Dear Editor

On April 6, Gold Cross Ambulance Service let us know they are petitioning  to rezone residential property at 1400 Fourth St. NW as commercial. On April 9, we received a letter regarding a hearing to address this issue at the April 16 City Council meeting.  This letter from the Planning Commission incorrectly designated Gold Cross as the current property owner, making it sound like the deal was done and area residents would have no voice in the rezoning process.  We were not informed of the Planning and Zoning meeting to be held April 10, until I, Kelly,  went to the courthouse on April 9.

After listening to Gold Cross, Planning and Zoning  Director Holly Wallace and concerned area residents, the Commission voted unanimously to recommend NOT rezoning this property.   city council will consider this at their meeting, April 16, at 5:30 p.m.

Our concerns are a lowering of residential property values in the area, the high volume of traffic already existing on Fourth St. NW, safety for pedestrians and drivers, the number of commercial lots already existing and available in Austin, and the noise factor in a residential area where speeding and high traffic volume already make the driving/walking conditions dangerous.  We often wait 1-2 1/2 minutes to enter or exit our driveway because of the traffic.

We encourage everyone to attend the April 16 city council meeting and have a voice in this process.

Kelly and Chichi Mosher

Austin, MN