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05-09-06 WSMay 9, 2006 Page 1 MINUTES CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION -May 9, 2006 A work session of the Hopkins City Council was called to order by Mayor Gene Maxwell at 6:30 p.m. on May 9, 2006, at the City Hall. Council members Bruce Rowan, Kristi Halverson and Cheryl Youakim were present. City personnel present were City Manager Rick Getschow; Economic Director Jim Kerrigan; Housing Coordinator Kersten Elverum; and City Attorney Jerre Steiner. Also present were Dave Menke, Dave Wisnewski, Dave Bangasser, Tom Shaver and Ericka Miller of Opus; Marlene Hunkins, Hillary Feder, Jason Gadd, Nora Davis and John Cooley of the Marketing Committee; Tom Bullington and Robin Lingen of CityImage Communications; and Gwen Chynoweth of Maccabee Group. Discussion of Excelsior Crossing (Opus) PUD Agreement Economic Director Jim Kerrigan said the PUD (Planned Unit Development) being discussed with Opus would overlay the business park zoning, which would allow more flexibility as the project proceeds. A master plan would be attached to the PUD, detailing such things as uses, density, location of common spaces, movement of traffic, etc. Opus would be required to come before the Council for approval of each phase. Staff and Opus have agreed that 75% would be Class B or higher office space and 25% would be other uses such as a hotel (of at least two star quality), medical research, and retail space, none of which would have exterior signage. No coffee shop would be allowed because of the proximity of the Depot. Retail uses must be along Jackson Ave. or Excelsior Blvd. There is a maximum of seven floors/105 feet for the office space and hotel, and 32 feet for the retail building. Ms. Youakim asked if the signage fit it with the new ordinance. Mr. Kerrigan said the signage is above the usual Limit; Attorney Steiner said it is, however, consistent with the new signage ordinance. Answering questions, Mr. Kerrigan said the retail would be west of the traffic light on Excelsior Blvd. and access would be from inside the business park, not from the Boulevard. Primary access would be from Jackson Avenue. Opus would have to make the lot presentable after demolition of the old North Annex. Opus has agreed to allow the city to use the 3-acre site north of Second St. for snow storage, while it would also be used as a storm water ponding site. The feasibility of a trail system on the north and east sides of the pond is being explored. Opus would pay for a traffic light at the Jackson Avenue entrance if one becomes needed, Opus would pay a $330,900 park dedication fee, with the understanding that if the trail system is put in, that cost would be deducted from the fee up to $25,000. Mr. Kerrigan said staff and Opus are both comfortable with the proposed PUD terms. It would come to Zoning and Planning for review in May, and before the Council June 6 for approval of at least the zoning and perhaps also the PUD agreement. Attorney Steiner said he will draft the agreement. The Council will be presented with a PUD zoning ordinance much like the first five pages of the letter they received for the work session. Council can make changes if they want to and can impose conditions. The PUD would memorialize the agreement and conditions. The parcel across Jackson Avenue would also be zoned to business park with a PUD overlay. May 9, 2006 Page 2 Answering Mayor Maxwell, Mr. Kerrigan said Benshoof had looked at the traffic T situation and was comfortable with the agreement. Mr. Bangasser noted the parking ramps are all oriented to Jackson Avenue. Mayor Maxwell asked about the construction phases. Mr. Menke said that will be customer driven. Opus would like to start at the east side and move west, but tenant desire could change that. In any case, they will landscape as they go and have perimeter landscaping along Excelsior Blvd. The whole area will be seeded as soon as demolition is done so the parcel will be presentable, no matter in what order construction proceeds. Answering Ms. Youakim's question on rain gardens, Mr. Bangasser said Opus paid much attention to infiltration. The central pond will have a fountain to keep the water aerated. Most sediment will drop in the front ponds. The pond north of Second will serve the whole region. The Watershed District was talked to and they had no problems with the plan of using it for snow removal in the winter; the pond will catch snow melt rather than the water going straight to the creek. It will benefit the whole region, not just Opus' property. Answering Ms. Youakim, Mr. Menke said the ramps are about 6-8 feet at the highest point; the lowest parking level has been sunk about 3 feet. They looked into green roofs, but found it not feasible. Mr. Menke pointed out the pedestrian bridge over the central pond with its ornamental lighting, which will be the focal point of the project. The small retail building will not go over 15,000 sq. ft. There will be 30 parking stalls for that building. Mr. Kerrigan said no real concerns were expressed. The police and fire departments have reviewed the plans. Mr. Menke said they hope to close in August and finish demolition this year. There is some remediation in the buildings themselves due to asbestos and some lights. They plan to move ahead as quickly as possible as the market is starting to recover, especially in the southwest metro area. One user wants to get in by October 2007. Mayor Maxwell asked about publicity, noting it might help condo sales in Hopkins. Mr. Menke said as soon as the PUD process is done, Opus' publicity team is ready to move. City Manager Getschow noted the Star Tribune has already called. Marketing Committee Proposals Housing Coordinator Elverum noted the Marketing Committee had attended a February work session. Only two marketing groups would participate in 20 minute interviews at the work session as one could not make it. Standardized questions were handed out. Tom Bullington and Robin Lingen of CityImage Communications were interviewed first. Answering questions they said branding is a " 30-second elevator speech" that describes Hopkins. It builds community, a "sense of place" as well as helping economic development and attracting residents. Strategies include a consistent brand; testimonials of people who live or have businesses in Hopkins; emphasizing landmarks such as the Depot and Center for the Arts that make Hopkins different; developing relationships with the media. Maintaining the program can be low cost and yet effective -media relationships, proactive residents, community events. The school and business community can be involved as partners. Materials for community groups and businesses to use at their events are useful. Bloomington has a packet in their