This transcript is from a **Planning Commission** meeting. While you provided the names of the City Council, Planning Commissions are typically composed of different residents, though staff members remain the same. Based on the context of the dialogue, the primary speakers are **Clarissa Hadler** (Finance Director), a staff member named **Jason** (likely the Community Development Director/City Planner), the **Planning Commission Chair**, and a member identified in the text as **Commissioner Susie**. *** **[06:30] Planning Commission Chair:** All right. 6:30. [clears throat] Is uh Commissioner Bulock showing up? Do we know? **[Timestamp] City Staff:** Not heard anything. **[06:30] Planning Commission Chair:** All right. Well, it's 6:30. So call to order the [clears throat] November 10th, 2025 meeting of the Lake Elmo Planning Commission. All right. First item [clears throat] is to stand for the pledge of allegiance. **[Timestamp] Group:** I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. **[Timestamp] Planning Commission Chair:** [clears throat] All right. Next item is to approve the agenda for tonight's meeting. Minutes. Oh, rewrite agenda. Sorry. I'll just be quiet. Oh, do I have a motion? **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** Motion to approve the agenda for the Monday, November 10th, 2025 planning commission meeting. **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** I'll second that. **[Timestamp] Planning Commission Chair:** All right. All in favor? **[Timestamp] Group:** Aye. **[Timestamp] Planning Commission Chair:** Opposed? None. And the agenda is approved. Now we need to approve the minutes uh from 10:15, 2025. Do I have a motion? **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** Motion to approve the minutes of the planning commission meeting of October 15 2025. **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** Second. **[Timestamp] Planning Commission Chair:** Second. All in favor? **[Timestamp] Group:** Aye. **[Timestamp] Planning Commission Chair:** Opposed? The motion passes and the minutes are approved. All right. [clears throat] Uh, next item is the public hearing for the capital improvement plan and we're gonna hear from staff. **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** Hi folks. **[Timestamp] Group:** Hello. **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** I failed to put my name on there. I am Clarissa Hadler. I'm the finance director. So, um, we are talking about the CIP tonight. Is this going to work? [clears throat] Front row. I broke the things. Okay. So, what is a CIP? Um CIP is a multi-year capital expenditure plan for a city's infrastructure. Um our streets, our parks, utility systems, as well as our vehicles and equipment and our public buildings. So, we just recently switched from a 5-year CIP to a 10-year CIP two years ago. Um, so we are starting to inventory a lot more, getting a better, um, picture of our long-term needs. **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** Um, the public hearing tonight is required by the Minnesota Planning uh, Land Planning Act. Um, and the idea is to just kind of compare it to the comprehensive plan um, and make sure that the major infrastructure needs um, are uh, appropriate for a 5-year period. Our CIP includes capital projects that cost at least $25,000 and have a [clears throat] useful lifespan of five years or longer. **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** So, some of the um CIP program um guiding principles and the and the mission of the Lake Elmo. These were adopted um this past uh winter by the city council listed here. core strategies, vibrant in inclusive, connected community, responsive, transparent, adaptive government, governance, managed growth, efficient, reliable, and innovative services, balanced finances now in the future, and resilient infrastructure. So, the CIP really kind of touches a little bit on all of those things. **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** I'm not going to read through all of these, but these are some of our funding sources and um how the projects within the CIP are prioritized. And so the summary of [clears throat] this 10-year CIP um includes 148 projects and a project could be as small as you know piece of equipment or as big as the water treatment plant. So there's quite a wide variety. So we have a a total of just over $133 million. Um high level This is all of our department. So, you can't even see admin, building, and city hall. Uh we have fire. Uh that is largely vehicles and equipment. And then public works takes up this all this purple. **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** Breaking that out a little bit more because it's a little unfair. We have a $50 million water treatment plant in there, but it's still a tiny bit of fire and a whole lot of public works. So, a lot of our CIP is infrastructure. Um, so this is public works without the water treatment plant broken down by vehicles and equipment, buildings, parks, and infrastructure. Again, infrastructure is a huge portion. And then broken out just a little bit more by the type of infrastructure. **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** So, just kind of going into each um department. And I would add there's the the full uh CIP is in the packet. If anybody would like to review that, it's available online. Um, so admin and finance typically doesn't have very much um for items in the CIP. We do have a two-year software implementation that is going on right now. So we have the second half of that next year. Our building department just has uh four vehicles totaling $175,000. So there is one vehicle replacement that is planned to take place in 2027. [clears throat] um they're on a seven-year replacement plan and they will be sort of I should also note that the plan um the CIP is really just kind of a a sort of a loose plan. Um any of these items can be changed at any point um by the city council by the under the recommendation of staff. **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** [clears throat] Um so city hall, we're just starting to build out our city hall uh replacement schedule. brand new building, but we want to make sure that we have um appropriate uh funding in place for when some of the shorter uh life items need to be replaced. We did just start a new uh city hall levy list this year. Uh the fire department has eight projects totaling $4.5 million. Uh tender 2 is being replaced here in the next couple years. Um that is under or uh has already been ordered. and then a utility vehicle and then public works. **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** Um so public