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City Council Regular Meeting — 07/12/04 <br />DRAFT Minutes - Page 21 <br />comments by recognizing that Concept Plans 1 and 2 outpaced <br />the general panel interest in Concept Plans 3 or 4; the major <br />difference in Concept Plans 1 and 2 of the presence/absence of <br />the parkway, with this item leading to the differences in positive <br />and negative comments between the two plans; and the panel's <br />preference, with minor alterations, in the residential/retail mix <br />and arrangement represented in Concepts Plans 1 and 2, with <br />exclusion of Twin Lakes Parkway. <br />Consultant Mary Bujold of Maxfield Research <br />Mr. Shardlow introduced Ms. Bujold, considered one of the <br />experts in retail research. Ms. Bujold briefly reviewed the <br />current retail environment and trends; housing and retail <br />synergies; previous work done for the City on big box retailers; <br />and noted that the retail industry was constantly changing and <br />was spurred by new technology, as well as consumer pace and <br />demands. Ms. Bujold noted that housing dynamics were <br />changing, and people were looking for value at its best price. <br />Ms. Bujold further noted that owner-occupied, multi-family <br />housing currently represents forty percent (40%) of new <br />housing starts in the Twin Cities area. Ms. Bujold noted that <br />their firm had previously analyzed the Twin Lakes site for the <br />purpose of a"big box" study done for the City, and that their <br />analysis of each of those retailers included the spin off potential <br />of each retailer, their willingness to deviate from prototype <br />design, whether they were neighborhood friendly, their <br />employee counts, wages and benefit structures. Ms. Bujold <br />ranked the desirability of those "big box" retailers' studies, <br />with Target, Costco, and Lowe's ranking highest respectively. <br />Councilmember Ihlan sought clarification from Ms. Bujold on <br />whether it was her belief that it was impossible to build a <br />housing development without a retail complex as an engine. <br />Ms. Bujold opined that, it was not impossible, but with the type <br />and scale of the proposed housing, future owners were looking <br />for the amenities to be there (i.e., lake, goods, and services) in <br />close proximity to where they live. <br />Councilmember Ihlan opined that Roseville had a significant <br />