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The Code's the Key (2/06/2000) Page 1 of2 /:;a.. PIONEER~OO L,,' Published: Sunday, February 6,2000 SPOTLIGHT: ROSEVILLE Chris Polydoroffl Pioneer Press Roseville resident Mark Battis is against the proposal to open a Cub Foods store in Har Mar Mall, in the space directly behind him. Battis lives about a block from the mall and he and other neighbors worry about increased traffic and noise if a food store were to move in. The Code's the Key Interpretation of the code that limits a shopping center to 25 percent commercial buildings is being challenged. Some residents say their calculation puts the center at nearly 29 percent development. The dispute centers on adding a Cub Foods store to Har Mar Mall. MA.RISA."A(;HA..STA-F'FH..WRiTMEFf..'...._...,.......~....M............ ...,.._..._._"M........._M.'...._........._.~'M....._.."...........M..........,..."..._......................._..,.........."., ...,......-.....-.........,-..................,...................... .............-......--.........,...'...- ,., .-----. E~Ui~-~-~-~-~it~-~~.;~;;~-;-~-;~-~;.,.~;~~~-;~~~.~-~~~~~',.,-~~~~,.,.~~~;~...~.~.;~~~,..;~;~.-~~~..';i~i11~~~~.~_.-_.,. and begins to matter-of-factly dissect the lot coverage of Har Mar Mall. He easily tosses out square-footage calculations for various parts of his commercial neighbor. "If you exclude the 285,000 square feet, it puts them at almost 29 percent development," Battis explains, "In other words, it puts them over the top," Battis, an attorney, is among a group of Roseville residents questioning the city's interpretation of its code, which requires that a shopping center contain no more than 25 percent commercial buildings. Last month, the residents submitted a petition urging the council to exclude Snelling Avenue and County Road B from its calculations and include detached buildings like the Ground Round Restaurant and the Firestone tire store, "If you can't build on it, they should not be included in the calculations," said Battis, who has lived here for 18 years. "It makes a significant difference," While city staff found that a proposed Cub Foods would still leave Har Mar under the 25 percent cap, the residents contend that their method of calculation would put the center at nearly 29 percent development. Concern over the matter forced the City Council to delay further discussion until a Feb. 22 work session, Ultimately, a decision will determine whether Har Mar officials can proceed with the Cub Foods. The residents' appeal came nearly a year after early complaints about the Har Mar proposal spurred the city to enact a moratorium on shopping centers next to residential areas. The petition also came after Har Mar had received approval for necessary utility and drainage easements -- what the shopping center owners hoped was their last obstacle to the Cub project. This week, the mall owner and Cub developer decided to dismiss . 'without prejudice" a lawsuit filed last spring, in an effort they hope will move the project ahead. But they still have the right to reinstate the lawsuit. .. ./021469 .htm&NS-query=Battis&NS-search-type=NS-BOOLEAN -QUER Y&NS-collection(}2/07 /2000