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<br /> <br />310 E 38th Street St #109, Minneapolis, MN 55409 | 612.568.2334 | <br />www.cooperativeenergyfutures.com <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />City of Lake Elmo February 8, 2024 <br />3880 Laverne Avenue North <br />Lake Elmo, Minnesota 55042 <br /> CEF Lake Elmo Community Solar, LLC <br />310 East 38th Street Suite 109 <br />Minneapolis, Minnesota 55409 <br /> <br />Extension Request for Conditional Use Permit 2023-021 <br /> <br />Project Address: 10957 50th Street North, Lake Elmo <br />Project Description: Community Solar Garden <br /> <br />Planning Commission and City Council: <br /> <br />CEF Lake Elmo Community Solar, LLC (CEF Lake Elmo) is owned by Cooperative Energy <br />Futures. Cooperative Energy Futures is a member-owned community solar cooperative that <br />develops community solar projects to bring energy bill savings and wealth-building opportunities <br />to local energy consumers in the community. <br /> <br />We are requesting a 3-month extension to our Conditional Use Permit 2023-021. Below is an <br />explanation of the chronology of events that has led us to submit this extension request. Please <br />also be aware that we are working as hard as we can to still meet the April 4th deadline for <br />substantial construction on this project. <br /> <br />Background Information: <br /> <br />In 2021, Cooperative Energy Futures engaged One Energy Renewables through a Membership <br />Interest Purchase Agreement (MIPA) to develop the CEF Lake Elmo Community Solar Garden <br />prior to construction. Cooperative Energy Futures would then purchase the project, build the <br />project, and own it for the life of the project for the benefit of our member-owners. <br /> <br />When One Energy Renewables was unable to get an approved Conditional Use Permit with the <br />City of Lake Elmo for CEF Lake Elmo Community Solar, LLC after several iterations, <br />Cooperative Energy Futures decided to take over the efforts to address City Council concerns <br />through collaboration rather than pursue a legal path for resolution. <br /> <br />Cooperative Energy Futures went to great lengths to understand the concerns of the council and <br />incorporated significant changes to the landscaping plan to satisfy their concerns regarding the <br />garden’s impact on the local area. CEF Lake Elmo Community Solar was approved for a <br />Conditional Use Permit per Resolution 2023-021 on April 4th, 2023. <br /> <br />Though CEF took on this work to secure CUP approval, One Energy still owned the project. <br />Legal and administrative work for One Energy to fulfill all their other obligations and <br />responsibilities per the MIPA took many months to complete. We were not able to close on the