03.08 - Highway 371 Letter - Laserfiche WebLink

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�-- • Impairment of Commercial property tax base — The threat of a bypass has caused a decrease in property values to existing businesses. Sale prices of commercial properties with existing Highway 371 visibility have trended downward (this will result in a shift of property taxes from Commercial property owners to Residential property owners). Since the City is not allowing any commercial development along the by -pass corridor, there will not be any offset in the commercial property tax base to make up for the loss in the existing corridor's decreased property values. Fairness — The by -pass route is inconsistent with over 30 years of planning by State, County, City and Township governing bodies. Business owners made their decisions on where to locate their businesses assuming certain access to Highway 371, residents bought country property never imagining a four -lane expressway through their backyard. The through -town route provides the greatest potential for benefits to existing commercial businesses and displaces the fewest residential property owners. • Safe — o The proposed bypass will result in three at -grade intersections (i.e. no overpasses): two uncontrolled and one controlled intersection. Crossing traffic will involve meeting traffic at speeds of 55 — 65 MPH for our local residents. • The City, by law, is charged to protect its citizens from harm. Due to cost considerations, MnDOT and/or the County do not have funding available to construct overpasses, even though MnDOT acknowledges that ideally overpasses should be constructed for safety reasons. • School District 186, which represents our most precious travelers, testified in person `.. and in writing, urging the City not to accept the bypass for safety reasons. • We have confidence in MnDOT engineers' abilities to develop a safe alternative for a through -town route with reduced speeds of 35 — 45 MPH. • First Impression of the City — Instead of being greeted by a forested gateway and friendly business owners eager to serve them, visitors will instead be re- routed through our municipal wastewater treatment facility (for which the future capacity would be decreased significantly by a by- pass). We represent every major business in our community, the vast majority of the property owners that would have their property taken away or houses destroyed to build the bypass on, and a significant majority of the commercial property owners along the existing Highway 371 corridor. We are pleading with the City Council and MnDOT to reconsider their position on the proposed Bypass. We also commit to working with the council, MnDOT, the County, and business and property owners, to develop a successful through town route. Respectfully Signed, Ann Johnson — Little Bear Commercial, LLC owner Old Lakes State Bank Bldg. Brian Laudenbach — Owner of Oasis Liquor, Speedstop Gas & Goods, and Pequot Laundromat 11%.1 Chris Quisberg — General Manager /Owner of newly constructed Super Valu