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City Council Regular Meeting Minutes November 28, 2006 Page 4 1 Mayor Faust asked Mr. Weber how many acres of parks or open space are in St. Anthony. He 2 estimated about 200 acres when all the parks were added together. Mayor Faust asked Mr. 3 Weber for the ratio of open space to city. 4 5 Mr. Weber replied he was unsure how many acreage of open space exist, but he thought the ratio 6 of open space to city might be about four acres per 1000 population. 7 8 Mayor Faust stated when one considers St. Anthony totals about 1500 acres with a significant 9 amount dedicated to open space, there is a good ratio. 10 11 Mayor Faust reported Councilmembers watched or attended Mr. Weber's report to the Planning 12 Commission. He asked Mr. Weber if he shared his changes to the draft with the business owners 13 of the St. Anthony Shopping Center. 14 15 Mr. Weber replied it had not yet been shared. 16 17 Mayor Faust asked Mr. Weber to highlight some of the changes made after the Planning 18 Committee meeting. 19 20 Mr. Weber summarized the changes by stating the Comprehensive Plan is a guide to the pattern 21 of zoning and land use. He explained it did not call for the City to make any changes. He 22 stressed the City did not initiate redevelopment; rather it indicates the City's intentions for 23 regulating land use and/or making public improvements. Mr. Weber stated change comes from 24 the landowner, not the city. He stated it is highly unlikely and possibly illegal for the City to use 25 eminent domain powers to force the sale of property for redevelopment. 26 27 Mr. Weber explained there are many options open to the landowners of St. Anthony Shopping 28 Center should they decided to redevelop it. He mentioned these options include retail and 29 services or a combination of retail, services, and housing. 30 31 Mr. Weber stated the Comprehensive Plan should not take too narrow a view of what form any 32 potential redevelopment could take, but rather provide maximum flexibility and creativity. He 33 stated the City should not lock into a vision that could become economically unviable. 34 35 Mr. Weber indicated service enterprises such as a fitness center and public library would be 36 permissible in a redeveloped or remodeled St. Anthony Shopping Center site. 37 38 Mr. Weber reported other wording taken out of the Comprehensive Plan include those indicating 39 the St. Anthony Shopping Center is obsolete and not best use of the prime commercial location 40 for the future. He stated the paragraph in the Comp Plan that reads "the office building in the 41 converted motel is of the Class C variety and apparently the only remaining use for this aged 42 building" would also be removed. He indicated on page 2-21 under the heading Kenzie Terrace 43 District plan, the word obsolescence is deleted and the words should would be replaced by could 44 or may. Mr. Weber indicated the Comp Plan would also state the merchants of St. Anthony 45 Shopping Center provide needed goods and services to the residents of St. Anthony, the center's