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Mounds View Planning Commission September 6, 2000 <br />Regular Meeting Page 10 <br /> <br /> <br />the property owner an unfair advantage and she feels he should stay within the small property <br />guidelines as established by current City Code. <br /> <br />Dawn Little of 7658 Greenfield Avenue stated she would like the City to assure immediate <br />occupancy once the lot is developed so that building does not sit vacant. <br /> <br />Ms. Little stated she is also concerned that the parking lot lights will be bright and light up her <br />yard. <br /> <br />Ms. Little indicated that she feels the tenants at the apartment building will cut across the lot and <br />there will be a bigger problem with graffiti and trash. She asked if the developer or owner of the <br />building, when developed, would be local and available to handle problems as they arise. <br /> <br />Chairperson Peterson indicated that Mr. Mezzenga, the applicant/developer, lives in Shoreview <br />and the property owner lives in Mounds View. <br /> <br />Ernie Gustafson of 2525 County Road I, the property owner, stated he has owned the property <br />since 1942 and has lived in Mounds View since 1945. He stated that in 1978, he presented a <br />plan to the City Council with 20 parking places but the Council demanded 22 parking places so <br />the lot was not developed. He said that for 22 years he has been paying very high taxes on the <br />property and if the Council had approved the variance in 1978, the City and Ramsey County <br />would have benefited from the taxes the building would have generated. <br /> <br />Mr. Gustafson indicated that the path goes through his property and people from Greenfield <br />Avenue walk across his lot to the Tom Thumb store and when they leave the Tom Thumb store <br />with their goods they toss their garbage onto his lot. Mr. Gustafson stated that this is the main <br />reason he wants to build something, to eliminate the path. <br /> <br />Mr. Gustafson pointed out that Tom Thumb has their parking lot one foot from the property line. <br /> <br />Mr. Gustafson explained to the Planning Commission that he has received letters from the City <br />to pick up trash on the property and he is sure that all of the trash on the property originated at <br />Tom Thumb but he had to pick it up or incur costs to have it picked up. <br /> <br />Mr. Gustafson said that in the winter, when it snows, the Tom Thumb store plows snow onto his <br />vacant lot. He said he is tired of them doing this and would like to put a fence up around the <br />office building and eliminate the problems. Mr. Gustafson then told the Planning Commission <br />that in 1988, the City and County of Ramsey took 10 feet from his property to add the sidewalk <br />and he got nothing for the property they took. <br /> <br />Dick Palmatier of 7639 Edgewood Drive inquired as to why this piece of property was zoned <br />commercial when the other properties, aside from the Tom Thumb lot, are zoned residential and <br />would like to know if it is too late to rezone the lot as residential and have it developed as such. <br /> <br />Chairperson Peterson indicated that every property in the City has a designated use and <br />corresponding zoning. This lot is guided commercial and the Planning Commission agrees with <br />the designation.