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02 <br /> City Council Regular Meeting Minutes <br /> September 23, 2003 <br /> Page 2 <br /> 1 Ms. Baker referred to a newspaper article that discussed the City's redevelopment project and <br /> 2 asked why an"up and coming" community with a good location needed to spend so much <br /> 3 money to have someone come in to develop. She asked who was carrying the paper on the <br /> 4 property and felt, from reading the article, the City was giving the developers a tax break"on top <br /> 5 of it." <br /> 6 <br /> 7 Ms. Baker indicated she was attending the meeting not only for herself but also for other people <br /> 8 who had been discussing these issues. She asked if anyone in the City Council was involved in <br /> 9 the bidding process, as that was a question she had been sent to ask. Councilmember Sparks <br /> 10 responded no one in the City Council was involved in the bidding process. <br /> 11 <br /> 12 Ms. Baker quoted from the newspaper article and asked why taxpayers were being charged for <br /> 13 prime property. Mayor Hodson replied the funding for the redevelopment was extremely <br /> 14 complex and would be addressed later in the meeting. Ms. Baker indicated it should be <br /> 15 presented in a simplified form. <br /> 16 <br /> 17 Fern Ostberg, 2704 Murray Avenue, stated she felt privileged to call St. Anthony Village her <br /> 18 home. She indicated the Work Force Housing Group was thrilled the developer was planning <br /> 19 rental units in the Apache Plaza area, as she felt work-force units should be available for lower <br /> 20 income families. She added this segment of the population was as interested in buying a home <br /> 21 as she had been when she bought her first home. <br /> 22 <br /> 23 Ms. Ostberg indicated the development would be more attractive with less landscaping. She <br /> 24 added simplified roof lines and fewer cosmetic details would provide more money for the work- <br /> 25 force housing. She suggested"Big Box" supply some of the money as many of their employees <br /> 26 would come from this segment of the population. <br /> 27 <br /> 28 Ms. Ostberg stated there was still time before final approval and she urged Council to include <br /> 29 some work-force housing that could be sold. <br /> 30 <br /> 31 Mary Stevenson, 2912 Silver Lake Court, indicated she also was a part of the St. Anthony <br /> 32 housing group. She cited a young couple that had not been able to find comparable housing in <br /> 33 St. Anthony Village and had moved to the Coon Rapids area; which meant the loss of a nice <br /> 34 family and children for the school district. She stated affordable housing was a concern as the <br /> 35 City wanted to attract young families. <br /> 36 <br /> 37 George Marks, 3424 Silver Lake Road, stated he had lived in St. Anthony Village for 32 years <br /> 38 and remembered when redevelopment was initiated for Apache Plaza. He gave a brief history of <br /> 39 Apache Plaza's "heyday" and the beginning and continuation of decline. He added the current <br /> 40 redevelopment plan, in his opinion, was in good condition with one possible exception. He <br /> 41 indicated concern that there was a proposal to bring in Wal-Mart, as he felt Wal-Mart had a <br /> 42 reputation for destroying the downtowns of cities. He stated he did not want to see Wal-Mart in <br /> 43 such an important part of the City, as it would not blend with the type of city St. Anthony has <br /> 44 been and still is. <br /> 45 <br /> 46 Mr. Marks indicated he did not want to see any tax money used to help Wal-Mart. He stated he <br /> 47 did not want Council to allow that part of the plan to move forward and did not want any <br />