4. SR 08-13-2007 - Laserfiche WebLink

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C:V) \ - ~~, -'/20 ~M ~\.\-E:- bEE G 6l<.-. Dear Mayor Klingzing and Council Members, I am a resident within the proposed redevelopment area and have some real concerns regarding the plan and the process so far. I plan to attend both "stakeholder meetings' next Tuesday, and hope some of my concerns will be addressed at that time. I understand only written questions / concerns will be addressed, which feels a bit evasive, but alright, so I'm sending you some of mine in advance, just to be on the record and make you aware there are those of us out here who are not necessarily on board with the focus group's current plan. 1) The plan indicates Hwy 10 will remain at grade level, something that functions less than satisfactorily now and most likely less so once the commuter rail is implemented, also dismissing what I understand are MNDOT's plans to either raise or lower the hwy by 20 feet. How did the focus group conclude leaving the hwy at grade level was the right course of action, or even a possibility in light of MNDOT's plans? What other agencies / experts were consulted to aide in the traffic flow portion of the plan? 2) I like the idea of refocusing the downtown business district more towards the river, but many people have been under-whelmed by the appearance of the bluffs, and the ways in which the initial plan was changed following city council approval (trail along river scratched, etc). Also I understand there continues to be a high vacancy rate in the new buildings, and can't imagine how traffic and parking will function smoothly once construction is completed. How can the focus group assure the public further plans for redevelopment should move forward, when prior public concerns and those of downtown business owners were dismissed, and the results with the exception of river's edge park, are rather lackluster so far? 3) I have yet to receive any mailings, or be contacted in any way regarding the redevelopment, even after making a call to find out when the focus group was meeting so I could attend. My call was not returned. I'm sure this was an unintentional oversight, but indicates your process of communicating with residents affected by the plan is flawed. So far the process feels rathe~ exclusionary. What steps will the focus group take in the coming months to ensure public participation in the planning process? Why has the public been excluded until this phase? 4) Maps have been distributed showing private property as proposed park and trail land, not a distinction always clearly drawn by the public. The maps were distributed without any of the affected landowners being contacted. It is alarming to see a map distributed by the city, in some cases showing your house erased or a trail going through your yard. It gets people thinking eminent domain plans are possibly, menacingly, already underway. Does the HRA currently have any plans to implement eminent domain in the execution of any of the redevelopment plans?