Dear Editor,
The right of Oakdale citizens to exercise due diligence regarding the planned ‘Trieste’ development on North Stearns Road has been denied by a 4-1 vote of our city council on September 6, 2011.
This is what happened: The motion was, “To introduce Ordinance 1204 approving a Development Agreement between the City of Oakdale and Trieste Investors, LLC relating to the development of 82 acres located in the East “F” Street Corridor Specific Plan on the west side of Stearns Road, north of East “F” Street.”
The motion carried on a 4-1 vote.
Council Members Brennan, Dunlop, Morgan, and Mayor Paul voted “Yes.”
Council Member Howard voted “No.”
You will notice that the Ordinance 1204 is claimed to approve the development. That is not so. The ordinance only covers a general area of processing of any developers’ paperwork when they seek to develop some given land area. There is nothing in the ordinance that in any way refers to ‘Trieste,’ a huge 82 acre development that would carry with it an implicit permission for the developer to sell his rights as vested (awarded) to him by the city of Oakdale and the State’s “Map Act.”
Please notice $2,000,200 has been guaranteed by the city to this developer’s needed road construction. That number is two-million, two-hundred-thousand dollars funded by a city which blatantly says “we don’t have enough money to staff our Police Dept.”
In Oakdale, the Mayor appoints the Planning Commission. We should not do that. It would be better if each Council member appointed at will his own Planning Commission seat.
In my opinion, it is improper of Councilman Tom Dunlop to do this to us, to do the actual making of such a motion as occurred on Tuesday evening. He should know how bad it is to deprive citizens of their right to exercise due diligence whether buying a home, renting a home, or judging what their city government is doing with an expensive project.
Larry Kay