EXCELSIOR, Minn. - With half the town bordered by Lake Minnetonka, it should come as no surprise that a lot of people want to move to Excelsior.
But it's the way some new residents take home ownership that has other long-term residents banding together.
"Greed. That's my first thought," said Linda Putnam, who has lived in Excelsior with her husband since 1979.
"I love it here," Linda said.
The Putnams are now part of the "Protect Excelsior" campaign, a not-in-my-backyard movement opposing home teardowns that result in much larger new construction that dwarfs neighbors.
"The houses that are replacing the smaller houses, some of them are way over-scaled for the site they're sitting on," Linda said.
Excelsior has a quaint downtown with a real small town feel. And it's that feel that a lot of long-time locals are afraid of losing.
"If it's a small-town value system, that's what we should adhere to," Linda said.
In the last five years, 26 homes have been torn down. But the city is stopping all teardowns until May as they work on revamping building regulations.
"I think they just need to be regulated properly and there really shouldn't be an issue with them," said Ben Stedman, who has lived in Excelsior for six years.
Stedman does not oppose teardowns.
"I would say there are a lot of homes here that are literally crumbling. And there shouldn't be a reason they can’t be torn down," he said.
Stedman points out the many potholes and lack of curbs and sidewalks around town -- problems Excelsior can afford to fix if more valuable homes are added to the tax rolls.
"People want to invest in the city and right now that effort is kind of being stopped," Stedman said.
Stedman is part of the task force working on a compromise as old residents and new residents decide how to best live as neighbors.