Agenda
. AGENDA
CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION
Tuesday, December 14,2004
6:00 p.m. Dinner
6:30 pm Meeting
Pavilion Second Floor
6:00 pm Dinner
. 6:30 pm Joint Hopkins/Minnetonka City Council Work Session
Called to Order
6:35 pm Discussion of Shady Oak Road Project
I
Other
Adjourn
.
. Date: December 3, 2004
To: Mayors and City Councilmembers of Hopkins and Minnetonka
From: Jim Kerrigan, Hopkins Director of Economic Development and Planning
Steve Stadler, Hopkins Public Works Director
Lee Gustafson, Minnetonka City Engineer
Ron Rankin, Minnetonka Community Development Director
Subject: Joint discussion about upgrading Shady Oak Road between Excelsior
Boulevard and Highway 7
Background
Mayor Anderson and Mayor Maxwell have scheduled a joint meeting of the two city
councils because of the importance of upgrading this section of Shady Oak Road, and
especially because of likely opportunities for the renovation and re-use of property along
Shady Oak Road. Having this joint meeting, and perhaps others to follow, offers the city
councils the chance to collaborate on a vision for the Shady Oak Road area.
Hennepin County currently has this project in their capital improvements program to
begin in 2008, right after the reconstruction of Shady Oak Road from Bren Road north
. to Excelsior Boulevard. Hennepin County and our two cities have known for some time
that the road needs to be upgraded, and that it is a fairly complex project, for several
reasons:
. The severe angle of the Shady Oak Road intersection with Highway 7 slows turning
movements and greatly increases the backup of vehicles on Shady Oak Road.
. Curves on the road need to be straightened, and this will require some significant
property acquisitions.
. Wetlands border portions of the road and will be affected by changes in alignment
and widening.
. On-street parking for businesses at the south end will likely be eliminated.
. This section of Shady Oak Road traverses both cities, making collaboration
important.
Both city councils have initially agreed that this is "more than just a road improvement
project", and deserves careful planning and implementation. Hennepin County has
worked with Hopkins and Minnetonka on the design engineering, has set up a contract
. with Hoisington-Koegler for a land use analysis, and has helped the cities outline a
public input process. The county is very interested in facilitating a process that will result
in a successful project.
Mayors and City Councilmembers of Hopkins and Minnetonka
Page 2
.
Below are sections that discuss each of these aspects of the project, and pose
questions for joint discussion and feedback to help guide the process.
Geometric Options
Hennepin County has hired WSB and Associates to assist them with traffic forecasting
and alignment options. The first issue WSB was directed to review and provide
recommendation on was the 20-year traffic forecast, because the roadway section
needs to carry the 20-year design volume. WSB evaluated both a 3-lane and a 4-lane
section in their analysis, and their results concluded that a 3-lane section would fail at
the Main Street intersection because of the lack of through traffic capacity in one lane.
The traffic simulation clearly showed northbound traffic backing up into the Excelsior
Boulevard intersection with a 3-lane design, while the 4-lane section functioned
adequately under all conditions. WSB also evaluated the difference in width
requirements between a 3- and 4-lane section and determined that the width difference
did not significantly impact the project limits. Staff from both cities therefore believes the
4-lane section should be recommended to their respective city councils for
consideration.
There are several layouts for potential alignments along this corridor. The alignments
. can essentially be separated into options for the north half, and the south half. Staff has
determined that there can only be one alignment through the "duck pond" area due to
the need to minimize wetland impacts on both sides of the road. As such, the duck pond
area acts as a hinge point in the roadway allowing alignments from the south half to be
combined with different options from the north half.
Discussion Question: Do the city councils agree that the four-lane section
should be used for the county's roadway design and
alignments?
Property Impacts
In connection with the roadway planning, and at the request of Hopkins and Minnetonka
staff, Hennepin County has hired Hoisington-Koegler to work with the cities on a land
use analysis. The purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of roadway
alignments on nearby properties. In some cases, right-of-way acquisition might take
entire properties, or in other cases, leave remnant properties that might be combined for
re-use. Both cities feel an early study of these potential impacts is important.
In the commercial area south of Main Street, where many businesses are close to the
existing road, there needs to be a careful examination of how vehicle access, parking,
and building entrances will be affected by the reconstruction of Shady Oak Road. The
. land use analysis will offer an opportunity to look at these issues, and their likely
impacts, sooner rather than later in the process. Staff views the study as an important
tool in looking at the effects of the roadway alignments on the properties near Shady
Oak Road.
.
Mayors and City Councilmembers of Hopkins and Minnetonka
Page 3
.
Discussion Question: Do the city councils agree with looking at various
options for the north and south halves of this roadway,
to work with Hennepin County on a land use analysis of
the roadway impacts, and to identify the potential for
renovation and re-use of property?
Public Input Process
Hopkins and Minnetonka staff have been working closely with Hennepin County to
develop a thorough public input process. Staff is intending to begin the process with a
public kick-off meeting, hosted by Hennepin County, after the city councils have held
this first joint meeting on the preliminary layouts and land use analysis idea. Public input
would likely be in the form of additional open houses, targeted neighborhood meetings,
and public workshops with commercial property owners and tenants, probably starting
in January.
Discussion Question: Do the councils agree with staff's approach to obtaining
public input?
. Next Steps:
Following council direction, staff will prepare an agenda for a public kick-off meeting that
is tentatively scheduled for early January, prior to the start of the land use analysis. The
agenda would include background information, process updates, and opportunities for
public input. Staff does not intend to review specific roadway layouts or preliminary
property impacts at this first public input meeting. Specific information related to these
issues will be discussed at later meetings.
By sometime in March, initial results of the land use analysis will be available for review
at another joint meeting of the city councils. That meeting will be an important step in
constructing a shared vision for this area.
.
--,