HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 9 - ES CC CPA - Wastewater Facilities 9-3-131
MAYOR AND COUNCIL COMMUNICATION
DATE: 9/03/2013
REGULAR
ITEM #: 9
AGENDA ITEM: Comprehensive Plan Amendment: Chapter VI - Wastewater Facilities
SUBMITTED BY: Nick Johnson, City Planner
THROUGH: Dean Zuleger, City Administrator
REVIEWED BY: Planning Commission
Kyle Klatt, Planning Director
Jack Griffin, City Engineer
Ryan Stempski, Assistant City Engineer
SUGGESTED ORDER OF BUSINESS:
- Introduction of Item..............................................................................................................Staff - Report/Presentation……………………………………………...………...............................Staff - Questions from Council to Staff................................................................…...Mayor Facilitates - Public Input, if Appropriate..............................................................................Mayor Facilitates - Call for Motion.........................................................................................Mayor & City Council - Discussion................................................................................................Mayor & City Council - Action on Motion.............................................................................................Mayor Facilitates
SUMMARY AND ACTION REQUESTED:
The City Council is asked to consider an amendment to the City’s Comprehensive Plan that would revise Chapter VI – Wastewater Facilities. The amendment has been prepared to bring this section of the Comprehensive Plan into conformance with the recently adopted Land Use Chapter, incorporating updated housing, populations, and employment projections from the land use section. The Planning Commission held a Public Hearing on the proposed amendment at the meeting on 8/26/13, at which
time the amendment was recommended for approval.
The Planning Commission recommends the City Council approve the Comprehensive Plan Amendment
by taking the following action:
“Move to approve Resolution No. 2013-70, approving the amendment to Chapter VI – Wastewater Facilities of the City’s Comprehensive Plan.”
BACKGROUND AND STAFF REPORT:
The purpose of the Wastewater Facilities Plan is to develop a strategy for providing wastewater services throughout the community. Planning for these services include 1) the proposed areas to be served by the regional sewer system managed by the Metropolitan Council, 2) the City-owned and
managed 201 community septic systems built by the City using federal grant funds in the 1980’s, 3)
the wetland treatment systems that provide services for many of the Open Space Preservation (OP) developments, and 4) the private treatment systems that serve individual homes and businesses in the
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community. In addition, the Wastewater Facilities Plan is utilized by the Metropolitan Council to plan
for capital improvements and maintenance for the regional sewer system.
The reason that the amendment to Chapter VI – Wastewater Facilities is being brought forward at this
time is to make it consistent with the recently approved updates (I-94 Corridor and Village Land Use
Plans) to the City’s land use section. The City is required to include a projection of Residential
Equivalency Connections (REC units) being added to the regional system each year in the plan. These
projections, as guided by the recent amendment to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with
the Metropolitan Council, are now consistent with the projections found with the Land Use Chapter.
To make these two sections of the Comprehensive Plan more consistent, some of the more significant
changes to Chapter VI – Wastewater Facilities include the following:
• All dates have been updated to reflect the revised time schedule for development activity.
• The approved Olson Lake Trail amendments have been incorporated into this document.
• The REC forecast table and projected flows by interceptor now include all existing homes and business that will be served by the regional system.
• References to the Washington County Subsurface Sewage Treatment System regulations have been added where appropriate.
• The wetland treatment systems table has been updated to include subdivisions approved after 2005.
• The list of City-owned treatment systems has also been updated to reflect current conditions.
• All maps have been revised for consistency with other sections of the Comprehensive Plan.
Finally, the Wastewater Facilities section of the Comprehensive Plan is also being brought forward at
this time in part because the Met Council has deemed the City’s Village Plan Amendment submission
incomplete without the updated sewer forecasts included with this amendment. Upon approval and
submission of this amendment, the Met Council will be able to continue its review of the City’s
Village Land Use Plan.
The proposed Comprehensive Plan Amendment has been reviewed by the City Engineer. In addition,
the Planning Commission reviewed the document at the meeting on 8/26/13. During this review, the
Planning Commission did have one question about language that was used in reference to the Met
Council’s effort to make the Cottage Grove Ravine interceptor available to the City. Staff asked the
City Engineer to review the Planning Commission’s concern about the language. The City Engineer
determined that the proposed language was acceptable.
RECOMMENDATION:
The Planning Commission recommends the City Council approve the Comprehensive Plan Amendment
by taking the following action:
“Move to approve Resolution No. 2013-70, approving the amendment to Chapter VI – Wastewater Facilities of the City’s Comprehensive Plan.”
ATTACHMENT(S):
1. Resolution No. 2013-70 2. Comprehensive Plan Amendment: Chapter XI – Wastewater Facilities