Laserfiche WebLink
<br />Mr. Johnson stated that at the last planning meeting he asked for information as to what would be <br />required for the Bowers Drive residents to stop this process and he has not received that <br />information. <br /> <br />Mayor LeTourneau stated that staff is still determining that but recognized that the voices of <br />Bowers Drive have a high impact. <br /> <br />Councilmember Musgrove stated that it is clear that Mr. Johnson does not want a road and asked <br />if he would support a narrow trail with breakaway barriers that could be used by emergency <br />vehicles. <br /> <br />Mr. Johnson stated that once that is developed, people will use that as a trail and the pedestrian <br />traffic will come from Capstone onto Bowers Drive. He confirmed that his concern is related to <br />the increased pedestrian traffic and safety concerns with that activity. <br /> <br />Councilmember Musgrove asked what Mr. Johnson would believe to be a workable option. <br /> <br />Mr. Johnson stated that he would like to see the data that proves this would make that neighborhood <br />safer as the data currently shows that the secondary access and increased pedestrian traffic would <br />make the area more unsafe. <br /> <br />Councilmember Musgrove referenced the mention of 50 foot and 100-foot setbacks. <br /> <br />Mr. Johnson noted that the original planning meetings for Capstone referenced a 100-foot setback, <br />but those original 12 homes were setback 50 feet instead. <br /> <br />Police Chief Katers appreciated Mr. Johnson’s position. He stated that his comments related to <br />public safety remain the same for any neighborhood noting that he prefers two points of access for <br />all neighborhoods although he recognizes the uniqueness of Bowers Drive. He stated that he <br />cannot provide statistical information of what may happen in the future and can only provide input <br />on what could happen. He stated that there could be multiple situations that could cause the current <br />access to be closed, therefore public safety prefers to have two points of access in order to get <br />people in and out of a neighborhood. <br /> <br />Mr. Johnson stated that everyone that lives on Bowers Drive is aware of the risk they took in <br />purchasing their property and they are not asking for that secondary access. He stated that cul-de- <br />sacs are safer than any other road in terms of crime. He stated that he has not been provided with <br />any information that has proven that two accesses would make the residents safer. <br /> <br />Police Chief Katers stated that his standard response for a development is to have two accesses. <br />He stated that he is familiar with the cul-de-sac studies, noting that those were small areas in <br />Minneapolis and therefore that is an urban area versus a rural environment and that study only <br />took into account burglary and not the other crimes or situations that could exist. <br /> <br />Councilmember Specht thanked Mr. Johnson for his input and recognition of property rights. He <br />stated that he has heard of informal surveys that have been completed with more response. <br />City Council / September 8, 2020 <br />Page 6 of 10 <br /> <br />