Agenda - Council - 06/10/1997 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Sometime in 1989 we were notified by Deals on Wheels that they needed a temporary use permit for their automobile business. We asked Mark Banwart why since in 1983 we were told it was grandfathered automotive and we would not be required to obtain temporary use permits or to make any future improvements on demand, and the grandfather rights could be passed on to the next buyer. Mark stated that our property never had any auto related businesses ever in the past and it was .up to us to prove that it did have such businesses in the past. We told Mark that Ramsey should have copies on file of all the automotive businesses that had been issued to this property in the past. He said none were issued so therefore he didn't have any. We told Mark we weren't counterfeiters and that we did have original licenses for automotive businesses on our property dating back to 1966 and we would provide to him copies of same. By the grace of God we found a license posted in one of our buildings which was used as an office for a RV store in 1966. Ramsey must have known it was grandfathered or why would, they tell us in 1983 that it was? Suddenly they had no record of it. We showed Mark our licenses including the one from 1966 and he stated that the land and the buildings had grandfather fights and these licenses proved it. At this same time we had the property surveyed and gave a copy to Mark because Ramsey didn't even know our property lines or how many buildings we had. At this time Mark suggested that he should assign two addresses to the property to facilitate multiple automotive businesses as our licenses proved we had them in the past. (See letter to Mark 1989 attached) It was not necessary to split the property legally for the two addresses as this property has only one tax base. In approximately 1993 we were offered a signed lease by HarefieId Farms, a tree and nursery business, and paid a cash deposit and he began moving in. During the move in process Mr. Harefield went to the City of Ramsey and was told he must get a temporary use permit because "the property is grandfathered automotive," He was given a thick book of improvements that the city required for his nursery business. The number and extent of improvements in their book were over-whelming and Harefield Farms vacated immediately at a Cost of $5000.00 for moving expenses for all the trees-and~ p}arrts~he'had already moved in. We also had a potential buyer in Harefield Farms as he offered us $700,000 for the property at the end of five years. The City of Ramsey never told Mr. Harefield which improvements he was required to do; he thought he had to do everyone of them, or in what time period so we lost a potential renter and buyer. When Ramsey dispenses this book of requirements to potential tenants they should do it with enough humanity to understand and enough intelligence to recognize that they are dealing with the lives and incomes of Ramsey's residents who are paying taxes from which they receive their own income, jobs and livelihoods! The City of Ramsey does not exist to chase away my tenants or anybody else's! It appears to me that Ramsey only wants the million dollar businesses to raise their tax base. Not everyone has a million dollars. It was a result of the small business man's efforts over a period of years that drew big business in. Everyone in sales likes the big deal, the big profit, but they also know it's all the small bread and butter sales that keeps the business operating. 3 of 5 I I I I .I I I I I I I I I I I I