Saint Francis residents urge council to block high-rise housing in 'Triangle' PUD
Loading...
Summary
Dozens of residents told the Saint Francis Common Council they oppose any high-rise apartments in the planned "Triangle" development, urging greater transparency and asking the council to follow the comprehensive plan and reject a PUD that includes tall residential towers.
Dozens of residents told the Saint Francis Common Council on Feb. 17 they do not want high-rise apartment towers in the so-called Triangle property and urged the council and planning commission to provide the same public outreach used for recent park planning.
Karen Sahorski, a member of the Community for the Triangle, asked the city to "deny the current PUD application for The Triangle if it includes any high rise apartments," saying the Triangle is public land and "we deserve the same opportunity to have input into this development, not just a few people behind closed doors."
Marty Sahorski said the development is inconsistent with the city's comprehensive plan and warned that high-density towers financed in part with tax-increment financing would increase residents' tax bills, noting that his taxes rose "2.5%" recently. "Building high density towers with TIF funding in the short term will increase our taxes even further," he said.
Other speakers urged council members to visit the site before voting. Mary Haven asked council members to "walk the space at different times of the day" and to consider impacts on pedestrians, parking and green space. Donna Cook said the Triangle was originally envisioned as a community commercial area and opposed converting it to tall residential buildings.
City officials and council members responded in part by explaining the broader development concept for the Triangle, saying the PUD under consideration includes retail, medical and other uses in addition to housing. One council member gave a short primer on tax-increment financing and TID timelines, saying the TID clock does not automatically restart with each new development and that the city must weigh long-term revenue considerations.
The council did not take a final vote on the Triangle PUD at the meeting. Several residents said they intend to continue to push for greater public notice and for the planning process to follow the comprehensive plan.
