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Mounds View City Council August 22, 2005 <br />Regular Meeting Page 20 <br /> <br />explained there is some flexibility as to when it will occur but it will occur as a result of the PUD 1 <br />application since it is a rezoning from the Industrial zoning to a PUD. In doing a PUD, it gives 2 <br />the City greater flexibility in how it is developed, greater density, and preservation of wetlands 3 <br />and additional open spaces. 4 <br /> 5 <br />Ms. Haake asked if the PUD allows more building stories. Director Ericson stated that is correct. 6 <br /> 7 <br />Ms. Haake asked if the PUD has to be done before any site work or removal of trees. Director 8 <br />Ericson stated it will be done before “shovels are out there.” 9 <br /> 10 <br />Ms. Haake stated it will be a zoning ordinance change and residents can have a referendum on a 11 <br />rezoning. 12 <br /> 13 <br />City Attorney Riggs advised there was a case in the Minnesota Court of Appeals in 2002 14 <br />regarding a Best Buy project in Richfield called “Nordmarken versus the City of Richfield.” The 15 <br />Court of Appeals has stated, this is the basic holding, that the referendum would be in conflict 16 <br />with State law; that State Law preempted the Charter with respect to land use issues. City 17 <br />Attorney Riggs stated that is the State law on the books and it is very recent. In response to Ms. 18 <br />Haake’s question, City Attorney Riggs stated the answer would be likely no. That would not be 19 <br />subject to referendum and courts have ruled on it very recently, within the last three years. 20 <br /> 21 <br />Ms. Haake stated there is another case study called “Denny versus Duluth” and in that case it 22 <br />does state that any zoning change has got to be done by ordinance and it is a legislative act. 23 <br /> 24 <br />City Attorney Riggs clarified that is not what Nordmarken found. 25 <br /> 26 <br />Ms. Haake stated it is and there has to be research on that and she would be happy to hear what 27 <br />that research found. She stated it is her understanding that would be open to referendum as far as 28 <br />she understands with court cases. 29 <br /> 30 <br />Duane McCarty, 8060 Long Lake Road, stated yes it has been his experience in 15 years of 31 <br />elected office that all zoning changes were done by ordinance and in some cases, down zoning 32 <br />for example, needs a four-fifths votes. He stated the Denny versus Duluth case was a Supreme 33 <br />Court decision, not Court of Appeals, in 1968. In that case zoning was determined to be a 34 <br />legislative police power act and will be subject to referendum under the City Charter. He stated 35 <br />the information that residents have been receiving has been very confusing and he doesn’t want 36 <br />to go down that road so far that it can’t be stopped. He stated he had attended a Rotary meeting 37 <br />where Medtronic presented that the City would get $169,000 a year in all fees, $43,000 a year in 38 <br />real estate taxes, and $46,000 a year in administrative fees. However, if this is TIF related it 39 <br />cannot be used in the general fund. He noted there is an $80,000 franchise fee, which the City 40 <br />has been trying to get rid of and to put the fee on property tax. He suggested Medtronic check 41 <br />with the business community who has been against that type of fee for a long time. He stated 42 <br />there are still many issues with this contract and he is open to a discussion with Mr. McCombs. 43 <br /> 44 <br />Ken Glidden, 5240 Edgewood Drive, stated he does not know what the commitment step 45