Are Downtown Redevelopment Plans “Holding Property Hostage”?

“We are taking this input,” Commission Vice Chair Tom Wood said, “so we can sit down and make a decision based on what our constituents are looking for.”
It wasn’t a public hearing— or at least, that’s what several city council members in attendance kept reminding Wood, who ran the meeting.
But it certainly looked, walked and quacked like a public hearing: council chambers were filled by citizens, many of whom took the opportunity to speak.
The zoning changes were made in anticipation of immediate purchase off ers from the Beard Group, the development company working with the City of Centerville on its downtown redevelopment project.
As the economy slowed, however, the purchase offers never materialized, and homeowners who welcomed the opportunity to sell their homes—as well as those who had no intention of moving— have been left in a holding pattern for well over three years.
Olaf Lee, who with his wife Margaret owns a home at 1724 Heritage Street, said that he wanted to add onto his garage, add another bedroom, and possibly build a sunroom. “To date,” Lee said, “I’ve been told [by the city] that there is no possibility of ever [making improvements to] that house.”
Randy Gnadke, 1751 Main Street, said that he would add on to his home, possibly up to 20% of its existing square footage.
Patricia Camp, 7121 Centerville Road, said she was surprised to find out that her home is a nonconforming use. “I’ve been a resident of this community for 31 years,” she said. Although she has no current plans to expand her home, she objected to limitations posed by the rezoning restrictions.
Wendy Brilowski, who in 2004 purchased the 150-yearold residence at 7124 Main Street “with the intention of making a lot of changes,” said that she wasn’t sure whether her home was included in the rezoned area, but has a number of long-term plans, including bumping out a wall in the kitchen and adding a porch. With market conditions the way they are, and with the added penalty of being a non-conforming use, Brilowski said, selling is likely not an option. “I honestly don’t think I could get fair market value,” she said.
Bryce Wasiloski said that although he has a “pretty decent” understanding of what the downtown redevelopment plan is, “it looks a little diff erent when you’ve been rezoned.” He said, “It’s a very uncertain feeling; it’s like you’re living on borrowed time.”Resident Lenae Marshall, who resides outside the rezoned area, referred to what she called the city’s desire to make Centerville a destination town as “a want, and not a need.” She said, “It is unethical to take what is not theirs and redistribute it to another … it is not the mayor’s role to elevate the collective good.”
City Attorney Kurt Glaser advised, “We cannot take people’s property for redevelopment [purposes]—we can’t. It’s not legal.”
But Olaf Lee asked, “Isn’t indefi nitely holding our property hostage, ‘condemnation’? Where we have to maintain it, with no future? Otherwise, you don’t buy a fixer-upper. Why bother?”
Mayor Mary Capra, who last month said that allowing nonconforming uses to expand would cost city residents money in the long run, reminded attendees that the downtown redevelopment plan was “reviewed by the entire community.”

Deb Barnes
The Citizen
3/17/2010
Link Here

Development Not Likely Anytime Soon

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

Who Has The Right to Decide What One Can Do With Their Private Property?

CENTERVILLE’S DEBT

2004 $5,710,000
2009 $ 11,272,000
A 97% INCREASE IN FIVE YEARS!
What do we have to show for it?

As the current Mayor & Council continue to push forward a downtown redevelopment vision, they have delegated the Planning & Zoning Board to have a Public Hearing in regards to recently rezoned “nonconforming” downtown resident’s property. Even though the City can no longer legally eminent domain private property (exception being roads, bridges, parking lots and trails ) they are currently holding hostage many residents in the downtown area. The nonconforming designation stops the citizens from making improvements to their property which might increase its value as these homes wait to be purchased by a developer. Although The Beard Group has backed out of the Downtown Redevelopment citing the poor economy and there are STILL NO OFFERS on the table to purchase these properties our four members of Council and the Mayor continue to hold these fellow Citizens at their mercy.
In their glorious wisdom, they have voted to punt the nonconforming issue to the Planning and Zoning Board for a decision. Could it be that the Mayor and Council believe this board is more qualified to make that decision or is it a duck and cover move?
This push is exploding our debt, property taxes and we ALL are paying the price!

