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Regular Council Meeting <br />12-13-99 <br />Page 8 <br />a swimming pool, we have kept a swimming pool. We have ball fields going to the south of the <br />swimming pool, we have soccer fields going to the north of the swimming pool. We will be <br />talking soon with property owners who are across from the Shield's house who want to. develop <br />commercially in that area. <br />Mayor Rinker said we are trying to maintain along S.O.M. as much open and green <br />space, undeveloped, uncommercialized on that corridor as we can. What I am asking everyone <br />to appreciate is what we are looking to do with a planner, with engineering, with good design <br />principles and good planning and zoning principles, an overall road construction and <br />development that will allow us in the future to maintain the residential zoning that lies along that <br />corridor. There is no question that it impacts every one of the properties that lies there. Two <br />years ago when we introduced the Northwest Quadrant plan to the community as a concept, I <br />stated very openly, we were looking to widen strictly on the west side of the road. North of <br />Highland Road, that is my position still. I believe that is the best way for us to go. <br />Mayor Rinker said that during the summer when we had an opportunity to ride up and <br />down S.O.M., Council and I in golf carts, some of you came out to talk with us then. One of the <br />ideas that Council posed was whether to minimise some of the impact on the houses on the south <br />side of Highland, the west side of S.O.M. between the Bennett VanCuren House and Highland <br />Road, was to explore whether or not shifting the roadway a little to the east would minimize that <br />impact. Because we recognized that in that area there will be no median strip; that will be a <br />turning lane area; a 5~' turning lane area. As Council President Marquardt has stated tonight, if <br />there is an engineering result that can support minimising the impact, I think we would all like to <br />support it. But the bottom line is that there will be great difFiculty not impacting somebody's <br />houses in that immediate area. I have been looking at these issues for a long time. Council has <br />been looking at them for a long time. Some of you have only been able to look at them recently <br />for a number of weeks. What I have asked Council, and I will repeat it again tonight, is that I <br />would like to have the opportunity for us to continue keeping the options open that will allow us <br />to look at very concrete, very solid landscaping opportunities while designing a roadway that <br />will be safe, that will have less impact on residences than not, and to continue exploring how we <br />can do this right. This isn't done overnight and there is no intention to do it overnight. But I am <br />asking Council tonight to make the decision that will allow us to have S lanes width of land south <br />of Highland and 61anes north because I feel that gives us the best option to be able to provide the <br />overall landscaping. <br />Members of the audience vocalized their disagreement. <br />Mayor Rinker said what I am asking you to do, and I think as you study this more, there is good <br />information that supports that decision. That decision is not being made tonight, but the <br />opportunity to look at it and make that decision is what I am asking Council to do. <br />There were no additional comments. <br />CONSIDERATION OF NIINiJTES <br />