CCP 02-14-2000 - Laserfiche WebLink

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~~ R~r' . 'It:.\.-J . February 14, 2000 FEB .. d. Hand delivered C'-v 'It I :J Ie' :..~k\.J Dear Mayor and City Council Members Of the City of Arden Hills: We wanted to go on record with our opposition to the approval of the Bethel plan for the concession stand, parking lot, soccer fields, tennis courts and the rest of the Bethel planned complex. We have personally attended each meeting regarding this project of which we were aware but wanted to go on record in writing as well. We are reiterating the concerns that the neighbors have expressed all along to this project: safety and traffic, environmental and wildlife concerns, tax base, development planning, property values, water and drainage problems. Currently we (and our two small children) enjoy our backyard almost daily: sledding and building snowmen in the winter, swinging and enjoying the sandbox in the summer. In addition, we enjoy watching all of the wildlife: a large variety of birds, deer, fox, and others. Under Bethel's plan, as we understand it, we will lose most of the trees and groundcover directly behind our backyard and in its place will be a concession stand, a parking lot with lights and portable toilets. We wonder where the wildlife will go as well as the water that corrently fills this marshy area. Especially since we are parents of small children, we are concerned about the increased use of chemicals in this area. We donl use chemicals on our lawn but are worried that Bethel will use chemicals on this property. . We're worried about traffic and safety issues on Old Highway 10, about lights from cars shining onto our property, and about noise and other pollution issues. We're worried about our property values going down. Our nice backyard was the selling point for us when we bought our house. With It compromised the value of our home will surely decrease. And will Bethel's property be subject to property taxes? Even if the development project is eventually approved, we donl feel less disruptive options have been considered. For example, why canl the parking lot, concession stand building and toilets be on the commercial side of the property, i.e. the Old Highway 10 side, rather than on the residential side? Why are lights needed in a parking lot which is supposedly only going to be used at night? If lights are required, can they be kept as low as possible and only lit on those specific nights when the parking lot is being used by Bethel? Can more trees and foliage be planted to better shield the residents from the impact the loss of the trees and hills and groundcover will have on the residents (i.e. increase of noise and light from the project as well as from Old Highway 10 traffic and the trains)? We appreciate the difficulty of your positions but ask that you fully consider the issues as well as possible mitigation of our and other neighbors' concerns. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, . Hf 1~d~ Ann and Jeff Hohenshell 1632 Chatham Avenue