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Regular City Council Meeting AND <br /> Board of Adjustments and Appeals <br /> Monday,July 23,2012 <br /> Page 49 <br /> Councilmember Willmus disclosed that, earlier this year, he had reached out to <br /> the SWARN membership and Mr. Grefenberg suggesting they work together as <br /> a group to acquire the parcel, but from his understanding when SWARN mem- <br /> bers were approached, they were not interested in acquiring the parcel. At that <br /> point, Councilmember Willmus advised that he stopped pursuing it; and still <br /> found it difficult to not be able to see the City take a more active role in this. <br /> However, ultimately development went in a different direction, resulting in to- <br /> night's action. <br /> Councilmember Willmus noted that, early on in the process, the question was <br /> asked, "What's in it for Roseville?" In looking at the history of Twin Lakes and <br /> its under-utilization compared to a similar revitalization effort in Saint Anthony <br /> Village and development of the former Apache Plaza site, Councilmember <br /> Willmus noted how that had developed with Wal-Mart as an anchor and support <br /> businesses that followed. Councilmember Willmus opined that a large retailer, <br /> such as Wal-Mart, served to generator interest from people; further opining that <br /> he didn't see Wal-Mart degrading the local economy or community, anticipating <br /> that it will be the opposite. Councilmember Willmus referenced a Federal Re- <br /> serve Study showing the genuine effects of a Wal-Mart on an area economy. <br /> Councilmember Willmus admitted that Wal-Mart was not what he had envi- <br /> sioned,but it conformed, and he would support the motion. <br /> Councilmember Johnson concurred with Willmus on the Zoning and Compre- <br /> hensive Plan with Wal-Mart as a permitted use. Councilmember Johnson ad- <br /> vised that he had vowed, going into this issue, that he would keep his review <br /> based specifically on that, and not one business model versus another. Coun- <br /> cilmember Johnson admitted that he found this challenging, since he was aware <br /> that Wal-Mart could bring out the best or the worst. Councilmember Johnson <br /> applauded Mr. Trudgeon and staff that throughout this entire process they had <br /> ensured that Roseville standards were applied, many of which were not typical <br /> Wal-Mart design standards. In acknowledging public sentiment telling Coun- <br /> cilmembers to vote on public safety and the well-being of the community, <br /> Councilmember Johnson noted that when he compared the Saint Anthony Wal- <br /> Mart model to potential police calls projected by Chief Mathwig, he found he <br /> was unable to make a case based on that, since there were significantly lower. <br /> Councilmember Johnson expressed confidence that a good Security and Polic- <br /> ing Plan would be created for Wal-Mart and all Roseville business properties. <br /> Councilmember Johnson noted that this entire process was difficult from the <br /> perspective of the communication process, and acknowledged that it could serve <br /> as a learning process, especially for him personally with the entire planning pro- <br /> cess. Councilmember Johnson spoke in support of the motion. <br /> Councilmember Pust thanked the Wal-Mart development team for their profes- <br /> sionalism even during differing views. However, Councilmember Pust spoke in <br />