Agenda Packets - 2003/12/08 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Watershed engineers monitoring the project to insure that there are no problems. This statement also makes Karin and I very nervous because where were the engineers who built Silver Lake Road on the west side of the proposed property? This road has settled tremendously due to the soil base upon which it also was built. It is like a roller coaster in places! I would hope that the engineers involved with that project had not intended it to be that way! If they didn’t, that would prove my point that engineers also make mistakes and when this happens on the proposed Longview Estates subdivision where should the current residents of Longview Drive send their damage claims to have them covered. (By the builder’s insurance company I would hope.) That would incidentally not be Mr. Harstad as was pointed out in detail in previous planning commission meetings before. After Mr. Harstad sells the property, to whatever builder has the highest price I am sure, there is no assurance that these builders will stand up to what Mr. Harstad has claimed in the past. They will do whatever is profitable for them, and we are afraid that it will ultimately fall upon us, the other property owners along Longview Drive who will sacrifice the ultimate expense of damage to our existing homes due to actions of the land developers. 3.) Property values of proposed housing if minimum lot width variance is passed. We are also concerned about the area’s property values if the variance for reduced minimum lot widths is passed on this property. Mr. Harstad has claimed from the beginning that the proposed homes that he would have built on the site would be worth $300k to $350k and this would greatly appreciate the values of the homes in the surrounding area. We feel that he is full of lies. We just had our house re-appraised not long ago for $165k and I know that most of the others in the surrounding area are very close to this same range. The appraiser even told us that no-one in their right mind would build a $300-$350k home in this area because it would be so out of line with the surrounding properties. Secondly, the proposed plan shows eleven houses being built in this area, they would literally be on top of one another with no real yards to speak of if they were indeed $300-$350k houses. Again, very unlike all the other properties in the neighborhood. If these houses have to be built with no basements due to the water table then the values of the proposed houses will be much, much less than Mr. Harstad has claimed. The possibility also exists that this could even reduce the value of the current houses that already exist in the neighborhood. 4.) City’s responsibility for development along Silver Lake Road. Finally, one thing that was not discussed at the meeting on November 5th, 2003 was the proposed development along Silver Lake Road. Again, Karin and I don’t want development on either side of this property! What came to mind after the meeting was the development along Silver Lake Road. During the meeting it was discussed that The County disapproves of adding driveways to Silver Lake Road, and the proposal indicates a “T” style driveway for safe access for cars. However, in the report it was identified that “No proposed home would have any significant backyard area except lots 1 & 2”. If the seven new homes along Silver Lake Road house new or young families with children, and the homes have no backyard, then the children or homeowners will be forced to spend their time in the front yards of these homes. This seems like a very risky proposition given the heavy traffic that can occur along Silver Lake Road. This is not a calculated risk, but only a matter of time before someone in one of those homes would be involved in a traffic related accident. So my question would be in regards to the city’s responsibility to the potential new residents of these homes along Silver Lake Road. It seems to me that knowing the limitations of the design of the property that approving such a proposed development would put the city at risk of a negligence lawsuit. Knowing the location and the activities that will be occurring on these new residential homes, the City would be enabling these citizens to live/play in their residences with a much higher risk of injury or death than other residents of the city enjoy. In conclusion Karin and I are asking the Mounds View City Counsel & the Planning Commission to deny the Harstad Companies’ & Eichi, Inc. proposed preliminary plat. We feel that there are other very serious issues with building on this property that would make it very unattractive for Mr. Harstad to build on it. I do not want everyone to ignore the real issues of building on this property which include the serious technical issues as mentioned above.