Developer: 'I Would Never Break That Trust'

After months of tumult, it is hardly surprising that any aspect of the Linden Corner development, proposed for 43rd and Upton in Linden Hills, would escape controversy, including to gather community input on the design.

This week, the group's facilitators submitted their final report on the four focus group sessions, but the results were hardly pleasing to many of the Linden Hills residents opposed to the development. Members of the organized opposition chose to stay away from the groups,  a call they repeated at Tuesday night's Linden Hills Neighborhood Council meeting when facilitators presented the summary of input.

Resident John Mathieson cited Dwyer's requirement that focus group participants refrain from discussing the total size of the building. 

"You pretty much cut the town in half," Mathieson told Dwyer and the facilitators. "It's not a true cross-section of Linden Hills."

Others echoed Mathieson's comments and voiced concern that Dwyer would use the focus group results—where over half of the participants said they were in favor of the development—to claim he had strong support from residents. Development opponents say they have gathered about 1,300 pettition signatures from neighborhood residents opposing the project.

In response, Dwyer said he wouldn't represent the focus groups' opinions as a cross-section of Linden Hills.

"I would never break that trust," he said.

Dwyer is aiming to submit his project's application to the city around Oct. 20, meaning his plan will get a final vote before the Planning Comission on Dec. 12. In between those dates, Linden Hills residents would get more chances to comment on the proposal, said Neighborhood Council chair Lesley Lydell, as well as speak at a hearing the day of the commission's vote.

See Patch's Previous Coverage of Linden Corner