[0:05] HELLO BLOOMINGTON. I’M MAYOR TIM BUSSE AND THIS IS

THE COUNCIL MINUTE FOR THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 29.

[0:11] AT OUR MEETING ON MONDAY, THE CITY COUNCIL ENACTED

A MORATORIUM AND BEGAN A STUDY OF AIRPORT PARKING

[0:17] FACILITIES IN THE CITY OF BLOOMINGTON. THE

MORATORIUM WENT INTO EFFECT MONDAY NIGHT AND

[0:22] WILL BE IN PLACE FOR NO LONGER THAN A YEAR OR

UNTIL THE STUDY IS COMPLETE AND ANY PROPOSED

[0:27] CODE AMENDMENTS ARE ADOPTED.

SOME QUICK BACKGROUND:

[0:31] RIGHT NOW THERE ARE TWO OFF-SITE AIRPORT

PARKING FACILITIES IN BLOOMINGTON;

[0:35] THE PARK AND FLY AND PARK AND GO FACILITIES

IN THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE SOUTH LOOP.

[0:40] THERE IS ALSO ONE HOTEL THAT LEGALLY OFFERS

AIRPORT PARKING TO PEOPLE WHO STAY THERE,

[0:45] AND THE CITY HAS RECEIVED MULTIPLE INQUIRIES FROM

OTHER GROUPS TO ALLOW AIRPORT PARKING IN THEIR

[0:50] FACILITIES. AND IT’S NO SECRET THAT MANY HOTELS

ACROSS THE CITY ALLOW AIRPORT PARKING FOR HOTEL

[0:57] PATRONS WITHOUT THE REQUIRED APPROVALS.

WE ALSO KNOW THAT STAFF IN SEVERAL CITY

[1:02] DEPARTMENTS ARE CURRENTLY SPENDING A LOT OF TIME

WORKING INDIVIDUALLY WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF THOSE

[1:07] EXISTING AND POTENTIAL AIRPORT PARKING FACILITIES.

AND, CITY STAFF ARE ALSO WORKING ON THE UPDATE OF

[1:14] THE SOUTH LOOP DISTRICT PLAN, WHICH IS OF COURSE

THE AREA IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO THE AIRPORT.

[1:20] WITH ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT BALLS IN

THE AIR, THE COUNCIL AND STAFF AGREED

[1:24] THAT IT MAKES SENSE TO PUT A TEMPORARY PAUSE ON

THINGS, DO A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF THE TOPIC,

[1:30] AND LOOK FOR WAYS TO ADDRESS A VARIETY OF ISSUES

IN A COMPREHENSIVE AND CONSISTENT MANNER. WE ALL

[1:36] AGREED THAT’S A MUCH BETTER APPROACH THAN WORKING

IN A REACTIVE MODE AND MAKING ONE-OFF DECISIONS.

[1:42] THE STUDY WILL INCLUDE OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT

WITH OPERATORS AND LOOK AT ISSUES LIKE WHERE

[1:48] OFF-AIRPORT PARKING IS OCCURRING, WHERE

EXPANSION IS PROPOSED, THE COMPATIBILITY

[1:53] OF THOSE LOCATIONS, AND IF THERE’S A NEED

FOR ADDITIONAL STANDARDS OR DESIGN CRITERIA.

[1:58] SOME SPECIFICS ON THE MORATORIUM, AS I MENTIONED

IT WILL LAST NO LONGER THAN ONE YEAR AND THE

[2:02] COUNCIL HAS THE OPTION OF LIFTING IT EARLIER;

IT PROHIBITS ANY NEW AIRPORT PARKING FACILITIES

[2:08] WHICH MEANS THE CITY WON’T ACCEPT OR ACT ON

ANY APPLICATIONS OR REQUESTS RELATED TO AIRPORT

[2:13] PARKING; AND THE CITY WON’T TAKE ANY ENFORCEMENT

ACTIONS ON EXISTING AIRPORT PARKING FACILITIES.

[2:20] IN SHORT, I THINK THIS IS A SENSIBLE APPROACH.

OPERATORS AND USERS SHOULDN’T SEE ANY MAJOR

[2:25] IMPACTS, AND WHILE THIS CERTAINLY ISN’T

A BURNING ISSUE IN BLOOMINGTON, IT’S ONE

[2:30] THAT NEEDS A BIT OF CLARIFICATION AND STRUCTURE.

THE PAUSE ON ACTIVITY AND A COMPREHENSIVE LOOK

[2:35] AT THE TOPIC WILL GIVE US EXACTLY THAT.

ALSO ON MONDAY, THE COUNCIL APPROVED THE

[2:41] PRELIMINARY AND FINAL DEVELOPMENT

PLANS FOR A PARTIAL REDEVELOPMENT

[2:45] OF THE SOUTHTOWN SHOPPING CENTER SITE.

