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<br />Page 12a Wednesday, June 1,.1994
<br />WHITE BEAR PRESSNADNAIS HEIGHTS PRESS
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<br />diately adjacent area, spoke out.
<br />against the development, re-
<br />voicing concerns about traffic
<br />safety and congestion, safety at
<br />the intersection of County Road
<br />E, Kohler Road and Centerville
<br />Road, and: safety at nearby Vad-
<br />nais Heights Elementary.
<br />They took issue with the traf-
<br />fic numbers provided by the city
<br />and the developer. They argued
<br />that the project violated some of
<br />the goals for city center:develop-
<br />inent.
<br />Several said the project did
<br />not fit their idea of a proper
<br />downtown for Vadnais. Heights,
<br />and complained that the jobs
<br />would be low -paying and would
<br />not necessarily benefit Vadnais
<br />Heights residents.
<br />Landowners from the quad-
<br />rant argued just as virulently
<br />that the development was . a
<br />good quality project, that devel-
<br />opers had addressed neighbor-
<br />hood concerns, and that they
<br />should be ableto sell their land
<br />and move on with life.
<br />Mike Bigelbach, member of
<br />the Vadnais Heights Fire De-
<br />partment, said traffic generated
<br />by the development would se-
<br />verely hamper fire fighters'
<br />abilities to respond quickly to
<br />calls.
<br />"We don't . have lights and
<br />sirens on our personal vehicles,
<br />we don't have. Opticoms. We
<br />can't make the traffic disap-
<br />pear," Bigelbach said. "... The
<br />more traffic, .the worse it is. It
<br />hampers our facility a lot."
<br />Commission members hailed
<br />the project as a boost to the
<br />city's tax base.
<br />Commissioner Gene Hoff said
<br />the project as a boost to the
<br />city's tax base by $15 million.
<br />He also said he felt the develop-
<br />er had met residents' concerns
<br />by keeping traffic to a service
<br />level C, and increasing the buff-
<br />er between the development
<br />and theresidents. to 240 feet.
<br />He also felt the 500 jobs from
<br />the development would be a
<br />plus.
<br />"This development will gener-
<br />ate funds to pay for parks,
<br />trails, a community center... I
<br />think that's good," he said.
<br />"This may not be your dream of
<br />a downtown," he told residents,
<br />"but I don't think that a quaint
<br />downtown like. White Bear's or
<br />Excelsior's is realistic for Vad-
<br />nais Heights."
<br />Commissioner Rich Jansen.
<br />also endorsed theproject, and
<br />chided the fire department for
<br />building its new station in an
<br />area that`. is slated for develop-
<br />ment.
<br />Commissioner "Mary Tinger-
<br />thal, relying on her professional
<br />experience in working with de-
<br />velopers and real estate, also
<br />endorsed the project.
<br />"If we hold out and hold out,
<br />the property won't be developed
<br />for years to come," she said. "I
<br />don't see (office/showroom de-
<br />velopment) coming untilatleast
<br />the year 2000."
<br />"Whether you like the. pro-
<br />posal or not, these developers
<br />have been most attentive and
<br />accommodating, and the quality
<br />is very high,". she added.
<br />Commissioner Ridlehoover,
<br />who voted against the project,.
<br />lives in the neighborhood imme-
<br />diately adjacent to the project.
<br />Shevoted against the project
<br />because it did not provide a
<br />transitional buffer, such as
<br />higher density housing, be-
<br />tween the residential area and
<br />the retail zone.
<br />She also said she did not feel
<br />Vadnais Heightscould attract
<br />enough high quality retail de-
<br />velopment to :fill both the Wal-
<br />Mart site and the Fontana site.
<br />Chairman Haddon gave the
<br />project mixed reviews, com-
<br />mending the developers for
<br />their work, but also taking to
<br />heart the fire department's con-
<br />cerns.
<br />Haddon also said the site did
<br />not offer enough of a mix be-
<br />tween retail and office use. The
<br />latestplans call for 8,000
<br />square: feet of offices and .a bank
<br />for the site, with the rest of the
<br />development devoted to retail.
<br />
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