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City of Centerville <br />City Council Meeting Minutes <br />August 14, 2024 <br />2. Wendy Brilowski, 7124 Main Street. Ms. Brilowski noted that she sees growth on both sides of <br />the highway, in Hugo and Lino Lakes, and that traffic is increasing no matter what happens in <br />Centerville; she added that she does not see how higher density housing can harm anyone. Ms. <br />Brilowski said that she knows that a lot of people complain about how high their taxes are, noting <br />that you cannot lower taxes if you don’t have more businesses, and you can’t have more businesses <br />if you don’t have a population to support them. <br /> <br />Ms. Brilowski said that she has also heard a lot about the small-town feel, noting that the small <br />town of Centerville consists of two bars, two retail establishments, and some abandoned buildings. <br />Ms. Brilowski added that she is not surrounded by beauty, except for the lake, which is not even <br />in the downtown. Ms. Brilowski added that she is directly impacted as she is in the downtown <br />district, adding that if the Council passes a full moratorium, then it would take away her right to <br />do whatever she wants with her property and she does not think that’s reasonable. Ms. Brilowski <br />also said that it’s people who live outside of the mixed-use district that are outraged over the <br />LaLonde development, and in her mind, the issue of a moratorium isn’t really about development, <br />it's in protest to the LaLonde proposal. Ms. Brilowski concluded that she is having a really hard <br />time understanding how a moratorium is going to prevent the City Council and the Planning and <br />Zoning Commission, from changing things. Ms. Brilowski added that she thinks the Master Plan <br />can be studied without a moratorium. <br /> <br />Ms. Brilowski also noted that the city is getting a reputation for not allowing any development, <br />noting that the Beard Group has pulled out several times; she added that she’s afraid that if she <br />ever wanted to sell her house to a developer, that she wouldn’t get anybody to pay attention to her <br />due to the number of developers who have spent time and money here without project approval. <br /> <br />3. Leslie Peterson, 7240 Main Street. Ms. Peterson stated that she is not opposed to lower-to- <br />medium density rentals or development, but she does support a moratorium (option #3) at a bare <br />minimum to allow for thoughtful considerations of both current citizens’ feelings and concerns, as <br />well as the amount of development that has happened around the city’s borders. Ms. Peterson <br />added that a moratorium would also allow time to clear up discrepancies and guiding documents, <br />for development, making it more congruent with what’s happening around the city. <br /> <br />4. Anita Rios, 1680 Lakeland Circle. Ms. Rios noted that while she was going door to door last <br />week, she was asked by one resident what she wanted the city to accomplish with the moratorium. <br />Ms. Rios noted that she wanted to clean up planning documents and engage with residents to re- <br />envision what downtown Centerville could look like in the next 5, 10, and 15 years. Ms. Rios <br />referenced Ed McMahon, one of the foremost Planning and Land Use experts in the United States, <br />noting that he has written extensively about what makes small communities and towns successful. <br />Ms. Rios stated that Mr. McMahon says that successful small communities have the following <br />three things: 1. A vision for the future, and they involve a broad cross section of residents in <br />determining and planning that future. Ms. Rios said that she felt encouraged that the City Council <br />has updated their strategic plan and that she urges the council and staff to involve a broad cross <br />section of residents in that process with representatives from every neighborhood in Centerville <br />and every demographic. 2. They capitalize on their distinctive assets, their architecture, their <br />history, natural surroundings and home-grown business. 3. They pick and choose among <br />development projects. They don't take the first thing that gets proposed, and they use their goals, <br />their vision and their planning documents as guides for what gets built. Ms. Rios asked that we <br />allow ourselves to have high standards and be thoughtful about how the few remaining areas are <br />Page 3 of 13 <br /> <br /> <br />