AS I’M SURE YOU KNOW, THE DEMOLITION OF

[2:49] THE FORMER HERBERGER’S AND TOYS R US BUILDINGS

HAS MADE WAY FOR REDEVELOPMENT OF SOUTHTOWN.

[2:54] BEING LOCATED ON 494 RIGHT AT PENN AVENUE AND

AMERICAN BOULEVARD NOT ONLY MAKES THE SITE A

[3:00] PRIME REDEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY, BUT IT’S ALSO

AN IMPORTANT FRONT DOOR FOR ALL OF BLOOMINGTON.

[3:06] THE DEVELOPMENT PLANS APPROVED ON MONDAY CALL

FOR A TWO-LEVEL, 120,000 SQUARE FOOT DICK’S HOUSE

[3:12] OF SPORT RETAIL BUILDING THAT WOULD BE LOCATED

JUST TO THE EAST OF THE EXISTING KOHL’S STORE,

[3:17] AND A COMPLEMENTARY 18,000 SQUARE FOOT OUTDOOR

ATHLETIC FIELD ON THE NORTH SIDE ALONG 494.

[3:24] A FUTURE DEVELOPMENT PHASE WOULD CONSIST

OF A FOUR-STORY MEDICAL OFFICE BUILDING.

[3:29] THE PLANS ALSO SHOW THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE

PARKING AREAS FOR ROUGHLY THE EASTERN HALF OF

[3:34] THE SITE. RIGHT NOW, OTHER THAN A SMALL PATCH OF

LILAC BUSHES, THERE IS VIRTUALLY NO LANDSCAPING

[3:39] ON THE SITE. THE RECONSTRUCTED PARKING AREA

WOULD BE BROUGHT UP TO CITY CODE STANDARDS

[3:44] WITH LANDSCAPING AND LIGHTING IMPROVEMENTS.

THE CURRENT SITE IS ALSO VERY UNINVITING FOR

[3:49] PEDESTRIANS, SO THE PLAN CALLS FOR SIDEWALK

CONNECTIONS THROUGH THE PARKING LOT, SIDEWALKS

[3:54] TO BE ADDED ALONG KNOX AVENUE NORTH OF AMERICAN

BOULEVARD, AND A CONNECTION TO THE ORANGE LINE BUS

[4:00] RAPID TRANSIT AND PEDESTRIAN TUNNEL UNDER 494.

IF YOU WATCHED MONDAY NIGHT, YOU SAW THAT THE

[4:06] COUNCIL HAD A COUPLE OF LENGTHY DISCUSSIONS ON

SEPARATE BUT RELATED DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS IN

[4:11] THE PENN AMERICAN AREA. AND DURING THE SOUTHTOWN

DISCUSSION WE TALKED QUITE A BIT ABOUT LAND USE,

[4:17] DENSITY, AND WHAT THIS PRIME PIECE OF REAL ESTATE

COULD OR SHOULD LOOK LIKE IN THE FUTURE. SO I’M

[4:24] GOING TO GET A BIT WONKY ON YOU FOR JUST A MINUTE.

A MAJORITY OF SOUTHTOWN IS ZONED C-3 FREEWAY

[4:31] COMMERCIAL CENTER. LARGE-SCALE, REGIONAL SHOPPING

CENTERS ARE AN INTENDED USE WITHIN THE C-3 ZONING

[4:37] DISTRICT. OBVIOUSLY, THAT’S WHAT SOUTHTOWN IS.

BUT, A ROUGHLY THREE-ACRE AREA – FOR SCALE THAT’S

[4:44] SLIGHTLY LARGER THAN A DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS BLOCK

– AT THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF AMERICAN BOULEVARD

[4:49] AND KNOX AVENUE IS ZONED C-5 FREEWAY MIXED USE.

SPLITTING THE ZONING LIKE THIS IS KIND OF UNIQUE

[4:57] AND IT’S THE RESULT OF A NEGOTIATED DEVELOPMENT

AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE PROPERTY OWNER, KRAUS

[5:01] ANDERSON, AND THE CITY OF BLOOMINGTON TO ASSIST

IN IMPLEMENTING THE PENN AMERICAN DISTRICT PLAN.

[5:08] THE PENN AMERICAN DISTRICT PLAN CALLS FOR GREATER

DEVELOPMENT INTENSITY THAN WHAT HAS BEEN IN AND

[5:13] AROUND SOUTHTOWN SINCE IT OPENED IN 1960. THAT

NORTHWEST CORNER OF AMERICAN AND KNOX IS ZONED

[5:19] C-5 WITH THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF SEEING HIGH DENSITY

RESIDENTIAL ON THE SITE. IT’S A GREAT SPOT FOR

[5:26] RESIDENTIAL GIVEN IT’S PROXIMITY TO THE AMENITIES

IN THE PENN AMERICAN DISTRICT AND THE FACT THAT

[5:31] IT’S RIGHT NEXT TO AN ORANGE LINE BRT STATION.

