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From:Ryan Allshouse <br />To:Emily Weber <br />Subject:RE: Hugo Planning Commission Meeting <br />Date:Thursday, February 11, 2021 1:37:05 PM <br />Caution: This email originated outside our organization; please use caution. <br />Hi Emily – I’ll try my best to logon if I can but below are my comments. I also spoke with Shayla <br />and I’ll be attending the parks commission meeting next week. Can you tell me what will happen <br />with my comments below? Will they be read aloud to the committee or provided as handouts? If I <br />had the option I’d prefer someone read them during the meeting. <br />Thanks! <br />Ryan Allshouse <br />Dear Planning Commission Members and Golden Valley Land Company representative(s), <br />Thank you for your service on the commission and for the opportunities to discuss the plans <br />submitted for the development named The Meadows at Hugo. What a great opportunity to further <br />develop our great city. <br />I'm sure I share the sentiment with many of my neighbors on the north side of 159th St N that we <br />have greatly enjoyed the rural feel of the back side of our property. That said, we all knew <br />development of this land is inevitable and a benefit to the city. I encourage my neighbors to consider <br />ideas to make it even better and a great place to live. <br />In order to preserve the many benefits, safety and peaceful enjoyment of our current neighborhood I <br />respectfully ask the planning commission to consider the following ideas and continue to entertain <br />further discussion on the proposal from Golden Valley Land Company: <br />The proposed lots on the south side of the new proposed road, adjacent the existing neighborhood <br />and my property, would be an ideal place for park space and create a natural transitions as outlined <br />in the 2040 plan between density and home types. Currently there are four homes proposed for this <br />space, which will be along a busier part of the neighborhood and less desirable for the future owners. <br />Instead of taking the park dedication entirely as a fee, I would love to see the city use this area as <br />park land and combine it with the space around the water tower to make one contiguous open space. <br />This space containing the four lots appear to be about half an acre and combined with the open space <br />around the water tower would be about one acre total of usable/buildable park space. This is a <br />significant space for residents to utilize within the surrounding neighborhood. It is close enough for <br />existing neighbors and well placed for the new neighborhood. It would be easily developed into <br />sport courts and field space which could serve young adult and adult activities. For example batting <br />cages, basketball court and pickleball courts. It is more than enough space to throw around a ball, <br />which Frog Hollow Park doesn’t currently provide. Convenient open space, athletic fields, and park <br />space is lacking within the existing neighborhood on the east side of Oneka Elementary as most <br />dedicated park land is currently un-usable. The overall impact to the park dedication fee would be <br />about eighteen percent, if the fee is in direct correlation to the required 2.7 acres of dedicated land <br />required for this planned development. <br />Increased traffic along 159th St N is a significant concern. The full traffic impact of the new <br />development at Oneka Place has not been reached yet, and will worsen traffic on 159th St N over <br />time. Additionally the intersection of 159th St N and highway 61 has developed into a very <br />dangerous intersection. The Meadows will add to this burden on 159th St N. Currently, the morning <br />and afternoon traffic levels make it difficult to pull out of my driveway onto 159th St N. One input <br />to the current traffic level during this time is parent drop-off/pick-up traffic at Oneka Elementary and <br />the bus flow to the bus parking at the rear of the school. Additionally on-street parking on 159th St N <br />currently creates obstruction to the flow of the street as a main artery. Buses, delivery vehicles and <br />other traffic frequently only allow space for one vehicle to pass at a time. Neighbors in The <br />Meadows having access to their home through one congested inlet could cause decreased interest