This transcript appears to be from the Richfield City Council meeting held on **July 23, 2024**. **Note on Speaker Names:** While your provided list mentions Walter Burk and Rori A. Coleman-Woods, the transcript text explicitly names **Simon Trautmann** (referred to as Troutman) and **Ben Whalen** (referred to as Whalen/Will), who were the active council members for this specific session. I have used the names as they appear in the verbal record to ensure accuracy. *** **[00:00:00] Mayor Mary Supple:** Is everybody here? Thank you. Good evening, I'm going to call to order this regular City Council meeting. It's July 23rd at 7 p.m. If you're able, please rise and join us for the Pledge of Allegiance. **[00:00:12] 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. **[00:00:25] Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you. Now we'll move on to the Open Forum. If you are watching online, you can call into Open Forum by dialing 415-655-0001 and use webinar access code 263 133 44144 and password one-two-three-four. If you are here in the audience or online, we ask people to identify themselves by giving their name and also their address, and then they have three minutes to speak. I have one person that has asked to speak and I believe there's someone else that's also putting in their name. I don't see anyone online, so I think we'll go ahead with the one that I have and then we'll add the others as we go along. So at this point, I would like to welcome Mary Best to come up... oh, is there a request? So you were like the first person; the order doesn't matter, so I'll do it in the order you would like. I believe you would like to have Jerry speak first, so we'll call Jerry Doyle. That's just fine. If you go up to there, make sure the green light is on so we can hear you and also give us your name and address. You have three minutes to address the council, and we'll just take notes and won't respond—we'll just listen politely. Okay, so go ahead. **[00:01:45] Jerry Doyle:** I'm Jerry Doyle. I live at 6734 Oakland, which is just a softball throw away the next block. I've lived here for about 20 years. When I heard about what this was going to be about, it really kind of made me go, "What's going on?" because first off, we don't have sidewalks. If they put a bunch of parking on the street... most people have driveways and garages with their houses. What I've noticed over the years is there are a number of people that do walk, and they do have to walk in the street. You have to be careful for cars. There's this old couple that walk by my house where the husband uses two walking sticks or a walker. If they change everything where there's more cars parked on the street, it puts them in danger. I walk because I have a dog and I've been fighting cancer for 10 years; I have to be out walking. I also see families pushing baby carriages. If you have more cars on the street, they have to walk further into the street. It just doesn't make a lot of sense to do what you're talking about doing. **[00:03:15] Mayor Mary Supple:** Oh no, I was just saying you're reaching the end of your time. **[00:03:18] Jerry Doyle:** So I'm done. All right, thank you. **[00:03:21] Mayor Mary Supple:** All right, thank you, sir. Next we have Larry Ernster. Michelle, no sign-in sheet? **[00:03:28] Larry Ernster:** My name's Larry Ernster. I live at 6727 Elliott Avenue South. Good evening, Madam Mayor and council members. At the July 6th City Council meeting, I stated that Richfield is manipulating ordinances to isolate itself from its citizens. I used the example of micro-communities or homeless shelters. Richfield went farther to make micro-communities an accessory to an approved religious institution. Why did Richfield do that? To quote staff report 16, Richfield did it "to avoid frustrating and pointless public hearing process." If you take away our voice, you will increase frustration and distrust. Lastly, the parking ordinance is contentious and unnecessary. Compromise is an option: approve the reduced parking for restaurants and museums, but leave the multifamily units unchanged and use the variance process. Implementing these parking regulations will allow construction without consideration or comment from citizens. Vote no on the parking ordinance. Thank you. **[00:04:45] Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you. All right, next we have Mary Best. **[00:04:50] Mary Best:** Do I have to sign? **[00:04:51] Mayor Mary Supple:** Apparently we don't have a sign-in sheet, but you all filled out the form, so I'll pass those to the City Clerk. Thank you for asking. **[00:05:00] Mary Best:** You know me. Okay, good evening Mayor and council members. I come here again tonight to request that the City Council reject the proposed parking ordinances. I do not believe the City Council or the Planning Commission can divine rules that will cover all future circumstances. Parking, or lack of it, is already a contentious issue in Richfield. Ask any apartment resident living in one of our mega-complexes. Council Member Oleary published a paper where he cherry-picked existing Richfield businesses claiming they could not be built today because of our ordinances. Yes, they could—that's why the variance process was developed. The gentleman mentioned the walkers and people with dogs and kids all trying to share the street. None of the original concerns have been addressed except sidewalks—very expensive sidewalks. None of the proposed parking changes are urgent or necessary. Please reject the proposed ordinance. Thank you. **[00:06:15] Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you. Is there anyone else that wishes to speak that's here this evening? City Clerk Friedrich, I can't see the screen at the moment—is there anybody online? **[00:06:25] Michelle Friedrich (City Clerk):** No. **[00:06:26] Mayor Mary Supple:** All right, thank