The Planning & Zoning meetings are no longer televised. Ironically, in the interest of "saving money" the Council voted to discontinue this important public service last year.
UPDATE 03/03/2010
The entire Council (excluding Jeff Paar) sat in on the Public Hearing/Input Meeting last night. City Attorney Kurt Glaser and City Administrator Dallas Larson were also in attendance. More information to follow soon.

Here We Go Again!

Downtown bike trail to feature two new parks
Two new city parks are planned for summer construction that will coincide with completion of a downtown bike trail along Main Street. The parks were officially named “Cornerstone” and “Trailside” at a Feb. 10 City Council meeting. The names were recommended by the city’s parks and recreation committee.

Centerville collects a park dedication fee from every new development within the city. Although the funding has run dry, City Administrator Dallas Larson said the parks are moving forward thanks to federal funding dollars totaling around $800,000. That money will help pay for both the bike trail and the parks, which Larson described as trail “rest stops.” The city is committing around $400,000 for the project, money that had to be borrowed against future development dedication fees, Larson said.
“Those fees will be reimbursed when development moves forward again,” he noted.

Cornerstone Park will sit just west of St. Genevieve Church in downtown Centerville. It will be anchored by a water feature containing a monument that will likely read “May peace prevail on earth” in various languages, according to city engineers. Plans aren’t cemented, but the words could appear in English, French, German and Lakota.
Nicholas Backus
Quad Editor
LINK FULL STORY HERE

Does the Mayor's "Vision" Trump Reality?

Building Activity Continues to Stagnate Through 2009
According to recently released figures, new building activity in Centerville, Hugo and Lino Lakes continued to stagnate through 2009, continuing a trend that has been evident since building activity dramatically declined in all three cities from 2005 to 2006.
In Centerville three permits for new residential units were issued last year, a three fold increase from the single permit issued in 2008. However, no permits for commercial or industrial uses were pulled in 2009.
The Citizen 2/17/2010
Aaron Ruper
No Available Link
Read the City News Section for Full Story.

Three years ago, Mayor Mary Capra envisioned “the biggest change to the community in the past 150 years”
Link Full Story Here
Was she correct?

Should Centerville Spend $800,000 On a Vision? D. Love Thinks Maybe Not!

City turns attention to storm water drainage.

With spring thaw months away, the City Council mulled over a project designed to disperse storm water at the Feb. 10 regular meeting and work session.
The time to get moving on the project is now, City Engineer Mark Statz said.
A new pond south of Laurie LaMotte Park would receive water from the east and from the new downtown development, according to Statz. Water that would normally drain into Centerville Lake would drain into the new pond, helping the city meet Rice Creek Watershed District requirements for runoff water volume control. The water that runs into the new pond would provide irrigation for ball fields at Laurie LaMotte Park.
The system, which Statz called “very green”, has already received approximately $300,000 in grant funding and is expected to cost approximately $1.1 million. He asked council members whether they were ready to commit the remaining $800,000 to move the project forward.
Mayor Mary Capra and City Administrator Dallas Larson were worried that delays may cause the city to lose the grant funding. “We have a nucleus for a good project; let’s see if agencies will let us downsize,” Larson said. “This gives basis for something that would be good for downtown – it would be a shame to throw away those dollars.”
Full Story Here

02/10/2010
Council discussed the status of the new trail project. Glaser said that two property acquisitions remain unresolved with the city expected to achieve acquisition by March 1.
Statz said that plans and specifications are ready, the bidding process will soon start and that construction will start in 2010. Statz said that grant monies of $791,280 might be available to the city in 2010, rather than 2012. Capra recommended that Statz attend a Parks and Recreation Committee meeting to receive requests and suggestions. Larson said that city staff would prepare a budget and other items for council to start taking official action at an upcoming meeting. The project is estimated to cost $1.2 million.
Unresolved property acquisitions mean pending litigation and hourly fees paid to the City Attorney No mention of Centerville's obligation for the trail grant. See above Pond Grant.
Exit question, what will Statz charge the City for sitting in on the Parks and Rec. meeting?

