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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1975 01-01 Maplewood Mall was favored in assessments, citizen claims REVIEW Maplewood was avore�• n s • • ' assessm en s citizen by Scott Carlson even lower zoning classes that the But DeSai's attempts to see the report The Maplewood Mall, a $30 million assessments would consume the majority have been blocked both by the staff and regional shopping center, is paying of the property's market value. Mayor Robert Bruton.When asking to see lighter assessments than property owners DeSai points to the report as one of the report or have a copy of one, DeSai to the south of Beam ave. west of White several reasons why the citizens should claims Bruton told him that he couldn't Bear ave.,despite its greater market land get a Business Commercial (BC) see it "because you might use it against value, according to a Maplewood rezoning.Without that rezoning,property us in court." resident. owners won't be able to recoup losses for DeSai says he isn't interested in using Jack DeSai,1855 Kenwood dr.,bases his paying high assessments, DeSai said. his own tax dollars, as a general citizen, statement on an independent appraiser's The land along the south side of Beam to fight himself as property owner con- report which he and some other property ave.is currently zoned Farm Residential. cerned about the assessments. "I only owners south of Beam and west of White At least two previous attempts to want this resolved," he said. Bear ayes. paid for. resolve the rezoning controversies have As a Maplewood taxpayer, DeSai says The report, compiled by the Kassan failed. he has no desire to see the assessment or Realty Company of South St.Paul,shows The issue, at the present time, still rezoning issues unresolved. The seven that despite the Maplewood city council's remains unresolved. percent interest, which has been bonded resolution to charge five-eighths of all the Most recently councilman John Greavu twice, on the $3 million road project is assessments to the north side, where the wanted to zone the whole strip BC. But expensive and growing worse all the time, Mall is located, property owners to the that motion failed on a 2-2 vote. DeSai says. south are actually picking up the brunt of Some of the councilmen,along with the Perhaps what irks DeSai most of all is the assessments. Planning Commission, appear inclined to that the rezoning was not resolved before To date,the realty firm states,the Mall try and keep the rezoning down to high the construction of the improvements. "If has paid for$561,000 in assessments.And residential use. A small portion on the things had been planned properly from at last year's $4.5 million estimated easterly most part on the south side of the start we wouldn't have these market value that is 12.47 percent of the Beam ave. is recommended by the problems," he said. square foot market value price. Planning Commission for Limited But Manager Mike Miller,contacted by In comparison the value of property to Business Commercial. the Review, disagrees that the city was the south could only achieve an estimated In appearances before the Commission, responsible for poor planning. market value of$350,000 with a Business since the first rezone attempt in August, "If we were to determine the zones on Commercial zoning, DeSai points out, "it is not our job to look at economics" the land we would still be hassling it out," from the report. DeSai says he has been told. Miller contends.And that would mean no And that's 28 percent of the market But DeSai said that it has been a road although the demands from the value price since the property owners mistake to ignore the economic impact shopping center would call for one. have been charged with $98,000 in that the street and utility improvements Miller added, "Every time we build a assessments, DeSai says. He says with would have on the property owners. road it doesn't mean we'll have come up "Assessments are charged on the with a final decision on how to fairly normal basis of front footage," DeSai assess." said. "But the Mall should pick up the While admitting things have moved whole tab on the assessments. slowly, Miller attributes this to the Realistically they (the council) should council's desire to seek out all possible consider the area that is being benefitted. information. "We're going through a DeSai adds that it can't be disputed that democratic process," Miller said. the Mall benefits most from the im- Miller is sympathetic toward the provements. property owners' concerns. "It may be DeSai also said the citizens' appraiser the objective of the property owners (to report backs up a report which the city get the most from their land) but the staff commissioned. That city report was objective of the city is to come up with the performed by Winfield Mitchell, DeSai best land use," Miller said. confidentially learned from City Planner That's why the council is hesitant to Robert Reed last summer. allow strip commercial to develop in the (Continued on Page 4) Mall favored . . . (Continued from Page 2) area even though it may be beneficial to the property owners, Miller pointed out. Miller said it is more a community value than anything else which restricts the council in going for the strip com- mercial. "The feeling of the city is that it doesn't want commercial strip zoning and par- ticularly not in that area," Miller said. "It's felt that the Maplewood Mall is a quality commercial use and it is wanted to have the peripheral land use to follow that too." As for the assessment costs"I think the comparison of square footage is an oversimplification," Miller said. He said the Mall has the possibility of being hit for two more streets and the construction of a ')ridge, which was once estimated at iround$5 million. "Even if with justifiable reasons we .ouldn't throw those costs (which have already been assessed) back to the north side," Miller said. The only assessments levied so far have been for the road. ©f —01 . 995