Laserfiche WebLink
Regular City Council Meeting <br /> Monday,July 22,2013 <br /> Page 9 <br /> opment went forward, especially related to existing housing in the area and north <br /> of Twin Lakes. Mr. Murphy recognized the enjoyable amenity of being able to <br /> walk and bike around the park; and expressed concern with how various types of <br /> businesses might affect those amenities going forward, asking that consideration <br /> be given for traffic volumes and retaining the walkability of that area, in keeping <br /> with the City's vision and comprehensive plan guidance. <br /> Dan Regan,Air Lake Development <br /> Mr. Regan advised that he represented owners of the twenty-one (21) acre, three <br /> (3) parcel area immediately adjacent to the Bylerly's store on County Road C be- <br /> tween Fairview and Snelling Avenues. As a family business developer for prop- <br /> erties in the Twin Cities for over twenty (20) years (e.g. Air Lake Industrial park <br /> in Lakeville, MN and other industrial/retail projects in the metropolitan area) and <br /> having owned this property for a long time, Mr. Regan asked that everyone re- <br /> member one vital thing. As dialogue opened on the Twin Lakes Master Plan <br /> overall, Mr. Regan asked that everyone remember that development is cyclical <br /> and, as a developer, he didn't drive development, he was simply a developer; and <br /> tenants drove development. Mr. Regan noted that for some time, development <br /> had been driven by industrial tenants, but over the last 5-6 years, there had been <br /> no interest in that use until recently. During that time, Mr. Regan advised that <br /> medical/office had been an interested use. However, Mr. Regan reiterated that <br /> planners don't drive development, only the end users and tenants. <br /> Mr. Regan suggested a first step may be to take a more focused look at the Twin <br /> Lakes Overlay District and determine what makes sense. In Mr. Regan's opinion, <br /> the residential cooperative building off Langton Lake was a good example for that <br /> specific area. Specific to his company's property, Mr. Regan opined that there <br /> were some constraints based on land use options and questioned if their property <br /> should be held to the same standard and sue restrictions for land use design stand- <br /> ards as the rest of the district. Mr. Regan noted that their property on County <br /> Road C was bounded on the west and north up to Terrace Drive by a county ditch <br /> as well as a significant topographical change from their property to the west (e.g. <br /> Tile Shop, H & W, etc.) with a forty foot (40') drop. Therefore, Mr. Regan ad- <br /> vised that there was no possible physical connection available from their property <br /> to those properties on Fairview Avenue without a significant engineering feat. <br /> Also, noting recent improvements to County Road C with the addition of turn <br /> lanes, Mr. Regan noted the limitations of what they could do on their property <br /> based on their primary access on County Road C. <br /> Based on that situation, Mr. Regan specifically asked that the City consider pull- <br /> ing their property out of the Twin Lakes Planning District, allowing them to <br /> something more in line with uses to the east. Mr. Regan opined that a senior co- <br /> operative development didn't make sense on their property that would look out to <br /> truck terminals or a shopping center; and some type of use more in line with the <br /> shopping center to the west would be more appropriate. Mr. Regan suggested <br />