HomeMy WebLinkAbout1978 03-07 Maplewood grants restaurant rezoning REVIEW Mapiewood grants
restaurant rezoning
By SCOTT CARLSON Zins suggested the neighbors
Staff Writer probably would now favor seeing
a former commercial office
building proposal constructed on
Despite objections from lo- the site rather than the restau-
cal neighbors,the Maplewood rant.
City Council last week approved Greavu responded that ap-
rezoning and a provinga permit for an office
f special use per- uildinwuldn't preclude the
mit for the con- property owner from getting a
struction of a
Mr.Steak Res- restaurant and possibly a liquor
!: taurant near license.
� y Interstate 35E "There is nothing we can hang
and Roselawn our hat on(to deny the permit)"
r Avenue. Greavu said. City awards
"There is no Councilman Norman Anderson bid for tractor
way to turn —who voted against the rezon
down the ing on its first reading—agreed. The Maplewood City Council
Greava project,"May- "We're in a box no matter what last week accepted the low bid of
or John Greavu we do,"he said."We're hung. Midway Tractor Co.for the pur-
told Phillip Zins,306 E.Bell-
wood Ave.Zins re-affirmed the „I,ve voted on emotion before chase of one low center of avi
neighborhood's opposition to Jer- and we're gotton into lawsuits," ty tractor.The net bid was
rold Lindahl's restaurant propos- Anderson added. $9,413.
al.
But Greavu said that the coun-
cil didn't have a valid reason to
turn down the permit request or
the rezoning from farm residen-
tial to commercial office.
"WE'VE TURNED him(the
property owner)down once,"
Greavu noted."If we turn him
down again we'll find ourselves
in court.That's where I see
we're heading."
The neighbors complained,at
an earlier hearing,that the res-
taurant would increase traffic
and decrease property values in
the neighborhood.However,the
council indicated that the citi-
zens'concerns weren't substanti-
ated.
Courts would consider a per-
mit denial"arbitrary and capri-
cious without well founded
reasons,"Councilman Donald
Wiegert explained. ". . We
don't always have the discretion
it may appear we have when it
comes down to the nitty-gritty."