MINOT (AP) - Minot's growth during the past several decades has sprawled over many acres of once rural countryside.

Yet there's a place of rolling hills and grassy plain within the city that remains not so different from the days when sheep grazed, children sledded and young lovers enjoyed the scenic solitude.

Investors Real Estate Trust recently abandoned plans for an apartment complex on the property, northeast of Minot State University along North Broadway.

The complex was just one in a series of proposed developments that never materialized. Landowner Dan Feist, who has been unsuccessful in getting city approval for a single-family housing development, considers the setbacks frustrating.

One of the issues relates to preservation of a ridge of land that curves through the property. Despite living just a few blocks from one of Minot's busiest thoroughfares, residents in the shelter of the ridge say their neighborhood has a quiet, secluded feel that's enhanced further by its abbreviated, dead-end streets.

"We want development, but we want it done sensibly," said Rick Watson, who lives on the block-long Springfield Avenue. "Can't we preserve the quality of what's already there?"

Tearing out trees and ridges would destroy the area's character, said Vickie Martinson, a resident of Roberts Street.

"Because we now can move hills, should we move hills? I just think that's part of Minot. That's the landscape," she said.

Residents and the Minot Planning Commission worry about drainage if portions of the terrain are disturbed.

"I am going to experience major problems as far as water runoff and drainage," said Joe Schmalz, who moved a house onto Roberts Street about 31/2 years ago. The house sits at the base of the ridge. Water from two sides of his property converge to form a stream when rainfall is heavy.

Feist, who also lives on Roberts Street, said he has no intention of removing the ridge or damaging the integrity of the neighborhood. He said residents and city planners have misunderstood his plans.

The cost of the dirt work in leveling the area would be too much, Feist said.

"No one would ever do that," he said.

The first person to build in the area was Robert Stacy-Judd, an architect brought to Minot by railroad man Jim Hill. In 1918, he built his English-style house into a hill on what had been a sheep ranch.

Stacy-Judd lived in the home for about five years, designing Bethany Lutheran Church and other Minot buildings. Credited with helping coin the phrase, "Why not Minot?" Stacy-Judd later became an adventurer and author who eventually settled from his travels in California.

His house sat in the midst of pasture for many years. Early photos show no trees but when grazing ended, the area became more wooded. Houses gradually went up, mostly in the 1960s and 1970s.

The family of Paul Sigurdson, previous owners of the Stacy-Judd property, donated the land to the MSU Foundation. The foundation later sold the property to Feist, who in turn sold off small portions, including the Stacy-Judd house to John and Vickie Martinson.

Before construction of the Sertoma softball complex in the 1980s, young couples would drive the lane through the undeveloped area and pull off the road at a spot that came to be known as Lovers' Outlook.

The outlook, which still exists, also was a hangout years ago for teenagers. They sometimes would drive over the overlook, down the steep ledge and along the ridge on the property below.

Martinson recalled seeing remnants of campfires and homemade forts, equipped with supplies, on the property when she moved to the area in 1999. The activity has quieted as more development has occurred in the area.

However, the scenery still is appreciated by some, as evidenced by a couch positioned on the property this summer for taking in the view. The landscape also adds to the city panorama for nearby homes at higher elevations.

Area residents believe it's only a matter of time before the next development plan comes along. They say they wouldn't oppose the right kind of project.

"It's just doing it with consideration, whatever that might be, whether it's aesthetics or runoff," Schmalz said.

Feist said he has no new plan in mind. He said he might just sell lots for houses on top the ridge.

"They would all have nice views," he said.