03/12/1983 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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his opinions but he told me that construction from a planning stand- point ( ) actual ground breaking . Mr . Peter Kluqel who has been enforcing your ordinance for the past how many years agrees . Ground- breaking is the key to construction . That is how one defines con- struction . The Task Force , in drafting the new ordinance and in particular reaffirming this particular provision and incorporating into that new ordinance also intended the word construction to mean actual groundbreaking . Now I ' ve discussed this also with some adioininn communities ; obviously they ' re not goinq to be here to present that in our behalf tonight ; however , it ' s their opinion and what they enforce in their particular communities , that construction means actual groundbreaking. As I was going over this issue tonight trying to figure out what I was going to try to present to the council , I iust haopened to pick up the St . Paul Dispatch and just an interestinq article on the Metronolitan News Section . Groundbreaking for Loop Heating is the title of the article . It ooes on to read "St . Paul Mayor George Latimar todav broke ground in Rice Park to signal the start of con- struction on the 45 .8 million downtown district heating system. Joining the Mayor for the ceremony were representatives of business and government . The public and private sectors have worked 4 years to plan and finance the system . " I think it kind of directly , indirectly relates to the issue here . Does planning and financing constitute construction or does actual groundbreaking . That article seems to think that actual groundbreaking is the key to construction whatever weight that may bear with you people . I feel the intent of the or- dinance is to give you , the zoning official an objective method of administering the ordinance . Question would come to your zoning official has the permitee actually -begun the building process on the property . I think it would be circumventing the intent of the ordinance by stating the planning stages should constitute construc- tion . How on earth is a zoning official supposed to administer an ordinance when you have vague plans in a builder ' s mind or in a builder ' s office . The only way he can objectively determine whether construction has begun is to out on the project site and see whether or nor actual ground has been broken . Once you ' ve determined that there ' s been no construction within the meaning of your statute , the next step is simple . The ordinance says the use is then void . -4-