Some St. Louis Park residents upset over construction in Fern Hill neighborhood
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. (FOX 9) - Shelley Hanson has lived on the same block in the Fern Hill neighborhood of St. Louis Park for more than 30 years.
"It's absolutely beautiful living here. It's like living in the countryside, not like you're in the city," said Hanson.
One of her favorite things is the large crabapple tree in her front yard, which she insists will die once construction starts on new sidewalks, cutting 10 feet into her yard on the city's easement.
"At a time when the city of St. Louis Park has declared a climate emergency, they want to address the climate emergency by cutting down trees, killing other trees...they are worried about climate change and their solution is, 'Let’s cut down trees. Let’s pave over dry grass and let’s use more chemicals on the sidewalks that no one wants,'" said Hanson.
Along with dozens of other neighbors, she signed an online petition against the proposal, which claims the project will destroy trees and gardens, on top of raising traffic concerns.
Despite their efforts, the plan was approved by City Council on Tuesday night.
Fern Hill Neighborhood approved sidewalks map (St. Louis Park)
The project will add sidewalks and bikeways to several different streets, as well as rehab some sewers and water mains.
"The will of the people is not to destroy the verdant area we have been living in with sidewalks," said Hanson.
But Mayor Jake Spano says he's heard from many residents who want to see these changes happen.
"They want more ways to get around our community- safely, effectively and affordably and part of that is having infrastructure in our neighborhood that allows us to do that. Sidewalks and bikeways are a part of that," said Spano.
"This is an effort to try and prepare Fern Hill for the next 40-50 years to remain that vibrant neighborhood that it's always been."
Spano acknowledges change can be difficult, but knows that people changing their minds is also possible.
"Anecdotally, in my experience, I've found a lot of people in our community that were really, really concerned about sidewalks and what that might look like for their neighborhood who have subsequently come to me and said, 'You know, it's not as bad as I thought, actually'," said Spano.
In total, the project will cost $7.3 million. The city hasn't approved a final bid on construction yet. Construction is expected to begin sometime this spring.