Minutes - Planning Commission - 02/24/2022

Home

r students would be using buses to access the school. He stated when older students become of driving age, they often drive younger siblings as well, therefore the two campuses should be somewhat close together. He commented that he grew up off Armstrong and 155"' and played sports at Central Park. He understands the want to keep the area the same but noted that the pandeiiiic has iiilpacted churches and schools. He noted that this is a situation where the church needs money for its future plans and the school needs land and has available funds, therefore the uses would work together to benefit both nonprofit organizations that benefit the community. He stated that a traffic study was done for Trott Brook North, and they redid the study during school hours, and it was still deemed to be safe. He stated that if the land does not go through, the other option would be for more homes with 80-foot lots. He stated that Central Park already has games in that location with lights and noise,therefore adding this use would not change the characteristic of the neighborhood as this would place a football field next to a football field. He stated that PACT looked at land within The COR and at another parcel but those would not support the needs of the school and meet the regulations of The COR. He commented that this is a great spot for the school. He stated that PACT expanded 18 years ago, therefore it is unrealistic to say the school would want to expand further in five years. He believed that PACT meets the values of the community and has local control on its Board. He commented that while seven days for residents to get their thoughts in order may not seem like a long time,PACT has been working on this with its development team for a long time and has planned accordingly to meet the regulations of the City. Robert Buchannan, 6738 153`d Lane NW, stated that he supports a new PACT location as he has four children at the school and a fifth that will also go to the school. He believed that this is a good location because of the proximity to the existing location. He noted that once his oldest can drive, ' she would be bringing the younger children to school as well. He did not believe that residents were opposed to a school, or PACT, but concerned about the impact. Ron Lindenberg, 7600 163ra Lane, stated that he believes PACT is a great school with a great reputation but believes this issue is more of placing a square peg in a round hole. He asked if the recently redone sewer for Variolite can support this use. He stated that he has lived on his property for 25 years. He stated that there are six more acres above the land the church would propose to use and what PACT would use and asked what the use would be for that land. He stated that Variolite shrunk a little in its last improvement and was unsure if that road is capable of carrying the capacity for the school and football field. He identified the marsh area, noting that if the hard surface is not controlled, water would flood those homes out if not planned appropriately. He stated that he moved to his property to have acreage for a reason and not to be next to a high school. He stated that the residents in this area have gotten used to the sports activities of the park, but they do not have a stadium with stadium lighting 40 feet from someone's property. He did not believe 40 feet is a realistic buffer from an acreage lot for a school. He stated that his biggest concern is related to traffic. He acknowledged that 161 St needs to be redone but this would require the road to have a different capacity. He stated that he has accepted the development that has come over the years but did not believe this high school use would fit into this neighborhood area. Samuel Mater, 16410 Court Street,stated that from his home he can hear the activity from the park on busy nights. He stated that he moved to his home about 18 months ago, noting that in Fridley he lived about the same distance from the middle school and high school. He noted that the roads PlanningCommission/February 24 2022 , rY Page 8 of 26