Please state your name.

I don't think your microphone is on.

You had to push hard on that button.

The light will turn.

There you go.

Didn't want to break it.

I'll take her if uh introductions.

I'll pass these letters around.

Commission members, my name is Mike Deggerstrom.

I'm reading a letter on behalf of the Zembro Valley Audubon Society, or we call ourselves ZAS.

Last month, we described the rapid decline of many species in our city and said we'd follow up with a fuller explanation of what we mean by a native plant.

This letter is that follow-up.

We define a native plant as as one that has historically grown here or in nearby areas.

As a concrete example, the city of uh the city's approved boulevard tree list includes the English oak, a native to much of Europe.

Uh city forestry describes describes it as very similar to the white oak, which is native to the Rochester area.

Similar looking trees are not ecologically equivalent.

The white oak is the far better choice for reversing wildlife decline.

Here's why.

Nearly all energy in our ecosystem comes from the sun captured by the plants and turned into leaves, woods, wood, and fruit.

Herbivores, everything from tiny insects to white-tailed deer eat this plant matter in healthy uh in healthy ecosystems, insects and other small herbivores collectively outweigh larger animals like deer by roughly 10 to one.

Those insects in turn feed the birds, fish, and other animals further up the food chain.

Uh we sit or humans sit at the top of that same uh chain.

The catch is most insect herbivores are specialists.

They can only eat one or a few plant species because plants defend themselves with toxins that only certain co-evolved insects can tolerate.

The monarch pillar's dependence on milkweed is the best known example, and it's actually the rule rather than the exception.

A plant's ability to host insects generally drops off the further it is from the its native range.

European oak supports only a small portion of the insect community that a Minnesota oak does.

Insects that feed on many plants are called generalists, yet even they mostly cannot adapt to non-native trees in the same genus as our usual host, a genius, uh genus being a group of closely related species, um, like different kinds of oak, for example.

Most insects are specialists, uh, as I recently mentioned, and very few of them can use non-native trees at all.

Um, or non-native plants for that matter.

An area dominated for uh by non-native plants supports far fewer insects overall with cascading effects on birds, pollinators, and other wildlife that depends on them.

Uh this matters because the insect base underpins the broader food chain, crop pollination, uh water quality, soil health, and other important considerations.

Replacing native plants with non non-native lookalikes weakens all of it.

If you look at city-owned properties today, non-native plants are very common.

We ask the commission to treat native plantings as a standing consideration in your zoning and planning decisions going forward.

Looking for any opportunities, whether in landscaping requirements, approved plant lists, or site plan reviews to favor native species over non-native substitutes.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Is there anyone who would like to speak in the open comment period?

Is there anyone online?

Uh in that case, I will close the open comment period and call the meeting to order and take roll call.

Uh Commissioner Ross.

Commissioner Klein.

Commissioner Krull.

Here.

Commissioner Boyam.

Present.

Commissioner Yoost.

I'm Commissioner Gupta.

And we're missing Commissioner Ayshen, Commissioner Emad, and Commissioner Andrist today.

Um moving on to uh setting the order of the agenda.

Are there any changes required for tonight's agenda?

Commissioner from the staff.

Any changes?

If not, I will take a motion to approve.

So moved.

Second.

Motion made by Commissioner Krull and seconded by Commissioner Ross.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any nays?

Motion passes unanimously.

Consent agenda.

The commission will now review the consent agenda items.

Item 4A is the minutes from the June 24th, 2026 Commission meeting.

Has everyone had a chance to review the meeting minutes?

Are there any questions, comments, or concerns?

If not, I will take a motion.

So moved.

Second.

Commission uh motion made by Commissioner Krull and seconded by Commissioner Ross.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Any any nays?

Abstains.

Abstain.

We have uh five uh uh five yes and one abstain from Commissioner Boyam.

Um reports and recommendations tonight.

We do not have any reports and recommendations.

So we will move on to the public hearings.

We have one public hearing on tonight's agenda.

After staff has given their report on an item, each member of the public wishing to speak on the item will have five minutes to address the planning commission.

Item 6A is floodplain development permit number CD 2026 003 flood by the City of Rochester.

