CC_Minutes_2013_1021 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

DRAFT Regular City Council Meeting Monday, October 21, 2013 Page 14 Having attended the HRA meeting where proposals were given, Councilmember Laliberte opined that the presentations were all great and very revealing of their proposed product. However, Councilmember Laliberte opined that the Corn- monBond proposal didn't understand the community well nor the location of the building, having expressed their surprise that there was no bus line at the proper- ty, and their proposal being very urban-based, and working well if the property was located on a bus line, but not at this particular location. While finding the Sand Company's proposal fine, Councilmember Laliberte expressed concern with the financing challenges with their proposal. Councilmember Laliberte opined that the GMHC proposal had a better feel for the process, residents and communi- ty long-term, and therefore favored their proposal when compared with the others. Councilmember Etten concurred with his colleagues so far; opining that this ad- dressed a current lack in housing products available in Roseville, and the CDI process engaged in and helping and supporting the community and its larger needs for a variety of housing products, price points, etc. Councilmember Etten stated that he looked forward to discussions of the HRA with developers to make financing work, noting that this proposal does require a fair amount of city assis- tance, even though he understood there were ways to make it happen using vari- ous areas of expertise. Councilmember Etten opined that this proposal fits the community and the neighborhood, as well as helping the broader community with its housing needs. Councilmember Willmus, in attending three of the four housing sessions, and as a member of the HRA, noted that he was able to observe those neighbors participat- ing and hear their clear direction desired for their neighborhood. Stepping back and reviewing all three proposals, Councilmember Willmus noted that all of them would require significant city contributions to make any of them work. As the HRA began discussions, Councilmember Willmus advised that the neighborhood was looking for owner-occupied housing and a lower level of density for the de- velopment to minimize its impact to their immediate neighborhood, both im- portant aspects and of concern to them. Councilmember Willmus noted that those were admirable goals to be met, and the City should try to attain them. If the goal was to maximize dollars for Roseville, Councilmember Willmus opined that the City shouldn't be involved, but put it on the open market and zone it High Density Residential (HDR); however, the community voice is saying that isn't the way to go. Councilmember Willmus opined that he was fine with continuing discussions with the GMHC; as they had obviously paid attention to those neighborhood dis- cussions and submitted their proposal accordingly. Mayor Roe stated that the key for any proposal was to reflect what neighbors were looking for, to fit the scale of the neighborhood and keep options owner- occupied. Under that scenario, Mayor Roe opined that the only proposal meeting those criteria was that of the GMHC. While having considerable concerns along the City/HRA financing needs, including the $1 land sale and other waivers re-