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City Council Regular Meeting Minutes January 6, 2004 Page 3 1 be followed tonight in accordance with the Robert's Rules of Order. 2 3 Tom Lindgren, 2804 West Armor Terrace, thanked the Mayor and Councilmembers for the 4 opportunity to appear before the Council and present a petition asking the St. Anthony Village 5 City Council to reconsider the decision to locate a new fire station in the 3500 block of Silver 6 Lake Road. The petition is signed by 1,100 adult residents of St. Anthony Village,who strongly 7 believe this is not a suitable location for a fire station. The number of petition signatures is one 8 of the highest in the history of the City and attests to the broad extent of the request to 9 reconsider. Every part of the City's residential sector is represented by these signatures and 10 additional signatures continue to be collected. Mr. Lindgren read the following statement: 11 12 "Since bids for construction of the fire station were rejected by the City Council last fall because 13 they were over budget, and because a new bidding process has not been completed,the 14 petitioners believe there is time to reconsider. Unfortunately, some expenditures have been 15 made to purchase and clear the land, but actual construction of the fire station has not started and 16 at the December 8 City Council meeting it was indicated that reconsideration was still possible. 17 18 What has happened during the past several months is that the petitioners have come to realize the 19 Silver Lake Road site was a poor selection for a fire station and do not want to live with it at that 20 location for the next 50 years. Fire Department response time and service from the temporary 21 location remain excellent and as long as there is still time to make a change, the petitioners want 22 the City Council to find a different permanent location for a fire station. 23 24 The petitioners are not misled and do not misunderstand. They know where the fire station site 25 is and they oppose locating the fire station in a R-1 zoned single family residential 26 neighborhood, especially when alternate sites are available in areas zoned for commercial and 27 industrial use. A fire station, with its heavy trucks, inherent engine noise and loud sirens, 28 itinerant personnel and 24 hour a day operation is obviously more compatible with commercial 29 or industrial zoning than single family residential zones. 30 31 In adoption a municipal zoning code, the City of St. Anthony took on a strong and preserving 32 obligation to protect single family residential neighborhoods from commercial activities and 33 other unnecessary intrusions. The idea of course, is that homeowners have a right to peace and 34 quiet and preservation of their home values. Over the years our city councils have done a 35 commendable job of maintaining the sanctity of St. Anthony's R-1 single family residential 36 zones. The petitioners believe this admirable practice,which has helped to make St. Anthony 37 Village a very desirable place to live for generations, should be upheld to the fullest extent 38 possible. 39 40 Specifically, the St. Anthony Village City Code, Chapter 16, Section 1615, defines the purpose 41 of an R-1 Single-Family District as follows: "The purpose of the R-1 District is to create and 42 maintain areas which due to the natural amenities of the land, low traffic volumes, and historical 43 development patterns are best suited for single-family detached residences." The official St. 44 Anthony Village zoning map places virtually the entire central part of the City in an R-1 Single 45 Family District. It is hard to understand and appreciate why the City Council would have 46 accepted a recommendation to locate the fire station on a hill right in the middle of an R-1