We are concerned over the proposed current Comprehensive Plan situation facing residents of Centerville. When we moved into the City of Centerville seven years ago there was no talk of zoning changes or development issues. Over the next few years we attended several meetings to discuss a Comprehensive Plan for Centerville. Many residents raised valid concerns over the plan.
In the end, the council did decide that the 2006 plan was in the best interest of the city. The 2006 Comprehensive Plan has not accomplished its proposed intent and is nowhere close to being implemented. Under the 2006 plan the ability of current residents to improve their properties is severely restricted. The City Council is placing an unfair and undue hardship on many of the residents. Over the past years we have been told that this Comprehensive Plan is looking towards the future.
We firmly believe that this future development is not likely any time soon. If the city council is to continue with these restrictions it needs to prove that the current comprehensive plan, which was very unpopular with many, is viable. Given the current economic conditions it does not appear to be so. We agree with Council Member Broussard Vickers who is quoted as saying “I think this is a big deal, and it’s having a significant impact on people who live in downtown.” We also agree with the City Attorney, who is quoted as saying “The best thing to do is to listen to the public as to what they want.” We do not want a City Council and Zoning Board that severely limit our ability to improve our property without a good reason. We agree with Council Member Broussard Vickers, “It could be ten years before we see the downtown develop.”
Mark & Wendy Brilowski
Letter to the Editor
The Citizen
03/03/2010
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14 comments:
Listen to the people. Isn't that what the residents have been saying, and saying?
Wake up Council!!
Does Council really care about anything but its legacy?
Current Council is counting on "we the people" being brain dead and ignorant regarding current events.
BRAVO BLOGGERS!!!
Despite our local press, as one resident once said, this blog is the BEST thing to happen to Centerville.
I am no longer going to read the Citizen. The editor and her soap-box is enough to make a blind man see.
WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!
The blog is not trying to sell papers nor sucking up to the Centerville Council to remain the paper of record.
BRING IT!
looks like the citizen editor is feeling a little sensitive and let her objective thinking fly out the window.
the pen is mightier than the sword unless a local blog is mightier than both.
objective reporting is a lost art in our society once ad revenue is factored in.
"as one resident once said, this blog is the BEST thing to happen to Centerville"
If memory serves correctly... Wasn't that resident a city hall insider?
“You claim that this is a good idea, but you cannot be trusted since you are a politician.”
You claim that you are an impartial reporter, but you cannot be trusted since you have papers to sell.
Folks,
Can we get back to the heart of the matter here.
It completely saddens us to read the Brilowski's letter to the editor here. It truly is unbelievable what City Hall is doing to these people. We don't live in this affected area, but those residents have our support. These residents are damned, so to speak: can't expand, can't improve and what little improvements they can make will be decided by a handful of people.
We agree with Ms. Brilowski - the Council has created an UNFAIR & UNDUE hardship on many residents. We pray Council will have a change of heart.
As the Mayor puts it, "there hasn't been anything like this in 150 years." Let's face it - this is NOT a "downtown REdevelopment", rather, a "downtown development". Council is not RE-developing anything, but DEVELOPING.
WE HAVE TO VOTE THESE PEOPLE OUT
Yes, we do have to vote them out.
However, let me play Devil's Advocate for a second. The city needs to buy space for their development project. To be able to buy the lands they have to pay fair market value. So, as I've seen happen before, people make a run to improve their houses so that they can get the max cash from the city on a property that they're just going to tear down. So, the city restricts changes to prevent people from fleecing the city.
Now, before I see torches and pitchforks at my door, let's look at the failure of the Council in this regard. The most glaring and obvious is that once the plan started falling through, instead of desperately clinging on to the project as some sort of "I did this for Centerville come heck or high water" symbol for all to see, they should have admitted that it wasn't going to work and release the restrictions.
The second failure is the incessant desperate desire to shun any attempt of joining with Lino Lakes. The standard response I've heard is, "If you think your roads are awful now, they'll be even worse as a part of Lino Lakes."
Since we are completely surrounded, and cannot magically acquire more land, the best we can do is develop every square inch to the max, then our only option is to increase the density of the development. If I remember correctly, the original redevelopment plan (please correct me if I'm wrong or this has changed) included high density low income housing. What this tells me is that the council is attempting to cram more people in the city to try to get to the next funding level (5000 I believe?) at the possible expense of our safety. Not a good move (Failure #3 if true). If this is true, this also implies that the Council knows that if the current low density residential zoning were extended to every available piece of land, that they would not make the cutoff for the additional aid. So where is our Future given the Grand Ambitions of our Council?
So far, in my area it's been a $16,000 assessment for road improvements and the installation of the required City water. Their response to this is, "You didn't HAVE to hook up to the water." However, they said that if we don't, the connection fee will rise each year. Sure it's not required. But hey, on the plus side we get to pay it off at 5 percent APR for the next 15 years on our property taxes.
So it's not just the City Government going into debt.
At this juncture we really need to decide whether we as a city can continue as an entity given the constraints of our borders, or whether it would be wiser to become part of Lino Lakes. At our current level of debt, I have no idea if they would even want us. I certainly hope that wasn't intentional on the part of the council.
I think the city would be best served by the consideration of joining with Lino Lakes or at least the removal of the council.
Anonymous @ 4:16
I agree with everything you have written except
"The city needs to buy space for their development project."
It is NOT the business of our local Government to develop land. That is the business of developers and the FREE market will determine what is best for Centerville.
Look at Lino Lakes, Lexington and Circle Pines...
They have many vacant business spaces for sell/rent.
My apologies. I should have said, "The city wants to buy..." instead of "needs". I was stating "needs" from a situational perspective of me trying to put myself in the shoes of the council. You are correct in saying that they didn't NEED to commercially develop land. The only NEEDS of a city development project are city services.
Quite frankly, most that I've talked to who isn't native to this city comes through and assumes that the city center is based around the strip malls and the city hall, so this desperate need to develop a downtown that really no longer exists is rather disturbing. Holding on to a traditional past is one thing. Holding onto a past that's already been half bulldozed due to the Cty 14 construction is another. But that's just me. I think if they're stuck on staying Centerville and a development project, they'd be better off buying the houses near the city hall and develop the Cty 14 corridor over the old downtown.
Ahhhh, common sense 3/9 5:38! So refreshing! Hard to come by these days! You are right on!
I'm with you - let's become part of Lino Lakes! (however, who wants 'little brother' with the bad debt and continued bad spending habits to come live with them?) Most likely won't happen - Lino would reject us??!!
"You didn't HAVE to hook up to the water." However, they said that if we don't, the connection fee will rise each year. Sure it's not required.
They put you in a catch 22. Isn't this bribery?
How considerate of the council!
I still can't see why we have a mayor. Dallas and Glaser seem to be running the city.
Actually, it's not bribery. It's extortion. I dare the council to go pick up a dictionary, actually read the definition, and disagree.
Oh wait. Of course they'll disagree. Extortion is illegal.
But hey, why pick nits, right?
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