CCP 11-26-1990 - Laserfiche WebLink

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. contact with the staff is much higher than comparable suburban areas. The approval ratings of staff stemmed primarily from good experiences with them; the negative ratings resulted from feelings that the staff could improve. Contact with City Hall during the past year was reported by fifty-four percent of the sample. General problems and information requests, complaints, and park information prompted the overwhelming majority of contacts. About fifty percent of those making contact were unsure with whom they talked, but many residents mentioned a specific department. Thirteen percent were dissatisfied with their contact, an average percentage; but further probing indicated the source of the dissatisfaction was the content of the response rather than the process, itself. sixty-two percent of the sample also reported visiting the Arden Hills City Hall during the past two years. sixty-two percent of the sample felt the condition of the structure was at least "adequate," while only eighteen percent disagreed. A solid fifty-nine percent also felt the facility was adequate for providing service to the residents of the community. A large majority of residents, then, are unfamiliar with existing limitations in the current City Hall. Seventy-three percent of the sample felt the pace of . economic development was "about right;" thirteen percent described it as "too rapid," while ten percent viewed it as "too slow." Most residents thought city actions to date had resulted in a good mix of development projects. The most support was evidenced for future office development, at twenty-five percent. Residential scored second, at nineteen percent, and light industrial ran third, at seventeen percent. Seventy-five percent of the sample supported the city taking an active and aggressive role in attracting targeted development, but fifty-one percent oppose offering financial incentives as part of that package. Equal support was found for three development priorities: increasing the tax base, providing housing opportunities for young families and retirees, and providing recreational and leisure time offerings. Balanced future growth is clearly the theme underlying these results. While residents possessed very definite views about the appropriate city action on several types of development opportunities, a lack of consensus was also clear in several key areas. citizens thought the city should act aggressively to attract single family homes for moderate income families, senior citizens housing, commercial office buildings, and parks and recreational open spaces. They also thought the city should act aggressively to discourage apartment buildings and mobile homes. Residents offered no unified view of action to take on low income ,. family housing, townhouses, condominiums, retail shopping centers, and light industrial parks. Projects falling into those categories will garner either citizen support or opposition after review of their specific parameters. 5