Staff, can we have a report?

Yep, evening, Chair, members of the commission, Elliot Muller with Rochester Community Development.

And as the chair had said, I'll be introducing the item, uh, floodplain development permit, CD 2026 003 flood.

So just some background information.

The applicant for this um uh application is the city of Rochester.

The site is located um at the intersection of 18th Avenue Southwest and Mayowood Road Southwest.

Um, and the request tonight is for the construction of a roundabout and associated excavation and fill within the flood prone subdistrict.

Um, and the development review team is going to be recommending approval with conditions tonight.

Um, and you'll be acting as the approval body.

Um, so just kind of some background.

The city of Rochester being the applicant, um, just like every other applicant, we require to go through the same uh review process.

Um, and so our not only your city's teammates um reviewing the project, but also our friends at DNR and our friends at FEMA and um the county uh planners as well.

So just some information site location there in the red circle, that intersection of 18th Avenue Southwest and Mayowwood Road Southwest.

And then I have the extent of the floodplain.

So what you're looking at a particular importance is the red area, and that's the 100-year floodplain elevation area.

Um, this project, um, as you'll see in the coming slides, uh, has a very minimal impact um on that area.

Um, but because there is some impact, it triggers the need for a floodplain development permit.

That would need to be approved by the planning commission.

So on your screen now is a floodplain exhibit that was provided by um Bolton and Menck, the city's uh consultant.

So the red area is where fill is proposed to be in the flood-prone area.

Um, and because of that, then there is a compensatory storage requirement, um, and that would be that blue area.

So they will be the city and their consultant will be filling a proposal of 473 cubic yards um of soil or dirt.

Um, but then uh to make up for that, they'll be excavating 511 cubic yards.

So they'll be excavating more than they're putting in.

Um, and so because of that, they're not going to be um impacting uh the flood capacity um in the event of a flood.

Um and that area just to the north of the proposed roundabout, just so you're aware, is meant to flood.

It is floodplain.

Um, so that's why we want to keep that capacity um the same.

Um I'll also notice that or tell you that the red area that you see there for the um fill, that's for the trail connection um to connect to the Zumbro trail there.

Um and here's the exhibit just zoomed in.

Um so just going through the findings in brief, and there's a full list of the findings in the community development memo.

Um, but the roundabout uh has been engineered to have minimum impact on the existing floodplain, and it will be raised above that 100 year floodplain elevation.

Uh the roundabout will meet public work standards as all projects uh must.

And then city teammates have worked closely with their consultants, Bolton and Mink to construct the roundabout using best practices and uh there's no rise proposed with the construction of the roundabout.

Um, and so that will not result in any downstream uh negative effects.

Um your screen right now is just a recommendation that we're providing you, um, which would be to adopt a resolution approving the floodplain development permit um with the two uh conditions that you see there.

The first being prior to construction of the roundabout, um the associated grading storm water management and civil plan should be approved.

Um, and then um the second one came from the county um in the event that any cutting of trees or clear cutting um occurs, uh, a shoreline protection permit would be required to be approved by this body.

Um that being said, that trail connection is already clear of trees.

So um it's just kind of in the event that more needs to be done.

Uh with that, I'll stand for any questions.

And we have um our teammate, Amy Kravsky from Public Works here to answer any questions you might have on the project.

Thank you.

Um this is a public hearing.

So if there's anyone in the public that would like to speak about this uh project, please come up now.

Please state your name and you have five minutes.

Can you turn on your microphones?

It the light should turn green.

There you go.

Oh, sorry about that.

My name is Dave Inkstler, and I live in the neighborhood.

I live uh in the neighborhood of Glenwood Edition.

And just uh a few comments on this uh project.

One, the floodplain, because the water does go under Mailwood Road and water that's coming from um 18th Avenue and along Brook Lane and things.

And so that water is fed down into this area.

So if we get rain um several inches, quite a bit of water actually goes down into this area and things like that.

So that's a concern.

And they talk about trees and a lot of trees have already been removed from this area, which is a concern because then obviously with erosion and these types of things you can get.

Uh so that would be a concern as well.

