Agenda - Council - 04/02/2024 - Special

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'Missing middle'housing bill concerns city officials I Prior Lake I swn... https://www.swnewsmedia.com/prior lake_american/missing-middle-h... new homes to be more affordable. "A home in Prior Lake can be removed and a sixplex can be built in its place and each one of those units could be very expensive,"Wedel explained. "It would not lead to any affordability, it would just put more stress and strain on our existing sewer pipes, water pipes and our streets." Wedel said that the City already has a process in place called the comprehensive planning process that designates parts of the city to build higher density homes. "We have a process in place that we've been following for decades in which certain areas of the city are designated for these higher densities,"Wedel said. "Our infrastructure is sized to accommodate those higher densities in those locations. As part of that comprehensive process, there is a public hearing component where property owners can come in and have their voices heard." Wedel added that the proposed bill will eliminate the comprehensive planning process all together and the City and property owners would not be able to do anything about it. "This proposed bill just eliminates that entire comprehensive plan and blows it out the water," Wedel said. "It says you can now build density as a for-profit developer wherever you want and the city could do nothing about it and adjoining property managers will have no say in the matter. It's very scary and it's definitely something that we need to have our public raise up their voices and have our legislators hear from them." Briggs then urged residents to reach out to their local legislators and voice their concerns. "Council and citizens of Prior Lake, the time has come for your voice to be heard on this issue," he said. "Please tell your state representative and local representatives to not vote for any legislation that would take your voice away." 3 of 3 4/2/2024, 1:09 PM