
we
did
encourage
and
we
do
not.
We
do
not
have
a
minimum
floor
area
ratio
where
we
could
have
had
seen
them
meeting
a
variance
for
having
a
minimum
floor
area.
They
they
proposed
this
there
without
having
a
minimum
Florio
issue
in
place.
We
do
not
see
a
way
to
not
support
the
project
when
meeting
all
other
requirements.
E
C
Thanks
I
can
tell,
as
if
add
on
to
what
Aaron
was
saying
about
the
sort
of
the
planning
guidance
for
this
area
and
sort
of
the
context
where
we're
talking
about
then
nicollet
island
east
bank
plan,
which
this
body
approved
a
few
months
ago,
is
one
of
I'd
say
one
of
the
most
ambitious
plans
we
have
in
terms
of
density
and
growth
in
activity
centres
in
the
city.
There
was
a
lot
of
discussion
in
the
plan
actually
of
saying.
C
Is
there
ways
to
establish
minimum
densities
and
to
look
at
zoning
tools
to
sort
of
push
the
envelope
at
present?
Those
things,
of
course,
aren't
in
place.
We
don't
have
things
that
compel
people
to
build
a
bigger
scale.
We
just
it's
just
strongly
encouraged
in
these
areas
and
certainly
guided
by
policy
to
be
done.
So
in
fact,
the
one
thing
they're
going
to
they
have
already
in
progress.
The
neighborhood
is
sort
of
starting
to
initiate
a
rezoning
study
to
get
it
at
least
to
see
this
area
at
least
ac3
a
not
particularly
this
parcel.
C
But
this
area,
including
this
parcel
that
being
the
highest
density
category
that's
available
right
now.
I
think
that
there
would
certainly
be
room
for
to
discuss
others
in
the
future.
Those
are
so
that's
a
context
for,
instead
of
the
land
use
in
the
density
for
this
area,
there
also
are
some
public
realm
aspects
which
are
on
in
play.
I
think
it's
as
Aaron
said,
there's
no
specific
plan
that
says
the
the
right
of
way
to
be
vacated.
C
This
specific
thing
is
for
specific
use,
but
there's
a
lot
of
plans
and
strategies
for
this
general
area
which
may
or
may
not
need
additional
public
right-of-way
small
area
plan
calls
us
out
as
a
place
for
a
pocket
park
or
some
green
space.
As
in
one
who
knows
this
intersection,
it's
a
lot
of
pavement
right
now,
it's
not
particularly
pedestrian
friendly.
They
were.
They
encourage
the
city
to
work
with
private
property
owners
and
with
others
just
to
improve
the
pick
up
of
this
area.
C
The
intersection
cells
been
identified
as
a
pedestrian
challenge
by
our
public
works
folks,
not
officially
as
a
project
but
saying
flagging
as
a
place
that
needs
to
be
addressed
through
further
upgrades.
It
is
currently
unlist
in
the
next
couple
years
to
be
upgraded
for
signals
at
very
least,
to
improve
this
signalization
and
the
flow
this
intersection.
There
could
be
more
ambitious.
There
isn't
budget
right
now
for
something
more
ambitious,
but
there
certainly
grounds
to
explore
more
options
for
this
area.
C
Of
course,
this
is
long.
The
streetcar
corridor
for
the
nicollet
central
that
is,
of
course,
in
very
preliminary
planning
stages,
not
funded,
but
this
does
would
pass
right
path
by
this
and,
in
other
thing,
that's
under
study
right
now
and
finally,
it
sort
of
a
nut
category
of
things
that
are
ongoing.
C
The
there's
going
to
be
a
traffic
study,
the
by
Public,
Works
and
again
I
can't
speak
the
leadership
there
there
it's
their
study
but
they're,
looking
at
both
hennepin
and
first
along
this
corridor,
pedestrian
improvements,
the
lane
configuration
and
other
things
and
again
none
of
those
specifically
at
this
point
call
out
this
location,
but
they
do
say
we
need
to
look
at
this
area
in
more
depth.
We
need
some
better
solutions
to
make
this
intersection
function
better,
actually,
frankly,
for
all
modes,
pedestrians
of
focus,
but
also
for
traffic
as
well.
C
C
F
You,
madam
chair
and
I
guess
this
is
more
just
some
information
for
the
developers
landowners
later
day,
a
meeting
to
get
an
analysis
back
on
land
value,
tax
districts.
