The Planning Commission is charged with the in-depth study of ordinance and policy involving land use in Shorewood.  It makes recommendations to assist the Council in decision making.  Commission Chair Nat Gorham described, with great clarity, what the Commission does best (start at 00:42).  

This article was posted on NextDoor during the week of May 22, 2023.  Another from the week of June 12, As the summer progresses, this topic becomes more relevant. The authors’ names are intentionally omitted. Kids, e-bikes, and sidewalks in Excelsior.  Yesterday I was walking on Water St at around 6 pm between George St and 3rd when I was met with a group of middle-school boys on e-bikes riding on the sidewalk. I told them they couldn’t ride on the sidewalk here. The group sneered and dismissed this by announcing, in unison, that these were “class 2” bikes, and after some incomprehensibly mannerless behavior, they continued down the sidewalk toward Lake St, nearly running

UPDATE 9.19.23:  The City is looking for resident feedback on the proposed design options for Eureka Road North.  Learn more here. Residents who appeared before the Council on 3.27.23 challenged a plan for a “scoping document” of Eureka Road North, making among other points, the $125k cost for the study was too high. Further, they supported a simple resurfacing of the roadway, rather than reconstruction.  A petition was presented to support their position. Later in the meeting, a question was raised by a council member about the need for the scoping. After somewhat tense council debate, a majority of the Council determined to proceed with the study, saying there would be no further discussion, and

The Legislature established the Metropolitan Council in 1967 to coordinate planning and development within the Twin Cities metropolitan area and to address issues that could not be adequately managed with individual governmental arrangements. The Metropolitan Council is the regional policy-making body, planning agency, and provider of essential services for the Twin Cities metropolitan region, including Shorewood. It provides for orderly and economical development of the metropolitan area through the Comprehensive Plan process. It is funded through the “Special Taxing District” (Line 10 of your tax statement) laws. State law requires the Met Council to create regional plans and policies to guide growth and manage regional systems for transportation, aviation, water resources, sewage and regional parks.

Rules for E-Bikes When you use any public trails, sidewalks, or the Lake Minnetonka Regional Trail, you have definitely encountered E-bikes. The compatibility with pedestrians depends on the user of the bike. Most are respectful…but then, there are always those who are not. E-bikes can go up to 28 mph. Such speeds are without a doubt dangerous to others in close proximity. E-bikes have three classifications, based on speed capabilities. See Minnesota Law 169.011, Subd. 15a-c. No person under the age of 15 years may operate an e-bike, of any class, on public streets, sidewalks or trails in Minnesota. Where E-bikes are allowed, only one person per seat is allowed and no towing of another

Enterprise Funds…Not Just for Starships Approximately a 3 minute read Excerpted from an article Roger Kemp (May 2016) What to Know: An Enterprise Fund is created when a municipal public service generates sufficient revenues, from dedicated user fees. These fees pay the operating cost. The use of Enterprise Funds treats a public service, such as city water, as a “cost center” – where only the users pay for the cost of the service. The “revenues”are then dedicated to cover the maintenance of the water infrastructure. A loss in the fund should be made up with increased user fees. Enterprise funds satisfy an elected official’s aversion to increasing taxation, help offset cuts in Federal or State

Planting Deciduous Trees for a Changing Local Climate Approx 3 minute read Adding trees to your landscape is a great way to help fight climate change. But the already changing climate has affected the choices you make in local tree selection. Diversity is key, which is why Hennepin County forestry discourages the planting of some tree species. If the large number of ash trees in Shorewood that will likely be lost due to the Emerald Ash Borer has taught us anything, it is that we must be educated on our tree choices. Hennepin County forestry currently discourages the planting of many maple trees due to the abundance of the tree present in the current landscape.

Transparency “…transparency is government’s obligation to share information with citizens.” — ballotpedia Government should be transparent at all levels Transparency promotes accountability and enables residents to understand what their Government is doing Shorewood’s non-transparency to resident document requests Planned Unit Development (PUD) documents, including Minnetonka Country Club, are not easily accessible to the public (Conversation starts at 1:40 regarding “extreme” resident data requests that are “demanding and unreasonable” The City Council struggles to find a way to safely communicate with residents during these “crazy times.” (Conversation starts at 1:40) “We were bullied into having this meeting on Zoom.” – CM Saikel On 9.12.21 the Council agreed to discuss communications with residents at their retreat. A

Consistency …means adhering to the governing documents in each case and treating each non-compliant issue in the same manner  Provide consistent and equal treatment for all Lack of clarity in zoning violation enforcement process. Shorewood’s policy is to enforce code violations on a “complaint only” basis. This policy has been enacted without resident conversation Resident confronts council (starts at 7:20) on special treatment regarding the Mayor’s dock violations Inconsistency in variances granted: Smithtown fence (see p. 7) Smithtown Circle (see p. 9) accessory shed (required to move a building that did not comply) and a dock (allowed to keep a dock that did not comply.) Investment groups are buying homes and renting them. According to Shorewood’s

Managing Natural Resources: How is Shorewood Doing? Bee Safe program, pesticide use, phosphorous Shorewood’s violation of its Bee Safe Resolution City Council Discussion of the violation of the Bee Safe Resolution on January 24, 2022 and February 28, 2022 Proposal from IPM Institute of North America for pest management policies (Page 44-) The Western Shorewood Stormwater Drainage Plan / Smithtown Pond Project issues Despite the plan’s $4 million+ price tag, the City has not performed a cost benefit analyses and has not obtained second or third opinions/reviews on the system design The City has opted to rely on a city engineer who is employed by the contracting firm awarded the project It is unclear who