11-27-1991 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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• Honorable Mayor and City Council Members Little Canada City Hall 515 Little Canada Road Little Canada, MN 55117 September 4, 1991 Todd and Gail Hagen 52 East Little Canada Road Little Canada, MN 55117 Re: Cottage an and the Rebuilding"of Little Canada Road (the "Road ") Dear Mayor and Council Members: This letter is in regards to the above referenced matter as stated in the Tuesday, September 3, 1991 front page article in the North Suburban Press reiterating the Little Canada City Council Meeting of August 28, 1991 (attached hereto for reference). Our concerns are two -fold, as follows: First, we would like to state that the "Cottage" abutting our property to the west is in dire need of renovation and has been since we moved to the City about three years ago. We find its present state unacceptable and feel very strongly that it should be renovated to bring its value in -line with the rest of the neighborhood as soon as possible. As tax paying citizens of the City, we find it in your best interest to have that property built to its fullest single - family capacity, thereby generating more taxes for the City to enjoy as a whole and lessening the tax burden on your citizens. It is our understanding that if left in its present state, we all lose; the Cottage would have to be torn down and the land would be left vacant, thus never having the opportunity to be built up again. By rejecting the renovation proposal, you have set the project back (if not killed it altogether), resulting in an even longer period of blight on a road the Planning Commission considers "The Gateway to the City ". Secondly, we find Council Member Blesener's and LaValle's comments against the Cottage renovation that were directed toward the future of the Road and the homes abutting thereon totally misleading, without merit and, to say the least, alarming. The result of their statements affects everyone who lives along the Road, and not just the Cottage in question. We hear a message from the City "stay if you want, but you are an annoyance to be persecuted for buying a house in the City where we don't want homes anymore ". We are disturbed in our interpretation of their comments, that future renovations to our homes should not be attempted and left to decay in the same manner as the Cottage. The result being in "three or four years ", if the City doesn't buy us out first (ten homes total), there will be a four -lane highway outside our front door and we will be living in a house the City will never let us renovate because they did not want to "set a precedent" in 1991. We would greatly appreciate the City notifying us years in advance of any property acquisition so that we may plan for the future. We would like you to note that according to various surveys of abutting lots and numerous discussions with Ramsey County, the northern portions are already located in the middle of the Road, Page 25