Three Years Later: Centerville Rezoning Still Causing Ripples

Thank you Deb Barnes, for bringing this to the attention of the Citizens!
Three years ago, Mayor Mary Capra envisioned “the biggest change to the community in the past 150 years” as the city adopted its Master Plan and Development Guidelines for the city’s Downtown Redevelopment Plan.
City officials worked closely with Anoka County on the reconstruction of Main Street. And then the economy went belly up. When the recession comes to an end, Centerville leaders are hopeful that their planning may yet bear fruit in the realization of the city’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan, which established a goal of “sustaining a population above 5,000.”
But in the meantime?
When the recession comes to an end, Centerville leaders are hopeful that their planning may yet bear fruit in the realization of the city’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan, which established a goal of “sustaining a population above 5,000.” But in the meantime? Most of the grant money has had to be returned, unspent. Bond payments for the Main Street improvements will be paid out of the tax levy for the foreseeable future instead of from TIF District proceeds. For the owners of the 40 or so nonconforming residences in that area, the plans they may have had to expand their homes to meet the needs of their growing families are now prohibited under zoning rules.
One family...
That dream came true in 2006. It wasn’t long, however, before they heard about the city’s plans to build townhouses where their home, originally built by the La-Motte family in 1953, now stands. “I just sat on the steps and cried,” Wasiloski, who received her first communion at St. Genevieve’s one block away, told The Citizen. “We want to put a full front porch on the front of our house, maybe a 3- season porch on the back,” she said. “We have blueprints that my dad drew up before he passed. A house is a house: [but] it takes a family and many years to create a home.” Her husband, Bryce, concurs. “This whole idea of tearing our property down and building something else makes no sense to us,” he said.
Another family...
Lewellen said he was surprised to find that the new design guidelines for his block, guided for multifamily units, limited him to a 100-square-foot deck. “I would have liked it to be bigger,” he said. Lewellen’s sales job may soon require him to put his home at 1721 Heritage Street on the market. He is concerned that the city’s zoning rules will make his property less attractive to buyers. That may be: the last “arms-length” sale—that is, a sale between two disinterested parties—of residential property to occur in the rezoned area occurred on July 20, 2007.
Another family...
Tom Neisius is disappointed that nothing is happening in his neighborhood: he was poised to sell his property to Beard Group with the intention of rebuilding in the area. If forced to stay in his 94- year-old home, Neisius said, he would like to reconstruct his garage and move it back away from the road.
Another family...
Richard (Dick) Kinning, 79, has lived at 7059 Progress Road for 53 years. Kinning saw the downtown project as an opportunity for him to continue to live in Centerville while downsizing to “something easier to care for.”
Another family...
Together, the Lees’ blended family numbered seven. The couple needed more elbow room, and they considered selling. In consulting a realtor, the news wasn’t good: the recommended sale price wouldn’t begin to pay off the mortgage, Margaret, now 40, said. “How am I supposed to sell my property, when [the city] is telling the community that this area is blighted?” she asked. The couple then hoped to add on a great room, where the family could all be together. But the city’s newly zoning code will no longer allow the Lees to expand the use of their home.
When cities adopt new zoning rules for an area, City Administrator Dallas Larson told The Citizen, it doesn’t make sense for the city to allow the nonconforming uses within that area to grow. New decks, swimming pools, tool sheds and fences are now allowed “to a limited degree,” Larson said. And maintenance of nonconforming structures can continue. “They can put on new siding, a new roof.” But there is a limit. “Specifically,” Larson said, “you can’t expand the nonconformity, so if you had a three bedroom home, you can’t add a fourth bedroom, you can’t add a story.”
“They’re cheating us out of time,” Margaret Lee said. “Where we want to spend our money, we can’t. Is it the role of government to control your standard of living?” But Mayor Mary Capra doesn’t see it that way. She said allowing nonconforming uses to expand would cost taxpayers money in the long run. “We also need to look out for the rest of the community, and that’s my role,” she said. “We’re not trying to push anybody out. I understand the hardship this causes.

