Agenda - Council - 08/08/2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

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JANUARY 29, 2006 To the Ramsey Planning Commission Public Hearing Meeting on February 2, 2006 From: William & Robin Moody 6040 151 Lane NW Ramsey MN. 55303 We are writing this letter to you because we are in opposition to the land use designation changing from low density to medium density for the property located north of 151 Lane and west of Nowthen Boulevard. This is the proposed development of 9 acres and 59 townhomes called The Oaks. We are opposed to this for several reasons: We feel that squeezing 59 townhomes into such a small area would be very inconsistent with the surrounding neighborhood. Please see enclosed plat drawing where we have inserted the new development into our development. Changing the land use designation now would be an injustice to all of us that live in this neighborhood and did research before we moved in to know how the land around us is zoned. In our case, knowing how the '- land was zoned we decided not to move and instead invested in our property by adding onto our home. It seems very unfair that a developer can come along after a neighborhood is built and ask for, and possibly be granted, a land use change within our neighborhood that would take numerous qualities away from all of us. Another great concern we have is safety. Currently we have 38 lots on two streets in our neighborhood with only one inlet/outlet, which is the intersection of 151 Lane and Nowthen Boulevard. If we can say that every house has at least two cars and two people that work then this has a potential of 76 vehicles going to work every morning and coming home every night The proposal as it stands now has 59 townhomes and only one way into and out of that development, which is on to 151 Lane. That would add another 118 cars in the morning and 118 cars in the evening. This would give us a potential of 194 cars turning onto Nowthen Boulevard in the morning and 194 cars stopping on Nowthen Boulevard to make a turn onto 151s Lane in the late afternoon/evening. That is over a 250% increase in vehicle traffic. This substantial increase in vehicles will only increase the potential for accidents and congestion. If this proposal passes we ask you to insist this developer put in at least one more inlet/outlet for this development or move the current proposed inlet/outlet to Nowthen Boulevard. If this cannot be done, then we ask that some kind of a right turn lane be put in for southbound Nowthen traffic turning onto 151S Lane and a shoulder bypass for north bound traffic turning left onto 151 Lane, with the developer paying for it. Currently cars illegally pass around us on the shoulder when we are making left turns onto 151 Lane and with no intersection modification this will become a bigger problem. Please keep in mind this intersection is within 1 block of Ramsey Elementary and many kids walk and ride their bikes through this intersection.