works includes the departments of uh streets and sort of general public works, parks, water, sewer and storm water. And so we have it [clears throat] broken down into these various categories. Vehicles and equipment includes 30 projects in the next 10 years totaling $3.8 million. our buildings um and some sort of related type stuff includes uh 10 projects totaling $1 million. Parks and recreation has 31 projects totaling $5.3 million. Um, some of the planned expenditures for 26 and 27 are one new park pavilion, some trail additions and maintenance, some court resurfacing, and three playground replacements. **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** Uh the streets department. So, the street CIP is presented by the city engineer each year. Um, he present uh this fabulous color spreadsheet that he provides to us. Um, and so he has them broken down by local residential street improvements, collector streets that are owned by the city, and then county projects with city cost participation. Street projects have a number of bonding uh funding sources including bonding, the infrastructure reserve fund, some special assessments, Minnesota state aid, and then some uh limited transfers from the general fund. We have [clears throat] 28 projects in the next 10 years totaling 49 almost $50 million. So, in the next couple years, we'll be doing the 2026 street improvements as well as the 2027 street improvements. **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** And so, this is again um a number of local your your residential streets. Those um do typically have a 30% special assessment on those as well as uh this whole series of streets. I'm not going to rattle [laughter] all those up. And then we have a very large county project, the intersection of Trunk Highway 36 and Lake Elmo Avenue improvements. We also are [clears throat] just starting to get a handle on our street light replacements that are going to be needed in the next 25 years. Um so we're estimating that at an average of $125,000 per year. Um just based on development patterns. Of course, that'll come in um various chunks depending on when uh a development was built. **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** So, water improvements include uh typically wells, water towers, water treatment facilities, water manes, pumps etc. In the next 10 years, we have 17 projects totaling $61.6 million. The largest of which of course is our um upcoming water treatment plant to address PFAS that is funded through the MPCA the 3M settlement fund. So that's roughly $50 million. There's also some water included in the 2026 street and utilities uh Hudson Boulevard trunk main extension and then another well that's planned. Sewer improvements have eight projects totaling 4.1 million. We typically will see some oversizing [clears throat] um expenses uh either uh through a county project or um often with developments as well. Storm water currently has six projects totaling roughly 1.5 million. **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** Um so some of our funding uh I wanted to touch on again we have a number of funding sources. Um governmental accounting um is fund accounting which means uh each um we call them funds but so each purpose. So uh water has a specific purpose that has a specific customer um that is all water projects are funded through the water fund. Um same with sew sewer and storm water streets. [clears throat] we often will bond for um simply because we don't have the cash to pay for um a lot of these large street projects. Uh we did just implement an infrastructure levy to try and decrease debt in the city over time. So that's new this year. We'll be um building on that here um moving forward. We do get funding from the state for a number of projects. And then we did just implement franchise fees, 50% of which will be going towards the infrastructure to fund those street projects. And that is the end [clears throat] of my presentation. I'm happy to answer any questions before you open for the public hearing. **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** Just a quick question. I don't know if it if is acquisition of um green space, let's say wild space, wild land and not not not necessarily parks. Does that fall in the CIP or is that more of a comprehensive plan item? because obviously as we think way far out in the future um or... **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** Um well we we've done that I I don't know I mean as we look out in the future you know there's I think our comprehension plan calls for a certain percentage of land that stays green if you will undeveloped. I would say they work hand in hand. So the the CIP is really the um the financial tool uh to help us to plan for the purchase of those. Um so I would say that it's if we're talking about open space for parks and stuff that's sort of eventually roll to your space if if there was a need or a... **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** Okay. **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** I wasn't aware that Xcel Energy is no longer doing street lights so is that all falls on the city to maintain? **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** So, the um street light [laughter] we uh you're going to test my knowledge of this the street light issue um they are purchased originally by the developer they're under contract with Xcel so that they provide a um maintenance of those. I believe it's for a 25-year period. Feel free to jump in, Jason, if you happen to know different. Um and then after that, the city can decide if we want to pay for another 25 years and have them rebuilt and then they'll take care of them again or if we want to own them ourselves and do that, [clears throat] you know, separately. **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** That's what I was referring to. **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** So, there's still a cost. So they're they're essentially they're cared for by Xcel for 25 years. **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** For 25 years. Okay. But then it's they're our problem to figure out. **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** We can you know here's here's some more money Xcel. [laughter] **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** I believe there was a signal light in there too somewhere along the line that I read about and that was what I—I can hear you, Susie. How uh signal light—there was a signal light for like the new school I believe. So temp? **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** Yes. **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** That used