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Il <br />MINUTES OF THE <br />ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING <br />Monday, March 22,2004 <br />7:00 o’clock p.m. <br />(4. ON SALE LIQUOR LICENSE PUBLIC HEARING - PA UL ODE - NA VARRE <br />LANES continued) <br />open windows in their home because of the band music bouncing off glass in the windows. <br />Mr. Hoyt thanked Mayor Peterson for speaking with him over the weekend and apologized <br />for disturbing her solitude. He doesn’t believe this site is viable because of the intersection <br />of County Road 15, the exit and entrance to the site and speeding down Kelly Avenue. He <br />would like to know what the vision is for this building and the area. This building in <br />question is a blight and the non-conforming use of the basement is no longer going to be in <br />operation and is an opportunity to see what else can happen cn the property going forward. <br />Mr. Hoyt suggests that if the ordinances need to be changed, change them. You just can’t <br />grant variances without a hardship. There is no hardship here. Mr. Hoyt also stated he was <br />the one person that called on the CUP after receiving the public notice. Also he stated there <br />is a gravel driveway and the parking lot has never been improved. Mr. Hoyt said he is a real <br />estate developer and suggested adopting a moratorium to study what needs to be placed at <br />this site. There are now multi-million dollar homes in the immediate area of this site and <br />attractive retail should be placed at this site and in the immediate area to serve the residents. <br />Mayor Peterson closed the public hearing at 8:25 p.m. <br />Murphy thanked everyone that appeared tonight and stated that Council needs to restrict <br />their discussion to the application before them tonight. To Mr. Ode he said that he always <br />seems to say it is someone else’s problem and he is not prepared to support the application. <br />The police department has put in long hours of work on this application, but his denial is not <br />solely based on the applicant, but all the other pieces the staff and community have stated <br />here tonight. <br />Sansevere indicated he supports the residents in the neighborhood most closely associated <br />with the project location in opposition. He quoted Mrs. O’Malley when she said Orono <br />considers its residents first above projects and that is what this meeting is about. The public <br />spoke out 13 to 1 (owner of building Keaveney in support) in opposition to the liquor <br />application and one of the people that spoke had talked to 90 people in opposition by <br />petition. <br />Mr. Ode also submitted a letter dated March 17,2004 from the Bowling Proprietors <br />Association of Minnesota stating that a high percentage of bow ling alleys now have liquor <br />licenses, but Sansevere doesn’t believe a large number of those establishments open up into <br />a residential area. He also asked legal counsel what the Council can do to stop any future <br />liquor licenses at this site and wants to move to rescind the 3-2 liquor license currently in <br />place based on the police report. <br />Attorney Barrett said in respect to the first question the council’s authority under state law <br />provides that it may issue a liquor license within that language which is permissive. He <br />PAGE 10 of 23