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Mounds View City Council June 26, 2023 Regular Meeting Page 6 1 Joel Copp, 8388 Long Lake Road, reported he did not support the Pulte project. He explained 2 Mounds View was a community of single family homes on larger lots. He reminded the Council 3 that they were elected by residents to protect their values and interests. He indicated the proposed 4 Pulte development was not in keeping with the character, values or aesthetics of this community. 5 He noted this project would negatively impact property values and will add 300+ vehicles to Long 6 Lake Road, which already had poor traffic conditions. He stated this project will bring permanent 7 quality of life impacts to established long term residents of Mounds View. He feared the City 8 Council was offering Pulte Homes a sweetheart deal for this property that negates numerous City 9 Charter and building codes at the expense of neighborhood residents. 10 11 Rory Orr, 2655 Hillview Road, explained he wanted to speak about the Ardan development. He 12 stated when the City has land and negotiates with developers, fair value is not given. He indicated 13 Mounds View has very little open land and he recommended the Ardan wetlands be protected. He 14 commented on how the proposed project would impact traffic in the area, which was a concern to 15 him. He feared how the compost site would impact the proposed development, noting he did not 16 want the City to lose its compost site. He recommended the City Council allow the residents to 17 vote on this project because the Council was not hearing the voices of the public. He reminded the 18 Council that they are to represent the City as a whole. 19 20 David Wood, 2501 Sherwood Road, stated he was against the Ardan development. He explained 21 the blue area was fresh water emergent wetlands and the brown area was forest. He noted he was 22 not a surveyor but he estimated two-thirds of the wetland would have to be removed for the 23 proposed development. He discussed how the edge of the development would be impacted if the 24 wetlands were removed, which included the loss of all wildlife. He encouraged the City Council 25 to protect the last remaining undeveloped land in the community so the desertification process 26 does not begin. 27 28 Kayla Roste, 8400 Long Lake Road, stated she had heard the quote if you build it, they will come. 29 She argued that this should only be used for the Field of Dreams and nothing else. She indicated 30 this should not be used for a community center expansion that is being rammed through by a 31 marketing team on behalf of the City Council. She believed the community wants and needs more 32 information regarding the proposed expansion and the proposed sales tax increase. She believed 33 there was a need for more senior space in the community than for more basketball courts. She also 34 recommended the same quote not be used for the Ardan proposal and the 75 townhomes and 12 35 tiny houses that would destroy the remaining undeveloped land in Mounds View. She reported 36 M&I Homes recently constructed townhomes in Blaine and from her research a significant number 37 of them remain empty. She explained she and her husband walked into the woods a couple of days 38 ago and the noise from the freeway was significant. She anticipated this was why the townhomes 39 in Blaine were not selling. She anticipated this would also be a concern for the proposed 40 townhomes in Mounds View. She discussed how the removal of the trees would reduce the buffer 41 for this area. She asked the Council to reconsider this proposal and not move it forward. 42 43 Sharon Kirscher, 8406 Red Oak Drive, addressed the Council regarding the Ardan proposal. She 44 commented on how important it was for the City to have a buffer system in place surrounding its 45 wetlands. She stated this was an important part in the ecosystem and provides a balance. She noted 46 she was opposed to organized trash collection and believed this was government over reach. She