2018.04.03 Work Session Packet (1st)
4141 Douglas Drive North • Crystal, Minnesota 55422-1696
Tel: (763) 531-1000 • Fax: (763) 531-1188 • www.crystalmn.gov
Posted: March 30, 2018
City Council
First Work Session Agenda
April 3, 2018
6:15 p.m.
Conference Room A
Pursuant to due call and notice given in the manner prescribed by Section 3.01 of the City Charter,
the first work session of the Crystal City Council was held at ______ p.m. on April 3, 2018 in
Conference Room A, 4141 Douglas Dr. N., Crystal, Minnesota.
I. Attendance
Council Members Staff
____ Parsons ____ Norris
____ Adams ____ Therres
____ Budziszewski ____ Ray
____ Dahl ____ Revering
____ Deshler ____ Sutter
____ Kolb ____ Biggerstaff
____ LaRoche ____ Serres
II. Agenda
The purpose of the work session is to discuss the following agenda items:
1. Hennepin County Highway 81 median planting concept.
2. Historical Society Subcommittee update.
3. Hennepin County Assessing update and preview of Open Book.
III. Adjournment
The work session adjourned at ______ p.m.
Auxiliary aids are available upon request to individuals with disabilities by calling the City Clerk at (763) 531-
1145 at least 96 hours in advance. TTY users may call Minnesota Relay at 711 or 1-800-627-3529.
Memorandum
DATE: April 3, 2018
TO: City Council
FROM: Mark Ray, PE, Director of Public Works
SUBJECT: Hennepin County Hwy 81 potential planting
Summary
Earlier this year Hennepin County staff approached City staff with a potential median planting along
Highway 81 through Crystal (as well as Robbinsdale and Brooklyn Park). Concept drawings for the
project were provided in a meeting between City and County staff. The timeline for construction of the
$1 million project is fall 2018 (contingent on approvals and bid prices).
Staff feedback
Staff has a number of items about the project that still need to be worked out.
1) Landscape maintenance as far who is responsible for what) which includes (but is not limited
to) weeding, mowing, mulching, etc.
2) Irrigation maintenance (if it is included), again who is responsible for repairs, winterizing,
paying for the water, etc.
3) Long term viability of any plants in this area. With the direct sun, wind (traffic and otherwise),
road salt, it is a tough growing environment.
Council action
No formal Council action is needed. Hennepin County staff would like to present the project concept
and just get Council’s initial input. This is intended to be a brief project introduction presentation to
identify Council questions, concerns, or issues that need to then be evaluated by the project team.
Hennepin County Environment and Energy
701 Fourth Avenue South, Suite 700, Minneapolis, MN 55415
hennepin.us
County Road 81 landscape restoration
April 2018
About the project
Hennepin County is planning a landscape restoration for a five-mile segment of the County State Aid Highway 81 (CSAH 81) corridor between the eastern city limits of Robbinsdale and the Interstate 694/Interstate 94 (I-694/I-94) interchange in
Brooklyn Park.
The project area encompasses all county-owned green space within the CSAH 81 right-of-way, with landscape
improvements primarily focused on medians and intersections. There will be supplemental tree plantings throughout the
right-of-way as space permits.
Project need
The existing landscapes in the project area were installed in three separate phases as part of three road reconstruction
projects completed from 2008 to 2014. The road in the northernmost 1,000 feet of the project area, which is in the vicinity
of the I-694/I-94 interchange, was substantially completed in fall 2017.
The three phases are individually contained within the cities of Brooklyn Park, Crystal and Robbinsdale and were designed
separately. As a result, the landscape lacks a consistent design, with each phase reflecting the landscaping goals and
maintenance capacities of the individual cities.
The landscape of this corridor is in need of rehabilitation. Plant health throughout the corridor has degraded due to salt
spray, snow load, lack of irrigation and poor soil conditions.
The plants in the medians and boulevards incur significant salt spray throughout the winter. Irrigation in the corridor
would help flush sodium from the plants and soil. Irrigation would also help plants tolerate periods of drought and the
extreme summer heat of a roadway environment.
The plants further struggle because of the poor soil conditions within the corridor. Prior to any new planting, Hennepin
County would amend the soil. Soil samples have been collected throughout the corridor to develop a soil amendment
strategy.
Landscape rehabilitation concept
The objectives for rehabilitating the CSAH 81 landscape are to create a
sustainable and visually appealing corridor and to establish a unified
identity by using a consistent plant palette and materials throughout the
corridor.
