08-26-2024 City Council Agenda Packet (2)

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Council Minutes -13- July 8, 2024 far as putting it on the calendar for a future meeting, as opposed to putting a halt on due process, tabling it and still meeting a statutory statutorily regulated due process does not turn this project down." Councilmember Ruhland stated that this press release was after his comments that he is confident CAIR-MN representatives heard in that very meeting. He reviewed that he had explained that, that this is coming out of order. Why would we give a developer feedback on a development that may need to completely change if studies are done, which is part of the moratorium process in which he supported. He stated that he wanted to see the results of those studies before going on record with his feedback. He said he suggested that the City give the developer credit for some staff time in preparing the council packet. This could be before the council next month again, or it might be around if not before a year from now. Here again, CAIR-MN seemingly using the developers' missteps of normal order of development to create a discriminatory buzz around the topic. Councilmember Ruhland stated that the Executive Director at the press conference continued to say, three of the city council members said we do not want to hear the planning concept of the project. And the main reason, CAIR-MN believes for this is what they have heard over the last three to four months, this project is not going to not going to go forward and the City is going to find any possible way to stop it. Councilmember Ruhland encouraged any members of the public or media to pull the recordings of the July 1, 2024 work Session and to listen to the City Council's logic. Councilmember Ruhland stated that there has been statements that Zikar Holdings is the only developer working within the impacted area. However, the property owner selling the property for the proposed development brought forward the idea of taking a tour of another development project to gauge the City Council's interested in a similar development. He stated that they are correct in the sense that Zikar Holdings is the only developer with an application and all of the experienced developers, have decided to withhold submitting an application presumably until they understand what we decide to do. He stated that the City Council is following due process to the letter of the law. Councilmember Ruhland stated that the developer makes it seem like they don't care about our due process by coming into the city and trying to bully their way to what they want by slinging accusations of Islamophobia. Councilmember Ruhland referenced a quote in a recent Star Tribune article about the developer starting off on the wrong foot. He stated that the City Council has tried to do everything they can to help the developer move through this process, including letting them know before they submitted a land use application that we were talking about a moratorium. However, the developer took that information and quickly filed a Concept Plan. The developer claimed a moratorium was a means for discrimination. And that this moratorium is Islamophobic. Councilmember Ruhland stated that he would like to know if the developer thinks the taxpayers of the city shouldn't have a say in what the Master Plan for an area looks like when