LANSING – Although there were little more than a dozen Lansing Township residents at Wednesday’s meeting, 274 made their wishes known by signing a petition.

Thursday, April 06, 2000

LANSING – Although there were little more than a dozen Lansing Township residents at Wednesday’s meeting, 274 made their wishes known by signing a petition. Another 30 had voted "no" unanimously at the annual meeting. In the end, the three-member Lansing Township Board listened to their constituents, and voted unanimously to deny the annexation of 55 acres of land west of the J.C. Hormel Nature Center into the city of Austin.

Currently farmland within Lansing Township, the 55 acres is the site of a proposed housing development by Greater Minnesota Affordable Housing, a development company owned by partners Rick Kahn and David Wellstone, son of U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone.

The main reason for denying the annexation was "the people," according to Township Supervisor Harold Boverhuis.

"If we don’t listen to the people, then we have no business sitting up here," Boverhuis said before the vote. "Whether to annex or not isn’t really the issue. The city can still annex this land. But if we say ‘yes’ to orderly annexation, we cut the people out. If we say ‘no,’ then the people of Lansing and Austin still have a say in what happens."

Lansing Township resident and farmer Dwight Ault was pleased with the outcome of the vote, despite a sincere affection for Wellstone, who he has worked with many times in the past.

"I felt really good that the board really is dedicated to doing what the people want," Ault said. "They are very conscientious. I feel bad about Wellstone, this is the first time I’ve ever been on the other side, but I don’t like the project. … Wildlife and wildlife areas are seldom a waste of land, and I think having undeveloped green space does something to boost the psyche, even just knowing it’s there. I would hate to see the nature center rimmed in."

Lansing Township Board Chairman Roger Levy stressed to Kahn and Wellstone that their decision was not an impulsive one.

"I had the feeling last time that you folks were pretty disgusted that we tabled this annexation issue at the last meeting," Levy said, meeting with denial from Kahn. "In order to make a decision that we have to live with basically forever, these decisions have to be carefully thought out. Now, would you rather have us ponder some more and talk to more people or make the decision one way or another tonight?" he asked Kahn.

Kahn told the chairman that further delay was basically the same as a "no" and that’s what the Greater Minnesota Affordable Housing president got, much to his and vice president Wellstone’s disappointment.

"We’re disappointed that we were treated differently," Wellstone said after the vote. "I believe this is the first time the board has not voted yes to an annexation in several years. Yes, we’re going to move ahead – if things go a little slower, they go a little slower."

Noticeably absent from the former-church-turned-township-hall were any members of the Concerned Citizens for the Hormel Nature Center, a citizen-driven group that organized initially in response to the news that the land was to be developed. The group has a dual mission, which includes opposing any residential, commercial or industrial development near the nature center as well as supporting and fund raising for the expansion of the nature center.

At the last Concerned Citizens’ meeting, spokesman Mark Reeve asked the crowd of about 40 not to attend the Lansing Township meeting, because the Township Board wanted input from Lansing residents, not Austin residents.

This morning, Concerned Citizens’ fund-raising chairman, Dave Hagen, was noncommittal about the board’s decision.

"We’re more interested in the 110 acres to the north of that property," Hagen said.

Wellstone said this morning that his company was going to pursue annexation by ordinance, another annexation option for lots of less than 60 acres and one that doesn’t require the permission of Lansing Township. They plan to start the application process today, which means the issue soon will be back in the hands of the Austin City Council.

"We are not going to go away," Wellstone said. "We are still going to do the right thing by the nature center, but we’ll work with the city. … I don’t think this is about the nature center. It’s about the people who live in that neighborhood not wanting neighbors."