Laserfiche WebLink
AttachmentH <br />Megan Dushin (SWARN) <br />266 <br />Ms. Dushin suggested additional conditions for the City to apply to this development, such as limiting <br />267 <br />operating hours and reducing the amount of public subsidy to this developer. <br />268 <br />Gary Grefenberg (SWARN) <br />269 <br />Mr. Grefenberg questioned, if tax increment financing (TIF) funds were allocated to pay off costs, who <br />270 <br />paid for additional costs to the City, including police protection, and how this represented a public <br />271 <br />purpose. <br />272 <br />Janet Olson, 418 Glenwood Avenue <br />273 <br />Given the history of concern in this area of Roseville, Ms. Olson questioned why the City didn’t make <br />274 <br />more of an effort to provide notice to citizens about this development. Ms. Olson opined that the <br />275 <br />neighborhood had poured their heart and soul into making this a positive area of the community; and <br />276 <br />opined that the City had an obligation to its own citizens. Ms. Olson also questioned how the City could <br />277 <br />designate this development as “community” rather than “regional” business, based on her interpretation <br />278 <br />of the Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Map. <br />279 <br />Jan Bielke, 2070 N Cleveland (1 mile north of proposed Wal-Mart) <br />280 <br />Ms. Bielke stated that she was appalled at how this whole thing has been handled. Ms. Bielke <br />281 <br />referenced past development proposals directly across from her home that she and her neighbors had <br />282 <br />fought very hard to oppose. However, Ms. Bielke opined that at least the neighborhood had been <br />283 <br />adequately noticed at that time to allow their voices to be heard. Ms. Bielke opined that it was terrible <br />284 <br />that citizens were not made more aware of this proposed development; and while not intending offense <br />285 <br />to Wal-Mart since it was not a store that she frequented based on her perception of their treatment and <br />286 <br />pay for their employees, she expressed her disappointment to the City Council and asked that they <br />287 <br />reconsider this proposal. Ms. Bielke opined that there was a lot of angst among citizens once they <br />288 <br />become aware of the proposal. <br />289 <br />Tim Callaghan <br />290 <br />Mr. Callaghan advised that he was still waiting for the answer to his question of what mitigation was <br />291 <br />intended for traffic at Fairview Avenue and County Road D; whether it would continue to be graded as <br />292 <br />an “f” now and with future development, and why this did not seem to be important. Mr. Callaghan <br />293 <br />disputed staff’s previous comments related to current stresses on the system creating the problem, since <br />294 <br />at least four (4) years ago, the intersection had been rated “f,” and questioned if inaction by the City <br />295 <br />Council was acceptable. Mr. Callaghan also questioned the feasibility of building another Wal-Mart <br />296 <br />store two (2) miles from another one, and questioned the odds of both remaining open in the foreseeable <br />297 <br />future. Mr. Callaghan provided his perspective on the operating characteristics of Wal-Mart when stores <br />298 <br />are opened in close proximity, based on his own research and personal observations. Mr. Callaghan <br />299 <br />questioned the City’s intent when the property became vacant; and opined that it would be typical of <br />300 <br />Wal-Mart to hold the property vacant to minimize their tax burden with no regard to the negative <br />301 <br />impacts to a community. Mr. Callaghan opined that a Wal-Mart store in the Twin Lakes Redevelopment <br />302 <br />Area was inconsistent with any of citizen plans, with no big box supported and having planned <br />303 <br />businesses within a viable walking area and easily accessed by residents.With Wal-Mart drawing <br />304 <br />shoppers from 2-4 miles away, Mr. Callaghan disputed that this was a local store versus a regional store <br />305 <br />no matter if staff considered it “limited retail.” <br />306 <br />Mr. Rafael Fernandez 1966 Sharondale Ave. <br />307 <br />Mr. Fernandez concurred with previous remarks about the lack of information and notice provided to <br />308 <br />citizens; and opined whether a legal requirement or not, it was prudent to keep citizens informed. Given <br />309 <br />the short amount of time he had to research and prepare his remarks, Mr. Fernandez asked the following <br />310 <br />questions: 1) What type of jobs and what wages will this store provide; 2) are employees anticipated to <br />311 <br />Page7of14 <br /> <br />