“I support the moratorium,” said Lino Lakes City Council person Chris Lyden. “But also support the wide parameters it may entail, including comp plan amendments and rezoning. Nothing is off the table.”
One affected developer is Faraaz Yussuf, the president of Zikar Holdings.
“Let’s clean the roads and let’s show our love for Lino – a city we all cherish and love no matter our differences and how we want it to grow,” Yussuf said.
Voting for a moratorium is not unusual for the council. This is the third time in three years that Lino Lakes has approved an interim ordinance to pause development in the city.
“We put a moratorium on storage facilities a couple years back while we were looking at our zoning and ordinances around such a development,” said Michael Ruhland who is also on the city council. “Yes there were people interested when the moratorium went into effect. I know of one person in particular that already had a letter of intent on the property but ultimately walked away.
“When the state passed the legalization of cannabinoid edibles a year or so ago, we put in a moratorium while we worked out the sudden boost in interest in starting businesses and building out spaces. This impacted a developer and a seller that was trying to sell a building. He was already under a contract on the property. Ultimately the project went forward but not until we as a council had an opportunity to allow for public input on the matter and make sure our ordinances were aligned with state law, public input, etc. In other words he waited for the moratorium to be lifted.”
While the moratorium is in effect, the council will come up with a master plan for almost 1,000 acres of land in Lino Lakes.
