Minutes - Council - 11/09/2021 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Councilmember Woestehoff commented the Charter doesn’t force anyone to be on MUSA. He asked if there will be a lone lot on well and septic or are there reasons legally to make that MUSA. He also asked if the developer can choose to build it as such regardless. City Attorney Knaak replied the Charter doesn’t allow the City to force anyone to be on MUSA but if a developer comes in and, as a part of the application, is choosing to allow the property to be on MUSA that would be allowed. No one would be forced to do that. Jeff Uker 17121 Variolite Street, referenced when the developer stated the City had said no to smaller lots so they changed the concept from where the smaller lots were going to be in the center; he didn’t think that was accurate. Brian Walker, 17289 Variolite Street, questioned whether residents were able to give comment on the original plan concept. He referenced the traffic study that was done by Swing Traffic Solutions, LLC. He stated according to the website for the Secretary of State, they are not an active corporation in the State of Minnesota as of October 24, 2021. He questioned their reliability. He is in support of doing an independent traffic study. st John and Jake Packer, 2952 161 Avenue NW, are the property owners and brokers for this transaction. He challenged the comment made about not being listed on the Secretary of State website stating they are on the website. He also stated Mr. Walker has been making false or misleading comments on social media and to the Council, which he feels serve to inflame the residents. He commented there has been a lot of talk about property owner rights and expressed concern about the rights of the landowners. The two of them have been discussing this project for over 2 years and trying to work with residents and the City to come up with a plan that works for everyone. They are concerned they are being asked to start from square one. He noted there had been discussion about putting larger lots around the exterior with smaller lots in the middle but they were told all of the lots needed to be 80 feet or larger. To have it make sense from a developer’s perspective an 80-foot lot density does make sense. He stated a lot of the residents live on land that was owned by his family and sold to developers. Now, they have wrestled with the zoning for a while and are ready to sell the land. Councilmember Howell replied they believe in property owners’ rights but have to take into consideration that the project would bring lot of traffic into the community. She comes back to the point that they owe the property owners and people in the community a very well-vetted traffic study and need to voice concerns for safety. She hoped the landowners would want that. Denice Gray, 17530 Nowthen Boulevard NW, stated they are very effected by traffic. She loves the rural setting and expressed concern about the impact on wildlife with the additional development. Motion by Councilmember Howell, seconded by Councilmember Musgrove to close the public hearing. Motion carried. Voting Yes: Mayor Kuzma, Councilmembers Howell, Musgrove, Heineman, Riley, Specht and Woestehoff. Voting No: None. City Council / November 9, 2021 Page 13 of 26