hotels. Targeting audiences is a key piece -understanding who the market is and what they want. After the process Hopkins will have 2 or 3 variations on taglines, a 3-year May 9, 2006 ' Page 3 marketing plan, and acost-effective salesmanship campaign. They would come back at 6- 9- and 12-month intervals and are willing to do more if it is desired. They have experience dealing with diverse communities and want to make sure the brand speaks to all of them. Diversity is not polarity, it is part of the power of the message. Hopkins has a "Midwestern feel in an urban hip way." This can be an advantage. Mr. Cooley noted the current effort is a partnership between the city and the business community; the latter want to draw in customers and new businesses. Mr. Bullington noted that when he was a news editor in a town of 150,000 that was dwindling, the business community used antiques as a "hook," offering antique walks, etc. The town is now a bustling community. Ms. Lingen added she has always been a small business owner and very conscious of that need. They said the branding component and marketing development would largely be concurrent as they get ideas as the research progresses. The main focus is taking data, creating ideas, and doing a market plan, but they overlap. They would get community buy-in by involving them in the process, making residents feel empowered. They are comfortable with the idea of working with a business community-city collaboration. Mr. Bullington noted Brooklyn Park had combined the city, faith community, businesses, etc. and ended up one of the top 30 cities that year. Ms. Lingen said the key message is everyone is involved. Ms. Gwen Chynoweth of Maccabee Group also was interviewed. In response to questions she said branding is your reason for being and the reason for your customers to buy. Benefits would depend on how it is used, but should result in drawing customers and new residents. Strategies include various components that can be integrated in different ways; these include advertising, public relations, direct mail, trade shows. Any plan has to be sustainable by internal staff and external agencies in some combinations. She would leave the city with a comprehensive step-by-step plan that could be initiated as desired, sort of an a la carte menu. It could be implemented as resources became available. Regarding diversity, she said it is important to have a marketing position statement, then tweak it to reach a particular audience. Diversity can be a benefit, but you have to be clear whom you are targeting. It is important to have the branding in place; then the marketing component can be done behind the scenes. Once the branding is done, the rest can happen quickly. Getting community buy-in is a challenge. Methods could include an Internet public forum much like a chat room, the SunSailor, the city newsletter - it is important to leverage every form of communication Hopkins has. Marketing needs to be based on what you want people to think of Hopkins, so you need to know what people think so you know how to market it and bridge the difference. Hopkins is not what it was 10 years ago, yet she feels people think of Hopkins as it was in the 1970's. We need to describe Hopkins as it is and how the targeted people can benefit from it. If there is no current research on what people think, a short survey should be done. The combination of city and business community is much like the Minnesota Office of Tourism, which combines all the many things of the state into one message. It is important to have a liaison from both groups to work with her company. Maccabee Group does not have its own graphic department but has close ties with free lancers and agencies. Ms. Youakim noted Maccabee billed by the hour. Ms. Chynoweth said she estimated three modest community sessions as 2-3 hours and the consensus and branding as 15 hours. Ms. Elverum added they had already indicated they would sign a "not to exceed" contract. Ms. Chynoweth added they promise "no surprises" and give a 20% May 9, 2006 Page 4 discount for communities. If they go over budget, Hopkins would not need to worry about it. Answering Mayor Maxwell, she said she would be the lead person throughout and not hand it over to someone who doesn't know Hopkins as she does. She asked what timeline Hopkins has and had sustainability been discussed; Ms. Elverum said maybe three months as a timeline. There is $15,000 budgeted between the business community and the City. The plan cannot entirely rely on city staff but on volunteers and has to be cost effective. Ms. Chynoweth said that was possible; it would not be full-blown, but with a targeted audience it could be done. Ms. Youakim asked if a phone or write-in survey would be better. Ms. Chynoweth said phone surveys are preferable because one can probe. Online surveys are becoming more popular, but results are skewed. Ms. Youakim suggested doing the survey at the Raspberry Festival, which draws many outsiders. Answering Mayor Maxwell, Ms. Chynoweth said doing campaigns in the summer is tough as so many people are vacationing. General discussion followed among the Council and Marketing Committee members. General Consensus was that the third company would not be pursued. Ms. Feder's suggestion of drawing up a very specific list of what is wanted and what the group's expectations are, then having the companies "line item" it was accepted. Mayor Maxwell said he feels it is most important for the business community to feel comfortable with the choice as the Council could work with either. The Marketing Committee needs to decide what role they want the city to play. Ms. Elverum thanked the committee members for their efforts and time. ether Ms. Halverson asked about obtaining photos of the Citizens' Academy graduation and was told to contact Mr. Genellie. Mr. Rowan noted he would miss the June 20 and 27 meetings. Mr. Getschow reminded everyone the next work session would be at the Hopkins Center for the Arts in the second floor conference room at 6:00 so Council members could attend the GED graduation. Food will be provided. Ms. Youakim told Mr. Getschow Steve Simon should be called tomorrow on the tort limit bill. He reminded the Council that next Thursday is the Take Back the Park celebration in Cottageville. He announced NORC has been notified they will get a state grant which will carry them through 2007. Mayor Maxwell noted the most recent newsletter included with the utility bill was the best one in a long time. There was a brief discussion of the Fox 9 news report about a neighborhood dispute. On motion by Ms. Halverson and second by Ms. Youakim the meeting adjourned at 9:50 p.m. on a vote of 4-0. Kasey Kester, Secretary COUNCIL MEMBERS: May 9, 2006 Page 5 t ATTF~ST: s ~" Euge . M well, Mayor