2005-12-9 Praire Run; Gold Key Development Inc 12?09,'2La5 1L�� �8 ?Eo-4w7-�'�99 �OLi�r'.IF/I�,''��+RTH�.��RUF'PE PA�a� �i';'L�.-�
�LI� KEY D�+VEI.O.PI�IENT, Iii1C
470a County Road 1�
ti1EDINA; MN 553:i7
(763)4T9�d820
FAX. (763)4"/9-482i
I�e�ember 9, 2005
TI��111'Shtl.'TT�'D VIA.?�,f.�ESSE.'�'GBR riN3�
TU FACS,�JKIL£I°r`�. 7b3-49'2S9'9
Mr, Michael Couri
Cvuri,:'�acAx�hur. &I�.uppe, P.L.L.P.
P,O. Bux 3�9
7G5 �:;entral��ren�.��ast
St. Mict��aei,M�1 53376
kE: Prairie t�uurt
�,�E�T�'�S. �.�Q1111.
"Ihis let`e.r. is sex�.t as a fo��ov��-up to our De�ember 5, 2C�03 meetin�x. Prorn that meetin�, .I
uza��^xat.at�d t}ze ��+llov��i�;g:
l. �'re City ii�tend�s to co:�duct a cm�preh�isiwe study of its uverall drainage issu.�� As part
c�f tht�t stud��, it u�ould a��C it� ez�gir�eers ta r��•aluate the 100 year flodd lcvcl applicablc
ta oux developm�nt. Th� City has askcd �iold Key to c;onh-ibute $7,.Sd0.04 t�w�d t�aat
proja�t, �n zetum.�oz which it tivill expedite the�Src7cess.
2. C.:z�til the true level has t�en determineci by the ne�v st7u.dy, the C'ity wiil not issue �ny
buil�r�g pem�,it� Cor �ots which ca11 for a fioor ?.evel below 954.5 f,eet for �c�ts �.b�itting
vs�e�l�nds or 953.:5 feet for laks which dc� not. Siui:la�ly, the City wil:l n�t is�ue zu�y
Cez�ficates of Uc�-upancv for horn�s that do r.at meet those level�.
3. The�ify w.il] issuC 1?Ciil'I1t5 dJ2d CCCiA�GattS fOX�OtS 'N�1JC�l c�0 tT1CCt �uSC GLttena.
4, If a build,er �esires tU mal:e any changes to the grad� �a:an foz a particular lcst, no mattey-
how•.ninor, it must be submitted to the City l;ounczl,zc�r appzava�.
I.f any 4;tlaase w.zd�rstaxzdi�gs i.s ancorrect,please let me l:no�.�-.
C�ld. Key w�ill aaree to make the �7,SOQ pay�taent, prc:vi�dccl uiat ti�e �Ya��� eatain
o�nderstandi��s (i��m thc City. First of all, �ra ma�ing the payn�ent, �oid Key is nct
ac�►owl�dgir�g that tr,e dev�lapment does not r.�m�ly with atiy or�iina.-�c:es, that i.t c�ci �n,vthing '
kvrong o: that it has am �bli.gation tc� m�1c� any° pa}�rn�t ta �ie t`i� relative to cizai��a�e ar
elevatiot� iusues. 5ec�ndly, Gold Key is not v�-illing to waive ardy r�ghts is-n�ay�aave wi.th res�cct i�
r
i'?!�'3f?e�5 16; �38 �63—a97—�F99 GOL1RIMc;C�hRTH:�RRUPPE Fr�G�. d3�"�3
I J
tc�t�ie Giry or its representatives. $y stopp��ag tk�e issuance of building permits and Certificates af
C':ccu.pancy, th� City is a�cpc�sing Go1d Key and the builders to w�iom it lzas a�eed to sell.lots to
potez�tialiy signi�i.cent Ziability. Similarly, tha City is causing pc�tezttxall:y sex�aus �iardslups ;�d
problems fc�r the customers af th�bua�dezs.
Qver the course of the��st fe«�days, we have learned that som-r.one evidently pe��ed t�e
flood ieve� at 95Z.5 feet. That is set forth in a IvTemo frorn Novcmber 20, 2000 ��hic.h nas been
fou.��d izi:the ��es of t�e City�'s eugineers, SEH. It is my understan�iing that the persan who wxote
that Niemo is not a governrnental official. Rather, it was an engineer far a pi�e sup�4y complz�.y
«rho simply made an estimate for puaposes of sizing a culvei�. That is �cert�iniy no1; a xel.ia�te
stax�.dazd aAd �s ���toda�r, Z az� not aware of any official determizaatiaz� o�'the flood level t�avin�
becn made. In any cvcnt, my cnginccr, T{andy Hedlund, dcnics cvcr having k�e•cn proviatd v�nth
that Memo er�aving been info�n.ed of the contents and to my�.nowl�dge, no c�ne at SEH claims
to have shareu t1�at ic�.;fozzx�atzun w�it�a ;�arr�. Rather, it ap�aears tb.ai :�1r. FiedEund and SE�T
calculatec� tha fl�ood �evel ta be appzQxi.mately� 948 �"eet, eoz�sistez�t With the aquatic vegetatiazt,
On the t�asis of that calculatiarY, Mr. Hedlund designed the grade plan, consistex�.t with the
- llevelvpment:4.g�eenr�e�nt�ira�ied by the Cit,y. Subsequently, sor�one frc�m th�Gotuity sug�este�
:�e xaise. cer�ain, Aots by ume �'oot, wkai�c�he cizrl. �'k�e zev;sed Grad��Ag PYar� was then submitted tr�
and acccpted by tht City. Undcr t�osc circumstanccs wo fcol that it is improper for the City to
shut �nK�n a suhstantial portian oFthe project and simply say that it is our fault. To the c.ox�tzrry,
if certain lots do not comply with the ordinance (which we do not know at this timel, tk�e Ci�y is
largeiy �espc>ras:ble. 'Z'ki,e City (t.xu�ougka xts ez��iz�eers) b,ad �:�az is zao�v �laimed t� be tht c�rrec;
daca, yet u�thheld it from my engineer. That being the case, if the study tk�e City conducts
detez�zuz�.es t�'�at �ertain lors do�.ac comply, �ve zxpect the City to ttae�a g�ant vanances. By doing
so, it cnn avoid the potential hardship for which it clearly has responsibility.
I would like ta ha�e the o�ortzzz�ity to�ting my concez�ts to the attcntion of tnc �ounci.i>
at the rtext z��eetzz�g whick� I tuaderstand is ne�z wsek. Let zne:�cr,ow if I need ko do azry'.hiz�g otk�ez
t.ki:�.n.se�ad this i�tter to get�z� t;h�agenaa. �f you k�a��e any�questzorzs of ine, please 3o i7at t��sitat�
ua ca11. Thank you.
Sincaraly,
��. -� .�.,��..�.�
De�au R, 3ahnson
__ __
' Gold Ke}'Development,T�c.
cc: Jor�n I�.Bt�nz�an,Esq.
Mr. R3ndy Hzdlund