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Mounds View City Council <br />Regular Meeting <br />February 26, 2018 <br />Page 14 <br />1 B was removed. <br />2 <br />3 Mayor Mueller discussed the developer's agreement with INH which included a 124 -unit market <br />4 rate four story apartment complex with a small amount of retail. She indicated their proposal <br />5 also included a 16,000 to 20,000 square feet of specialty retail. She reported the developer has <br />6 been very up front stating they had an investor (Heartland Gun Club) who would like to utilize <br />7 this portion of the development. She explained the market rate apartments would be owned and <br />8 managed by INH. She reported INH had no fear of renting these units with the full <br />9 understanding a gun club would be located on the same property. She stated the developer told <br />10 the City Council there were a couple of issues, one being access directly onto Mounds View <br />11 Boulevard. After many discussions with the County, the City was told the Crossroad Pointe <br />12 development would have access from Edgewood Boulevard. She feared how this would impact <br />13 traffic in the area. She reiterated the fact that the City Council does not have a final plan before <br />14 them. She commented on the discussions that were held regarding City managed garbage <br />15 collection and stated she understood, in the end, the public wanted to maintain the right to choose <br />16 their garbage provider. She discussed the proposed amendment on the floor and asked if the <br />17 public honestly believed the City Council was not looking out for the best interests of the public. <br />18 She commented without deliberate actions, a gun was no more lethal than a rock. She stated she <br />19 was not for or against the project but commented the proposed project would offer tax relief for <br />20 all residents in the community. However, if the exception was removed, she was confident the <br />21 INH developers would present a proposal that does not include a gun club and may require a City <br />22 subsidy. She explained she wished the Council could answer more the questions being raised by <br />23 the public but noted the City was still gathering information. She discussed the number of <br />24 Mounds View and New Brighton residents that had the right to conceal and carry. She <br />25 commented on the history of Simon's which allowed for the sale of guns in Mounds View. She <br />26 questioned why the public was so afraid of allowing people to practice the safe use of a gun. She <br />27 understood some of the public may support a gun range if it was proposed for another location in <br />28 the City. She stated she appreciated the public's patience as the Council worked through this <br />29 issue. She commented on the amendment on the floor and noted she would be voting against it <br />30 because she would like to table action on the Ordinance to allow staff and the City Council to <br />31 gather more information. She discussed how Mounds View would be adversely impacted when <br />32 TCAAP began to develop. <br />33 <br />34 Council Member Bergeron commented the Council was still waiting to receive a market analysis <br />35 from INH that was talked about over six months ago. He added that INH indicated during their <br />36 first proposal that the market analysis was pending at that time and added that perhaps they were <br />37 having a difficult time finding another apartment complex/shooting range to compare it to. He <br />38 explained that the Council, when this proposal was first before them, expressed contentment for <br />39 the gun club with a 4-1 vote and to go ahead with the INH plans which is why he believes INH <br />4o has not pursued other specialty retail for the site. He commented that by voting for this <br />41 amendment, the City would be forcing INH to find more suitable specialty retail or they would <br />42 need move forward with only the market rate housing portion of the development. He added that <br />43 if TIF was offered, the City would still be getting a portion of the property taxes. He thanked the <br />44 residents that came out commented that the majority of the public was not against 2nd <br />45 Amendment rights, but rather were focused on safety and economics. He added that based on the <br />