This transcript appears to be from a **Woodbury, Minnesota Planning Commission** meeting. Based on the context of the city, the officials provided, and the specific projects discussed (Bilenberg Drive/Gold Line, 47 Pines/Arbor Ridge, and the Public Safety Campus), I have identified the speakers. Note: **"Eric"** is **Eric Carlson** (Planning Manager), and **"Chair Saen Shaw"** refers to **Shyam Shah** (often a member of the Planning Commission). [17:38] **Chair Saen Shaw**: Welcome to the February 23rd planning commissioning meeting. If all commissioners would please mute their microphones until your turn to speak, that would be greatly appreciated. Members of the public may join using a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, or Android device. Members of the public can access the meeting online at the city's website and the public can ask questions and comments during the meeting by using the link to the virtual meeting to join and then submitting the questions via the online question and answer feature within the meeting. Questions regarding this meeting can also be asked during regular business hours at city hall. If you are a member of the public and wish to speak on a topic, please fill out one of the yellow forms at the back of the room and provide that sheet to staff. [18:17] **Chair Saen Shaw**: You will be called on after the project in question is presented. Residents viewing online, please add your questions to the Q&A field along with your name and address. And with that, we will call the meeting to order. Staff, will you please start the roll call? [18:33] **City Staff**: Thank you, Chair Saen Shaw. [18:34] **Chair Saen Shaw**: Present. [18:35] **City Staff**: John Kollm? (Absent) Stephanie Swanson? [18:37] **Commissioner Stephanie Swanson**: Here. [18:38] **City Staff**: Shay Cabbrooks? (Absent) Jim Gentiel? [18:41] **Commissioner Jim Gentiel**: Here. [18:42] **City Staff**: Jacob Guzik? [18:43] **Commissioner Jacob Guzik**: Here. [18:44] **City Staff**: Jazelle Parnell? (Absent) Rien Hille? [18:46] **Commissioner Rien Hille**: Here. [18:54] **City Staff**: Chair, we have a quorum. [18:56] **Chair Saen Shaw**: Okay. The first item on our agenda is project 05-2025-0000594. It is the Bilenberg Drive multifamily project and the staff member presenting will be Eric. Take it away. [19:13] **Eric Carlson (Planning Staff)**: Thank you, Chair. Greco Properties has submitted an application for a comprehensive plan amendment, a rezoning, a planned unit development, conditional use permit, and preliminary plat and site and building plan for a 150 unit multifamily project... [Detailed presentation of the Bilenberg Drive project]. [26:23] **Chair Saen Shaw**: Would the applicant like to add anything? [26:30] **Josh Brandstead (Greco Properties)**: Good evening, Josh Brandstead, president, owner of Greco at 607 Washington Avenue North, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Thank you very much for having us here. This has been our project long in the works... [Comments on the 55+ senior housing project]. [27:15] **Chair Saen Shaw**: Have there been any yellow slips? [27:17] **City Staff**: Not at this time, chair. [27:19] **Chair Saen Shaw**: Okay. The Q&A will stay open for the duration of the project discussion. Please enter any questions and staff will read them for the commission. And so now we're going to open it up to members of the planning commission for questions. And we are going to switch things up today because it's fun. And normally our student commissioners never get to ask questions because they all get asked. So today we are going to start with Commissioner Hille—and I talked to her first. This is not her being blindsided. [27:50] **Commissioner Rien Hille**: Yep. It's not out of nowhere. Um, I would say if there is any questions, I'll be like, is there any accommodations for any like older trees to be preserved at all around the area? [28:10] **Eric Carlson (Planning Staff)**: The area was mass graded as part of the Gold Line development. So, the trees that were on site had been previously removed... [Explanation of tree preservation areas]. [28:43] **Commissioner Rien Hille**: Oh uh yeah, that kind of answered my question. Thank you. [28:48] **Chair Saen Shaw**: Did you