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� COUNCIL MEETING � <br /> JAN 2 6 2015 <br /> MEMORANDUM January 26, 2015 Work Sessior�Typ�ORONO <br /> To: Mayor& Council <br /> Jessica Loftus, City Administr or <br /> From: Mike Gaffron, Senior Planner - <br /> Date: January 22, 2015 <br /> Subject: Whalen Property Easement/A cess Issue <br /> Summary: The City is in receipt of a letter from Jim and Jean Whalen regarding their <br /> inability to gain access to their vacant property west of the Jacobs Mill subdivision. <br /> Attachments: <br /> A-Whalen Letter dated January 8, 2015 <br /> B -Whalen Letter to Planning Commission dated December 9, 2014 <br /> C - Charles Cudd Co. December 8, 2014 Request to Delay Council Sketch Plan Review <br /> D - Staff Memo to Council re Roden Property Sketch Plan December 2, 2014 <br /> E - November 24, 2014 Charles Cudd Co. Letter to Whalen re Access Offer <br /> F - Sketch of Cudd Sketch Plan Showing Proposed Access for Whalen <br /> G - Staff sketch showing possible options for investigation <br /> H -Additional Items of Correspondence <br /> I - Jacobs Mill Road Easement Document <br /> For Discussion: <br /> The Whalen's have been attempting for more than a year to gain access to their property in <br /> order to market it as a building site. The property is located west of Jacobs Mill Road and <br /> separated from Orchard Park Road by existing homestead lots created 100 years ago. The <br /> parcel abuts undeveloped rights-of-way, all of which are situated so as to have significant issues <br /> with their ability to serve as an access for the Whalens. <br /> Staff have met with the Whalen's on numerous occasions over the past year, and did provide <br /> them a sketch depicting potential options to consider. None have come to fruition for various <br /> reasons, including: <br /> - Jacobs Mill HOA refusing to grant access to Whalen over Jacobs Mill Road, and an <br /> easement over that private road that requires payment to the road owners if access to the <br /> west is developed <br /> - MnDOT & Hennepin County refusing to grant access to County Road 6 due to topography <br /> and existing roadway configurations <br /> - Topographic issues such as wetland and creeks, as well as long distance that make <br /> development within the existing right-of way corridors impossible or financially prohibitive <br /> - Inability to reach an agreement with Charles Cudd Co on access thru Roden property (in <br /> part due to Cudd reluctance to develop site due to various factors including Stormwater Fee) <br /> The recent January 8 letter from the Whalen's suggests they want the City to pressure <br /> Hennepin County to grant approval for a driveway to CR 6. I have asked Soren to be <br /> present at the work session for discussion on this item <br />