to be like a quarter of a million dollars. I don't know what they are now. I think it was over 300,000. **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** They're pricey. **[Timestamp] Planning Commission Chair:** Any other questions? [clears throat] **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** Should I sit down for the public hearing? I I've got a question on on how do people really know this public hearing is going on? How many how how do we get the the notice out to people? Is it still a Stillwater Gazette? Is that our our legal paper? **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** Correct. The city adopted that paper in January. Okay. So, that has not changed because it used to be there had to be a certain amount of circulation and I don't know if that's still a criteria or not because I don't think people really getting the information out to them better or maybe we should just next year maybe think about another way to vehicle to utilize to get [clears throat] information out. **[Timestamp] Planning Commission Chair:** It's there. I anytime there's an agenda published, you have to sign up for it, but I get all the agendas for all the meetings that people know about it. It's pushed to me, but yeah. **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** Yeah. Certainly, if anybody's interested in city affairs in general, I would recommend signing up for the flash because all of the agendas are in there as well as the new city website has uh an opportunity to sign up for any of those agenda packets. **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** Yeah, that's true. I guess I would just be curious who who's all worked on this? I mean, are each of the departments providing these numbers? **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** Absolutely. Okay. Yeah. So, the CIP is developed. I'm really just essentially the data person um and trying to figure out how we fund all of the projects. So, um each year we [clears throat] um go out to the department heads and we say, "We need you to update your costs to today's dollars because everything's represented in today's dollars. Um and then figure out your timing. Take a look at your equipment." And every everybody has a pretty good handle on on their stuff, right? They manage this stuff every day. And so they put it all together. They make change their numbers. Um they send it to us. Um we go back and forth, make sure that we have all the information that we need. **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** The [clears throat] preliminary um CIP and early version gets presented to city council in the summer um along kind of in in conjunction with that uh street CIP and the the pavement management plan. Um so they've seen an early version and then everybody kind of it's an iterative process throughout the year and then the final version um gets adopted in in December. **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** And then this is just a draft and so it says here that um including a project in the CIP does not commit the city to that project. So it's sort of a working document then? **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** It's a working document until it gets adopted and then even then it's um it's a plan. That's not an approval for purchase. So, every item within the CIP does come back to the city council for final approval. **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** So, if the community or the citizens um objected to something in here and they weren't here tonight, they'd have another [clears throat] opportunity to hear about it at some point in the future in front of the city council. **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** Yes. Yeah. Absolutely. **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** Perfect. Just want to make sure everybody knows that that's available to them. **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** Thank you. That's a great point. **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** Okay. I've got one more. Clarissa, I came to the workshop on September 9th and I believe you presented some things to the city council and you talked about an inner fund loan of a million dollars from the sewer fund to buy land for a a big ball complex, a $25 million plus ball complex. Is that a normal thing to do to do without having residents be aware of that being happening or... **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** An interfund loan? Yeah, the loans are are very typical uh financial tools. Um it's essentially the you know, we've got we've got I don't know 20 different funds um that we manage our money through and some of them are just better off than others and rather than borrowing money from um the bank and paying interest outside, we borrow it from a different fund and pay ourselves that interest. **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** Pay yourself back. **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** Yeah. **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** [clears throat] Yeah. And I I one one real quick thing I had to laugh because I did look at in depth and it and I had I live in a house that was built in 1909, but it says the city hall kitchen appliances need to be replaced every seven years. I kind of laughed and I said, I wonder how often mine get replaced. **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** I know [laughter] 25. [clears throat] **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** They just don't make it like they used to, do they? **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** No, they don't. Oh my goodness. But I had to laugh about that one. And I would add um again it's this you know we we plan um... **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** For the worst. **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** Not for worst case scenario but we plan for what we think things might last. We don't necess—we're not going to go out and replace all of the appliances in city hall at seven years just because the plan says so. I had to laugh whenever I read that. **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** Yeah. I have a weird sense of humor. [laughter] **[Timestamp] Planning Commission Chair:** All right. [clears throat] With that, we need to open the public hearing. And I believe we need a motion to do that. **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** Motion to open the public hearing. **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** I'll second that. **[Timestamp] Planning Commission Chair:** All right. All in favor? **[Timestamp] Group:** Aye. **[06:49] Planning