Hi All, I'm sorry to not update you sooner. This topic was presented at the August 17 city council meeting.

We once again had standing room only crowd, and once again heard unanimous opposition from the council members. Please watch the full replay here: https://eden-prairie.granicus.com/player/clip/1589?view_id=3&redirect=true

While I'm declaring victory on this petition -- the Council and Commission have rejected this proposal -- make no mistake, the fight isn't over.

We're facing a many-times-over millionaire in Mario Cocchiarella (Maplewood Development), who is the developer driving this proposal. He's proven himself to have zero empathy for our community, and willingness to put questionable individuals with extensive criminal histories in positions of ownership -- all to get his money back on an investment they made decades ago in a far different environment.

The fact remains, no development like this would ever be positive for our community, and that's why both the EP Planning Commission and City Council voted unanimously to reject. That said, this developer will continue to push forward on this acreage. They own it, they don't care what we want. They care about what they can make on the sale itself and ongoing proceeds. Yet, they made this purchase decades ago of a distressed property that had zoning status that would NEVER be granted today -- and they're pushing the city to honor zoning that's outdated and doesn't reflect the needs or environment of the local community. It's become a legal matter for the city.

I know that's not the outcome we wanted, however, there are many people working to redefine zoning for this area. The fact is we may have to fight this battle again and again and again. But that's what we'll do. That's what I'll do. And I hope you'll be there with me. And I hope Mayor Case, the Council, the Planning Commission will all honor the public commitments they've made to us.

Thanks again for all of your support. As always, reach out to me anytime -- let's stay informed and vigilant. We have a voice and we have elected officials responsible for defending the best interests of Eden Prairie residents. We'll always continue to fight. PS - If this comes up again, I will start a new petition and engage all of you for support.

Jay Stankiewicz jaystank33@gmail.com