Linden Corner Permit Application Delayed

In stark contrast to about the proposed Linden Corners development at the corner of 43rd and Upton, Tuesday night's Linden Hills Neighborhood Council board meeting was civil, short and punctuated by a dramatic announcement from Developer Mark Dwyer that he was delaying his project.

Community Input on Design

In the middle of his presentation to an audience of about 60 Linden Hills residents, Developer Mark Dwyer made a major announcement: he and his business partners would delay their application for a conditional use permit and for final city approval of the Linden Corners blueprints to allow another round of community dialogue to take place.

"This is not what developers do," Dwyer said.

While no firm timeline was announced at the meeting, LHiNC Board Chair Lesley Lydell said the next round of dialogue would be focused on three groups of 20 Linden Hills residents concerned about the project. Each group will likely meet twice for discussions moderated by Keiko Veasey, a former member of the board.

Lydell said LHiNC had suggested the meetings to Dwyer as a way to give the community a better voice in resolving concerns brought up at past meetings. Lydell has high hopes for the sessions.

"Keiko's a woman who will take this seriously," she said.

Lydell said both the LHiNC Zoning Committee and the LHiNC Board would continue to hold hearings and discussions on the development as well.

Details on how the 60 participants would be selected are still being worked out.

Height, Not Volume May Be Negotiated

Christopher Maddox, a Linden Hills resident actively opposed to the development, said he welcomed the opportunity for the community to discuss the project's details with Dwyer.

"The community does have questions that need to be answered," he said. "Why can't the volume be reduced? A more thorough defense of five stories would be welcome."

Dwyer and project architects have said the five-story plan was necessary to generate enough money to fund the use of high-quality materials on the building's exterior. A shorter building, they argued, would create deeper condominium units that would not sell as well.

"I asked whether the height of the building was negotiable and was told that it was," Maddox added in an email to Patch following the meeting. "The land is zoned for three stories, and it is this that I keep hearing people say they want respected."

Maddox said he does not believe Dwyer will be willing to lower the building's height to three stories, given his requirement for a 90,000-square foot building.

No Construction Delays

Until Tuesday night's announcement, Dwyer and his team had planned to apply for city approval in mid-August.
The community discussions will not impact the project's construction schedule. Construction cannot begin until most of the proposed building's condominiums have been sold, he said, and pre-sales could not begin in earnest until the project secures city approval.