Council seeks options for County Road 11/40 landscaping, asks staff for $300k and $400k concepts

Councilmembers spent the middle portion of the June 15 work session reviewing landscaping and streetscape options for the County Road 11/40 corridor and roundabout gateways into Carver, focusing on three treatment tiers (base, mid and high) and trade-offs among aesthetics, maintenance and cost.

Staff presented a corridor overview and explained that medians vary in width; some locations can support trees and planting beds, while many median noses are too narrow and will remain concrete. Jonathan (staff member) walked through the base/mid/high tiers: base covers county-funded hardscape and turf; mid adds plantings, trees outside the roadway and colored concrete at roundabouts; high adds enhanced stamped/colored paving and potential monumentation.

Maintenance emerged as a central concern. Andrew (staff member, maintenance) cautioned that dense planting increases weeding and upkeep, and several councilmembers said they prefer lower-density plantings that still provide a welcoming gateway. "Somewhere between one and two," Andrew said when summarizing maintenance preference between simple concrete and dense plantings; other members said they favored a 'medium plus' approach for the southern gateway to create a recognizable entrance.

Cost and tax implications: staff offered conceptual numbers: a $750,000 project would raise roughly $30 on an average-$462,000 home, while a scaled $325,000 option moves impact nearer $15; staff cautioned the city levies across total budgets so project impacts are conceptual. Council discussed whether monumentation (estimated by staff at roughly $40,000–$50,000 per pillar) and Ballard lighting could be included and noted those items would push a concept above the $300,000 mark.

Council direction: rather than selecting all details tonight, members generally asked staff to return with two concept packages with quantities and rough costs: one around $300,000 and another around $400,000 that would show the effect of adding monumentation and Ballard lighting at the southern gateway. Staff estimated a more detailed concept could be prepared in one to two months if council wants higher-level detail before moving to production-level plans.

Next steps: staff will prepare concept-level visuals, quantities and a spreadsheet of options so council can compare the costs and maintenance implications before approving a final scope to fund and design. The council did not take a final funding vote during the session.