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Council Minutes -8- June 24, 2024 <br /> <br />Councilmember Ruhland stated that he has been asked if the Council toured the Pulte Del Web <br />development. He reported that they did to learn more about a development that had appeared <br />before the Council with development interest in Lino Lakes. He stated that if the Madinah Lakes <br />developer has another development, they would like the Council to tour he would encourage <br />them to let the Council know where it is. And they can provide public notice as they did with <br />Del Webb and schedule that tour. <br />Councilmember Ruhland stated that part of the facts is the timeline. The same day they toured <br />Del Webb, a video went viral about another development across the street, the Madinah Lakes <br />project. He stated that at least he saw the video for the first time that day, as the Council was <br />touring Del Webb. That project was an additional 156 acres, across the street of where the very <br />development they touring was proposed, resulting in two massive developments at a gateway <br />entrance which will change the entire look and feel of that important area. <br />Councilmember Ruhland stated that it has been asked why now? and why not when other <br />developments are coming forward? He stated that he cannot speak for prior Councils or other <br />Councilmembers on our current Council, only for himself. Having reviewed the last proposed <br />development on this parcel, the answer is because there was only one development, it was also <br />far from finalized. Today both of these developments are poised to come in right around the <br />exact same time. That is what set off the alarm bells for him and why he started looking further <br />into that area and ultimately concluded that a moratorium is the right call. It's been said that <br />there is no Pulte development coming. They are not under contract for the land adjacent to this <br />development. He stated that while he doesn’t know why the Pulte development hasn’t taken <br />the next step, he would believe it could be because they are waiting to see what direction the <br />Council takes with the planning process before investing money in submitting plans. Similarly, <br />he does not know why the Madinah Lakes developer hurried to submit a plan when they knew <br />the Council was considering a moratorium. He said in his original motion to start the discussion <br />of a moratorium, he identified that development is expensive. A developer can be 10s of 1,000s <br />of dollars invested in a project just to find out if it can move forward or not. At the time he had <br />said he would hate to see developments come forward, invest a ton of money into it, and find <br />out we cannot support the homes for the developments. Where there needs to be Comp Plan <br />changes, etc., that would make a development, once thought to work, no longer meet the <br />economic expectations of the developer. He said that at the time he said this as a heads up to <br />the two developers, as he didn't want them to spend money without knowing all the facts of a <br />potential change in the outcome of a proposed development. <br />Councilmember Ruhland stated that the City Council has heard from many citizens who are <br />concerned about the pace of growth in Lino Lakes. These voices reflected a desire to ensure <br />that our City's expansion is manageable and sustainable. The interim ordinance is intended to <br />provide transparency and invite public participation in shaping the future of this critical area. It <br />is about aligning our development efforts with a Comprehensive Plan ensuring that we have a <br />Master Plan that incorporates the needs and desires of our taxpayers and neighboring <br />communities. This is an opportunity to gather input from stakeholders through public hearings <br />and other means. A development now will be what an area looks like for likely the next 100 <br />years maybe more. Let's do it right.