Commission Chair:** All right. Public hearing is open at 6:49. And because there's no one here to [clears throat] have any questions or address it all, we'll close it. **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** Motion to close the public hearing. **[Timestamp] Planning Commission Chair:** Thank you. Second that. **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** Second. **[Timestamp] Planning Commission Chair:** In favor? **[Timestamp] Group:** Aye. **[06:50] Planning Commission Chair:** Public hearing's closed at 6:50. [clears throat] A minute in. All right. And then we we need to have a motion to approve this. **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** All right. Motion to recommend to the city council that the 2026 to 2035 capital improvement program is consistent with the 2040 comprehensive plan. **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** I'll second that. **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** Seconded by... it's [clears throat] a it's a wealth of information. Uh I commend all the departments and city staff for the foresight of replacements and and planning and especially public works as we saw is a major piece of the pie. Um they've got a lot on their plate and there's a lot of development happening here. So obviously a lot of work went into it. It's not perfect obviously and it's it's a it's a it's a document to work off of. So, thank you to city staff and to you, Clarissa, for capturing all the information and compiling it for uh anyone to view. **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** Thank you. **[Timestamp] Planning Commission Chair:** Anyone else? **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** I think the comments about uh concerns about the public awareness of the spend are important and how that's communicated. Um but then it does all these individual items do go through council as well, correct, for approval. So, uh, if communication is warranted, I think it depends a lot. It's the onus is on the individual a lot to go find the information because it's pretty readily available. If they want to be connected to the city, they can do that. Um, and [clears throat] with that, let's uh take a vote on the uh the motion on the table. All those in favor of uh recommending the city council that the 2026 2035 cap improvement plan program is consistent with the 2040 comprehensive plan say aye. **[Timestamp] Group:** Aye. **[Timestamp] Planning Commission Chair:** All those opposed. The motion passes. **[Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler:** Thank you. **[Timestamp] Planning Commission Chair:** Thank you. Thanks. Nice job. Next on the agenda, the old village zoning and future land use discussion. **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** Good evening. Let me get the website pulled up. We're going to use the property viewer. Can you see it on your screen? No? Escape the... Okay. Just gonna turn a couple layers on so we can see this. So, [clears throat] let's just turn the MUSA off for now. So, what we're talking about tonight is just an update on the old village work plan. It's uh to review the old village area zoning and future land use maps in response to the old village study conducted in 2024. **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** And as you know the village study um we were able to survey residents. We did a visual preference survey. It helped inform how we'd move forward on the old fire station. And one of the things that we did after was amend the zoning. So we did a text amendment to promote small lot but single family detached housing in medium density areas. So that was a product that um residents seem to want. It makes sense in a lot of ways for tax base and uh gives you flexibility to meet some of the zoning requirements when you land in the density numbers that you have to to meet. **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** So what we did after that is we decided we would look at the land use guidance and see if there was anything that we would want to work on immediately before the next round of the comp plan which we're going to start in 2026. Our ultimate recommendation is to not do anything between that time because we're going to spend considerable money and time with you know going through this process and community engagement involved. **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** But [clears throat] I want to go through three areas that we looked at and kind of tell you how we got to the the recommendation of going ahead and waiting. So this area right here, sometimes we just call this the West Village parcel. And you can see in the MUSA phasing, it is phased for the 2035 MUSA phasing, meaning if somebody came in right now that wanted to develop it, they would have to take out a comp plan amendment to move it into a a current MUSA phase. This site is a little challenging. We get calls from time to time. It's in a shoreland buffer. So, one of the things that you would need to know about the shoreland buffer is if you do a PUD in a Shoreland overlay district, half of that area needs to remain open. So, about 25% of that site needs to remain open. **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** And then right now, the future land use is low density, village low density. So, we've talked to people, it's feasible to build this at, you know, village low density. We've been requested to maybe look at medium density. It's challenging to fit that. It's challenging to fit the amount of units on that site knowing how much open space there needs to be. So, what we've told developers is if they can come up with concepts, whatever whatever they want to do on the site, figure out the density and how to how to set it on the site and meet all the guidelines. But currently we are not looking at changing the future land use from low to medium because we think low works well in that site. So there's no urgency to change it. We're not looking at anything there. **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** You can see to the north that is developed. Area to the east is a little bit trickier. So you can see the MUSA phasing here is most of it is in the current phasing except for this one section to the to the right on the other side of the tracks. [clears throat] Also it's medium density and I believe I have to see if this is correct but um yeah you have medium density right here. So also we're not looking to make any recommendations to change that um either. So if we did, it's such a large piece of property that it would be best if we were to change it to go through that comp plan process, let everybody