I I look at the project too, and I mean I think having a roundabout there when I think just having like a right turn lane would be far more obviously financially responsible, save taxpayers much money.

And uh it seems to me as if uh we're doing an awfully large project here with going into a floodplain for it seems to me we could have easier solutions to um what's going on with the traffic flow and these types of things coming off of 18th Avenue going on to Maywood Road.

So um I guess those are my comments that I wanted to share with you.

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Is there anyone else who would like to speak?

If not, I will close the uh public uh public hearing and open up for questions.

Commissioner Crud.

Would you be able to share a little bit more on why a roundabout was selected versus a right turn only or something like that?

Good evening.

Uh I'm Amy Kriaski with Public Works, project manager for this 18th Avenue Reconstruction Project.

Um your question regarding how uh this intersection control was selected.

Uh one of the first things we did kicking off our design to this project two years ago was actually a traffic study.

Can you please speak up a little bit?

There's too much noise outside.

Certainly.

Thank you.

Uh, one thing we so we started our design about two years ago on this project, and the first thing we did was a traffic study.

Um, and at this intersection, due to the volume of traffic, um there was two um types of intersection control that could it met warrants essentially for either traffic signal or a roundabout.

Um, in this case, a roundabout was selected.

Anything else?

Thank you.

Um anyone have a question?

Commissioner Yost, did you have a question?

Okay.

So I have a question.

Commissioner Boy, please.

Um, this is I'm as I'm picturing this in my head as I look at the map.

This is just down the street from Bamber Valley, right?

And there's a uh it's an eight-lane, four-way stop sign intersection there, correct.

Okay.

I guess I'm eight-lane, you mean two lanes in each direction?

Yeah, so it's it's two lanes going each direction, but it's it's a four-way intersection, right?

I guess you can't go to the world.

No, no, no.

I think I'm just slightly down the road from there.

Oh, we're sure about that.

Yeah.

So just yeah, the one that's right in front of Bamber Valley.

I guess I'm just curious.

Was that intersection also assessed during this?

No.

So this project is an 18th Avenue turnback project.

So currently uh County Road, it's one for County Road 147 under county jurisdiction.

Once this is reconstructed from a rural section to an urban section, 18th Avenue will become a city street.

So our traffic study evaluated traffic along the Mailwood corridor at this intersection is all the way down to 40th.

Um, there was a broader corridor study done prior to this part of the ROCOG study.

But our project did not look at that intersection.

Okay.

Thank you for clarifying the scope of the project.

Anyone else?

I have one question about the trees that have already been cut and the erosion concern that was raised for them.

So can we zoom in on that area where the trees have been cut and what uh what restorative uh uh steps have been taken for that?

Yeah, so our 18th Avenue project cleared south of this intersection and the triangle piece between Mayowood and 18th, nothing up in the flood-prone area that would be subjected to that permit.

But what what has been, I mean, uh, how how are we going to prevent the erosion?

The trees have only been cut, they haven't been cleared, so there their roots still remain.

Okay.

Sounds good.

Um, and what about the existing floodplain that used to trap the water?

How how is the water going to like be re be redirected into the new floodplain?

So part of our design for 18th Avenue.

Um, it we're going from a rural section to an urban section, which means we'll go from ditches to curb and gutters.

So we'll along the roadway, there'll be your traditional storm sewer system.

Um there's a high point midway through this two-mile reconstruction.

So some of the water flows north and some flows south.

Um, the water that makes its way towards malewood will be collected in a stormwater pond located in the triangle piece just off your screen here.

Uh so part of the project, um, we still need to establish rate control and water quality treatment similar to other site development plans.

Um, so we are the culvert is being replaced.

That's currently under Mailwood Road and under Westwood.

And so these volumes of waters have been studied, so they will not exceed what today's limits are.

Okay.

Um more question, and that is um is there going to be any additional planting done of any uh any like decorative plants or anything within the circle?

Not within the concrete circle of the roundabout.

That will that will be concrete.

That would be concrete.

Okay.

So I was just wondering if we could use the uh Zumbro Valley uh Autobahn Society's recommendations to use native plants instead.

Our project will contain plantings within the rain gardens that stretch along the um 18th Avenue corridor.

Okay.

