7.2. SR 07-06-2021 - Laserfiche WebLink

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From: John Jordan <johnaiordan@gmail.com> Sent: Friday, July 2, 2021 12:39 PM To: Portner, Cal <CPortner@ElkRiverMN.gov> Subject: Apartment Issue Cal - Can you share this with the Mayor and council? Thanks. Good morning. I am writing to you regarding the apartment and townhome development proposal at the end of Yankton St NW. My letter is not from me as a planning commissioner but from a personal standpoint. do not speak for the commission nor my neighborhood (though I'd suggest those in my neighborhood would agree with my letter). My bride and I looked for just the right neighborhood in which to settle down as our "final home". Our little development was new at the time, I think we were the fifth or sixth home to be built. It was quiet and surprisingly, today, after the development was completed with 42 total homes, it's just as quiet. Why? Because the entire development is made up of mostly retired people. When I come home from work on garbage day most every garbage can has been taken in except mine. The reason is that I am one of the few who still goes to work every day. So it was surprising when city staff made the claim that our average number of cars traveling our road during peak hours was 108 cars per hour. Earlier this week I sat outside for 40 minutes counting cars, during rush hour of 5:00-5:45 or so. Six cars. One was my wife's. Six. For an hour it might have been ten. Not 108. The people of our neighborhood walk their dogs, or their grandkids, knowing it's a quiet area to live. It's what they purchased. It's why they moved there. We're told "but the comprehensive plan said...." Yes, a ten year old comp plan, a 50,000 foot view of a certain property thought someday it might be possible to put high density housing in this area. At the same time planners thought the frontage road this would sit on would also be completed through to Waco St. I would bet they never figured they'd be pushing 158 peak cars per hour down a quiet road occupied by 98% seniors. Put yourself into this situation and imagine living on a street that would go from 10 cars per hour to 158. Imagine your quiet street going from 10 cars to becoming Proctor or Jackson or similar. No comp plan committee member would ever have imagined this as they came up with it. The developer -paid traffic study claims 85% of the complex traffic will travel two blocks to the west all to attempt to get onto Highway 10 and travel backwards toward Elk River. The route of least resistance is through our neighborhood, the route that takes people to a signalized intersection is through our neighborhood, and the route people will take as habits form is through our neighborhood. Reality, simple reality, does not support this traffic study's claim that most people will exit via the highway. To be clear, as a planning commissioner I stated, despite my desire for higher quality apartments in Elk River (better amenities, higher rent apartments), had the traffic issues been resolved I would have