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City Attorney Goodrich replied that the City Council has not placed a moratorium on anything <br />yet and the applicant has a legal right to a land use application. <br /> <br />Sherry Then, 5759 - 153rd Avenue NW, Ramsey, stated that they bought their land in 1981, and <br />built on it in 1985, and she thought the minimum lot size was five acres and that, subsequent to <br />that, it increased to 10 acres. She also recalls that the City boasted about maintaining a country <br />atmosphere. She prefers that the subject property remain commercial and not be rezoned to <br />residential. Ms. Then stated that she is concerned with kids going through the back half of her <br />five-acre parcel and she is much more comfortable with the property being zoned commercial. <br /> <br />Jeff Abrahamson, 5735 - 153rd Avenue NW, Ramsey, stated that he would prefer that the zoning <br />be maintained as commercial and he is not interested in any of his land being acquired to provide <br />a passive park in the area. He stated that he does have a long and narrow lot but he still doesn't <br />think it's right to abut 12 to 14 homes up against his property line. <br /> <br />Robert Maxton, stated that he and his wife Mary own the subject property and are looking <br />forward to working with Good Value Homes. He stated that this evening, throughout the public <br />hearings, he has heard a lot of people with strong "nimby" (not in my back yard) feelings. Mr. <br />Maxton stated he can appreciate those feelings, however, he is beginning to feel inferior. He <br />stated he moved here from Pennsylvania 27 years ago and they bought a lot that measured 82 x <br />119 feet. He has heard tonight that this is a small and inferior parcel. Mr. Maxton stated that he <br />thinks about his neighbors and hopes that they don't feel that way about him just because they <br />have larger lots. He stated that he bought the property in 1975, and had it for 21 years and is <br />planning on retiring in the next year and he would like to look at this development as helping <br />them make their transition into their golden years. <br /> <br />Mr. John Peterson stated that this concept, or sketch plan, was presented to the Park Commission <br />and he told them that if, and he emphasized i_f, people that live next to the subject parcel are <br />interested in selling the back half of their property, would the Park Commission be interested in a <br />passive park in the area and the Park Commission said they were. Mr. Peterson says he does not <br />presume to be able to buy the land and, subsequent to the Park Commission meeting, he has <br />talked to the property owners and they are not interested so that is a done deal. <br /> <br />Terry Hendriksen, 15631 Ramsey Boulevard NW, Ramsey, stated that it is a fact of life that <br />residential property does not pay its own way. Commercial property subsidizes it. It takes a <br />house in excess of $200,000 before it breaks even as far as cost of services to that home. Mr. <br />Hendriksen stated that he has an opinion of where the MUSA line is but, wherever it is, it will be <br />difficult to get commercial development outside the MUSA and there is concern that the City <br />may not have enough commercial space for subsidizing residential development. Given the <br />uncertainty of the MUSA line, and knowing according to our Charter the citizens must approve <br />by a substantial margin, any expansions to the MUSA, the City should preserve property that <br />subsidizes residential development that is going on in the City and keep the residential taxes as <br />low as possible. <br /> <br />Planning Commission/Public Hearing/Good Value/April 1, 1997 <br /> Page 2 of 4 <br /> <br /> <br />