have any other questions? [28:49] **Commissioner Rien Hille**: Oh, no I haven't. [28:50] **Chair Saen Shaw**: All right. Thank you, Commissioner Swanson. (Note: Transcript says "Sha," likely referring to Commissioner Swanson or Kennedy based on rotation). [29:00] **Commissioner Stephanie Swanson**: Thank you, Chair. Um, so I had a question maybe first to start with city... [Question regarding the history of rezoning/comprehensive plan amendments]. [29:32] **Eric Carlson (Planning Staff)**: Yeah, this I would say this is a fairly standard set of development review items that are necessary for a multifamily project... [30:34] **Commissioner Stephanie Swanson**: So yeah, my question was specifically for the rezoning... [Follow-up on Gold Line master plan and pedestrian infrastructure]. [31:16] **Eric Carlson (Planning Staff)**: That is correct... [Clarification on signalized access at Bilenberg Drive]. [32:25] **Commissioner Kennedy**: Thank you, Chair. Um, on page 10 of the staff report, number five... [Questions on maintenance and ownership of private roads]. [33:05] **Eric Carlson (Planning Staff)**: Yeah, within the conditions of approval... the condition of use permit will be recorded against the property. [33:43] **Commissioner Kennedy**: I figured that but I wasn't sure. So thank you. And that's the same for number 11... [Question about paths from townhomes to common areas]. [34:07] **Josh Brandstead (Applicant)**: Thank you Commissioner Kennedy for that. Um we do—I'm not sure that it exactly depicts it here in the site plan but the intention is yes to have direct access... [Explaining accessibility and parking]. [36:15] **Josh Brandstead (Applicant)**: Yeah, smart controllers. So essentially what they allow us to do is to pre-program um any type of of use with that device. [36:33] **Eric Carlson (Planning Staff)**: The smart sense controllers also have capabilities of reading the weather patterns... [37:05] **Commissioner Jacob Guzik**: Thank you, Chair. Um, first question has to be for the developer. Um, with the proposed 254 stalls, you feel that's more than enough? [37:09] **Josh Brandstead (Applicant)**: Yeah, we do. We were actually running the math on that in the office... [Explaining parking ratios and underground garage capacity]. [38:38] **Eric Carlson (Planning Staff)**: Yeah, I think that is something that when as we look at our next zoning ordinance update, we'll look to likely adopt more of a bedroom count approach... [39:18] **Eric Carlson (Planning Staff)**: Within our code, it identifies either vertical or horizontal mixed use... [40:22] **Commissioner Jim Gentiel**: Thank you, Chair. I guess while you're standing, um driving by the site today, um the group has left you a large pile of dirt on site... [40:31] **Josh Brandstead (Applicant)**: Yeah. So they'll actually be delivering the site—that soil is left there to surcharge the soils... [40:58] **Eric Carlson (Planning Staff)**: Yeah, the as part of the conditions of approval, it does identify that they need to have the parking spaces... [41:36] **Josh Brandstead (Applicant)**: Yeah, I think there's two different options. So, one, to your point, through the townhome area, there's also access available through that parking lot... [Discussion on EMS and fire access]. [43:08] **Eric Carlson (Planning Staff)**: As a background, our EMS teams for all of our multifamily does a fair amount of training of the individual facilities... [43:35] **Chair Saen Shaw**: All right. I just got a couple for you. Um, first of all, I think the the parking flexibility makes a lot of sense... [Comments on architecture, color, and evergreens]. Are you teasing me with this yellow sculpture over here? [44:43] **Josh Brandstead (Applicant)**: That may not be the piece, but yeah, we do have an intention of putting a big large display of art there. [45:10] **Eric Carlson (Planning Staff)**: The proof of parking areas are generally within this location right here. [Answering condition questions]. [46:12] **Commissioner Jacob Guzik**: I have one additional question... [Questions on unit density and mixed-use rezoning]. [46:38] **Eric Carlson (Planning Staff)**: This is the maximum amount unless there was a density bonus... [Clarification on why mixed-use was chosen over