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This property and the adjoining property owners to the east and south combined make up <br />one of the last standing larger agricultural areas of land in Lake Elmo. All the immediate <br />neighborhood properties are sizable rural residential homesteads. The best use of land is <br />to remain agricultural and rural. The property consists of 25.75 tillable acres, 12.33 acres <br />are pasture, 13.6 acres are wetland, 10.1acres of old growth woods, and most of Clear <br />Lake falls within the boundaries of this parcel of land. A medical facility is not consistent <br />with the character of this area and does not fit in an Agricultural Zoning District. <br />The intention to preserve this land with the AP designation was to “run with the land”. The <br />adjoining property owners also support a preservation status. The preserve will contribute <br />to protecting this area as part of a corridor of migrating and nesting large birds. The <br />adjoining properties on all sides of the lake have maintained a natural setting and habitat. <br />The property owners to the south of the lake have their homesteads included in <br />conservation easements which help continue support in the delicate balance of nature and <br />the encroaching urban development. <br />Allowing these 62 acres to be redesignated as RAD should be Denied. It’s one of the last <br />standing larger parcels of land and, in particular, because of the lake and wetlands, this <br />designation would not protect the area surrounding the lake from future division and would <br />disrupt the delicate and pristine environment we are desperately trying to save. The impact <br />of the change being proposed will affect the neighbors, the environment and the wildlife <br />and devastate the fine balance we strive to protect. <br />The City’s commitment should be to the residents that live in the community rather than to <br />a proposed business entity that does not plan to live on the site or in our community. It will <br />be a sad day for the environment if this proposal passes. <br />Thank you for your consideration, <br />Jane Chars, constituent of Lake Elmo <br />