IN THIS PRELIMINARY AND FINAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN,

[5:37] THE CITY COUNCIL ADOPTED A CONDITION WHICH

MAINTAINS THE EXPECTATION THAT THIS SITE

[5:42] WILL BE USED FOR HIGH DENSITY RESIDENTIAL.

RIGHT NOW, THERE AREN’T ANY FORMAL DEVELOPMENT

[5:47] PLANS FOR THIS AREA ZONED C-5. ONE OF THE

MAJOR REASONS IS BECAUSE THE SANITARY SEWER

[5:53] IN THE AREA DOESN’T HAVE THE CAPACITY

TO SUPPORT THAT TYPE OF PROJECT. YET.

[5:59] BUT THAT IS A DISCUSSION FOR ANOTHER TIME.

WORK RELATED TO THE DICKS HOUSE OF SPORT AND

[6:03] THE PARKING LOT IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN LATER

THIS FALL. STAY TUNED FOR MORE UPDATES.

[6:09] AND FINALLY, ON MONDAY NIGHT THE COUNCIL

HAD THE FIRST OF OUR IN-DEPTH DISCUSSIONS

[6:13] REGARDING THE PROPOSED 2025 BUDGET. FIRE

CHIEF ULIE SEAL PROVIDED INFORMATION ON

[6:18] THE FIRE DEPARTMENT BUDGET REQUEST FOR NEXT

YEAR, AND DEPUTY FINANCE OFFICER KARI CARLSON

[6:23] GAVE AN OVERVIEW OF THE STRATEGIC PRIORITIES FUND.

AS YOU MIGHT RECALL, BACK IN SEPTEMBER THE COUNCIL

[6:29] APPROVED A PRELIMINARY TAX LEVY INCREASE OF 11.5

PERCENT. I’VE TALKED IN THE PAST HOW A GOOD CHUNK

[6:35] OF THAT INCREASE GOES TOWARD COMPENSATING

THE PEOPLE WHO PROVIDE THE OUTSTANDING

[6:39] SERVICES THAT BLOOMINGTON RESIDENTS HAVE COME TO

EXPECT, AND TOWARD THE CITY PRIORITIES OF PUBLIC

[6:45] SAFETY – POLICE AND FIRE. THE PRESENTATION

WE HEARD FROM CHIEF SEAL BRINGS THOSE TWO

[6:50] PIECES OF THE BUDGET TOGETHER VERY CLEARLY.

THE PROPOSED 2025 FIRE DEPARTMENT BUDGET WOULD

[6:56] INCREASE BY JUST UNDER $2.1 MILLION. THE

LIONS SHARE OF THAT INCREASE WOULD GO TO

[7:02] COMPENSATION FOR EXISTING FIREFIGHTERS, THE HIRING

OF NEW FIREFIGHTERS IN NEW FULL TIME ROLES, AND

[7:08] PROVIDING THE NECESSARY EQUIPMENT FOR ALL OF OUR

FIREFIGHTERS SO THEY CAN KEEP BLOOMINGTON SAFE.

[7:13] IT WAS ALSO EXCITING TO HEAR THAT ONCE AGAIN THE

BLOOMINGTON FIRE DEPARTMENT WILL RECEIVE A FEDERAL

[7:18] SAFER GRANT THIS YEAR. THE GRANT OF MORE THAN $6

MILLION WILL ALLOW FOR THE EXPEDITED HIRING OF

[7:24] 18 ADDITIONAL FULL TIME FIREFIGHTERS AND WILL

COVER THEIR SALARIES AND BENEFITS FOR THREE

[7:29] YEARS. THIS COMES ON THE HEELS OF A 2022

SAFER GRANT THAT ALSO PROVIDED THE OPPORTUNITY

[7:35] TO HIRE 18 FULL-TIME FIREFIGHTERS.

THE CITY’S BUDGET WEBSITE INCLUDES THE

[7:40] PRESENTATIONS AND DETAILS FROM MONDAY

AND A PLETHORA OF BUDGET INFORMATION.

[7:45] I’D ENCOURAGE YOU TO TAKE A LOOK.

THAT WILL DO IT FOR THIS WEEKS COUNCIL

[7:48] MINUTE. THANKS MUCH FOR JOINING ME TODAY.

UNTIL NEXT TIME, STAY SAFE BLOOMINGTON.