Agenda - Council - 10/12/2021 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Norm Novak, 7041 175th Avenue, stated he has lived in Ramsey for 18 years, and after working in landscaping and building for 20 years, he has never seen anything this goofed up. He added no notices were sent out to residents. He noted two entrances to the neighborhood will not be sufficient, especially for emergency vehicle access. He expressed his opposition to the development, which should have walkways, decent trees, fencing and other safety measures. Carl Biederman, 7050 175th Avenue, stated he attended the Planning & Zoning meeting a few weeks ago, and brought up how this project is not being done properly. He added the City seems to have forgotten about 400 residents who did not receive notices. He noted it seems that residents do not mean anything to the City. Mr. Biederman stated he went to City Staff last week to apply to build some houses on his 10-acre lot and was informed that he would have to notify his neighbors, with a draft letter that they would provide, and put a notice in the paper. He added he did not know which newspaper. He requested a list of residents who received the notice, as well as the newspaper article where the zoning change was listed. Mayor Kuzma stated City Staff and the City Council will look into it. Councilmember Howell asked whether there would be repercussions for the developer if property owners did not receive proper notice that the property would be rezoned. Senior Planner McGuire Brigl stated she would want to consult with the City attorney on legal matters. She added proper notice has been done for the Comprehensive Plan process, although she is unable to say what was done in 2008 and 2011. Senior Planner McGuire Brigl stated, for this resident notice, City Staff has doubled the radius of what is required by State statute, put signs on the property, and set up a project website, as well as held extra meetings to raise public awareness. She stressed the importance of being transparent. Councilmember Heineman asked whether City Staff did a good enough job of getting notices out in 2011. He asked whether the traffic study was done at 8:00 a.m. on a Saturday. Senior Planner McGuire Brigl stated a minimum number of letters were sent out for previous public notices, including the 2008 Comprehensive Plan sewer and water re -guiding plan, as well as the 2040 Comprehensive Plan in 2018. She added, however, records show that it was done properly in 2008, 2011 and 2018. Senior Planner McGuire Brigl stated, with regard to the traffic study, the study was conducted over a week in July 2021 between peak times of 7:00 — 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 — 5:30 p.m. She added she can confirm the actual dates before the next meeting. Councilmember Heineman requested that this information be added to the case documentation for purposes of transparency. Senior Planner McGuire Brigl agreed. City Council / September 14, 2021 Page 11 of 19