The Roseville Council received two administrative appeals Monday contesting the city staff’s determination that the proposed Twin Lakes Wal-Mart store is permitted under the city’s zoning code.

The appeals came from Karen Schaffer, a city council candidate, and from SWARN [Solidarity of West Area Roseville Neighbors], a citizens group representing more than 60 Roseville households that opposes the proposed discount store.

In her appeal, Schaffer called “sophistic” the city staff’s ruling that the store would be permissible, arguing that the staff’s decision is “wildly out of synchronicity with the values and goals of the Roseville Comprehensive Plan.”

“The goal of ensuring that mixed use development is cohesive, compact and pedestrian-oriented cannot, by definition be true with respect to a 160,000 square foot facility and associated parking,” Schaffer wrote.

In late May the Roseville Council heard (primarily negative) citizen input about the Twin Lakes Wal-Mart. The council then voted to reject a citizen petition for an additional environmental assessment but postponed voting on preliminary and final plat approval.

The council will hear additional public input in a special meeting on July 11 and is expected to make a final decision about the proposed superstore at its July 23 meeting.

Like Schaffer, the SWARN appeal, drafted by five members of the organization, also argued that the proposed Wal-Mart is in conflict with the Roseville Comprehensive Plan, citing the plan’s land use section, which states that “Twin Lakes should not be developed with shopping as the primary focus of future land use.”

“According to our reading, this proposal is not permitted in our current zoning and should not have been approved by city planning staff,” SWARN members wrote in their appeal.

Here’s the full schedule of upcoming Roseville Council meetings that relate to the proposed Wal-Mart store:

July 9th City Council meeting

• Receive appeals and refer to July 11th Planning Commission meeting (no testimony planned to be received at the July 9th meeting)
• Act on the Preliminary Plat request (statutory deadline is July 9th)

July 11th Planning Commission meeting

• Conduct hearing regarding appeals of staff determination that Walmart is a permitted use (public testimony will be received). The Planning Commission will make a recommendation and create findings for the Council to consider.

July 16th City Council meeting

• The Council, acting as the Board of Adjustment and Appeals, will receive the Planning Commission's recommendation and may solicit additional public testimony regarding the appeals. At this meeting, it is expected that the Council will direct staff to prepare findings in the positive or negative regarding staff’s decision.

July 23rd City Council meeting

• The Council, acting as the Board of Adjustment and Appeals, will adopt findings either supporting or rejecting staff’s decision.
• The Final Plat and Development Agreement may also be considered at this meeting.