Laserfiche WebLink
<br />would like direction on the Bowers Drive connection but noted that the decision could be changed <br />prior to adoption of the Preliminary Plat. <br /> <br />Councilmember Riley asked if these would be the same lot sizes as Riverstone North. <br /> <br />Assistant City Administrator Gladhill confirmed that these would be the same lot sizes and would <br />be very much a mirror image of the development, with the exception of the removal of one of the <br />product types. <br /> <br />Councilmember Musgrove asked for details on Riverdale Drive and the history of the layout on <br />the sketch. <br /> <br />Assistant City Administrator Gladhill provided background information on the access planning <br />study that was completed in 2014 by the City and MnDOT, noting that study showed Riverdale <br />Drive consuming some of the first few lots. He provided additional details on the proposed layout <br />for Riverdale Drive which was developed by the developer working with the input of the Bowers <br />Drive residents to find an alignment that worked well for everyone involved. <br /> <br />Mayor LeTourneau provided an opportunity for members of the public to provide input. <br /> <br />Jeff Johnson, 14540 Bowers Drive, referenced the Bowers Drive survey and asked at what point <br />the Council would automatically move ahead. He asked if the decision has already been made on <br />Bowers Drive. He stated that the residents have not been given any data from public safety on <br />how much safer the neighborhood would be with the additional access. He stated that when you <br />open up a cul-de-sac that increases opportunity for crime as that creates another way for people to <br />access and exit the neighborhood. He stated that this road has been around for about 80 years and <br />noted that there has not been one time since he has lived at his home where EMS has not been able <br />to access the homes on Bowers Drive. He stated that there is a difference between a need and a <br />desire. He stated that connecting Bowers Drive to Capstone would substantially increase the <br />pedestrian traffic on Bowers Drive, which is a narrow road that is not lit by streetlights. He stated <br />that providing this connection is attempting to solve a problem that does not exist and would <br />instead create more problems that need to be solved, which would destroy the reason people <br />purchased homes on that road. He stated that people that purchased property on Bowers Drive <br />chose to live there and do not need the City to calculate their risk levels. He stated that if the <br />residents on Bowers Drive felt threatened, they would not have purchased their properties. He <br />commented that residents do not leave Bowers Drive, they seek property on Bowers Drive. He <br />did not think it appropriate to include or make assumptions about the people that did not respond <br />to the survey. He commented that the residents of Bowers Drive do not want the connection and <br />did not believe there is anything wrong with keeping those neighborhoods isolated rather than <br />connecting them. He did not think that putting a secondary access onto Bowers Drive would solve <br />any problems and instead would create additional problems. <br /> <br />Mayor LeTourneau thanked Mr. Johnson for his input. <br /> <br />City Council / September 8, 2020 <br />Page 5 of 10 <br /> <br />