• The Brooklyn Park EDA recently adopted a one-year moratorium on the development of high-density housing in the city, and has now created a study group to analyze the issue. The moratorium and study group were created in response to resident opposition to a proposed 261-unit luxury apartment complex on the Northwest corner of the Highway 610 and Noble Parkway intersection. Read more on the study in the Sun Newspapers article here.

Hopkins:

• The Nine Mile Creek Watershed District and the City of Hopkins will be working together on a streambank stabilization and habitat enhancement project. The Watershed District has scheduled public information meetings prior to the project. Meetings will be held on Wednesday, December 5 and Thursday, December 6 at the Hopkins City Council Chambers from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.

Minnetonka:

• Minnetonka's preliminary budget and levy request is set at 4.7 percent. The council directed that the property tax increase for basic services be limited to 3 percent, with the additional 1.7 percent for an expansion of public safety services. The tax increase is the lowest among comparable cities in the metro area, and well below the 2008 increase projected for cities statewide (8.8 percent), and the metro area (8.0 percent). 

For more information, attend the city's Truth in Taxation hearing on Monday, December 3, starting at 6:30 p.m. in the Minnetonka City Council Chambers, 14600 Minnetonka Boulevard, Minnetonka. 

For additional information, see the City of Minnetonka's 2008 budget. Learn more about Minnetonka by attending the free 2008 Minnetonka Citizen Academy, which takes place over five Tuesday evenings in January and February.

New Hope:

• Businesses in New Hope will be required to register and be inspected, according to an ordinance adopted November 13 by the city council. The new Business Use Certificate of Occupancy is intended to ensure maintenance of existing properties. The program will enable the city and West Metro Fire to identify safety concerns up front, and assist new businesses in installing their equipment and designing their facilities in a safe manner, before they open for business.  Existing businesses will not need to be inspected under the program, because they are already inspected by West Metro Fire on a three-year rotating cycle. Certificates will cost $25.

Plymouth:

• The City of Plymouth has proposed a 6.17 percent increase in city taxes. Roughly half of the increase will go to basic city services, with most of the other half increasing funding for street maintenance and reconstruction. The city doubled the number of miles of streets that it rebuilt in 2007, and will increase that commitment in 2008 by 12.5 percent. For more information, attend the Truth in Taxation hearing on Monday, December 3, at 7:00 p.m. at Plymouth City Hall, 3400 Plymouth Boulevard, Plymouth or visit the city's Web site.

St. Louis Park:

• A new way for the city to finance private development met approval by the St. Louis Park Economic Development Association last month, but only after a debate about the grant's merits. Read coverage of the actual council meeting here. The broader policy surrounding this program was the topic of conversation for a TwinWest task force meeting several weeks ago (to read more, go here and scroll down to "St. Louis Park" at the bottom of the e-mail).
   
• Thanks to their everyday business practices, three St. Louis Park-based companies stood out to judges for the city's Green Business awards, announced last week. The city named Rainbow Treecare, Stahl Construction Co., and General Office Products Co. as the winners of the award, which is in its second year. The companies will be honored at a December 3 council meeting. Read the full Sun Newspapers article here.