University UNITED and the Lexington-Hamline Community Council have appealed the City of St. Paul's approval of Wellington Management's proposal to split the Lexington/University shopping center site into three lots. There is a public hearing regarding this issue in front of the Zoning Committee of the St. Paul Planning Commission this Thursday, August 19th at 3:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. We encourage interested members of the community to attend and voice their opinions. Wellington has an agreement to sell the lot fronting University Avenue to Aldi's, an international discount grocery store chain. The small lot on Lexington Parkway is described in previous Wellington documents filed with the City of St. Paul as a "restaurant" site, or "fast-food restaurant" site. UNITED and Lex-Ham believe that we should have an opportunity to review and approve a development plan for the entire shopping center site, rather than reviewing individual pieces as deals are made between the property owners and prospective buyers/tenants. We do not believe that either the single-level Aldi's store or the possible fast food, drive-thru restaurant plans are consistent with transit-oriented development or the City's Comprehensive Plan. Wellington Management recently told a group of community leaders that they have no immediate plans to sell off the Lexington pad site, but refused to eliminate the creation of that separate lot from the lot-split application. While UNITED, Lex-Ham, and other community partners hope to continue working with Wellington Management to find a solution that works for everyone, the process to date has left us little choice but to oppose and appeal the lot-split and the Aldi's site plan. Let us know if you plan to attend. 651-647-6711 _____________________________________________ To Join: St. Paul Issues Forum Rules Discussion Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] _____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/
