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2 <br /> <br /> <br />ANALYSIS <br /> <br />General Site Characteristics <br /> <br />A Conditional Use Permit for an outdoor storage area was approved for the parcel at <br />2300 Main Street in July of 2021. After completion of the project approved in the CUP, <br />additional grading work was done to further expand the outdoor storage area. This work <br />was not permitted by the original CUP. The proposed project will bring the site into <br />compliance with City and Rice Creek Watershed District requirements. <br /> <br />The submitted plans include construction of an additional 2.06 acres of open outdoor <br />storage area, additional lighting, fencing, landscaping, and stormwater management <br />system. <br /> <br /> <br />Land Cover <br /> <br />Pre-settlement land cover (Marschner) was Big Woods (oak, maple, basswood, hickory) <br />and oak openings and barrens, a fire-dependent savanna dominated by oaks with an <br />understory of forbs and grasses. <br /> <br />Current land cover (Minnesota Land Cover Classification System) on the site is medium- <br />tall grassland. <br /> <br />The tree survey identified mostly Eastern cottonwoods and boxelders in the natural area. <br />Species planted on the developed portion of the parcel include primarily green ash, blue <br />spruce, American linden, and hackberry. <br /> <br /> <br />Rare, Unique, or Significant Resources <br /> <br /> <br />Blanding’s turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) has been observed within a one-mile radius of <br />the site. The MN DNR flyer and factsheet on this turtle must be provided to all <br />contractors working on the site. Any sightings of this species should be reported to City <br />staff so that the turtles can be safely relocated. <br /> <br />The project site is within a mile of, and drains to, Clearwater Creek, which is an impaired <br />water. This will impact timelines on soil stabilization and is noted in the Stormwater <br />Pollution Prevention Plan. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />