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178 <br /> <br />Staff Report re: <br />Closing Morton Drive <br /> <br /> Mrs. O~Brien requested that when the present Housing Code is <br />examined to determine whether the present minimum housing code goes <br />as far as maximum requirements allow by law that this be done with the <br />Housing Advisory Committee, which is also examining this program. <br /> <br /> Mr. Mitchell advised Mrs. O~Brien that he intended to involve <br /> <br />the Housing Advisory Committee as well as the Housing Board of <br />Adjustments and Appeals in this matter. <br /> <br /> The City Manager advised the Council the City has received a <br /> <br />request to close a portion of Morton Drive. Viewers have been <br />appointed and reported to Council and at the same time Morton's have <br />requested the City to sell them a small piece of land so they can <br />enlarge their parking lot, and the rezoning of a small piece of <br />property adjacent to the Meadowbrook Road right~of-way from R-1 to <br />B-1 is needed to allow Morton's to expand their parking lot. He <br />stated the principle proponents for closing Morton Drive are Morton's <br />and the Barracks Road~.Preston Neighborhood Association. The basic <br />reason for requesting this closing is to eliminate the through traffic <br />on Morton Drlve-Meadowbrook Road from Emmet Street to Barracks Road and <br />vice versa. A secondary effect presented by adjacent property owners <br />is to eliminate traffic through the Spotswood Road-Blue Ridge Road- <br />Hilltop Road Neighborhood. The owners of the Roy Rogers Restaurant <br />on Morton Drive and the Attorney representing the O'Neill Bondholders <br />who own property adjacent to Morton Drive are opposed to the closing. <br />He stated the staff has met with representatives of the Roy Rogers <br />Restaurant, Morton and representatives of the owners of the O'Neill <br />Bondholders and representative from the neighborhood association, but <br />were not able to come to any mutually acceptable agreement. He <br />stated that if Council agrees to sell Morton's the piece of land, <br />Morton's has agreed to ~over the creek~ do some landscaping and provide <br />gates to the parking lot which would prevent through traffic. The <br />staff feels that the rezoning and selling the piece of land to Mortons <br />is no problem to the City and so recommends. He stated there is a <br />box culvert under Morton Drive which is inadequate and if this plan <br />is completed Morton's is willing to remove this culvert and install one <br />that is adequate. <br /> <br /> Mr. Albro stated that due to possible conflict of interest he <br /> <br /> will not participate in the discussion nor note on any of the <br /> ordinances. <br /> <br /> Mr. Philip Gibson, Director of Management Services for Morton's <br /> Frozen Foods, stated that each time we have a major rain his parking <br /> lot floods and he has agreed to enlarge the culvert in order to alleviate <br /> or help alleviate this problem. He stated that any help the City <br /> could give to ease the water situation would be greatly appreciated. <br /> <br /> Mr. Wade Tremblay, Chairman of the O'Neill Bondholders Association, <br /> stated that closing Morton Drive would have a negative effect on the <br /> O'Neill Property. He stated that he represented 138 bondholders on <br /> this particular property. <br /> <br /> Mr. W. P. Stevens a local realtor addmessed the Council and <br /> <br /> stated that in his professional opinion closing Morton Drive will have <br /> <br /> a substantial adverse effect on the market value of the O'Neill <br /> <br /> <br />