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<br />Summary of Longview Estates Neighborhood Meeting <br />7:00 pm, May 22, 2001 <br />Mounds View Community Center <br /> <br />On May 22, 2001 at the Mounds View Community Center, Marty Harstad held an informal <br />neighborhood meeting in an effort to raise neighborhood awareness and address questions pertaining <br />to his proposed major subdivision, Longview Estates. Invitations were sent to property owners <br />living within 350 feet of the land north of Woodcrest Park, east of Silver Lake Road, west of <br />Longview Drive and south of the commercial business at the corner of County Road H2 and Silver <br />Lake Road. It is estimated that about thirty residents were in attendance. Brian Kaden from the <br />Planning Commission attended, as did the Mayor and myself. <br /> <br />Mr. Harstad thanked everyone for coming and explained the purpose of the meeting, which was to <br />provide an opportunity for the neighbors to review the proposed subdivision and ask questions and <br />raise issues pertaining to the development of the eleven single-family home sites fronting <br />Longview Drive. He briefly reviewed the site, the location of the delineated wetland, the areas of <br />wooded uplands, the existing trees and the various elevations on the site. He pointed out where <br />the lots would be located and how much fill of the wetlands would be required, how much <br />replacement mitigation and the locations of the mitigated areas, and the area that would be <br />designated an upland buffer, thereby reducing the overall mitigation that would be required by <br />Rice Creek Watershed District, the local governmental unit having jurisdiction over the wetland. <br />After his explanatory narrative, Mr. Harstad asked for any questions, of which there were many. <br /> <br />It seemed that a common concern raised by the residents was the water table, the fact that all of the <br />parcel appears “wet” and how the potential development would impact the neighborhood from a <br />flooding and water flow perspective. The loss of trees between the wetland and Longview Drive, <br />which currently act as both a noise and visual buffer between the existing residents and the traffic <br />on Silver Lake Road, was also a major concern. Mr. Harstad indicated that most, if not all of the <br />trees within 90 feet of Longview Drive would be removed due to the amount of fill that would be <br />brought onto the site. He did assure the residents that if it were possible, any tree that could be <br />saved would be saved, as trees add value to a lot. <br /> <br />I was asked by some of the residents what “controls” the City had over the wetlands and the buffer <br />area. I explained that wetlands are protected and that there are very stringent rules and <br />regulations—local, state and federal—that restrict what can be done within a designated or <br />delineated wetland. I explained that in this situation, Rice Creek Watershed District has local <br />jurisdictional control over the wetland but that the City has an ordinance which protects a 100-foot <br />buffer around any wetland. The ordinance provides the City control over what is developed <br />adjacent to a wetland such that it can make certain requirements or conditions upon a development <br />to further protect the integrity of the wetland and to ensure that its hydrological function is not <br />compromised in any way. While the ordinance does not necessarily prohibit development within <br />the buffer, it does impose many additional requirements that need to be satisfied. <br /> <br />Mr. Harstad responded to what he envisioned being built on the proposed lots by suggesting it would <br />not be unreasonable to expect a minimum of $250,000-valued homes with some being significantly <br />higher. As an aside, he indicated that he would not be involved in the development of the homes, as <br />his specialty was twinhomes and townhomes. The lots would be sold to developers one-by-one or all <br />EXHIBIT E.