May 18, 2017

Sand Creek TWP Long Range Planning (LRP ) Meeting Notes

Attendees: Chad Sandey, Scott Erickson, Emily Nordick, Bruce Hunstad, Travis Cherro, Carl Adams, Peggy Jo Dunnette, and Herb Baldwin

Check out the Township website: sandcreekmn.org Many of the maps, Planning Meeting Notes, and the 2030 Comp Plan links are available

Bruce topics:

· Talked with Louisville Township about their frontage road plans. They have been planning these since 2005. Problem with connectivity and continuity.

· At the last township meeting a Stantec rep. made a comment about creating an “opportunities and liabilities map” in regards to our future plans to define frontage roads and other traffic routes in the township. This was discussed again and all agreed that it would help. Need action on this – with consideration of the township budget.

· Review of handout from 2040 Comp Plan meeting / brainstorming vision. Land Use / Growth link will be on the township website.

· Review of handout from SCALE meeting Maxfield data charts about Scott County “Commercial / Industrial Needs Update”.

· County to promote business and candidates “Shark Tank” style. How does this work?

· 169 Coalition meeting had a City of Shakopee employee asking about adding another Minnesota River crossing – even though they recently finished the Hwy. 101 bridge in the last year. They are thinking ahead!

· Sand Creek Township Minnesota Facebook page – Like it!

Herb topics:

· We are coming closer to ‘crunch time’ for giving information and recommendations to the Township and County by the end of the year.

· We need residents to ‘show up’ and ‘contribute’!

· Are we wasting time? How do we achieve our goals? What information does the Township Chairman claim to have that isn’t being shared with the LRP?

· Jordan planners are leaving so we need to know what is going on. Jordan is running out of room and the only way to expand, they think. is annexation.

· We need to be more efficient and effective with our contributions we think we can meet. We need to think and plan ‘proactively’ and make todays actions a step into the future.

· What do we need by the end of the year? Recommendations, which are clear and concise by November or December. Promote the agenda, key topics, using email lists, Jordan Independent articles/calendar of events, and Next Door (neighborhood email notifications).

· We need ‘Vision’.

· Priorities: Natural Resources, Land Use, Zoning (what is it and where it makes sense), Transportation (including non-natural areas and commercial areas), Entertainment (parks, trails), Recreation, History, Cultural Heritage, New Technologies and Regulations. No need to reinvent the wheel - all of the topics are listed in the 2030 Comp Plan to serve as a guide.

· Zoning Sub categories: Planned Unit Development, Density Planning, Low Income Housing, and Assisted Living which all need services. Natural areas also include Land Use.

· Watch what Jordan is planning and have our own ideas about how we want to change

· Look at the County Vision. If it doesn’t meet our vision then we should recommend changing it!

· Try to imagine the planning process in three dimensions.

· Residents need to know the terms before they can fully understand the Comp Plan.

· Personal wants add a dimension to the picture.

· Other topics to discuss: Technology and how it will change us and our area.

Group comments:

Need an agenda and the next topic 1 week after the planning meeting for notification in the following township meeting.

Get a local expert on each topic to come to the meeting.

Need a ‘straw man’ for the process, which allows for questions and discussion.

Review the previous process and set some thoughts ahead for the next meeting to happen at each meeting.

Prioritization is a method of keeping us on track – in the end all topics are affected and blend into each other and can be reviewed in an orderly manner.

Most important thing is to communicate and contribute to the solution!

Last Comment:

There was a ‘spark’ of an expressed opinion by Chad Sandey saying that Herb Baldwin was speaking too (or acting) ‘professorial’, not realizing that it was the intent to educate and inform and making an effort to encourage others to express their thoughts so that we can have a collection of ‘ideas’ and opinions expressed freely without having personal comments. It is in the end not about ‘me’ but about ‘ us’. We need to focus on sharing ideas, whether or not they will, in the end, prevail. Every idea needs to be heard.

June Topics

Confirmation of the order of Topics

The ‘Process’ by which we have agreed is planned to consider the above listed ‘Topics’ by taking two topics in the above list in order at a meeting time. We shall start each meeting by refreshing the previous meeting’s discussion of topics, reviewing notes and comments, and conclusions; discussion of the meeting’s topic(s); discuss what lateral impact is possible on other topics; and concluding with a summary of the Meeting’s review, comments and conclusions (to be refreshed at the next meeting).

Natural Resources –

Presentation

Discussion

Land Use –

Presentation

Discussion

Summary of Discussion

Relationship to other Topics

Next Month’s Topics

Respectfully Submitted

Bruce Hunstad

Emily Nordick

Herb Baldwin