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A contentious hearing around zoning for the Net Ministries campus dominated tonight’s City Council meeting, which also included appointments of new members to volunteer committees and an update on the state of the city pool.
Net Ministries Zoning
The City Council heard a final reading of an amendment to city zoning laws that would allow Net Ministries to use a residential property to house up to 10 people affiliated with the organization when normal residential zoning laws only allow for up to three unrelated individuals to live in the same house.
- History: The exemption has been the status quo since 2018 and the zoning variance has already been extended repeatedly. The long-term goal is for Net Ministries to “trade” one residential property for another in order to achieve ownership of a contiguous campus in the city. They have the right of first refusal on a home adjacent to their current campus, and are waiting for that home to become available so they can become compliant with zoning.
- Public comment: Two city residents spoke, including former Council Member John Bellows, expressing frustration with the current state of affairs. The repeated extensions have created a sense of uncertainty, and using the homes as dormitory housing would change the character of the neighborhood.
- Result: Council expressed some sympathy with frustrated residents, but ultimately voted unanimously to approve another 2-year extension of the zoning variance.
City Pool
During the Open Council Work Session (OCWS), Parks and Recreation Director Eric Weiss reviewed the state of the city’s pool and offered options for its continued maintenance and upkeep.
- History: The pool was originally built in the 1950s, and hasn’t had a major renovation since the 1990s.
- Condition: Consultants have made it clear that the pool needs significant work, and the water slide is unsafe and can’t be used again without major refurbishment.
- Options: Director Weiss outlined five potential options: Repair and upgrade the existing pool, replace the pool on its current site, build a new pool somewhere else in the city, replace the pool with multiple smaller water features throughout the city, like splash pads and wading pools, or eliminate the pool entirely.
- Input: Surveys conducted by the parks department show a strong preference for upgrading the existing pool.
- Price tag: The consultants suggested two renovation packages. The “25-year solution” would cost $1.3 million, while the “50-year solution” would be much more involved and cost $4.5 million. Both of these options come in considerably under the price of comparable projects in other metro cities, but they’re also well outside of the city’s current budget without a referendum, major tax increases, or an outside source of funding. Mayor Dave Napier suggested the idea of postponing pool renovations for a year and holding a citywide fundraiser to help defray the cost.
- Result: While no formal decisions were made at this meeting, council generally seemed to favor the $1.3 million option unless major sources of outside funding can be found.
New Committee Members
The City Council opened the OCWS by reviewing the applicants to serve on the city’s volunteer committees: the Planning Commission, the Environmental Committee, and the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee. There were 23 applicants for only 8 open seats, which Mayor Napier called “the strongest list we’ve ever had.” Council debated whether to reappoint existing members with expiring terms or replace them with new applicants, ultimately deciding to reappoint anybody who wanted to continue serving. Because there were so many applicants, the council used a ranked-choice voting system, with each council member ranking their top few candidates for each open seat. Council members considered the applicants’ qualifications as well as which ward they live in, with the goal of ensuring balanced representation for all three wards. The top vote getters during the OCWS were advanced to be voted on during the regular meeting.
After narrowing down the candidates during the OCWS, Council unanimously approved the following candidates:
- Planning Commission: Mikael Garland and Rebecca Foote.
- Parks and Recreation: Victor Obisakin, Bryant McClelland, and Bob Payton
- Environmental Committee: Julie Lyford and Natosha Stone.
Other Items on the Agenda
- Low-Income Housing City Manager Nate Burkett reviewed the state’s low income rental classification program, which would offer significant tax breaks to property owners who offer affordable rent. The city’s goal in this review is to get existing housing stock in the city to qualify for these tax breaks. This would enable them to work with those property owners to get them the tax breaks in exchange for improving their properties and maintaining fair rental practices above and beyond what the state program requires. Council is optimistic about Burkett’s plans for the program and encouraged him to keep working on it, but took no formal action at this meeting.
- Women’s History Month Council Member Wendy Berry read a proclamation in honor of Women’s History Month, which is in March.
- Rezoning First Reading The City Council heard a first reading of a proposal to rezone 33 Wentworth Ave. East from business to town center mixed use. This rezoning is in alignment with the city’s comprehensive plan. Council Member John Justen raised the concern that some businesses currently in 33 Wentworth would have to relocate, and urged the city to work with those businesses to help them relocate elsewhere in the city. While the mayor was reluctant to approve the redevelopment, the first reading of the rezoning passed unanimously.
- Property Line Amendments
- City Council heard a proposal to adjust the property line between 1085 and 1091 Ottawa Avenue. This is a relatively unfamiliar process for the city. The owner of 1085 Ottawa is hoping to acquire a chunk of property from 1091 Ottawa in order to put an addition on their home. The owner of 1091 Ottawa is willing to sell, so the adjustment of the property line would just be a formality. The motion passed unanimously.
- City Council heard a proposal to adjust the property lines of several properties around Livingston and Humboldt avenues in order to make it easier to sell these properties. The motion passed unanimously.
Engage
- Watch: City Council and OCWS meetings are archived online. You can also watch the video recap from Council Members Robyn Gulley and John Justen.
- Learn more: Guide to West St. Paul City Council.
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