weigh in on it instead of just trying to rush this and because if we did try to rush it, we really would have to go through the community engagement which would be expensive and and take a lot of time. **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** Now the other thing that's interesting just I want to show you that did come up in the review was the area basically the old village area. So you can see here most of it is VM—is uh village mixed use and at some point that was well that was changed for the 2040 comp plan but you can see the zoning is village um mixed use and then also I believe this is rural single family. So prior to to it being village mixed use it was general business. So essentially those sites just went from general business to uh village mixed use. **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** And one of the things to consider and I don't think we would need to look at it current—we're not making that recommendation to do it now—is with the future land use map a lot of the rural single family is is village mixed use. So it's more flexible zoning. So, it's something to consider whether or not um the city want to retain more residential um future land use guidance in the village and kind of focus in what should be village mixed use and what should be village [clears throat] low density or village medium density. We don't really see it as an urgent issue and um so we're not making any recommendations to make any changes. Um, this area here was already since it was general business is village mixed use. That's that's a good—we think that's where it would track with the land use guidance. Obviously with the school selling if it becomes a um commercial use it's going to have to go through the process to be reguided because right now it's institutional. So, that's what we looked at and um like I said, we're not making any recommendations to make any changes now. Just let it go through the process that we start next year. But if anybody has any comments or questions, go ahead and answer those. **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** Are you able to flip on the the MUSA on there, too? Doesn't look like that area to the west is is in that. Is it? **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** This area is not. I mean, yeah, the the MUSA ends right right here. **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** Okay. [clears throat] **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** Then you zoom up a little bit and it ends this parcel and then down here that's where the village ends up in the area. It's just [clears throat] right east of Hagberg's 2020 2030 that area and and beyond. **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** They've been doing a lot of core sampling there all this last couple several weeks. **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** And that that's from the contamination plume believe. **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** That's our assumption too. So you heard anything? **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** The owner of this site—this is all available online—but the owner of this site is... let me just see if I can click on it. Senhome apartments. **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** Senhome apartments. Yeah. **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** Yeah. It's the same group um that's building the site near Wildflower. **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** So, I'm sure they're they're looking into that's probably their next project. Do they own both those parcels? **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** Looks like Easton Village owns LLC owns these two. **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** All right. **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** And then Street and Family Trust owns this parcel. And the furthest east parcel there... **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** Next to the field. Right next to the existing village. Oh, furthest west. **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** Furthest west. Nope, you were right there. I'm thinking I'm looking at—yeah. Right next to all high density, right? Just turn that on. **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** You pull up the dotted dots. I don't know. I don't know what the dotty dots... Say there's no legend for me to see. **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** Yeah, I could click on it. Um but it is there's... Let me see if I can find it. It's village high density. **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** High density, right? [clears throat] Jason, have you has your staff looked at updating the you know current projects that are going on or have you... I know you [clears throat] did that last year. Kicked that out. **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** The current projects? Yeah, we're looking at doing a current projects through a story map similar to this. **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** Yeah, that was awesome. **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** We haven't we haven't done that yet, but um the other one that we had was basically a a PowerPoint PDF. **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** Yeah, but that was I think that was real informative for everybody to know what was going on. **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** That should still be available on the website and we do update it quarterly. **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** Okay, you do. Awesome. Great. **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** Good. Good. I've got a question about the uh the new development that is—where am I again? In the wrong spot. **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** Crossing the bank? **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** The crossing with the new—where they're putting the new bank in the corner corner up beside um... **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** Yep. **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** Yeah. Up there because they they've done a nice job on on landscaping and so on already. They put on trees and so on, but I noticed a lot of these new developments, they seem to bring in a lot of dirt and everything's plateaued up and so there's a lot of runoff that's going to be going into the cemetery into Oni Jacobson's land and so on. **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** Plus, I noted we've been very—I believe we still have the dark sky ordinance. And I noticed that the lights that they have