Neighbor Sues Irwin Jacobs’ Estate on Lake Minnetonka

A neighbor of the late Minnesota businessman Irwin Jacobs is suing the estate and the City of Orono over their plan to divide the estate’s 20-acre property into six subdivisions that would be sold to build new houses and streets.

According to the neighbor, Barbara Burwell, the redevelopment violates the City’s lakeshore setback rules and could also lead to a seizure of part of Burwell’s land. Burwell’s complaint states that Orono’s City Council approved the redevelopment plan for Irwin Jacob’s property without regard to the City’s own ordinances and despite Ms. Burwell’s objections. Burwell’s lawsuit requests a declaratory judgment from the court, stating that Orono’s City Council violated the City’s ordinances in approving the preliminary plan.

The attorney for the Jacobs family estate says that Burwell’s lawsuit is meritless and premature. According to the estate’s attorney, preliminary plans are conforming with all ordinances. The preliminary plan only governs the subdivision of the Jacobs’ estate, and not where future houses might be built. Further, the new streets, or widened streets, that Burwell is concerned about are controlled by Hennepin County, rather than the City of Orono. At this time, most of Burwell’s complaints with the preliminary plan are concerning development, rather than the subdivision itself.

The estate has not formally responded to Burwell’s complaint at this point, but will need to do so in the upcoming weeks.

Source: https://www.startribune.com/neighbor-sues-over-plan-to-divide-irwin-jacobs-estate-on-lake-minnetonka/600048080/