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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Planning Commission Meeting Notes <br />May 10, 2005 <br /> <br />Page 2 <br /> <br />to the amount that they are required to pay. She stated she is concerned with the cost to <br />hook up to City sewer and water. <br /> <br />Mr. Ejaz asked if the wetland could be filled in order to make more buildable area. Director <br />of Planning McPherson stated that State regulations limit the amount of area to be filled and <br />City policy does not allow wetlands to be filled for the purposes of creating buildable sites; <br />only for addressing public safety needs. <br /> <br />Mr. Schneider stated that he felt the City was forcing out the residents and that he had lived <br />on his property for 45 years and had no interest in moving. He also does not want <br />townhomes or apartments next door looking down on his property. He stated he was <br />interested in determining what the developers were interested in. <br /> <br />Victor Pacheco, attending for another item on the agenda, stated that as a developer he <br />would be interested in identifying what the City's interest was for development of the area. <br />He understands that the City Council would not allow piecemeal development in this <br />neighborhood and that a developer would need to enter into contracts with multiple <br />property owners with simultaneous closings in order to make a project work. <br /> <br />Mr. Graham stated that in the last five years more and more townhomes have appeared in <br />the neighborhood and that property owners are being forced to sell out at a lower rate <br />because of the fact that the adjacent townhomes are adversely affecting property values. <br /> <br />Director of Planning McPherson noted that the City Council wants staff, the Planning <br />Commission, and the neighborhood to prepare a plan that can be adopted in order to guide <br />developers. The Council understands the impact of the land use change to the residents and <br />want to make sure that the market responds to the residents, but developers also need <br />guidance in terms of what the City's vision is for the area. <br /> <br />Commissioner Offerman asked how a change in zoning would impact the assessed value and <br />therefore, the tax rate. Ms. McPherson stated that she would contact Jerry Kritzik, the <br />County Assessor, for an answer to this question. <br /> <br />Commissioner Stevens stated that it is his understanding that there will be no change in <br />assessed value or zoning until a developer or developers acquire enough properties to bring <br />forth a project. He stated that he would like to see commercial uses at the west end near the <br />intersection with a transition to lower density to the east end of the site. <br /> <br />Commissioner Westgaard stated that he felt that the site was very limited in terms of its <br />opportunity due to the presence of wetlands on the site. He questioned where the <br />transportation connections would be and indicated that it makes sense to align streets and <br />. . <br />mtersectlOns. <br /> <br />Commissioner Offerman stated that assuming that there are willing sellers in the <br />neighborhood that high density is the destiny for this parcel. He felt that with the Business <br />Park zoning to the west and the train station to the southwest, that this is a good site for <br />high density so that owners can live and walk to the future train station to take advantage of <br />Northstar Commuter Rail. <br /> <br />Mr. Howard stated that while commercial would be an option for their development group, <br />they are not interested in apartments due to the current market. With interest rates <br />