Forest Lake City Council July 13th, 2026
The Forest Lake City Council held a meeting where one of the agenda items was Ordinance 774 concerning a data center moratorium. The council also heard extensive public comments, primarily focused on strong opposition to a proposed Clear Lake Apartment Concept Plan. Residents expressed significant concerns about the apartment project's environmental impact on Clear Lake, increased traffic congestion and safety, and its overall incompatibility with the existing neighborhood and natural resources. The data center moratorium was presented as a distinct action item on the council's agenda.
The Forest Lake City Council convened on July 13, 2026, for a meeting that included significant public input regarding two key agenda items: a Clear Lake Apartment Concept Plan and Ordinance 774, which proposes a data center moratorium.
During the open forum, residents voiced overwhelming opposition to the Clear Lake Apartment project. Speakers like Edward Igner, Becca Gman, and Teresa Nistler raised concerns about the project's failure to meet city regulations, its impact on Clear Lake's struggling ecosystem (wetlands, spawning beds, invasive species, PFAS contamination), and the inadequacy of current infrastructure to handle the increased traffic. Residents argued that the high-density development on a wetland contradicts the city's 2040 comprehensive plan, which emphasizes protecting natural resources and maintaining the community's character.
Concerns about traffic safety were prominent, with residents highlighting the dangers of routing hundreds of additional vehicles through narrow residential streets like Everton Avenue North, which lacks sidewalks and features a newly redesigned intersection on Highway 97 deemed unsafe for the proposed volume. Deanna Schmidt, with 40 years in property management, critiqued the single access point for 228 units and the unrealistic parking assumptions. Other residents, including Jodie Dayne, Kenneth Wood, Daniel Budkey, Rob Olsen, Dana Bona, Dennis Click, and Jill Tweet, echoed these sentiments, stressing potential increases in noise, property damage, and strain on public safety resources, ultimately threatening their quality of life and the identity of Forest Lake as a "resort town."
Separately, the council's agenda included "Ordinance 774: Data Center Moratorium." While the public forum focused on the apartment complex, the moratorium indicates the city's consideration of policy actions regarding data center development within Forest Lake. The specifics of the discussion around the moratorium were not detailed in the provided transcript segments, but its presence on the agenda signifies a governmental action item related to data centers.