At a recent meeting, our city officials described a tentative agreement that would allow a for-profit developer to construct a 56-unit apartment building on 7th Street East. This site is located on a dead-end road that is accessible only from Elm Avenue East—also a dead-end road. The proposal includes substantial property-tax subsidies for the developer, along with the city selling the acreage for just one dollar.
At that same meeting, the developer’s representative stated that “these are very profitable projects for them.” He did not explain why, if the project is so profitable, they still require significant public subsidies in order to consider building it here.
A major concern is the impact this project will have on the existing neighborhood, especially regarding traffic and safety on 7th Street and Elm Avenue. The developer estimates 2.3 vehicles per unit, which at 56 units would mean hundreds of additional trips per day on Elm Avenue. This is a narrow street with no sidewalks, and it was reduced in width during the most recent street project. Even if all on-street parking were eliminated for current residents, serious safety issues would remain.
There is no realistic way to mitigate this traffic problem unless a second access road is built to the property. We were told that no additional access will be constructed. For these reasons, this project should not be located on this site. The city should find a more suitable location for a building of this size.
Letter to the Editor: A dangerous location for a 56-unit apartment building
By:
Donna Morgan, Montgomery, Minn.