08/18/2026
There’s a lot of discussion about the apartment building again now that construction has begun. I want to remind everyone that this land was PRIVATELY owned—not city-owned.
ANYONE could have purchased the land at any point during the decades it was vacant & developed it to meet the zoning requirements.
There was NO TAX ABATEMENT - I am not in favor of tax abatement as previously discussed.
There was a cost adjustment for the initial WAC/SAC (water & sewer connections) as it was originally based on 58 units (connections), however, there is only 1 main connection for each (water & sewer).
I did voice my shared concerns about this project in multiple council meetings - income-based rentals, increased crime, increased traffic, were the main concerns that residents also shared with me - the developer was present as well as our Police Chief, so they were able to address the concerns on record. The meetings are all available on the City’s YouTube channel for your review. Our Police Chief did not have concerns about the potential for increased crime or staffing due to this development.
TRAFFIC - as a council we have discussed speed & traffic concerns on Hwy 19 through town many times. I have personally reached out to MNDOT to address the speed limit & increased traffic on 19. I received a reply that the traffic engineer is aware of our concerns, & will be connecting with us in the coming weeks to discuss further. I know Mayor Tom has also reached out, so they are well aware that we want to meet sooner rather than later.
This is a MARKET RATE development (goes along with the Comp Plan - more info on the comp plan below), and requires a credit check & background check to qualify to rent.
Side note: Lonsdale ALREADY has income-restricted/subsidized apartments in town.
I have personally been given POSITIVE feedback about the apartment building & 9 single family homes, from business owners, senior citizens who are wanting to stay in town but need to downsize & don’t want the yard work, single individuals who don’t necessarily want the maintenance of a SF home, as well as young adults trying to gain independence as they get established.
What about the zoning??
The Council was asked to review the B-3 zoning for that plot of land by a developer wanting to purchase the property from the private owner, so that an apartment building could have livable units on the first floor as opposed to commercial space (as detailed in the zoning designation - AN APARTMENT BUILDING WAS ALWAYS A POSSIBLE OPTION AT THIS SITE). There was also interest in building 9 single family homes on the Birch Street side of the property - so the zoning needed to be updated to a PUD (planned unit development) to allow for additional homes.
153.040 ZONING DISTRICTS
The zoning districts are so designed to assist in carrying out the intents and purposes of the comprehensive plan and are based upon the comprehensive plan which has the purpose of protecting the public health, safety, convenience and general welfare. For the purpose of this chapter, the city is hereby divided into the following zoning districts.
B-3 ZONING INFO (B-3 Central Business - PREVIOUS zoning designation for apartment building site.
§ 153.040 ZONING DISTRICTS.
https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/lonsdale/latest/lonsdale_mn/0-0-0-3473 -3District
PUD ZONING INFO
(Planned Unit Development)
CHAPTER 154: PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT
https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/lonsdale/latest/lonsdale_mn/0-0-0-4887
COMP PLAN
The Council has acted in accordance to the 2040 Comp Plan - The Comprehensive Plan establishes the City's desired long-term direction; zoning and other ordinances are the regulatory tools used to implement that direction.
***Since Lonsdale has a detailed Comp Plan and zoning ordinances, IF the Council denied the developer’s plan that complied with the zoning ordinance and applicable requirements, an outright denial could potentially be challenged as arbitrary or unreasonable, which would incur legal costs that would fall back on the taxpayers.
Minnesota courts have specifically recognized that when an applicant meets the standards prescribed by an ordinance, denial of a required zoning approval can be arbitrary.
Now back to the comp plan info:
“A Rice County Housing Study was completed in 2012
The Housing Study *recommended* the following:
Rental Housing Development
1. Develop 26 to 30 general occupancy market rate rental units, with two and three bedroom mix, ranging in size from 1,000 to 1,250 square feet and
rent of $800 to $975 per month, excluding electricity and garage.
2. Monitor the need for additional subsidized/tax credit rental units.
3. Monitor the need for senior with services units.
4. Develop a mixed‐use downtown commercial/housing project (PUD) with commercial space on the first floor and 10 to 12 rental units on the 2nd floor. Prior to construction an anchor tenant should be found to lease the first floor, which would complement existing downtown businesses and attract people to the downtown.”
- from the comp plan summary - links below to access all of this information.
THESE ARE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM RICE COUNTY. Due to unavailable locations to build - this vacant land use is in line with the direction of the County & the Comp Plan.
2040 Comprehensive Plan - Planning / Zoning - Official Website of Lonsdale, MN
https://lonsdalemn.com/vertical/sites/%7B0FD1D10A-F0C7-48D8-B47A-D828DCF6F997%7D/uploads/Lonsdale_Comp_Plan_FINAL_10.27.16.pdf
WHY DO WE HAVE A COMP PLAN?
Lonsdale's plan is essentially the City's long-range policy framework for how the community should grow and redevelop through 2040. The plan says it establishes guidelines for future growth and redevelopment and is intended to be used as a policy to guide decisions about redevelopment of the community. The current comp plan was developed and adopted in 2015-2016.
The community survey for the 2040 plan was conducted in November–December 2015, with 398 responses.
***(This is why it is important to give feedback when presented with the opportunity! We have discussed updating the comp plan, so please watch for opportunities to share input!)
Minn. Stat. § 462.353, says a municipality “may” carry out comprehensive planning and may prepare, adopt, and amend a comprehensive municipal plan.
The Lonsdale Comp plan is NOT new:
* Lonsdale had an original comprehensive plan in 1996.
* The land-use chapter was updated in 2002.
* The City completed a full comprehensive-plan update in 2005.
* The current 2040 Comprehensive Plan was developed during 2015–2016 and incorporated the 2010 Census, demographic projections, community survey results, and other studies.
* The City’s official website identifies it as the “2040 Comprehensive Plan (2016 Update).
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Prior to each council meeting, we are provided with the agenda, staff reports, and packet. I do not take this position lightly, as I spend many hours researching and preparing for each meeting. I consider the facts, feedback from residents and businesses, as well as the greater good for the community while presenting questions and challenging items of concern, especially items that impact the bottom line (our tax dollars). The public is always invited to the meetings, and we livestream on the City’s YouTube channel (meetings can also be accessed after the meeting for review).
I encourage you to attend Council meetings to have your concerns shared on the record. I post the meeting agendas ahead of the meetings so you are aware of items up for discussion. You can always attend and present any concerns during the public comment time as well.
Thank you for reading through this long, informative post. As always, please contact me directly with questions, concerns, or feedback. My email is [email protected]
