Agenda - Planning Commission - 08/01/2013

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The City Council directed a Study group would consist often (10) total participants: one (1) Councilmember, one (1) EDA member, one (1) Planning Commission member, five (5) adjacent property owners and two (2) at large property owners. It is estimated, a study group will need to meet four (4) to (6) times. Staff is currently developing a process for selecting interested individuals. Study Group Goal: The purpose of the Study Group is to better understand under what circumstances would a data center development be an acceptable use for the Subject Property. The key outcome of this process is a proposal for Council consideration; which will include (1) further documentation/information addressing specific concerns (2) mitigation proposals addressing specific concerns (3) updated site concept maps. NOTE: The purpose of a study group is IDENTIFY and CONSIDER compromises/ solutions; it is possible the focus group may conclude certain concerns cannot be mitigated. Staff would host an initial scoping meeting to review current assumptions and purpose of the study group. Participants would then be responsible for formulating the schedule and content of the remainder of the sessions and be active in coordinating the individual sessions. Process A hybrid, collaborative process was approved by the City Council that includes elements of desired structure of a traditional process with the collaborative environment of Open Space Technology (the process used in the 2030 Comprehensive Plan and Ramsey3 processes). The process is designed to allow participants to set the agenda and convene sessions. In other words, the agenda would not be set by the City or a facilitator ahead of time. An initial Scoping Meeting would be held to review the current status of the project and the purpose of the study group. Rather than hosting several, parallel sessions as with the case with Open Space Technology, the group would convene as a single group throughout the process. The group would come to a consensus as to the agenda and topics as part of the initial Scoping Meeting, but could amend depending on conversation throughout. This process would entail that the agenda be prepared by participants at the onset of the process and agreed to a structured outline for the process as part of the scoping meeting and individual sessions coordinated by participants with the assistance of assistance from City Staff Benefits: This process balances an open, transparent, and collaborative process with a well defined structure that is developed by participants rather than the City or a facilitator. Following the initial Scoping Meeting, Staff can report back with a better estimate of time and costs based on an agenda prepared by the Study Group. With a slightly more structure approach to the Open Space Technology concept, Staff estimates that this process would be slightly shorter than said approach. Considerations: This process will require that the initial Scoping Meeting be completed before a more concrete estimation of costs and timelines when compared to a traditional, structured Study Group. It is estimated that this process will be a slightly longer timeframe that the traditional, structured process, consisting of possibly one (1) to two (2) additional meetings. Estimations: five (5) to seven (7) meetings, two (2) to three (3) months. The start date has not yet been determined. Staff is working on prioritizing current workload to better determine the appropriate start date. Funding Source: All costs associated with this process are being handled as part of normal Staff duties. Staff Recommendation: This case is for update only. No action is being requested. Action: This case is for update only. No action is being requested.