Hugo City Council Letter (POST-EDIT).pdf

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I am not saying this sarcastically, but I don't know of one realtor or homeowner that would brag about "Sit out on your deck with a cup of coffee and enjoy the industrial view of the 12 acre solar farm". As someone with a real estate background, I know for a fact agents and homeowners would go out of their way to not mention a solar farm. People aren't anti- renewable energy. However, people are against having to stare at it up close everyday, in a home that in today's struggling real estate economy, are paying a premium hard-earned dollar to even own. Something I found of profound interest, is the fact there are several townhomes off of Farnham Ave that still have the same original owners... for 15-18 years. That is unheard of in townhomes. Just taking a guess due to our background in real estate, I am going to assume the views have something to do with it. Considering all the homes that don't have a view have sold a handful of times over the same period of time. I want to end with this: We, in Waters Edge, take great pride in our neighborhood. Lydia as a realtor doesn't know of a single townhome community that offers the views of the surrounding neighborhood of a lake and horse pastures, period. There aren't any townhomes in Blaine that offer these views (this character), nor are there townhomes in Forest Lake, White Bear lake, Maplewood, Stillwater, or Woodbury that offer a neighborhood with this character, charm, and aesthetics. Please, I ask of you as your constituent, don't take that away from us. I will end my letter with the listing descriptions from the townhomes along Farnham, French, and Evergreen that have a view of the fields off Everton. Again, 35 listings alone that proudly boast and bear witness to the character (charming view) that homes and the neighborhood offer. I could have pulled homes off Oneka to show of their listings boasting of the lake views, but that is not in question of being developed into a metal and glass solar farm. Thank you for hearing us on this matter. Sincerely, Residents at Waters Edge.