out there don't shine down, but yet the ones that are across it in the the development right across it, they they have the ones that the light shines down so you're not like calling down UFOs. So, I was wondering if they just made a mistake doing that because the ones on downtown, they all have the downward uh light. But... **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** I have to look at I there's I'm pretty sure we have one standard. It's an acorn. It's a more classic looking light, but it's an LED with like a black top and the I believe the the LED's in the top and it just shines through the acorn. The [clears throat] acorn's got we're faceted so it focuses the light down. Those are the ones in my neighborhood. **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** Because it looks like it's just like a like a fishbowl is what it looks like. And I just wanted to make sure that you know that they didn't make a mistake that it's the proper thing for the lumens and so on. **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** Okay. I'll just add a note too that part of the reason why we're reviewing this tonight is is on the planning commission work plan to review the results of the survey and make changes as needed. So, um, that's part of why you're looking at it too. **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** In in in the downtown area, do we still have um—I'm changing a subject—do we still have the wildlife corridors that we're supposed to have that we had before, or are they gone? **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** You have a public space corridor here. **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** Yep. **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** It's being held. **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** But it had to be, it should be contiguous. And we lost the one down at in Tartan Park or that Royal Golf place. All right. All right. That's it. **[Timestamp] Planning Commission Chair:** Thanks, Jason. **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** All right. Thank you. **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** I I've got I've got one quick question. Okay, Jason, because I did come to the to the meeting. I came [clears throat] into both of them and the developers were at their first open house that we had here about the different types of homes and how did you gather all the information from—did people just come back on their computer? Did they just send things back or is it just from whenever we had our meeting here in the in the building? **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** So, that's on the website. So, a lot of people use the QR code and use the internet, phone, however they wanted to vote. And it was a survey and as you know some of it was a visual preference survey, right? But we did accept paper. I believe you filled out a paper survey and we entered that in. **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** And I and I I brought to your attention you know there was the thing that was oh other or no option or something like that too. So some people felt felt the only choices I have. They didn't know that they could maybe make other suggestions. **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** I think what you saw with the visual preference surveys, people want traditional neighborhood development and that's what we saw and we tried our best with the medium density to allow for that because it was kind of difficult [clears throat] um to do that prior but the changes I think will promote that and it'll be interesting to see which developers come in and build it. **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** Well, usually it's how much money we can get, right? But um I I just I just like—my only comments were you know post 2030 2035 whenever somebody says this is what the plan is please don't change it like they have done before you know whenever people come in and buy a place and they expect it surroundings to be a certain way that should be it and like I said about the core samples and then open single family residential will keep the open options open for larger lots and provide choices for our village areas. More comments I have everything doesn't have to be packed and stacked on top of each other. [clears throat] **[Timestamp] Planning Commission Chair:** All right. Thank you. Next, uh communication updates. **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, the planning commission will review its 2026 work plan at the December 8th meeting. Um, so if you have any ideas or proposals to add to that work plan between now and December 8th, please let me know. Um, there have been no city council actions on planning commission items since the last meeting, and the next two meetings are November 24th and December 8th. **[Timestamp] Planning Commission Chair:** Awesome. All right. Any other items from anybody? Okay. Do we need a motion to adjourn the meeting? **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** I think so. I think you can just do that. **[Timestamp] Planning Commission Chair:** I can just—all right. With that, well, I'm asking, you know, so I give people the option. **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** You've got the power. **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** All right. With that, well, I don't know. Maybe I better say something. Huh. Susie, you're always—Come on, kiddos. Right. Yeah. Like I said, we're missing our new our new person and [clears throat] I really want to make sure that she gets up to speed on things. So, do we have do the computer classes on folks or do we how how does she going to get up to speed on planning issues and how to do things? Is she take classes? **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** That's Sophia. **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** Danielle is our newest planning commission member. **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** She's been here for a few years. **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** Has she? **[Timestamp] Jason (Staff):** Yeah. Yeah. **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** Okay. I thought I thought you said you just got appointed. **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** No. **[Timestamp] Commissioner Susie:** No. Was not me. Once I made a mistake, but then I was wrong. [laughter] **[07:08] Planning Commission Chair:** All right. And with that, it's 7:08. Uh we'll adjourn the uh Monday, November 10th planning commission meeting for Lake Elmo. Thank you everybody. **[Timestamp] Planning Commissioner:** Okay. Motion.