Three years later, Beard Group has yet to complete a property purchase. The city, however, has acquired additional land adjacent to the old public works site west of Centerville Road. Capra reports that the city is “still progressing” with the project, and is now focused on building affordable housing. “We’re still looking for additional funding to make that happen,” she said.

Meanwhile, City Council Member Linda Broussard Vickers admits that she is thinking about the rezoning impacts on area residents. “There was a good plan or a vision,” she said. “[But] the vision was always bigger than I thought we could achieve in our town in a short time.”

Full story here

Amended 2009 Budget Includes Cost Of State Audit

Council members also amended the city’s 2009 City Budget from $2,042,320 to $2,013,016.

The move formally addresses the loss in Market Value Homestead Credits this year as well as a $40,000 decrease in building activity from that anticipated when the budget was set a year ago. Financial Administration expenses were adjusted by $15,000 to include the charges levied by the Minnesota State Auditor’s Office for the petitioned city audit.

Funds remaining in three inactive debt service funds, closed by council approval later in the meeting, resulted in income to the general fund of $72,935. Overall, Finance Director Mike Jeziorski reported, a net loss of $35,242 for fiscal year 2009 was realized.

Deb Barnes
The Citizen Link Full Article Here

Happy New Year!

New Fee Schedule Reflects Water Rate Changes

At its regular meeting of Dec. 9, the Centerville City Council approved an ordinance updating the city’s fee schedule for 2010.
Under the new fee schedule, water usage rates will vary depending on the amount used.
For residential users, to a quarterly fee of $21 will be added a charge per thousand gallons used. For up to a total of 90,000 gallons used, the rate per thousand is $2.00; for the increment of water used in excess of that amount up to 150,000 gallons, a rate per thousand of $2.20 will apply; and for the amount used in excess of 150,001 gallons, a charge of $2.50 per thousand will apply.
For commercial users, to a quarterly fee of $21 will be added a charge per thousand gallons of $2.00 for up to 500,000 gallons used. For more than 500,001 gallons, the rate per thousand gallons will be $2.50.

Centerville Property Tax Levy Up 9%

Despite cuts in the City of Centerville’s operating budget for 2010, many residents will see increases in their city taxes once the city’s bond payments are added in to the 2010 tax levy, City Finance Director Mike Jeziorski advised council members at their Dec. 9 meeting.
Like other cities, Centerville has had to cope with challenges posed by the current economy, not the least of which was a shortfall dealt by the State of Minnesota when it again withheld the city’s Market Value Homestead Credit (MVHC) of $66,231 in 2009; the city is projected to lose $68,783 in 2010, Jeziorski said.
In his memorandum, Jeziorski stated that to achieve a budget reduction, employee salaries were frozen, as were city contributions to employee insurance plans; “significant” cutbacks in Fête des Lacs funding were made; equipment purchases were deferred; and some interfund loans were restructured.
City officials chose not to levy for the loss of the city’s MVHC, although the 2009 legislature would have allowed that cost to be passed on to citizens in a “one-time” make-up levy.
As it is, the city’s tax rate—a formula for allocating the share of the city’s tax levy to each parcel—will is influenced by not only the amount being levied,” Jeziorski explained, “but by the [city’s] tax capacity.
“Because valuations decreased, the tax rate is higher to just generate the same revenue,” he said, adding that an additional bump to the tax rate comes as a result of the increase in the levy.
What will be the effect of the tax levy on residential properties in Centerville?
Jeziorski provided several examples: a home with an assessed value in 2009 of $208,500 would likely see a reduction in value to $183,500 in 2010, he said; its city taxes would increase from $964.34 in 2009 to $997.33 in 2010, an increase of 3.42%.
A home valued at $366,500 in 2009 would likely see a decrease in its assessed value to $342,600 in 2010; city taxes would increase from $1,695.11 to $1,862.04, an increase of 9.85%.
But not everybody will see a decrease in property value, Jeziorski cautioned. “Lake[front] property values went up,” he said. “They’re holding their value very well.”
Resident Eric Marshall took the opportunity to address council members during the public hearing. Marshall said that taxes on his lake shore property on La Valle Drive increased from $4,200 in 2007 to $5,600 in 2009.
“I wondered why [taxes are] increasing when my business revenue is decreasing,” he said. “It’s driving me out of here.”
Larson stressed that Marshall’s taxes include taxes levied by the county, the school district, and other taxation authorities as well as the city, adding that an increase in the school levy in 2005-06 “bit everybody.”
Deb Barnes
The Citizen Link Full Story Here

