Pages

Wednesday, November 02, 2011

Coon Rapids council unanimously tells the likes of Flaherty-&-Collins, a high density housing land use proponent, to take a hike. Schools matter.

Peter Bodley of ABC Newspapers reports. This brief excerpt from the middle of Bodley's item:

[Coon Rapids Mayor Tim] Howe did not want any more land in Coon Rapids to have high density residential land use and zoning, he said.

“We don’t need any more of this type of housing added to the city,” Howe said.

According to Howe, District 11 officials in a meeting with the council expressed concern that the tax revenues derived from an apartment project produced far less money than the cost of educating the students that come from those developments.

He preferred a moderate density residential land use designation, Howe said.

“I still see the site a being viable for commercial or office right now,” said [Councilmember Scott] Schulte.

Both would provide a buffer for the existing residential areas from the freeway and the commercial development on Woodcrest Drive, he said.

“Moderate density is a possibility, but not high density residential,” Schulte said.

According to [Councilmember Denise] Klint, there is enough high density residential development in the city right now, but she would not object to moderate density residential.

Now is not the time for high density residential on this site, said Councilmember Bruce Sanders, who also expressed a preference for moderate density residential.

Steve Thorson, attorney representing Jordon, said the office zoning was “strangling development” on the property.

There is a demand for new apartments in the Twin Cities area at this time with low vacancy rates, but not offices, he said.

And he did not think the site was viable for moderate density use either, Thorson said. “It would be a hard sell for a developer,” he said.

In Schulte’s view, development goes through economic cycles and while there is not a demand for office right now, that could change in five to 10 years, he said.

“Other office parcels in the city have developed,” Schulte said.

[highlighting added] What a refreshing bunch of local politicians.

Ones with good sense. With brains. With a sense of scale and proportion.

Hesitant to overburden the public schools.