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City of Centerville <br />City Council Meeting Minutes <br />August 14, 2024 <br />V. PUBLIC HEARING <br /> <br />1. Interim Ordinance – Moratorium on PUDs in M-1 & M-2 <br /> <br />Administrator Statz introduced this item as presented in the packet, outlining the three strategies in the <br />City Attorney’s memo to revise the Downtown Master Plan & Moratorium: <br /> <br /> Option #1 – No moratorium <br /> Option #2 – A moratorium prohibiting development by a planned unit development. <br /> Option #3 – A moratorium prohibiting development by a planned unit development with: <br />o Residential uses with a density equal to or greater than twenty (20) units per acre; <br />o Uses greater than two habitable floors above grade; and <br />o Uses greater than thirty-five (35) feet in height <br /> <br />Attorney Glaser added that there are pluses and minus to having a moratorium, noting that imposing a <br />moratorium means that property owners would be barred from developing their property, whereas putting <br />a moratorium in place would halt development and allow the city time to review their planning documents. <br /> <br />Administrator Statz noted that Option #3 would lower the density to 20 units per acre or less. He noted <br />that there have been several informal inquiries about Block 7 over the last month and that the LaLonde’s <br />are exploring town homes on their site. <br /> <br />Before opening the public hearing, council asked staff questions about density, height and the definition <br />of a story. <br /> <br />Mayor Love opened the public hearing at 6:58p.m. <br /> <br />Public Hearing Comments <br />1. Garland Port, 7013 LaMotte Drive. Mr. Port said that the Council’s primary task is to promote <br />the welfare of the residents of Centerville. He questioned that peoples’ lives would be improved <br />by the presence of a large apartment building next to their house. Mr. Port added that nobody <br />aspires to live in an apartment, they live in them because they have to. Mr. Port opined that the <br />Minnesota housing shortage should be solved by building entry-level, single-family homes, town <br />homes and low-density multi-family homes; and that replacing single-family neighborhoods with <br />parking lots and apartment buildings is not the answer. Mr. Port said that when he went door to <br />door to talk with residents about the moratorium, they were surprised because they thought the <br />issue was settled with the failure of the LaLonde project; he added that people were horrified when <br />he showed them the zoning map. Mr. Port stated that the Downtown Master Plan has been a <br />complete failure since virtually no progress has been made in the downtown area in almost 20 <br />years. Mr. Port stated that the downtown master plan is both unrealistic and undesirable, noting <br />that the maximum and minimum density requirements should be significantly lowered in the <br />mixed-use districts. Mr. Port urged the Council to vote for the moratorium for apartment buildings, <br />adding that this vote will leave an indelible mark on their records of public service. Mr. Port also <br />stated that the people of Centerville are awake and that their friends and neighbors are watching. <br />He urged the council to not let the residents down and to vote to approve the moratorium. <br /> <br />Page 2 of 13 <br /> <br /> <br />