2021-09-08 Handout @ Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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My name is Mike Palmer, and I have a bike path problem. My family moved into 1844 Old Mill Court in November 2020. If you are familiar with the plans for the Old Mill Estates development, you are aware that there is an 8 ft bike path that is to be installed through our property — within touching distance of our house, and with a clear view of the inside of our home through a ground floor window. Our story related to the path is long, but in summary, we were not made aware of the path until after we had already made significant down payments on our home, and have been misled about the developer's ability to decide whether to install the path and, subsequently, about the developer's intent to petition the city council to have the path requirement removed from the development plans. While we have expressed our concerns to our builder, the city and developer multiple times over the past year, our concerns have repeatedly fallen on deaf ears and blind eyes. As you are likely hearing about these concerns for the first time, I am attaching a letter we wrote in May which the developer was going to use in his petition to have the path removed. The letter also includes a photo of our family standing in the area of the proposed path, taken from inside our home. Also attached is a survey of our property so you can see just how close the path would be to our house. We would welcome any Council members who care to see our property and the area of the proposed path to stop by any time. Copied on this email are five other homeowners representing 75% of the current residents of Old Mill estates who also share concerns about the proposed path — whether it be due to privacy and safety concerns within our quiet cul-de-sac at the absolute northern border of our city, or due to the proposed location of the path near a popular play area for the neighborhood kids, or due to empathy for their fellow neighbors. We are asking that you reconsider the need for a path in the Old Mill Estates development. The cul-de-sac has easy access to the adjacent neighborhood and there is no logical reason to add a path which will impede on our home space and be nothing more than an additional space to be maintained by the city. Respectfully, the proposed path does not make any sense for our neighborhood. Our street will be connected to the park by sidewalk, so safety is not of concern. The path is simply a convenience. We truly do not believe our rights to security and privacy should be compromised for the sake of convenience. Given the city's imposed deadline of September 7 for the developer to complete remaining items, we ask for your prompt response to our concerns. Kind regards, Mike Palmer 1844 Old Mill Court 612-345-1005 Mike Palmer M.PalMgrOlL@�mall.com