you. So then we'll close the open forum. If you could pass these down to the City Clerk so that we get the names recorded. Thank you. City Manager Rodriguez, do we have an email that was submitted? **[00:06:40] Katie Rodriguez (City Manager):** We do, Mayor. Give me one minute to find it... Dear Madame Mayor and City Council members, I urge you not to move forward with discussions and vote down reducing parking minimums. Community members have experienced numerous issues related to snowplowing, safety, and quality of life due to parking variances previously granted. Just a few days ago, my four-year-old daughter was nearly hit by a speeding vehicle at the end of our driveway due to street-parked cars limiting visibility. This proposal is a baby step towards the goal of complete elimination of parking minimums. The proposal is based on flawed studies conducted by our own council members with many assumptions. Many people rely on vehicles for income through rideshare services. Removing parking options only benefits developer revenue. **[00:08:15] Mayor Mary Supple:** So we're coming up to—we've gone over three minutes. Are we almost done? **[00:08:20] Katie Rodriguez (City Manager):** Yes. All right, thank you. **[00:08:22] Mayor Mary Supple:** I gave extra time because of the confusion with the microphone. Was that the complete message? **[00:08:26] Katie Rodriguez (City Manager):** Yes, Mayor. There are some pictures and I'm going to email those to you. **[00:08:30] Mayor Mary Supple:** All right, thank you. Is there any other testimony that was emailed in? Is there anybody else online? All right, thank you. Next we'll move on to approval of the minutes of the Joint City Council and Planning Commission work session and the City Council meeting of July 9th, 2024. **[00:08:50] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** Mayor, I'll move approval of both, but I do have a correction on the council meeting minutes. On the parking discussion, I noted that the streets were wide, so it may be harder to regulate speeding on the streets, not regular parking requirements. And I also think you [Mayor] may have said "be proactive on parking issues," not "C issues." But I would like my line to say "speeding." **[00:09:15] Mayor Mary Supple:** I said actually both, but if we could make that correction... are we clear with what the correction is? All right. We have a motion to approve both sets of minutes with the correction that Council Member Hayford made. Is there a second? **[00:09:28] Council Member Sharon Christensen:** Second. **[00:09:30] Mayor Mary Supple:** It's been moved and seconded. All in favor please say aye. **[00:09:34] Group:** Aye. **[00:09:35] Mayor Mary Supple:** All opposed? All right, we've approved those minutes. Next we'll move on to approval of the agenda. **[00:09:40] Council Member Simon Trautmann:** I would move approval of the agenda. **[00:09:42] Council Member Ben Whalen:** Second. **[00:09:43] Mayor Mary Supple:** All in favor please say aye. **[00:09:45] Group:** Aye. **[00:09:46] Mayor Mary Supple:** All right, we've approved the agenda. Next we'll move on to the Consent Calendar. City Manager Rodriguez. **[00:09:52] Katie Rodriguez (City Manager):** Thank you, Mayor. The consent calendar contains several separate items which are acted upon in one motion. [Summarizes Item A: Liquor license for St. Peter Catholic Church; Item B: Grant agreement with MPCA; Item C: Typographical error correction for Penn Station; Item D: Appointing election judges]. I submit these items for your consideration. **[00:10:45] Council Member Ben Whalen:** Move approval of the consent calendar. **[00:10:47] Council Member Sharon Christensen:** Second. **[00:10:48] Mayor Mary Supple:** All in favor please say aye. **[00:10:50] Group:** Aye. **[00:10:51] Mayor Mary Supple:** All right, we've approved the consent calendar. Next we'll move on to Item Number 4, which is to consider a second reading of an ordinance amendment adjusting parking requirements. Council Member Hayford. **[00:11:05] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** At its April 25, 2023 work session, the Council directed staff to examine parking requirements. The attached ordinance updates the requirements in five ways: 1) reduces requirements for Class 3 restaurants; 2) creates requirements for libraries/museums; 3) expands Council flexibility for non-driving populations; 4) adjusts multifamily housing to a consistent 1.25 ratio; and 5) revises parking maximums for multifamily only. The Planning Commission recommended approval. Does staff have anything to add? **[00:12:00] Melissa Poehlman (Community Development Director):** I do not, but I'm happy to answer any questions. **[00:12:03] Council Member Sharon Christensen:** The one question I had was about one-sided street parking. Would that be year-round, certain areas, or the entire city? **[00:12:15] Melissa Poehlman (Community Development Director):** Mayor Supple, members of the Council, I believe that was brought up as an example of what might happen if there were a narrow street where plowing or safe passage became an issue. We would look at that problem individually. It would not be the entire city. **[00:12:45] Council Member Sharon Christensen:** Because some of the streets in the northwest part of the city are very narrow. If you get fire trucks and ambulances going through there, it would make it very difficult. **[00:13:05] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** I just wanted to respond—this is really just regulations for what happens on private property. But as Director Poehlman said, if Public Works believes this is important for safety, we support doing that in advance of a building opening. **[00:13:40] Council Member Sharon Christensen:** Right, because I know people have mentioned the Lindview Apartments on Lyndale—some of those back streets are very