4 - Rezoning from Forest Management to Commercial (continued), Coutore, Stellar Properties of MN

Home Browse Search

I COMMUNITYGROWTH N S T I T U T E July 13,2006 David Landecker Landecker and Associates P.O. Box 120 Pequot Lakes,MN 56472 Re: Dan Couture/Stellar Properties of Minnesota,LLC Parcel City of Pequot Lakes Dear Mr. Landecker, This office has received and reviewed your letter concerning the Couture property in Pequot Lakes and an application for preliminary plat. There are a number of technical issues raised in that letter. In an effort to help establish the record,we will do our best to address those points. For the upcoming meeting,we have augmented our staff report with the following statement to reflect the discussion at the June 15th meeting: An application for a preliminary plat of this property was made in August of 2004 by Stellar Properties,LLC. The applicant was on the September and October Planning Commission agendas. Given the recommendation for denial contained in the Staffs reports and discussion by the Planning Commission unfavorable to the approach, at the October meeting the application was withdrawn by the applicant in order to prepare an entirely different approach to present to the Planning Commission. To verify my recollection of the timeline, since the June 2006 Planning Commission meeting I have had the opportunity to speak with Kevin McCormick. As you know, Mr. McCormick was working for Landecker and Associates at the time and was at the meeting presenting the preliminary plat application. His recollection to me was unambiguously that the application was withdrawn, not tabled. The notion of it being withdrawn is further bolstered by how it was subsequently handled by staff. It is our practice to place all tabled applications back on the agenda for the following month,whether action is anticipated or not. This ensures that no application is ever overlooked. The preliminary plat application was withdrawn in October of 2004 and never again appeared on a Planning Commission agenda. We consider it withdrawn at the request of the applicant. We understand you are further disputing the zoning of the property. It is unfortunate that Mr. Couture was not personally notified of the rezoning of this specific property. The City did use the most up-to-date information available from Crow Wing County when we sent out the mailing 14084 Baxter Drive, Suite 7 Baxter, MN 56425 (218) 828-3064 www.communitygrowth.com