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Planning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes August 18, 2020 Page 4 Mr. Holst explained that is not an easy question to answer. Obviously, it is a very important 1 question in todays time of what is being dealt with. He indicated there are tremendous issues 2 with racial inequalities throughout the Country. He thought most people are trying to do their 3 part. He thought what they are focused in on here is trying to make their housing affordable. 4 To get projects that have tax credits, there is a backlog of that and is not easy to do, and 5 certainly there is a need for affordable housing that in a demographic that this project is not 6 addressing. He noted there are also people that are doing their careers and just starting out 7 that his company is trying to build a product that they can afford and be proud of. Most 8 people making twenty an hour will not be able to look towards new developments typically. 9 He stated they want to take them out of the development next door that is 1960’s built and 10 have not been renovated which are still over $900 a month. They are trying to have a product 11 that people can be proud of which includes all races. He stated his company’s goal was to be 12 as affordable as can be for most of the population. 13 14 Commissioner Neumann thought Mr. Holst answered the first part of her question but the 15 other piece where his company’s focus is coupling up with the Unofficial. She asked if she 16 heard right that his company wants to work with them in the future on something that will 17 benefit both of you being that you are neighbors on that property. Mr. Holst indicated that 18 was correct, but his company did not have an ownership interest in the operation of the 19 Unofficial, but his company does own the real estate, the building and the land and the 20 Unofficial rents from his company. Clearly, in support of any kind of relationship like that, is 21 a partnership and his company wants the Unofficial to be successful and the way they can 22 partner together at the apartment or working with the Unofficial and both want the other to 23 succeed. He noted they certainly will be working together. 24 25 Commissioner Neumann thanked Mr. Holst for clarifying that and indicated that was the piece 26 she was looking for. She understood the working relationship and did not understand how 27 that will work moving forward but she did not think it was awful. She thanked Mr. Holst for 28 answering the questions as earnestly as he could because she indicated she can tell when she 29 is being lied to and appreciated his answering as earnestly as he can. 30 31 Commissioner Neumann indicated the last piece she wanted to ask about is with this alcohol 32 coupling. She did not know if there is a way for Mr. Holst’s company to talk with the City 33 leadership about how, because her concern is, especially with the pandemic and the economic 34 pandemic as well along with the racial pandemic going on that there are a lot of community in 35 the Village who do not have a lot of the resources that bigger cities have. She explained in 36 this community there is hidden poverty so there are families living together, sharing things 37 and no one is actually talking about those things and there is actually homelessness in St. 38 Anthony Village and when she sits in this position on the Planning Commission, and she is 39 supposed to serve the community as a whole, she wants to make sure that she is also 40 highlighting the people that they are not talking about. 41 42 Commissioner Morita asked staff for clarification on the two properties. He wondered if the 43 City proceeds to grant these adjustments for this property, if something should happen and the 44 Unofficial should close and they do decide to expand to the adjacent property, they will still 45 have to go through the same approval process. Mr. Grittman indicated that was correct. This 46