4898 Brooklyn Ln - Ltr. re: West End Fishing & Hunt Club4 )j. City of Eaall
Mike Maguire
Mayor
Paul Bakken
Cyndee Fields
Gary Hansen
Meg Tilley
Council Members
Thomas Hedges
City Administrator
Municipal Center
3830 Pilot Knob Road
Eagan, MN 55122 -1810
651.675.5000 phone
651.675.5012 fax
651 454.8535 TDD
Maintenance Facility
3501 Coachman Point
Eagan, MN 55122
651.675.5300 phone
651.675.5360 fax
651.454.8535 TDD
www.cityofeagan.com
The Lone Oak Tree
The symbol of
strength and growth
in our community.
June 21, 2011
Ms. Susanna Li
4898 Brooklyn Lane
Eagan, MN 55123
Dear Ms. Li:
Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns about the new driveway that the
West End Fishing and Hunting Club ( "Gun Club ") is building. I understand that you and
some of your neighbors have also discussed your concerns with City staff.
I can certainly appreciate your frustration, both about the project itself and the fact that
you were not formally noticed of such a project. The challenge in this instance is the Gun
Club property abuts a public street and therefore, they do not require any land use or
other City approvals to connect to Brooklyn Lane. Rather, the Gun Club simply needed a
permit to work in the right of way to make the physical connection, and the City had no
authority to deny that permit. Likewise, the Gun Club was under no legal obligation to
provide formal notice to the neighbors regarding their new driveway access.
Please know that the City Council and staff take your concerns very seriously, and I hope
you can understand that in this instance, the City had no legal ability to deny the Gun
Club's rights to remove their trees or change their driveway access. If you continue to
notice issues such as speeding, rolling stops or loud activity on the Gun Club property
late in the evening, please do not hesitate to call 911 to report the concerns so our Police
Department can follow up and make sure proper enforcement is occurring.
Lastly, I encourage you and your neighbors to speak directly to the Gun Club Board to
discuss whether there are ways the Gun Club can manage operations to minimize the
neighborhood's concerns, i.e. late night activity, people not stopping at stop signs when
leaving the property, etc. The City will also encourage the Gun Club to reach out to you
and your neighbors on these issues.
Again, thank you for your letter. I hope that you and your neighbors will be able to have
positive communication with the Gun Club moving forward. If you have any further
questions about the Gun Club's new access, please contact City Engineer Russ Matthys at
651/675 -5646.
Sincerely,
Mike Maguire
Mayor
cc: Tom Hedges, City Administrator
Tom Colbert, Public Works Director
Russ Matthys, City Engineer
Jon Hohenstein, Community Development Director
Jim McDonald, Police Chief
RECEIVED JUN 15 2011
June 13, 2011
Mayor Mike Maguire
3830 Pilot Knob Road
Eagan, MN 55122
Dear Mayor Maguire,
West End Fishing & Hunting Club ( "Gun Club ") — New Driveway/ Entrance
Susanna Li
4898 Brooklyn Lane
Eagan, MN 55123
(651) 214 -1085
Thank you for reading this letter. I am the owner of a twin home development on Brooklyn Lane,
Eagan, adjacent to the West End Fishing & Hunting Club ( "Gun Club "). I have been living in this address
since October 2006.
Last weekend, without any notices from the Gun Club or the City of Eagan, the Gun Club started to take
down tall trees and build a new driveway on their property leading to a new entrance on Brooklyn Lane,
facing my driveway and front yard. Their new driveway is literally wider than Brooklyn Lane!
My neighbors and myself are in disbelief and are seriously concerned. The Gun Club has been in the
neighborhood for quite some years. They already have a private road in the junction of Biscayne
Avenue and Gun Club Road. The traffic on that dirt road is noticeably busy especially during
evenings. Many SUV, trucks and other vehicles seldom stop properly at that junction when they come
out from Gun Club Road.
Now that the entrance will be on a residential small road, homeowners are extremely upset. Why is the
Gun Club intrusive enough to build a driveway in the residential neighborhood? Why is the City Planning
Department of Eagan allowing the Gun Club to do this? Do the homeowners in the neighborhood have
any protection from your office?
My neighbors and I have called the City Planning Office this morning in this regard. Unfortunately, we
were informed that the Gun Club was given permit to do their driveway. Obviously, it is upsetting to
know that the homeowners' concern was disregard.
Mayor Maguire, thank you for your time and your comment is very much appreciated!
Regards,
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