Minutes - Council - 01/26/2016 - Laserfiche WebLink

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that 96 percent of the impacted residents did not support the increased road width. He stated that even into the next two public meetings the consensus of the residents impacted was to keep the roadway near the same width and again did not support the increased width. He referenced the rate of assessment and asked that the Council take into consideration that the majority of the people prefer the 32 foot width of the roadway and he would like to see the people receive the option they prefer if they are paying such a high assessment. He noted that the wider roadway would resemble an inner-city thoroughfare and would not be appropriate in this setting. David May, 9190 164th Lane NW, stated that he supports the 32 foot roadway in order to maintain the tranquil setting of the development. He stated that if the 32-foot even corridor is maintained, that will ease some of the safety concerns that would arise from creating curves. Marsha Lemander, 5920 Andrie Street NW, stated that she and her husband are in favor of a narrower road, noting that this is a residential area and does not receive a lot of cross traffic. She believed that creating a wider road would encourage others to cut through their neighborhood and cause increased traffic. She stated that they would not desire a striped bike path on the street. She stated that they purchased their home in a country setting with roads that look like they belong in a neighborhood and do not desire a wide thoroughfare road. Bill Kingston, 15760 Andrie Street NW, thanked the Council for allowing public input. He stated that he has been very involved in the discussion of this roadway over the past eight years and hoped that an agreement could be reached tonight and the reconstruction of the road could move forward. He stated that there are common themes including that the road needs to be improved, drainage needs to be fixed, the character of the neighborhood, the desire to keep the road narrow, and the desire to keep the project cost down. He stated that the charts in the staff report show that the assessed residents do not want the dedicated bike lane, desire some parking, and desire a narrow road. He stated that the Comprehensive Plan identifies this development as a rural area, averaging about one person per acre for the development. He stated that January 11th the Council directed staff to add the 32-foot roadway into the Feasibility Study at the request of the residents. He noted that since that meeting a group of homeowners canvassed the neighborhood and reached 52 of the 65 impacted residents who signed support for the 32-foot roadway. He referenced the costs projected for the project throughout the years which he believed were not correct and would be corrected as the design moves along and bids are received. He noted that this has been an evolving process and the homeowners support a 32-foot roadway with no trail. He stated that the Board of Directors for the Homeowners Association met following the January 11th meeting and are in agreement on granting the City of Ramsey an easement across the northern strip of the property, which is owned by the Homeowners Association. He noted that he would want to finalize the easement for the Alpine Trail prior to granting this second easement. He voiced support for the second option for the 32-foot roadway and stated that the Homeowners Association can work with the City to grant the easement to the north to connect to that trail corridor. Greg Herrick, 15881 Andrie Street NW, stated that he was not included in the 52 of 65 residents but does support the option for the 32-foot roadway. He asked how much the City receives for State -aid road projects and asked why those funds are not available for this project. He asked how the assessment would be impacted if there were State -aid funds available for the project. City Council / January 26, 2016 Page6of13