residential for future flexibility]. [47:38] **Commissioner Jacob Guzik**: I move to approve project number 05-2025-0000594... [47:51] **Commissioner Stephanie Swanson**: I and I would second it with um number 15. Add the details... [48:16] **Commissioner Jacob Guzik**: I move to approve the Bilenberg Drive multifamily project... with conditions as outlined in the staff report with the addition to number 15 as stated. [48:31] **Commissioner Stephanie Swanson**: Yep. I second it. [48:33] **Chair Saen Shaw**: All in favor say aye. (Commissioners: Aye). Any oppose say nay. All right. Congratulations. And Eric, when will this go to council? [48:47] **Eric Carlson (Planning Staff)**: March 11th. It will go to city council sometime around March 11th. [49:04] **Chair Saen Shaw**: All right. Next we are going to be hearing about 47 Pines project number 29-2025-0000592 and again Eric is at the helm. Take it away. [49:22] **Eric Carlson (Planning Staff)**: Thank you again chair. Land and Resources Consulting or LRC has submitted an application for another comp plan amendment... [Detailed presentation of the 47 Pines residential subdivision]. [55:02] **Todd Olin (Applicant, LRC)**: Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm Todd Olin. I'm with Land and Resource Consulting. I can't pass up an opportunity to talk... [Comments on high-end custom homes]. [55:49] **Chair Saen Shaw**: All right. And I do have one yellow slip for this project. Let's start with Greg Novak of 4460 Woodlane Drive. [56:06] **Greg Novak (Resident)**: Hi. Our property is just to the south of this piece... [Comments on transition, water drainage, and the barbed wire fence border]. [57:50] **Chair Saen Shaw**: Thank you. And with that, we're going to open it up to questions from our commissioners. And again, we are going to start with our student commissioner, Commissioner Hille. [57:54] **Commissioner Rien Hille**: I was going to say something about um any flooding concerns, but I guess he talked about something about that... [58:34] **Commissioner Jacob Guzik**: Thank you, Chair. Um I guess this is more for staff. I noticed um in the Arbor Ridge development there's that stub of a street... [58:39] **Eric Carlson (Planning Staff)**: There was not a master plan conducted as part of the development of Arbor Ridge. The stub street there is to provide future access to the property to the south... [1:00:15] **Commissioner Stephanie Swanson**: Thank you, Chair. Um I had few questions... [Questions about pedestrian crossings near Bailey Elementary School and utility capacity]. [1:00:28] **Eric Carlson (Planning Staff)**: Yeah, our engineering team did look closely at that item... the crossing area would be at Wood Lane and Hargus... [1:03:52] **Commissioner Jim Gentiel**: Thank you, Chair. Uh I guess first question for staff. Who owns lot one? [1:03:58] **Eric Carlson (Planning Staff)**: The property owners are in attendance. They have been the property owners for several decades. [1:04:14] **Property Owner (from audience)**: 39 years. [1:04:50] **Eric Carlson (Planning Staff)**: The size of that cul-de-sac is reviewed by our engineering division as well as our public works division to ensure that it is sized appropriately for turning movements. [1:05:52] **Commissioner Kennedy**: Thank you chair. Um, I also wanted to know who owns lot one... [Questions on well connection and city utilities]. [1:06:11] **Eric Carlson (Planning Staff)**: It's not unusual for parcels that are retained during development to ultimately connect their systems... [1:06:52] **Greg Novak (Resident)**: Well, I think historically, uh, it kind of goes way back where the water would flow from our property... [Explaining historical drainage issues]. [1:08:18] **Eric Carlson (Planning Staff)**: The notes within the storm water prevention plan are fairly standard. [1:09:00] **Todd Olin (Applicant, LRC)**: Thank you madam. First of all, um there won't be an oil water separator structure on this... [Explanation of filtration basins]. [1:10:12] **Todd Olin (Applicant, LRC)**: Um, there's truth in that... [Discussion on tree replacement and custom home placement]. [1:12:44] **Eric Carlson (Planning Staff)**: In this case, the outlot A will be deeded to the city. So, the city will be doing the