I
know
that's
something
that
was
presented
before
ways
and
means,
and
is
something
that
the
number
of
council
members
are
interested
in,
and
it
really
looks
to
maximize
the
use
of
an
area
based
off
of
density
and
that
sort
of
thing,
so
I
think
that
it's
important
for
the
owners
who
know
they're
potentially,
would
be
some
tax
implications
if
something
like
that
was
in
tremendous
area.
G
You,
madam
chair,
and
I
actually
have
a
question
as
well
for
for
mr.
Neilson
and
I,
see
you
have
something
to
say
as
well,
so
you
can
sort
of
chime
in
so
my
understanding
of
the
standard
that
we
are
looking
at,
determining
whether
to
grant
and
or
deny
an
ally
vacation
is
public
interest,
and
you
know
public
interest
is
not
necessarily
synonymous
with
with
with
public
use.
G
H
It
notes
that
the
city
engineer
will
report
on
the
changes
that
would
result
from
the
proposed
vacation
and
that
the
Ricci
peds
report,
or
the
planning
commission's
report
would
also
investigate
the
access
by
adjacent
and
abutting
property
owners
to
the
to
the
right
of
way.
The
legal
standard,
though,
has
been
drawn
out
by
the
courts
and
councilmember
fries
correct
it's
whether
the
vacation
is
in
the
public
interest
and
just
through
through
some
of
the
subsequent
cases.
H
Public
use
isn't
always
synonymous
with
public
interest,
although
it's
a
big
factor
in
weighing
whether
the
city
has
an
interest
of
public
interest
in
retaining
right
away
or
relinquishing
it
right
away.
I
also
just
wanted
to
correct
that
a
lot
of
the
testimony
that
we
heard
about
the
development
is
not
relevant
to
this
decision.
The
only
application
that
was
required
was
a
site
plan.
It
was
approved,
it
was
not
appealed.
H
That's
a
final
decision
and
so
I
would
urge
the
committee
to
focus
on
the
right
of
way
the
public
interest
in
the
right
of
way
or
the
lack
of
interest
thereof
or
again,
noting
that
it's
a
dead-end
paper
alley
that
hasn't
functioned
as
an
ally
and
focus
on
that
rather
than
the
development,
because
that
that
ship
has
sailed,
it
was
not
a
field
and
there
were
no
variances.
No
conditional
use
permits
no
alternative
compliance
in
the
site
plan,
either
I.
G
In
talking
about
the
overarching
public
interest,
I
may
also
have
a
few
questions
for
Hilah
as
well.
The
CPD,
as
well
as
Public
Works,
has
undergone
this
massive
study
of
the
entire
city
and
intersections
that
are
in
serious
need
of
improvements
in
change
and
out
of
the
thousands
and
thousands
and
thousands
of
intersections
in
the
entire
city.
There
were
only
seven
identified
as
needing
as
having
a
high
need
for
change,
and
one
of
them
was
intersection
of
Central
hennepin
and
fifth
Street.
G
This
is
the
confluence
of
at
least
three,
and
then,
if
you
go
down
another
like
half
of
a
block
like
six
different
roads,
it's
one
of
the
most
confusing
places
in
the
entire
city.
We
have,
in
conjunction
with
Public
Works
and
Stephen
C
pet,
looked
at
several
alternatives
as
to
how
to
improve
that
intersection
for
the
public
realm.
G
One
of
the
thoughts
has
been
to
close
that
intersection
for
fifth
Street,
including
a
pocket
park,
for
instance
in
the
middle
and
there's
like
an
island
in
the
center
there's
been
talk
about
creating
some
sort
of
green
ring
where
the
pedestrian
framework
would
be
dramatically
improved,
and
you
know
my
thought
is
at
this
point
on
it.
You
know
I'm
not
sure
down
the
road.
G
How
will
feel,
but
if
at
this
point
when
you
have
all
of
these
different
plans
that
are
moving
forward
and
you
have
an
intersection
that
is
in
the
highest
need
in
the
entire
city
of
change
and
improvement,
and
as
well
as
this
parse
that
literally
sits
right
on
the
corner
in
the
center
of
it
all
I
just
think
it's
premature
and
I
think
it
is
in
the
is
in
the
public
interest
to
to
die.
At
this
point.
I
A
C
A
Closure
of
fifth
street
because
it
seems
to
be
significantly
offset
from
the
intersection.
So
if
one
were
to
put,
I
totally
agree
that
this
is
a
very
challenging
intersection
with
a
lot
of
safety
concerns
and
really
needs
some
significant
investment
in
traffic
engineering,
which
I
strongly
support.
