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Home My WebLink About2b - MinutesHastings Planning Commission May 22, 2023 - Regular Meeting Agenda Hastings City Hall - Council Chambers 7:00 p.m. The Planning Commission of the City of Hastings, Minnesota met in a regular meeting on Monday, May 22, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. in the Hastings City Council Chambers. 1. Call Meeting to Order • Due to lack of quorum, regular meeting could not be called to order. Four out of seven commissioners are required for quorum. A workshop was conducted to further the discussion on the ordinance amendment in lieu of voting. Planning Commissioners Present: Messina, LeBrun, and Teiken Planning Commissioners Absent: Halberg, McGrath & Peters Staff Present: Community Development Director, John Hinzman Parks & Recreation Director, Chris Jenkins 2. Approval of Minutes – May 9, 2023 Regular Meeting No action taken. PUBLIC HEARINGS 3. Ordinance Amendment – Amend City Code Chapter 154 – Park Dedication Fees Director Hinzman provided an overview of the request to amend City Code Chapter 154 which would establish requirements for the subdivision ordinance relating to the collection of fees for parks. . Director Jenkins shared that park dedication requirements have not been updated for approximately 20 years and Hastings holds about 700 acres of parkland. Director Jenkins indicated that the City uses land dedication or cash in lieu for this process of acquiring and managing parklands. Jenkins further stated the proposal of park dedication needs are connected to Hastings specific data, whereas Hastings has a higher percentage of parks than other nearby cities. Park dedication funds can only be used for the acquisition, planning, development or redevelopment of parkland. There is a dedicated fund for these. Formula is Hastings specific. Hired appraisal company, residential developmental land. Chair Messina opened the public hearing at: 7:10 PM Chair Messina closed the public hearing at: 7:10 PM with no one providing comment and invited Commissioners to ask questions or offer comments. Commissioner Teiken asked if 100 acres of land were to be bought or developed, how would this process work? Director Jenkins responded that there is 0.0314 acres of parkland per person in Hastings. There is also an average of 2.74 people per household in Hastings. The fair market value of the land is multiplied out by number of dwelling units. Review would be conducted every three years at a minimum to be able to adjust for population changes and land prices, whereas developments or land owners can hire a private appraisal if they disagree with the fair market value provided by the city. Director Jenkins shared that this is transparent and based in data. Chair Messina stated that this proposal quantifies the calculation versus just an arbitrary number under the current ordinance. Commissioner LeBrun stated that this would give Hastings more flexibility for future changes in leadership, market, needs and wants changes and Jenkins agrees. Commissioner LeBrun asks about the process of staff review with this and if it would be brought back to Planning Commission/Council to assess impact and potential changes on a scheduled three-year plan. Director Jenkins stated that this would be the plan, but if there are drastic changes or concerns, there would be an internal review and could be brought to the Commission earlier that the three-year reassessment timeframe. Chair Messina stated that this makes sense and that future developers would know what is expected of them relating to parkland requirements of their land because the numbers are clearer due to the formula presented. Commissioner LeBrun stated that higher density gives us the lever to pull by taking actions to make improvements nearby in the community plan, rather than falling behind. Commissioner Teiken stated that he would vote in favor of this proposal tonight if quorum was met, and wanted to pass that on to the Council. Commissioner LeBrun and Chair Messina agreed and seconded that point. Director Hinzman shares that next steps for this, which include bringing these comments and support for this amendment by all commissioners present at this meeting to Council on June 5th, with a second reading on June 24th. No voting on this matter occurred due to lack of quorum. Chair Messina proceeded to present other actions. OTHER ACTIONS 4. Community Development Annual Report – Presented by Community Development Director: John Hinzman 2022 was a busy year with lots of construction and plans passed by the Council that are now projects in the ground. 176 new building permits, 41 million in new evaluations, which is an increase. Substantial increase in industrial permits sand evaluation. There are expansive plans for construction of new apartments and senior living facilities. Lake Isabel Flats near the UBC lumberyard, whereas HEDRA bought and held the land to develop significant amounts of residential units downtown. In addition, the Confluence is expected to open in the next couple of months so downtown will begin to look different with more activities from these developments. Single family home development—Heritage Ridge 4th Edition--near General Sieben Drive and Fallbrook Drive has acquired permits for nearly half of the 116 lots and 30-40 houses occupied. Site plans for KFC, Kentucky Fried Chicken, were approved last year and has been picked up by the developer. Start date is up to developer. Additional site plan approval of occupational, speech and physical therapy--Therapy OPS, which is underway near Pleasant and Westview Drives. An Interim Use Permit was approved to begin construction on a United Heroes League hockey rink and parking off of Ravenna Trail. Increases in single family, multifamily and manufactured homes in the last 15 years. Commercial/industrial remodels and new permits maintained similar rates from 2021, with 4 new permits and 69 remodel permits issued. Hastings is at the highest rate of new housing permits within the last 15 years, with apartments of 10+ units increasing with the demand.135 single family units are available to be built on, townhome development is very slow. The HEDRA Façade Improvement Grant Program assisted in replacing and improving facades in the downtown and historic areas. Revolving Loan Fund issued $70,000 for Spiral Foods and two new commercial spaces available for lease. The Confluence is set to open this year, but no finalized date yet.12 Hastings businesses received entrepreneur assistance by way of $160,000 in gap funding. 316 and Michael annexation approved for about 450 units, with completion in 2024 at the earliest. Other endeavors for future residential development and land acquisition are in the planning stages. MNDOT and Hastings’s Vermillion Street Plan. HEDRA has purchased properties on the west side of 61 near City Hall with plans to redevelop into mixed use spaces with residential spaces on upper levels. Director Hinzman concluded his presentation and opened the floor to questions regarding the report. Chair Messina remarked about page 10 and how the commission does not review building permits, but the data is eye opening about reinvestments Hastings residents are making in their homes and properties, reflecting on that people are reinvesting in their homes and staying in Hastings. Chair Messina asked about page 12 and current efforts of informal conversations regarding land development and approval. Director Hinzman responds by sharing that initial approvals of land development for residential use such as Glendale Heights have been approved. But, another step of approvals are necessary prior to any further construction. Commissioners are impressed with the report and have no further questions. 5. Other Business Hinzman provided a summary of future meetings. Regina assisted living and Dakota County Law Enforcement are future plans to review. City Council rescheduled meeting from June 19 to June 24, due to the Juneteenth holiday so no Planning Commission will be held that night. July 10 will be the next meeting after June 12 6. Adjourn Commissioner Chair Messina motioned to adjourn the workshop at 7:30 PM. No quorum, but all are in consensus that the meeting can adjourn. Next Meeting – June 12, 2023 Respectively submitted: Madelyn Swanson Community Development Intern