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From: Stacey Royal <br />To: Jeremy Barnhart; victoriaseals(abamail.com; Denny Walsh <br />Cc: David Royal <br />Subject: Comprehensive Plan Public Opinion <br />Date: Wednesday, November 07, 2018 1:54:31 PM <br />Jeremy, <br />We would like to submit a public comment regarding the 2040 comprehensive plan that will <br />be submitted for final approval at the December 2018 city council meeting. We have <br />reviewed the plan and have serious concerns regarding the level of density that is being <br />proposed in the plan along the Highway 112 corridor. We understand there were <br />requirements by the Met Council to increase the opportunity to provide density, but we are <br />very concerned about a 192 unit apartment building coming into that section of town. Orono <br />simply does not have the infrastructure to support this additional increase. The traffic in the <br />mornings is already a concern due to the high speed limits on highway 112 and highway 6, the <br />two highways surrounding the schools. Adding an additional 100+ cars to this traffic in the <br />morning will cause safety concerns for the students at the Orono Schools. Moreover, Orono <br />does not have services available to support this type of density. We have a co-op that has <br />some groceries, but there is not a full service grocery store, nor is there public transportation. <br />We want to submit this opinion for consideration as developers start to propose <br />developments on these properties that are now zoned for higher density. Most residents of <br />Orono are not aware of these plans. They are not aware of rezoning and what the <br />"opportunity to increase density" means to our rural community. Unless families request this <br />information, it has not been shared broadly with the community. We were only made aware <br />of this due to an anonymous letter that was sent to our residence alerting us to a proposed <br />development in our neighborhood. Orono does not have a downtown; we are a rural <br />community and that is why people choose to live here. Changing the character of Orono by <br />building multi -unit, multi -floor buildings will not be welcomed by most who live in this <br />community. We are just one family voicing our concern because we are aware of the <br />proposed changes and believe they would be significantly detrimental to Orono and its <br />residents. <br />Thank you, <br />David & Stacey Royal <br />3135 Jamestown Road <br />Orono, MN 55356 <br />952-473-9528 <br />