So rain garden.

Yes, perfect.

Thank you.

That was all my questions.

Any other questions?

So if there are no more questions, can we have a vote?

Can we have a motion?

I'll make a motion.

Uh I recommend that the uh planning and zoning commission adopt a resolution approving floodplain development permit number CD 2026 003 flood by the city of Rochester for the construction of a roundabout and associated evacue um excavation and fill within a flood-prone district, subject to two conditions of approval as noted in the staff recommendation.

Is there a second?

We'll second that.

Motion made by Commissioner Boyum and seconded by Commissioner Krull.

Any other discussion questions?

Last thoughts?

Okay, if not, uh all in favor, say aye.

Aye.

Any nays?

Motion passes unanimously.

Uh moving on to other business.

Uh City Council recap.

Uh so there were there is no city council regap.

That's correct.

Thank you, Chair Gupta, uh, Desmond McGill community development.

Um, so last um on this past Monday on the 6th, we did have a city council meeting, but uh there were no items that were previously considered by the commission in that meeting, other than uh the uh airport quarry was scheduled for that night, but they have requested a continuance to the July 20th meeting.

Okay.

Any other items?

Is there anything else?

If not Commissioner Klein.

The uh Dumbro Valley Ottawa and Society letters are educational.

Is there anything that we can do with that information other than learn from it?

Well, I I posed a question and I can make recommendations and you know, if you uh if you feel like it's um it's it's going to be impactful, you can maybe propose a condition to the developer.

Um I think in a moment the same thing the last time, like when he was here the last time, and he's giving us all this great information.

How can he partner with the builders or the city or whomever to make sure that this stuff is done?

Yeah, I get his newsletters.

It's connecting people with nature.

That's what his goal is.

Yeah.

And so for me, I look at that and say, how can we just connect that so that he's not having to come in and say, this is this area, this is what needs to be done there, versus here's a builder, here's the city, here's whoever.

Here's what you guys need to do in those areas, right?

Is that kind of what you're saying too, Bob?

I think so.

Just that this is great information for us to know, but why is it not already something that he can initiate to builders or to the city automatically?

Is that make sense?

I don't know.

Uh Mr.

Carlson.

I think Commissioner Cole had a question.

Okay, sorry.

Is that something he's approached city council with?

Because it seems like it's more on the city council scope of work or a one-on-one with parks kind of to discuss because us changing the stipulations of plantings would be more.

I think that's not within our scope of work.

It'd be with the parks department or the city nursery or one of the other city departments, not necessarily planning and zoning, because we already have stipulations on the number of plantings, the sizes, the types.

I mean, for us to go that granular seems beyond our expertise as planning and zoning commissioners.

Great point.

Yes, please.

And that was going to be the point that I made.

I don't think it's necessarily within the purview of the planning and zoning commission to say, oh, they should plant an oak tree versus a maple tree on this particular project, right?

Um, so I I think they're probably using planning and zoning and certain other public park board, for example, as a sort of uh a sounding board to get their message out into the public.

Um, but the conversation probably needs to be with um the park and rec the forestry department, if they're you know, they have some suggestions.

Um, I'm sure that those folks would be interested to just hear what their suggestions are.

And so I think that would be probably the better forum um for that conversation.

Thank you.

Commissioner Kane, can that be communicated to them?

How can how can that be communicated to them?

With all due respect to the time they spend speaking to us, and I will admit I did not know the difference between an English oak and an indigenous oak.

Oh, that was good information, but we're not the party that has anything to do with it.

Yeah, who does and how do they communicate with them?

I mean, we can probably forward this, right?

But I mean, like the city, like if you go to plant a tree in the boulevard, there's already regulations to which species you can and cannot plant.

So I mean, this is it's already been pretty well thought out.

I'd can we I I would I think these folks, I think I saw a clip of them at city council too, right?

So they are making the rounds more than just here.

Yes.

Okay, okay.

Okay.

Anything else?

Right?

If not, then I'll take a motion to adjourn.

Motion to adjourn.

Second.

Motion made by Commissioner Boyum and seconded by Commissioner Ross.

All in favor, say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Any nays?

We are adjourned.

Thank you.