Minutes - Planning Commission - 04/01/1997 - Public Hearing @ 8:36

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John Peterson, Good Value Homes, referred to comments about the breakaway or surmountable gate between Hall's Dover Acres and Apple Ridge. Such a feature is a City decision and Good Value Homes would be happy to accommodate the City but it is not the developer's choice. Such a feature would have to be required by the City. However, it is clear that an emergency access to both directions is needed. As far as Mr. Kurak's request for a conditional use permit, Mr. Peterson stated that his comments at that public hearing were only intended to say to the Planning Commission that such a project would be a problem if it is mined for a long period of time and he was simply requesting to see Mr. Kurak's plan. Regarding the traffic analysis report, Mr. Peterson stated that his company hired Bolton and Menk for a traffic analysis and a representative of Bolton and Menk is here this evening and at some point if the Planning Commission would like to hear his report, he can do so and provide answers to some of the questions that have been raised. With respect to comments made on overcrowding of schools, Mr. Peterson noted that most people present know of his involvement in the school board and the fact that he has given a lot of hours to the education system. Mr. Peterson stated that there are 13 separate communities and each of those communities is actively developing residential neighborhoods. The trend in this country is for school boards to make decisions based on decisions made by city governments as it concerns growth. The children in this neighborhood will need schools and people will pay taxes to support the schools, and each of us moved in and the school district had to build schools for our children. It is the way growth is managed in our country. Mr. Peterson continued that to say that if Ramsey did not build any more homes, it would not change the fact that our schools will be crowded because there is growth throughout this huge district and boundaries are always changing to accommodate where growth is happening. Good Value Homes will work with Environmental Specialist Bruce Bacon to excavate around trees properly. Mr. Peterson stated that it cannot be said fairly that Good Value Homes hasn't gone a long way to modify their plan in response to what they have heard from the neighbors. There are at least five areas in the City where urban lots have come up against one- acre rural lots and one of those developments is Willow Ridge. The lots in Willow Ridge are smaller than those proposed for Apple Ridge and the Planning Commission and City Council have allowed urban developments to back up to rural developments several times already in this City. Good Value Homes is proposing larger lots and it would be difficult for the Planning Commission to turn this plat down based on what Good Value has done to accommodate the difference in lot sizes between Apple Ridge and the adjacent rural lots. Myles Landwehr, 5821 - 159th Lane NW, Ramsey, stated that he heard John Peterson say earlier tonight that he was concerned with Mr. Kurak's application for a mining permit because it would devalue Good Value's property. Mr. Peterson is asking the City to stop a mining operation because he has interest in the area. For that reason, Mr. Peterson should be a little bit more compassionate to the residents at this public hearing because they have interest in their area too. Teri Svare, 6015 -.158th Lane NW, Ramsey, stated that Mr. Peterson has been patient and cooperative but what really angers her is that the school districts must keep up with what's being done in the cities. She stated that Mr. Peterson is working both sides of the streets; how can he sit on the school board and then do a development and say that the school district will just have to deal with it. Planning Commission/Public Hearing/Apple Ridge/April 1, 1997 Page 6 of 9