Agenda Packets - 2006/04/24 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mounds View City Council April 10, 2006 Regular Meeting Page 5 Matt Fulton, City Manager of New Brighton, presented a letter signed by all the members of the 1 New Brighton City Council that recommends denying a conditional use permit to Star 2 Environmental. He stated the City of New Brighton understands the applicant’s intent and the 3 benefit that their system can provide to the metropolitan waste system, in terms of capacity and 4 flow issues. He stated as a result of their operation, it will save money for utility customers 5 throughout the metropolitan area. He stated they are trying to preserve private business. He 6 stated the City of New Brighton understands the merits of the company and what the 7 Metropolitan Council are trying to accomplish. 8 9 Mr. Fulton stated there are several concerns with the proposal. He stated there are concerns 10 about potential odors that may occur at the site during normal operations and from an accidental 11 spill at the site. He stated any odors coming out of the site would impact the immediate area, 12 including Long Lake Regional Park, the new senior cooperative building and all surrounding 13 residents. He stated this is a significant issue for the City of New Brighton. 14 15 Mr. Fulton explained there are concerns about the traffic impact on Highway 96 and Old 16 Highway 8. He stated that even though it is an increase of 1 percent, there are times when the 17 intersection is very congested. He explained that any kind of additional traffic, especially hauling 18 trucks, does have the opportunity of potential for causing a much greater impact on the 19 transportation corridor. He stated the City of New Brighton is particularly concerned because of 20 the new construction at the intersection of Highway 96, and particularly the independent haulers 21 that are not employed by Star Environmental. He stated there are concerns with how well the 22 trucks will be maintained and possible leakage or spillage. 23 24 Mr. Fulton stated that New Brighton is currently undertaking a very large residential project of an 25 investment of $70 million in the development of over 700 homes, 500,000 square feet of office 26 space, and 40,000 square feet of retail space. He explained it is all in a mixed urban village 27 interspersed with passive recreation areas. He stated anything that could get in the way of 28 successfully marketing this large project is a big concern given the significant financial 29 investment in the project. He stated it may be a clean industry, but there is a significant concern 30 with truck traffic on transportation corridors and the image aspect of this type of business. 31 32 Mr. Fulton stated the long term future of the Highway 10 corridor must be considered. He stated 33 most of the design scenarios show Highway 10 connecting in to Old Highway 8 corridor and 34 terminating at Highway 96. He stated this would mean that this parcel would be adjacent to a 35 significant corridor. He wondered if this is the appropriate long range zoning classification for 36 the property, or if it might be better zoned for a commercial use of the property. 37 38 Mayor Marty stated the long range plan by MnDOT is to close off Highway 10 where one would 39 normally exit through Mounds View onto Interstate 35W and Highway 96, and also to close off 40 County Road H and take it down to Highway 96 and make a different interchange. 41 42 Councilmember Thomas asked what the current traffic projections are for the fully developed 43 northwest quadrant. She stated the proposal by Star Environmental will have a 1 percent 44 increase, while the large development by New Brighton will result in a significant increase in 45