The plants selected will be salt-tolerant, hardy, flowering perennials, shrubs
and trees to replace the struggling turf. Arrangement of these plants in a
layered design will showcase the color and form of the individual plant
species.
Alternating these plantings with lower-maintenance, ornamental grasses
will add natural form to the corridor. In transition medians, the landscape
design maintains the character of the higher treatment areas while
increasing the use of ornamental grasses and low-mow fescue in lieu of
perennials and shrubs.
Users of this corridor will notice the consistent colors, textures and patterns
used throughout the unified landscape. The distinct character will highlight
the important role that this segment of Bottineau Boulevard and the
surrounding communities play as a transportation link.
Landscape rehabilitation approach
Create a landscape plan for the entire corridor
The proposed landscape plan will focus improvements within the following zones within the corridor:
• Medians: The county proposes replacing the struggling turf with
trees, perennials and ornamental grasses. Removing turf eliminates
the need for regular mowing and lowers maintenance costs. The
installation of irrigation in the medians would help ensure the
plants remain healthy. The county is seeking input from the city
regarding the proposed median irrigations systems.
• Intersections: Intersections with high pedestrian traffic and
commercial activity will have their landscapes rehabilitated in the
four quadrants of the intersection.
• City entrance signs: The county is proposing to update the
landscape surrounding the city entrance signs in the county’s right-
of-way.
• Boulevards: The county is proposing to plant additional trees from
the county’s gravel-bed nursery in the boulevards, which are the
green spaces on either side of the roadway, where there is
adequate space. This work would be completed by Hennepin
County foresters, and the trees will be equipped with watering
bags.
Project funding
Hennepin County is proposing to install the new plants and irrigation within the corridor with county funds using a private
professional landscape contractor. The landscape contractor will be responsible for maintaining and warrantying the
landscape during the plant establishment period, which will be two to three years. The county is requesting the cities to
maintain the landscape after the plant establishment period end.
Timeline
Hennepin County is proposing to have the landscape contractor install the landscape within the medians, the city entrance
sign and at commercial intersections in fall 2018. Irrigation associated with these areas would be part of the construction
package. Also in fall 2018 or spring 2019, Hennepin County foresters will install trees within the CSAH 81 boulevards.
Maintenance
Hennepin County will work with the cities of Brooklyn Park, Crystal and Robbinsdale to develop a plan to maintain the
landscape after the landscape contractor warranty period ends. Landscape maintenance will include replanting, pruning,
weed control, fertilization, trash pickup, winter protection, and insect and disease control. Irrigation, if installed, will need
regular maintenance. However, the added cost of irrigation will be off-set by the elimination of mowing of turf grass in the
medians.
Landscape areas in Crystal
• 47th Avenue to 51st Avenue median
• 51st Avenue to Canadian Pacific Rail Corridor median
• Canadian Pacific Rail Corridor to Wilshire Boulevard median
• Wilshire Boulevard to Bass Lake Road median
• Bass Lake Road intersection will be completed as part of the Light Rail Transit Blue Line Extension
• Bass Lake Road to 60th Avenue median
• 58th Avenue into Brooklyn Park median
Memorandum
DATE: March 26, 2018
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Anne Norris, City Manager
SUBJECT: Historical Society Subcommittee – Community Outreach Task Force
____________________________________________________________________
One of the initiatives of the Community Outreach Task Force is researching the
creation of a historical society. A subcommittee of the Task Force, chaired by Steve
Adams, has been meeting monthly with the goal of creating a Crystal Historical Society.
Steve Adams will be at the April 3 work session to update the Council on the
subcommittee’s progress. The subcommittee is requesting approval to proceed with
preparing the necessary documents to become an independent, historical society. This
will require the city attorney to spend a modest amount of time in preparing these
documents, similar to what was done with the Crystal Crime Prevention Board or the
Crystal Frolics.
Staff is working with the subcommittee on determining secure, accessible storage
space for anticipated future collections.
Hennepin County Assessor’s Office
300 South Sixth Street, Minneapolis, MN 55487
612-348-3046 | hennepin.us
To: City of Crystal, Mayor and Council
From: Residential Appraisers: Braden Johnson and Ashlei Munneke
Date: March 7, 2017
Re: 2018 Assessment and Board of Appeal and Equalization
______________________________________________________________________
The 2018 Open Book meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 18th, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Annual Revaluation, Sales, and New Construction Reviews
Each year, one fifth of the properties in the city are reviewed and the records are updated.
For the 2018 assessment we viewed all single family homes in the south eastern portion of
the city (shaded in purple). Included is the map of our revaluation area, separated by color,
and also the neighborhood map used to determine percentage of growth.