clogged. **[00:13:55] Mayor Mary Supple:** I would encourage people to watch the last meeting's discussion as well for information about the Traffic Control Committee. Is there any further discussion? **[00:14:15] Council Member Simon Trautmann:** Thank you, Mayor. Just a comment on the Traffic Committee—I found that really helpful. Evaluating the number of residents that need signatures to request "no parking" might be something worth considering as well. **[00:14:40] Council Member Ben Whalen:** I would also add—I've had literally one person raise a concern and I passed it on to the Traffic Committee. For folks listening, you should not feel like that is a large burden. I want to talk about the "cost of free parking." To create a new parking spot in a new development is about $50,000 for surface and $100,000 for underground structured parking. On a 40-unit building, a 1.25 ratio vs a 1.5 ratio is a 10-spot difference. That's a million dollars. That cost adds an additional $165 a month per every unit in that building for 30 years. This decision is about making housing more affordable. **[00:16:35] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** Thank you, Council Member Whalen. I appreciate your point. It's just bad for Richfield to require excessive parking. At The Riley, to meet our current 1.25 requirement, they had to tear down an additional single-family home just for a surface parking lot. We should not be knocking down houses to create parking that isn't needed. **[00:17:35] Council Member Simon Trautmann:** Thank you, Mayor. I'll just add briefly that this is a relatively close call. I'm glad to support it, but I appreciate the candor of our staff and residents. **[00:18:00] Mayor Mary Supple:** Before I get into how I'm going to vote, I want to emphasize that we need to utilize the Traffic Control Committee. Madam Mayor, can anyone submit a request? **[00:18:15] Melissa Poehlman (Community Development Director):** Yes, it's an online form. **[00:18:35] Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you. This is a very tight issue. What I come down on is my history as a negotiator—I like to have some discretion so we can negotiate for things like sidewalks. My sticking point is point number four [multifamily ratios]; it bothers me to give up discretion. I will be voting no for that reason, but I appreciate the work that went into this. **[00:19:20] Council Member Ben Whalen:** I just want to point out that "discretion" is not cost-neutral. Delays in projects take time and significantly increase costs. **[00:19:50] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** I want to add another word for that: predictability. In Minneapolis, there is no parking requirement at all. Having clear rules benefits us. **[00:20:25] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** I will move that we approve a second reading of an ordinance amendment to adjust parking requirements. **[00:20:31] Council Member Ben Whalen:** Second. **[00:20:33] Mayor Mary Supple:** All in favor please say aye. **[00:20:35] Council Members Hayford Oleary, Whalen, Trautmann:** Aye. **[00:20:37] Mayor Mary Supple and CM Christensen:** No. **[00:20:39] Mayor Mary Supple:** It has passed by a vote of 3 to 2. **[00:20:41] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** I move that we approve a resolution authorizing summary publication of said ordinance. **[00:20:45] Council Member Ben Whalen:** Second. **[00:20:46] Mayor Mary Supple:** All in favor please say aye. [All say aye]. We've approved the authorization. Moving on, City Manager's Report. **[00:20:55] Katie Rodriguez (City Manager):** Thank you, Mayor. [Summarizes follow-ups on the Lindview development and connections with potential dispensary owners]. I don't have any specific questions to answer tonight. **[00:21:20] Council Member Ben Whalen:** I'd move claims and payroll. **[00:21:22] Council Member Simon Trautmann:** Second. **[00:21:23] Mayor Mary Supple:** All in favor please say aye. [All say aye]. Approved. Next, Hats Off to Hometown Hits. **[00:21:35] Council Member Simon Trautmann:** I have one brief hats off. We had a work session with our architectural firm for an updated Wood Lake Nature Center. I want to thank everyone who participated in giving insight and feedback. **[00:22:10] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** I wanted to share we did a recap of a bike tour for the national planning conference. Commissioner Anderson joined us. It was a great afternoon. **[00:22:35] Council Member Sharon Christensen:** I have two things: support local small businesses, and the Richfield Historical Society is having their annual ice cream social on Saturday, August 3rd from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. **[00:23:00] Council Member Ben Whalen:** Hats off to the election judges. Reminder that early voting is open. For folks in Ward 1, there is also a primary for City Council. Michelle, are you willing to share the hours? **[00:23:40] Michelle Friedrich (City Clerk):** Absentee voting hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Saturday, August 10th, we are open 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and Monday, August 12th, until 5:00 p.m. Direct balloting starts this Friday. **[00:24:10] Mayor Mary Supple:** Our next City Council meeting will be on Wednesday, August 14th because of the primary. Hats off to the Richfield Farmers Market and to all the people that helped clean up after the storm damage—Public Works, first responders, and neighbors. I'll entertain a motion to adjourn. **[00:25:20] Council Member Simon Trautmann:** I'd make that motion—and I just want to give an extra shout-out to Public Works for working at 3:00 a.m. clearing lines. **[00:25:35] Council Member Ben Whalen:** I'd second that. **[00:25:36] Mayor Mary Supple:** All in favor say aye. [All say aye]. We stand adjourned. Thank you.