Laserfiche WebLink
Mounds View Planning Commission August 16, 2017 <br />Regular Meeting Page 4 <br />________________________________________________________________________ <br /> <br /> <br />Chair Stevenson opened the discussion to the public. <br /> <br />Dan Mueller, 8343 Groveland Road, commented on the traffic concerns and high speed of <br />vehicles along Groveland Road. He believed the proposed development would greatly <br />complicate an already difficult situation. He stated he had little faith in the results of the traffic <br />study. He feared the extra burden on Groveland Road would negatively impact the homeowners <br />that live along this roadway. He expressed frustration that the development was originally <br />presented as workforce housing to now being affordable housing. <br /> <br />Mr. Stokka provided the Commission with a definition for workforce housing and stated <br />sometimes the term affordable housing is used interchangeably. He reported the housing was <br />meant for working class residents with low to moderate income. He discussed the background <br />and criminal background checks that were completed on all residents. <br /> <br />Commissioner Klebsch asked if MWF would continue to own and manage the property after it <br />was developed. Mr. Stokka explained MWF would retain ownership and management of the <br />property. <br /> <br />Matt Oquist, 8408 Groveland Road, stated his main concern with this project was traffic. He <br />discussed how Groveland Road has narrowed and explained that this change did not assist in <br />reducing the speed of traffic. He feared how an additional 399 vehicle trips per day would <br />impact this roadway. He explained he wanted to keep this roadway nice going into the future. <br />For this reason, he recommended another site be considered for the proposed workforce housing. <br /> <br />Commissioner Klebsch agreed traffic was a concern for the proposed housing project. She <br />questioned how Mr. Oquist would feel about having a shopping/commercial complex on this <br />corner with increased traffic. Mr. Oquist stated this was a landlocked property that previously <br />had access on Mounds View Boulevard. He commented on how the neighbors would now be <br />impacted due to the fact the City was proposing to combine the parcels with the small parcel that <br />abuts Groveland Road. All of the traffic from this development would now flow onto Groveland <br />Road. He believed that there were other options to consider that would lessen the traffic impact <br />on the surrounding property owners, such as a townhome development. <br /> <br />Commissioner Schiltgen requested further information on the TIF dollars. City Administrator <br />Ericson explained the TIF discussion was not part of the Planning Commission’s consideration. <br />He indicated he did not know what the final dollar amount would be and noted nothing has been <br />approved by the City Council. He then described how TIF dollars were utilized by a developer <br />over the life of the TIF district. He discussed the expenses that were eligible for TIF funding. <br /> <br />Celena Monn, 2357 Sherwood Road, stated she attended the Council meeting on Monday and <br />was just learning about this project. She appreciated the Commission’s concerns regarding <br />traffic and questioned if this location would support the proposed apartment complex and <br />associated traffic. She believed that Mounds View was doing its part and has already provided a <br />sufficient level of affordable housing.