The viewing, reviewing, and statistical analysis of all sales that sold between October 1, 2016
and September 30, 2017 in the City of Crystal were made.
Summary of the 2018 Assessment
Each year the estimated market values are analyzed along with sales data from the market.
A recalculation of land and building values were made to all property types.
The results of the adjustments for the following property types are:
Residential: +7.4%
Residential Lakeshore: +8.8%
Condos: +9.8%
Townhouses: +7.6%
Double Bungalows: +17.4%
Residential Zero Lot Line: +18.6%
Commercial: +2%
Industrial: +9.1%
Apartment: +6.5%
The City of Crystal has a total market value of approximately $1,898,039,200. This value
includes $10,613,000 in new construction improvements. The overall value increase for all
property types in the City of Crystal is 6.81%.
The Open Book Processes
Value notices are scheduled to be mailed March 22, 2018. Taxpaye r s w i t h v a l u e o r
classification concerns should contact the assessor’s office. During the initial conversation
the property owner may discuss their concerns and review sales information with an
appraiser. The majority of the callers are satisfied after a conversation with an appraiser. If
additional attention is necessary the appraiser will review the property.
The City of Crystal has decided to use the alternative method to the formal Local Board of
Appeal and Equalization meeting held by the city council and mayor and hold an informal
open book meeting. During an open book meeting, the valuation and classification issues are
handled by the assessor’s staff on a one‐on‐one basis with the property owner. The open
book meeting allows property owners to address questions about their property assessment
directly to the assessing staff.
Homeowners should still call the number listed on their value notice in March to address
questions and set up interior inspections prior to the open book meeting. If homeowners
concerns are addressed prior to the open book meeting and the homeowner is satisfied with
t h e r e s u l t s , t h e h o m e o w n e r w o u l d n o t n e e d t o a t t e n d t h e o p e n b ook meeting. If the
homeowner is unsatisfied with the results of their property value or classification after
speaking with an assessor they can appeal their value to the County Board of Appeal and
Equalization.
The County Board of Appeal and Equalization will begin meeting on June 11, 2018. All
requests for appointments at the County Board must be received before May 16, 2018.
To make an appointment, taxpayers should call 612‐348‐7050.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Braden or Ashlei at 763.531.1116.
For your reference, the 2018 Hennepin County Assessment Report is uploaded to the
County website. It includes an in‐depth look at all market value data across the county:
Link:
https://www.hennepin.us/residents/property/property‐value#county‐assessor‐report
2016 2017 + / – 2016 2017 + / –
New Listings 22 15 -31.8% 575 540 -6.1%
Closed Sales 33 33 0.0% 496 498 + 0.4%
Median Sales Price*$180,000 $195,000 + 8.3% $185,450 $200,900 + 8.3%
Average Sales Price*$180,740 $200,257 + 10.8% $188,419 $208,958 + 10.9%
Price Per Square Foot*$116 $139 + 20.2% $117 $128 + 8.9%
Percent of Original List Price Received*96.3%98.4%+ 2.2% 98.5%99.4%+ 0.9%
Days on Market Until Sale 74 33 -55.4% 46 36 -21.7%
Inventory of Homes for Sale 45 26 -42.2% -- -- --
Months Supply of Inventory 1.1 0.6 -45.5% -- -- --
** Each dot represents the change in median sales price from the prior year using a 6-month weighted average. This means that each of the 6 months used in a dot are
proportioned according to their share of sales during that period. | Current as of January 9, 2018. All data from NorthstarMLS. | Powered by ShowingTime.
Local Market Update – December 2017
A RESEARCH TOOL PROVIDED BY THE MINNEAPOLIS AREA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
- 31.8% 0.0% + 8.3%
Change in
New Listings
Change in
Closed Sales
Change in
Median Sales Price
16-County Twin Cities Region
Crystal
December Year to Date
Crystal
* Does not account for seller concessions. | Activity for one month can sometimes look extreme due to small sample size.
- 40%
- 30%
- 20%
- 10%
0%
+ 10%
+ 20%
+ 30%
+ 40%
1-2008 7-2008 1-2009 7-2009 1-2010 7-2010 1-2011 7-2011 1-2012 7-2012 1-2013 7-2013 1-2014 7-2014 1-2015 7-2015 1-2016 7-2016 1-2017 7-2017
Change in Median Sales Price from Prior Year (6-Month Average)**b
a
575
496540 498
New Listings Closed Sales
Year to Date 2016 2017
+ 0.4%-6.1%
22
33
15
33
New Listings Closed Sales
December 2016 2017
0.0%-31.8%