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<br />the Association meets all of the City's criteria for exemption, and, thus, should he <br />exempt from the City's Assessment Roll. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />}> As to the City's first criteria that the land cannot be developed, effective January <br />14,2002, the City adopted its Shoreland Management Ordinance. The Ordinance <br />identifies specific requirements that must be met in order to develop lakefront property. <br /> <br />· There must be a minimum of75' '''later frontage; <br />Although the Association's property abuts Lake Josephine, the Association does not have <br />75' feet of shoreline frontage. <br /> <br />. There must be a minimum 40' set back from the street; <br />· There must be a minimmn 50' structure setback from the ordinary high water <br />mark; <br />· There must be a minimum width of75' at the building line. <br />The Fernwood Channel, which is protected by the Shoreland Ordinance as well as DNR <br />and Rice Creek Watershed Ordinances, and thus would be subject to stringent <br />requirements, travels through the Association's property. Even ifthere were enough <br />developable area between Ingerson Court and the .Fernwood Channel to meet all of the <br />set back requirements of the City's zoning ordinance, the Association property clearly <br />cannot be developed because of the requirements of the Shoreland Management <br />Ordinance. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Thus, IUIder the City's Ordinance requirements, the property owned by the Association <br />cannot be developed now or in the future and therefore, should be deleted from the City's <br />Assessment Roll. <br /> <br />). As to the City's second criteria that the improvement does not provide a benefit, <br />Minnesota Courts have long held that in order to assess property, the property must <br />receive a special benefit from the improvement and that the assessment may not exceed <br />the special benefit The premise of this holding is that an assessment that exceeds the <br />special benefits to the property would be the taking or confiscating of property without <br />fair compensation which is a violation of the fourteenth amendment to the federal <br />constitution. [NOTE: Carlson-Lang, 240 NW2d at 520 (1976) citing In Ie Improvement <br />of Superior Street, 216 NW 2d at 320 (1927); DeSutter 489 NW2d at 239 (1992).} The <br />Minnesota Courts have also held that the value of a special benefit is determined by what <br />increase, if any, there has been to the market value of the property. The Minnesota Court <br />of Appeal and Minnesota Supreme Comt continue to hold that "[t]he.difference in <br />market value should be calculated by determining 'what a willing buyer would pay a <br />wming seller for the property before, and then after, the improvement has been <br />constructed.''' [NOTE: EHW, 503 NW 2d at 139 (1993); Joint lndep. School District, <br />256 NW 2d at 5]6 (1977).] <br /> <br />We would like to advise the COlUlci] that the Association's property is subject to an <br />easement of use by the heirs of Carl Ingerson. The Association does not have the legal <br />power to remove this easement from its property. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />" <br />k <br />