01-27-2009 Council Work Session Packet

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MEMORANDUM 1-27-09 Work Session To: Mayor and Council Bill Wells, City Administrator .i� � From: Mike Gaffron, Asst. Administrator �� � Date: January 26, 2009 Subject: Minnetrista Comp Plan Discussion Staff is being approached by a small group of Miruietrista property owners (Mark Sass, James Hoeft, and their realtor Paul Harrington)who are attempting to gain Orono support for opposing certain elements of Minnetrista's proposed Comprehensive Plan. Minnetrista's proposed Comp Plan includes future development of high-density housing in the southern part of the city along Highway 7. These opposers want Minnetrista to change its plans and re-locate the future high-density housing to the northeast end of the city (coincidently, where they own land about a quarter mile west of Lakeview Golf Course!). Their stated basis for this is that Highway 7 is already choked with traffic and will take huge amounts of non-existent funding to upgrade, yet we have this beautiful new Highway 12 freeway just completed that can handle lots of traffic. At the work session I will have available a map compilation of the proposed Land Use Plans for western Orono, southeast Independence and northeast Minnetrista. The proposed plans all fit together quite nicely, with corresponding low-density across city boundaries from low density, higher-density across from higher-density, etc. The current proposed low-density land use in Minnetrista and Independence appears to be quite complementary to that of Orono. I'm attaching various articles provided by these property owners in support of their position. We should discuss this at the work session and determine whether we want to respond to this group of property owners and/or to Minnetrista. I have discussed this with Minnetrista's consultant planner (Nate Sparks of Northwest Associated Consultants) who indicates he has also been getting calls from this group...