HomeMy WebLinkAbout1978 09-13 Maple Greens-Sterling Street project brings many opinions to public hearing THE REVIEW Maple Greens-Sterling Street project r
zt,
brings many opinions to public hearing
by JoAnn Rice themselves to a need tor a complete city- as indicating that the council is M
wide transportation system. "precluded by its agreement from con-
When the Maplewood City Council airs The citizens,however,cite a stipulation netting Sterling Street with East Q,
the Maplegreen's project and its at- ordered by the state Environmental Maryland Avenue on the basis of Sf
tendant street changes tomorrow night, it Quality Board and agreed upon and war'-nts emanating solely from Maple 1/)
will bring a variety of opinions to fore. signed in November 1977 from which they Greens PUD. However, if warrants for
There will be the opinion of Schnell and quote that"Maryland Avenue. . .is not to such connections are outside the project,
Madson, the engineering company be connected to Sterling Avenue on the then the connection can be made."
commissioned to conduct a feasibility Spokesmen for the association,
study on the project, there will be the president Bill Lorenz and George Everitt
opinion of residents, offered by the local news expressed a wish that neighborhoods be
Maplewood-Ferndale Assn., and there "left alone." Acknowledging that they
will be a review by city staff. Then there background and their group do not wish to stand in the
will be the developer. way of development, they speak against
the type of development proposed. "I'm
west so as to function as a through street. .
opposed to that type of density," says
. ' The agreement was among
IT APPEARS that members of the Maplewood, the association and the Lorenz. They are also opposed to the
residents' group are opposed to the developer, Century Land Co. traffic which the development would
proposed upgrading of Sterling Street, a THE STAFF,in a report to the council, generate and they point to the school,
point which staff dispute, addressing quotes the city attorney,John Bannigan, '; Beaver Lake, which currently is located
on a dead-end street, something which
could change if Sterling Street were ex-
tended.
PROPOSED FOR the development
would be 490 dwelling units,comprised of
single family homes as well as apartment
buildings. Also proposed are a golf club
and a type of restaurant. According to
city staff, the breakdown would be 170
apartment units on a north site, 44
townhouses, 110 apartment units on a
southern site, 128 quadra-homes (four
units to a building), 16 duplexes and 22
single-family dwellings.
Of further consideration are the
assessments which such a project would
require, something which Maplewood
citizens today are decrying. The citizens
question spending tax dollars for a project
which, they contend, would benefit a
small number.They are also challenging
the use of state aid funds for it.The staff,
on the other hand,points out that state aid
funds would be used for the total project
which, they point out, would serve large
numbers of citizens.
LORENZ AND EVERITT, however,
are braced for a fight,yet feel their group
may be losing strength. (This project has
been debated frequently and for a number
of years.) "I don't know if people care as
much today as they did," Lorenz ob-
served. "But I think people are still
concerned. They're just not as active."
Lorenz said there are about 200 or 250
homes within the association's boun-
daries.
City engineer Bill Bittner acknowledges
that staff's position is not always popular.
"We're often thought of as the bad guys.
But we take an overview. We have no
special preferences; we're trying to look
out for the needs of the future."
The staff will, at the meeting at 7:30
p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14, recommend
among other proposals that the feasibility
study be approved (It cost the city bet-
ween $5,000 and $10,000.). All parties
concerned hope that the issue will not
become a political football.