Merry Christmas, Neighbors of Centerville!

Lino Lakes Poised To Cut City Budget By $500,000

Roughly $300,000 of that half-million dollars in budget cuts will come from a proposed reduction in city staff of 5.0 FTE (full-time equivalent) employee positions, half the reduction initially discussed at an August workshop.

Under that earlier scenario, 10.0 FTEs, or approximately 13% of the city’s 80 staff positions, would have been cut. However, council directed City Finance Director Al Rolek to explore other options such as mandatory two-week employee furloughs and the elimination of wage increases, steps that Reinert has termed “temporary solutions.”

Urging fellow council members at the workshop to deal with budget issues in ways “that can help us longterm,” Reinert requested that the group work together to define an overriding budget goal and implement solutions that can be counted on when the process begins again in 2010. Elimination of city staff positions is “something we only want to do once,” he said.

Referring to the current budget proposal as a “box of Band-Aids,” Reinert continued, “To continue to do things the way we do things with the current outlook and then expect different results is the definition of insanity,” he said. “What a sad situation to know that the problems aren’t solved and that we have to go through this again next year.”
Full Story Here
Deb Barnes, The Citizen

Outdoor Decorating

Monday, November 30, 2009

Outside the home of Centerville Mayor Mary Capra, Sara and Lucie Fehrenbacher, Simon and Julie Berger and Ben Fehrenbacher help put lights and bows on some of the 25 wreaths that will decorate light posts along Main Street. The wreaths were purchased from local boy scouts with private donations.
- Photo by Paul Dols
The Quad Press Link Here

Trivia:
How many new light posts have been erected along main street?

Does This Current Council Have The Best Interest of Citizens and Local Business at Heart?

CSAH 14 Speed Study Issue Deferred
Council also decided to defer action on the decision whether or not to request a speed study on CSAH 14 through town until next spring. A letter signed by five local businesses dated Sept. 23, 2009 requested that the speed study be conducted so as to reduce the speeds between Centerville Road and I-35E. The letter stated that the posted speed of 45 m.p.h. is unsafe due to proximity of homes and bus stops; it also stated that current speeds made crossing the roadway “difficult” and reduced the likelihood that drivers will patronize local businesses.
Link Full Article Here
How Does Mn/DOT Determine the Regulatory Speed Limit? Link Here

Welcome Newest Council Member, D. (Darion) Love

Is it not interesting that the current Centerville City Council chose to fill the seat vacated by Tom Lee with a person that did not run (D Love) during the last election? According to the buzz around town, Neale Rawlings should have been appointed, hands down. Instead, our elected officials chose someone with the exact same right of way violation (photo above) they are currently prosecuting a senior citizen (photo below) on criminal charges with?
Is the will of the people being ignored in Centerville?
What are they spending our tax dollars on?

