2007.03.22 PC Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Planning Commission Minutes — March 22, 2007 Page 2 account. The downtown plan proposed a pedestrian friendly business center. Schumann opened the public hearing. Marvin LaValle, 3282 Velvet Street, Hinckley, said he had read the Maxwell report, which he felt indicated the downtown plan was not viable. The theory was there was more traffic to the west and he questioned whether Hugo could sustain commercial in the downtown area. He asked how the City intended to pay for the amenities shown on the plan, and how four lanes of traffic would fit through downtown Hugo. He said it was similar to the 1998 plan which had not been followed. Mike Mcallister, 13829 Isleton Ave. N., told the Commission there was a disconnect between the Commission and the Council. He said he attended the open house and, while staff outwardly continued to seek input, a City Council member had stated they were only going to tweak the 1998 plan. He said the Council also directed the Commission to not discuss density as part of the Rural Preservation ordinance. Mcallister stated he was involved in the 1986 and the 1998 plan, and the reason it never went anywhere was because of the likelihood of the road (TH61) widening and the shoreline setbacks. He does not foresee there being a downtown Hugo there, and the City needed to figure out where the downtown was going to be. He said they should go slow on the Downtown Plan; they couldn't get it to work 30 years ago. He also said the Council should lift the gag order on the Commission. Clyde Wagner, 8650 136th Street North, agreed that the City should go slow; developers will develop the land, and the City didn't need to step into the middle of it. He said people were concerned about the apathy of the community, and the City should do a better job of educating the citizens as to what is going on. He commented that the business district needed to be defined; business are located on CSAH 14(8) so are we not sure that's not the business district? He said the financial impact needed to be considered with the taxes being raised to pay for the things the City will have to have with growth such as new schools and roads. Wally Stoltzman, 8139 157th St. N., said the 1998 plan needed to be left as is for a while. The plan needed review to see if the designs are feasible. He had concerns about the street design and about making it cost effective; amenities in the downtown would need to be maintained. He said it was necessary to find out what people were thinking, and the door should be left open for criticism. There were no other comments and Schumann closed the public hearing. The CDD talked about TH61. The City was working with MNDOT, Washington County, and the Rail Authority and all entities seemed to agree on some type of shared right-of-way. The road may be shifted to the west and the area could accommodate four lanes, two side-by-side rails, and a pedestrian trail. The Council had applied for federal funding which had not been approved, but the City did rank high and will continue to submit applications. He agreed that the amenities LaValle spoke about were not in the Capital Improvement Plan, but the community was asked to "think big" while preparing the downtown plan. Many things would have to fall into place, and they may in the future. The CDD said the creation of the downtown plan had been a long process with many residents, business and property owners involved, and the general consensus of the market study was that the plan was reasonable. The commercial development on the western edge of Hugo had been taken into consideration.