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Regular City Council Meeting <br /> Monday,July 21, 2014 <br /> Page 24 <br /> Specific to the Cleveland Avenue Northbound Ramp Influence Area, Coun- <br /> cilmember McGehee noted the moneys already received through grants or <br /> WalMart, and questioned if all other properties would be assessed. <br /> Mr. Culver responded that they would not; and only actual costs (e.g. project de- <br /> velopment and construction costs, and consultant fees) would be assessed after all <br /> other revenues were included. <br /> Councilmember McGehee opined that the City had been down this road quite a <br /> few times already; and further opined that, if she was a property owner, she would <br /> not be very pleased with this assessment prospect. Councilmember McGehee <br /> questioned why this was being pursued as a City policy; and agreed with Coun- <br /> cilmember Willmus' comments that this was not constructive and only served to <br /> put the City in an adversarial position with the businesses it was trying to reach <br /> out to. Councilmember McGehee stated that she was no more impressed with this <br /> model than with those models used by the Metropolitan Council. <br /> City Manager Trudgeon reviewed the challenges being faced by staff: the need to <br /> complete the infrastructure improvements to facilitate development; and no TIF <br /> balances remaining to pay for those improvements. Mr. Trudgeon noted that sev- <br /> eral different methods and revenue sources had been used to-date on projects al- <br /> ready completed; but it now came down to the need to build the roads to ensure <br /> development in Twin Lakes was addressed in accordance with the AUAR or basic <br /> common sense. In order to do so, Mr. Trudgeon stated the need for funding <br /> mechanisms in place. Under State Statute, Chapter 429, Mr. Trudgeon advised <br /> that the potential was available to spread the costs to benefiting properties versus <br /> sticking adjacent property owners/developers with the full impact and cost for <br /> those infrastructure improvements. Mr. Trudgeon reference comments of at least <br /> one property owner expressing willingness to be subjected to assessments through <br /> the Chapter 429 process, as long as they were fairly distributed to all benefitting <br /> property owners/developers, not only those specifically in the Twin Lakes Rede- <br /> velopment Area. Mr. Trudgeon reiterated that there was some solution needed to <br /> fund these remaining infrastructure improvements; and this provided an allowable <br /> course to follow; opining that he recommended it as the best course of action at <br /> this point. <br /> Councilmember McGehee noted Sherman Associates ready to develop one site; <br /> and identifying other access options available to them off Fairview Avenue. Giv- <br /> en the infrastructure improvements many already installed by the City at Arthur, <br /> Prior and Mount Ridge, there were options open to the City if it wanted the for- <br /> mer PIK Terminal site to develop into housing. Councilmember McGehee opined <br /> that there was already access to that site and to Langton Lake Park. Going for- <br /> ward at this point with assessments given the history and impacts already experi- <br /> enced, Councilmember McGehee opined was a dubious prospect. <br />