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<br />" <br /> <br />Special Joint City CouncD and Planning Commission Meeting <br />March 9, 1998 : <br />Page 2 <br /> <br />5. <br /> <br />Joint Meetina Issues <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />a. Growth in Elk River <br /> <br />Planning Commission Chair Tom Mesich expressed his concern that the increasing <br />residential growth will overwhelm the city's and school district's infrastructure. He <br />stated that if the growth is allowed to continue at its present rate, the taxes on <br />the city's residents could become unbearable. <br /> <br />Mayor Duitsman indicated the City's Comprehensive Plan is in place to plan for <br />the City's growth. He stated it is the City Council's responsibility to implement the <br />Comprehensive Plan. He stated the Council has more of a political role, and the <br />Council relies on the Planning Commission's technical review of issues. <br /> <br />Duane Kropuenske indicated the impact of residential growth on the school <br />district goes beyond Bk River, and is affected by growth in Zimmerman and <br />Rogers, as well. <br /> <br />Discussion followed regarding the need for industrial development in Elk River. <br />Mayor Duitsman indicated some of the gravel pits are nearly mined out. and the <br />City needs to begin looking at these areas for possible industrial development. <br /> <br />b. DeveloDment Standards <br /> <br />The Council and Planning Commission discussed the following issues: <br /> <br />Sidewalks and trails <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />The Councilmembers encouraged the Planning Commission to be more <br />proactive and vocal in commenting at Council meetings on new plats. The <br />Councilmembers also felt it was important a representative of the Park & <br />Recreation Commission attend Council meetings when discussing new plats, in <br />order to state their position and reasons for the recommendations regarding trails <br />and sidewalks. p. <br /> <br />Tree Preservation <br />The group discussed the problem of more trees being removed than expected in <br />new subdivisions such as Cherrywood Hills, Cottages of Elk River and Lafayette <br />Woods. Steve Ach, City Planner, explained how tree preservation plans may vary <br />from what is displayed on paper and what takes place on the site. Discussion <br />followed regarding the loss of saved trees 2 - 3 years after construction. Methods <br />of dealing with this issue were discussed including a tree inventory, tagging trees <br />to be saved, and a tree replacement program. It was the consensus of the <br />Council and Planning Commission that a tree replacement program may be the <br />most realistic way to approach this issue. <br /> <br />c. Downtown Master Plan <br /> <br />Mayor Duitsman indicated the HRA will be meeting jointly with the Planning <br />Commission on Tuesday, March IOlh, to discuss the downtown. Duane <br />Kropuenske suggested Jim Brimeyer of the Brimeyer Group facilitate the <br />downtown "visioning" process. <br /> <br />. <br />