But
if
I
mean,
if
you
were
to
close
down,
for
example,
this,
what
used
to
be
sort
of
a
triangular
portion
here,
this
little
I'm.
Looking
at
the
sort
of
the
page
20
of
the
original
staff
report,
which
has
the
parcel
map
with
the
area
shaded.
A
C
Am
NOT
an
engineer
and
I
will
not
attempt
to
be
one.
This
is
this
piece
of
at
this
point
we
do
not
have,
as
I
said,
there's
no
specific
plan.
It
says
we
need
this
piece
for
the
right
of
way
for
these
improvements.
That
said,
it's
very
close
by
and
I
know
when
we
do
talk
about
le
vacations
and
or
right
away
vacations
in
general,
they're
sort
of
the
thought
is:
is
there
any
potential
public
interest?
C
D
C
Sort
of
follow
up
on
customer
of
x
come
into
the
study.
That's
the
hennepin
first
day.
That's
underway
will
talk
about
one
way
versus
to
waive
this
area,
which
of
course,
could
change
the
traffic
pattern
and
may
explore
and
again
it's
early
the
scope
for
some
of
the
pedestrian
improvements
for
this
intersection
as
well.
So.
G
You,
madam
chair
I,
don't
know
if
it
if
it
specifically
impacts
the
closure
of
that
road.
What
it
does
impact
is
the
pedestrian
framework
in
the
area
and
we've
when
you
look
down
town.
What
we're
working
on
right
now
is
a
series
of
parklets
pocket
parks
and
even
inclusion
of
public
realm
aspects
in
alleys
themselves,
and
the
thought
by
the
neighborhood
was
that
this
could
be
another
potential
outlet
for
some
seating
for
some
benches
and
in
terms
of
the
public
interest,
which
is
the
analysis
that
we
are
undergoing
right
now.
A
Okay,
is
there
any
further
discussion
on
the
motion
to
deny
this
allegation?
I
have
a
comment:
I
mean
I'm
sympathetic
to
this
I
I
struggle,
I,
don't
think
I
am
able
to
support
the
motion.
I
have
a
pardon
me.
We
didn't
notice
this
as
a
public
hearing,
so
I
can
defer
to
the
clerk
and
the
city
attorney.
But
typically
we
don't
allow
any
comment
when
we
haven't
noticed
something
as
a
public
hearing.
A
H
J
Hopefully
it
will
be
helpful
good
morning.
My
name
is
john
wheeler
on
behalf
of
java
properties,
the
applicant
some
of
this
conversation-
probably
a
majority
of
it,
has
gone
towards
the
planning
of
the
structure.
The
consent
agenda
was
for
vacating
an
alley.
I
have
a
hundred-foot
tape
measure
here.
The
length
of
this
alley
is
less
than
half
of
this
distance.
In
this
tape
measure
it's
19
feet
wide
at
its
widest.
It's
not
been
maintained
by
the
city
or
the
county
or
any
staff
members.
J
Nobody
swept
it
from
the
city
of
the
county
or
we
shovel
the
sidewalk.
None
would
scrape
gum
off
the
pavement.
It's
been
there
since
nineteen,
oh
five,
it's
not
been
used.
You
can't
even
find
it
if
your
walk
by
their
pedestrian
traffic
won't
be
affected.
It's
going
to
go
around.
The
part
is
where
the
trip
pedestrians
would
go.
J
J
Said
has
been
using
it,
maintaining
it,
it's
not
striped.
There
should
be
no
reason
to
delay
vacating
this
alley
portion
as
I
said
it's
just
a
small
cut
out.
It
was
on
the
other
map,
but
you
saw
it
I,
don't
see
that
it
would
be
the
right
thing
to
do
to
have
this
vacated
consented
and
approved.
Finally,
thank
you
are.
A
There
any
questions
for
the
applicant
from
committee
members,
no
okay,
thank
you
yeah,
so
I
I
was,
as
I
was
saying.
I
was
I'm
very
sympathetic
to
this.
I
have,
unfortunately
a
number
of
long
story,
buildings
that
have
either
been
recently
built
or
proposed.
In
my
ward.
We
don't
have
the
land
use,
controls
to
deny
that,
and
that's
not
the
question
in
front
of
us,
as
mr.
Nielsen
pointed
out,
I'm
struggling
myself
to
understand
the
relevance
of
the
alley
vacation
to
the
vision
which
I
support.