2008 City Council Election results;
Neale Rawlings - 502
Thomas Fairbrother - 490
Ben Fehrenbacher - 522
Jeff Paar - 706
Stephanie Blomseth - 460
David H. Cochran - 368
Tom Wood - 348

FYI
Former Mayor Tom Wilharber also completed a letter of interest to fill the vacant seat and was shunned by Council.

The Citizen
Legal name?
Even ask?

City Council Meeting 9/23/2009

For those involved citizens that have been asking about the last Council session;

North Metro Cable has confirmed an error on their part regarding the re-airing of the 9/23 Council meeting. They are working on the issue and state that the Council session will resume it's regularly scheduled programming tomorrow.
The schedule is as follows;
Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday @ 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday @ noon.

We have also confirmed via the City website that the Council minutes for this date have not yet been posted online.

From the City website
Upcoming Meetings Here

A Blast From The Past - May 2008

An online post from our soon to be past Council member Tom Lee regarding mandatory water/sewer hook up and current Council member Linda Vickers.

Question from citizen.
"Does everybody have to hook up to city water/sewer right away or can they wait? Does the word everybody mean everybody or just the unfortunate people selected?"

Answer from Tom Lee.
Every one that has city water available will be required to hook up to city water. If you are referring to Council Member Vickers, she will not be included in this project as she lives on a COUNTY road, which is not part of this project. BUT, when the County road is done, the city SHOULD make water available to her property and since she owns…..140 plus acres, she WILL pay an incredible amount. Unfortunately, I will not be on Council to to weigh in on the matter. (though I suspect she may)
Link Here

News From Our Centerville City Website

The City Council currently has a vacant seat. Tom Lee has resigned.
The remaining term of this seat is slightly over one (1) year Council, per MN State Statute 412 will be filling this seat by accepting letters of interest from eligible citizens until October 21, 2009at 4:00 p.m.
You may submit your letter of interest to City Hall
Monday - Friday, 7:30 a.m.4:00p.m. (during regular business hours), mail or place in the City's drop-box.
Please ensure ample time for mailing or placement in the drop-box to meet the deadline. Click here for information regarding what the position entails. Click here for an application for appointment.

How about contacting Mr. Neale Rawlings? He was only 20 votes from being elected Council member last year! Speak out people, before the Council "selects" a replacement for us based on a letter of interest!
Neale Rawlings BLOG HERE

2009 Minnesota Statutes
412.02 CITY ELECTIONS; OFFICERS, TERMS, VACANCIES.
Subd. 2a. Vacancy.
Except as otherwise provided in subdivision 2b, a vacancy in an office shall be filled by council appointment until an election is held as provided in this subdivision. In case of a tie vote in the council, the mayor shall make the appointment

Don't Hold Your Breath On That Dedicated Road Fund

Council could not seem to come to a conclusion during the September 9th meeting. (which is still not posted online) and decided to vote for a compromise.

Instead of setting aside $100,000 needed for seal coating next year they chose to compromise at the suggestion of Mary Capra, dedicating approximately half of what is needed.
To her credit Linda Vickers voted against the resolution stating "you do not have a plan if that plan is not funded". Linda totally rocked!

According to Council minutes Tom Lee, Jeff Paar and Ben Fehrenbacher did not want to dedicate money to the road fund, as it would raise taxes for the citizens. Vickers wanted to set aside $100,000 but Capra the consummate politician came up with a compromise to dedicate not nearly enough to meet the City needs.

Oh but the way, the vote doesn't really count because they have "wiggle room" and can change their decision by December this year.

By Council's own admission, they have been trying to dedicate a road maintenance fund for the past five years to meet our needs and have failed and we are falling behind.

Look for the you tube video coming soon...

Where Are The Minutes Of The September 9th Council Meeting?

Almost one week later, the Council minutes are still not available online. This after our City officials argued with State Auditors regarding their transparency.
Who is responsible for updating and posting the minutes online?
Dallas Larson, City Administrator also current staff members Teresa Bender and Kim Stephen.
Thank you for disappointing us once again and disregarding the advice of the State of Minnesota, Centerville staff.