10-27-2020
Minutes of the Planning & Zoning Commission, October 27, 2020 – Page 1
PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION MINUTES
October 27, 2020
A regular meeting of the Hopkins Planning & Zoning Commission was held on October 27, 2020,
at 6:30 p.m. by video conference call through Zoom in response to the COVID-19 emergency.
Present were Commission Members Gerard Balan, Sam Stiele, Nathan White, Douglas Dyrland,
Maggie Sedoff, Emily Fiamova and Jason Miller. Also present were City Planner Jason Lindahl, Dan
Walsh with Trellis and Chris Wegscheid with LHB Architects.
CALL TO ORDER
Chairperson Balan called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.
ADOPT AGENDA
Commissioner Dyrland moved, Commissioner Sedoff seconded, to adopt the agenda. The motion
was approved unanimously.
OPEN AGENDA – PUBLIC COMMENTS/CONCERNS
CONSENT AGENDA
Commissioner Fiamova moved, Commissioner White seconded, to approve the minutes of the
August 25, 2020 Planning & Zoning Commission regular meeting, the minutes of the September 22,
2020 Planning & Zoning Commission Work Session and the minutes of the October 14, 2020
Planning & Zoning Commission Special Meeting.
PUBLIC HEARING – None.
OLD BUSINESS – None.
NEW BUSINESS -
1. Hopkins Village II Concept Plan
Mr. Lindahl gave an overview of this item stating that the applicant, Dan Walsh with Trellis
Community Housing Corporation, requests concept plan review for the Hopkins Village II
development. The subject property is located at the southwest corner of Mainstreet and 6th Avenue
South. The applicant’s plans call for a 5-story 44-unit infill apartment building on what is currently
the surface parking lot for the existing Hopkins Village development.
Mr. Lindahl reviewed the three versions of the plans for the development and the potential review
process going forward.
Dan Walsh addressed the Commission with background on Trellis, a multi-family affordable
housing developer, and details on the proposed Hopkins Village II development. Mr. Walsh and
Chris Wegscheid from LHB Architects were present to answer questions from the Commission.
Minutes of the Planning & Zoning Commission, October 27, 2020 – Page 2
Discussion from the Commission included: interior ceiling height, building signage, plans for
greenspace around the building, parking, population of the development, sustainable features,
bicycle and pedestrian considerations, required zoning approvals, distance between existing building
and the proposed development, building height, overnight street parking and requiring a
neighborhood meeting. Overall, the Commission was generally supportive of the proposed
development and the statements made by the City Council including:
• General support for the workforce type housing.
• Support for including larger 3-bedroom units.
• A 5-story building is ok provided the architecture fits in with Mainstreet.
• The Council preferred the Version 1 design over the Version 3 design.
• The applicant should add more “historic” architectural features to make the building more
compatible with Mainstreet.
• The applicant should update the parking and traffic study to reflect the new site design and unit
count.
• The applicant should make every effort to insure parking from their development occurs on
their site and does not impact the surrounding neighborhood.
• The applicant should add buffering and landscaping to help screen the parking area from
adjacent properties.
Mr. Walsh stated that Trellis plans to refine the design and within a month or two have something
to present for a neighborhood meeting. There will also be an updated parking study. The final site
plan review process is anticipated for early 2021.
ANNOUNCEMENTS –
City Planner Lindahl updated the Commission on the following items.
• The proposed Blake Road Station redevelopment item has been tabled as requested by the
applicant. There currently is no timeline for when this item will be revisited, but the
applicant has indicated that it is a temporary pause as they revise some of their plans.
• The City has received final approval of the 2040 Comprehensive Plan from the Metropolitan
Council. The final step in the process is final approval from the City Council at their
November 17 meeting.
ADJOURN
Commissioner White moved, Commissioner Stiele seconded, to adjourn the meeting. The motion
was approved unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 7:48 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Courtney Pearsall
Administrative Assistant