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Council tables petition to study paving on Inman Avenue and 220 Fourth; staff to refine cost, assessment options
Summary
A resident petition requesting a feasibility study to pave portions of Inman Avenue and 220 Fourth was tabled after staff and council discussed potential per-lot assessment costs in the tens of thousands, study fees and watershed/stormwater constraints.
The Forest Lake City Council on Monday decided to table the petition seeking a feasibility study for paving portions of Inman Avenue and 220 Fourth Avenue and instructed staff to continue technical conversations with petitioners, the watershed district and public-safety personnel before returning with a refined cost estimate.
City staff explained the petition requests a formal feasibility report to estimate costs and potential assessment amounts for property owners. Staff noted a feasibility study would incur city engineering and staff time and recommended the council decide whether the city would absorb study costs or require petitioners to escrow or bill-back the cost. The council heard from a resident petition representative and other neighbors about traffic increases tied to a nearby development and a DNR boat launch that have intensified use of the roads.
Ryan (city engineering) provided order-of-magnitude numbers: if full stormwater treatment and a minimum rural roadway width are required, the total project cost could produce assessments “approximately $30,000 to $36,000 per unit” for roughly a dozen lots; he said the feasibility report itself might run about $10,000 to $15,000. Residents said most homeowners on the road signed the petition but at least one longtime resident remains apprehensive about assessments.
Council discussion focused on the typical assessment methodology, the effect of nearby subdivisions reducing the number of assessable units, options to escrow study costs, and whether some roadway standard reductions (for example an 18-foot width rather than the full city standard) would be acceptable to public-safety staff. The council instructed staff to meet with affected residents and involved agencies and bring back a more detailed feasibility cost estimate at the next meeting.
Provenance: - topicintro: {"block_id":"672.475","local_start":0,"local_end":12,"evidence_excerpt":"Alright. Next agenda item. 7 b petition for road improvement, Inman Avenue slash 220 Fourth Avenue, Jolene. Walk us through this."} - topfinish: {"block_id":"1906.385","local_start":0,"local_end":30,"evidence_excerpt":"Yes. Alright. So do I have a motion to table the petition or the road improvement conversation on Inman and 220 Fourth? So moved. Second."}
