Hundreds attend waterfront hearing in Excelsior

The predominant message at a public hearing on a developer's plans for a pavilion on the city's Lake Minnetonka waterfront was a resounding no.

By LAURIE BLAKE, Star Tribune

Last update: April 18, 2008 - 12:33 AM

Three hundred Excelsior residents showed up for a public hearing on a developer's plans for a pavilion on the city's Lake Minnetonka waterfront, and the predominant message was a resounding no.

"I believe in non-compromising preservation of the lakefront,'' said resident Peter Hartwich, one of 55 people who signed up to speak before the City Council Wednesday night. "We have an obligation to Excelsior to preserve our identity.''

Resident Anthony J. Wilson said the city's long-term plans have clearly reflected how much the community values its waterfront. "We are here because a developer wants to refute community values. We would lose our irreplaceable shoreline.''

The meeting at Excelsior Elementary School was the prelude to a City Council discussion and possible vote on the project Monday at 7 p.m., again in the school's auditorium. A petition against the development was signed by more than 360 people.

Developer Jon Monson of Landschute Group wants to re-create a pavilion that stood at the end of Water Street overlooking the lake.

The building, which stood from 1904 to 1922, would include a boardwalk along the shore, wide open verandas, shops and restaurants.

Monson did not speak Wednesday night, but he said recently in an interview that new commercial development could help pay for street improvements the city has been putting off.

Having reviewed the concept during February and March, the city's:

•Finance Commission estimated that the building would be worth about $3.3 million but would not significantly contribute new tax revenue. The major financial benefit to the city would be from the sale or lease of the land, not from taxes, it found.

•Heritage Preservation Commission said the development would be a visual barrier between the lake and downtown Excelsior.

•Parks and Recreation Commission said the city already has less green space than it should have and recommended against giving up parkland.

•Planning Commission said rezoning the land for commercial development would overturn every city planning effort to date because Excelsior is defined as a city on a lake. It recommended no further exploration of the concept.

Many people at Wednesday's hearing said they would welcome Monson's development elsewhere in the city, on land already zoned for commercial use.

And a few residents said they like the project as he has proposed it and asked the City Council to approve it.

Shel Mann, an Excelsior business owner, urged the crowd to think about how much the pavilion would add to the vitality of the city.

Resident Mike McGraw said the pavilion would clear away trash containers and weeds that are on the site now. And he said the city needs a way to bring in money for new streets and sidewalks and ease the burden on taxpayers.

"I'm in favor of this wonderful, wonderful pavilion,'' said resident Nina Stark. "It's just going to be gracious and lovely.''

Laurie Blake • 612-673-1711

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