Last Friday, October 7, 2011, the Prior Lake City Council voted unanimously against demolishing 34 historical homes to make way for a road. While roads are generally considered “public use,” local bureaucrats had admitted that the purpose behind the road was actually economic development. The city government wanted to create more space for condominiums, apartments, and retail space near the downtown area of Lake Prior.
Lake Prior homeowners, including Wes Mader and Andrea Mullenmeister, knew they had to band together as a community if they were to save their homes. Over the course of several months, they held neighborhood meetings, wrote their local newspapers, and packed every public meeting to voice their objections to the road project.
All of this public pressure culminated last Friday, when over 80 property owners held a “silent demonstration” in support of property rights outside of city hall immediately before the vote. Their hard work and enthusiasm for property rights has finally paid off. Read more about their story here.