long-term maintenance on outlot A. [1:13:46] **Chair Saen Shaw**: All right. And I just wanted to um scold the applicant a little bit because you are completely selling yourself short... [Comments on zoning flexibility and the "Utah shape" of lot two]. I do not have any more questions. [1:15:00] **Commissioner Kennedy**: I move to approve the 47 Pines Woodbury Comprehensive plan amendment... according to the conditions of the staff report. [1:15:28] **Commissioner Jacob Guzik**: I second. [1:15:29] **Chair Saen Shaw**: All in favor say aye. (Commissioners: Aye). Anybody oppose? Say nay. All right. Congratulations. It's going to go to city council March 11th-ish. [1:15:45] **Chair Saen Shaw**: Our next project is the public safety campus amended site and building plan project number 16-2026-00609 and again it is Eric whenever you're ready. [1:16:17] **Eric Carlson (Planning Staff)**: Thank you chair. The city of Woodbury has been working on a public safety campus project... [Presentation on the expansion and renovation of the Radio Drive facility]. [1:22:49] **Commissioner Rien Hille**: Thank you, Chair. Um, my question will be, will the um current public services relocate to other places during construction? [1:22:56] **Eric Carlson (Planning Staff)**: Yeah, there will be a number of different services that will be displaced... [Explanation of temporary locations at city hall and fire stations]. [1:24:34] **Commissioner Jim Gentiel**: Thank you chair. Uh, could you go to the site access? Curious more so on the 11 visitor stalls... [Question on the one-way drive aisle]. [1:25:29] **Eric Carlson (Planning Staff)**: Yeah, there was a lot of discussion regarding the one-way drive aisle... [Explaining Washington County’s requirements for Radio Drive access]. [1:26:18] **Commissioner Kennedy**: Thank you chair. Um, Commissioner Gentiel and I were at the academy on Thursday and they are so excited about this building... [Questions about the elevator and facility layout]. [1:27:04] **Commissioner Stephanie Swanson**: Thank you, Chair. Um this my question is actually more of a clarification... [Questions on police exit access and training facilities]. [1:28:03] **Eric Carlson (Planning Staff)**: So they would be able to access the site via access point A... it's important to note that police are not responding to calls directly from the facility. [1:29:10] **Council Member Steve Morris**: Maybe council member Morris might be able to answer that better than I. There's not. And very specifically because of the Hero Center... [Explaining training capabilities, the K9 facility, and drone infrastructure]. [1:31:05] **Commissioner Jacob Guzik**: Thank you, Chair. Uh, no questions. Thank you. [1:31:10] **Chair Saen Shaw**: I just had two questions on page six with the parking... [Question on additional stalls and the "guillotine" gate]. [1:31:27] **Eric Carlson (Planning Staff)**: The concern is why there's a guillotine style is so that there is two separate gate mechanisms so that if one were to fail, you would still be able to access the facility. [1:33:14] **Commissioner Jim Gentiel**: Motion to approve public safety campus project amended site and building plan 16-2026-00609. [1:33:29] **Commissioner Stephanie Swanson**: I can second it. [1:33:31] **Chair Saen Shaw**: All in favor say aye. (Commissioners: Aye). All oppose say nay. All right. Looks like we're getting a new public safety building. [1:33:47] **Council Member Steve Morris**: Eric buried the lead in the public safety building. The lead is that the bids have all come in and substantially under budget... [Council update on public safety bids, Slick City opening, and the State of the City address]. [1:36:57] **Commissioner Stephanie Swanson**: Actually, I do have a comment on the minutes. Under roll call, my name is spelled wrong. It's with two Y's... [1:37:41] **Chair Saen Shaw**: Apologies. Does anybody else have anything? Thomas Harrington is listed in the roll call... [1:38:23] **Commissioner Stephanie Swanson**: I make a motion for approval of the planning commission meeting minutes February 2nd with the changes... [1:38:38] **Commissioner Jacob Guzik**: Second. I second. [1:38:55] **Chair Saen Shaw**: All in favor say aye. (Commissioners: Aye). We are adjourned.