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Regular City Council Meeting <br /> Monday,November 10, 2014 <br /> Page 11 <br /> While not having seen a copy of the draft letter beforehand, Councilmember <br /> Willmus admitted that he also had some concerns with the identification process <br /> and those things that come into play, especially with the County's valuation pro- <br /> cess and how that assessed valuation changes from year to year, and specific situ- <br /> ations impacting that value. Councilmember Willmus suggested further refine- <br /> ment of the process before any more letters were sent out and providing additional <br /> identification mechanisms in identifying those homes if the HRA chose to contin- <br /> ue the program. <br /> Hamline Avenue Property Purchase and Sale <br /> Specific to the 1840 Hamline Avenue property purchase and sale, Councilmember <br /> Laliberte asked if the process and timeline played out as the HRA anticipated. <br /> From her personal perspective, Ms. Kelsey stated that the process played out fast- <br /> er than she anticipated, with initial hesitation on whether or not the City would re- <br /> ceive the value for which the property had been listed,based on the location of the <br /> property. Ms. Kelsey further stated that she hadn't anticipated that a home would <br /> be constructed yet this year, but noted the considerable self-guided interest the <br /> property and program had received, including from architects watching this pro- <br /> gram and those within that circle of understanding. Ms. Kelsey advised that she <br /> now has a list of those interested in other lots that may become available in Rose- <br /> ville. <br /> Councilmember Laliberte noted that the HRA had taken on a lot of new, great and <br /> exciting things; and expressed her interest in how the HRA and staff were priori- <br /> tizing things overall and by this type of project in particular. <br /> Ms. Kelsey admitted that she could not do it all, but admitted there were a few <br /> properties that staff and the HRA continued to watch, several that had been in <br /> foreclosure for three years, and were continuing to deteriorate. Ms. Kelsey noted <br /> one area of concern was others watching the same properties who were interested <br /> in turning those properties into rentals, which provided one reason the HRA pro- <br /> moted this program to avoid that situation. Ms. Kelsey opined that this program <br /> would probably continue to reside in the background as the HRA took on projects <br /> with a higher priority in the near future, and as the Dale Street Project would <br /> hopefully become a reality. <br /> While agreeing that a single-family rental home was more likely to become sub- <br /> standard than an owner-occupied single-family home, Councilmember McGehee <br /> reiterated her interest in generally identifying the program for the public versus <br /> specifically targeting those homes. In light of her earlier comments, Coun- <br /> cilmember McGehee stated that she shared the HRA goal of avoiding single- <br /> family rentals,but wanted to ensure residents felt of value. <br />