04-03-2006 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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Item No: 2A Meeting Date: April 3, 2006 Type of Business: Information City of Mounds View Staff Report To: Mounds View City Council From: Heidi Heller, Planning Associate Item Title/Subject: Environmental Processing Center at 4889 Old Highway 8 Presentation and Discussion; Planning Case No. CU2006-001 Introduction: The applicant, Merlin Brisbin of Star Environmental, Inc., has applied for a conditional use permit to allow for an Environmental Processing Center, which would be located at 4889 Old Highway 8. This is the site of the current Skyline Motel, which is zoned “Industrial” and encompasses three lots for a total of approximately 2.85 acres. The applicant has a signed purchase agreement with the owners of the motel. The applicant would demolish the existing building and is proposing to construct approximately an 11,200 square foot building which would include 10,000 square feet for the processing center and 1,200 square feet office and research & development space, and an exterior bio-filter which would be underground with the top being at ground level. Discussion: This Environmental Processing Center is designed in response to the Metropolitan Council Environmental Service’s need to change the way industrial and household liquid wastes are managed. This Center will include a receiving and processing facility that uses leading technology to dewater liquid waste in a clean and odor-controlled environment. The dewatering process produces a non-toxic, dry by-product ready for reuse or disposal. The filtrate water will be returned to the Metropolitan Council’s collection system, aiding their downstream processing. According to numerous Environmental Protection Agency documents, utilizing recyclable components of wastewater is preferred and will significantly lower costs for local and state governments. Mounds View was chosen as a location for Star Environmental because they need to locate within a 15 mile radius of the Met Council receiving sites. Mounds View is within that radius for four of the Met Council’s current receiving sites. The proposed business would be located on Old Highway 8 on the edge of the Mounds View Industrial Park. This part of the City and the neighboring area of New Brighton is entirely an industrial area with the exception of the manufactured home park on the north end. A natural vegetative buffer does separate the industrial area from the manufactured home park. There are no properties across the street since 35W/Highway 10 run next to Old Highway 8 in this area. The processing center would be an attractive, newly constructed building which would be an improvement over the existing building on the site. The applicant will have invested about $5.5 million into this project when completed. A processing center would be much more in line for the area than the current use of an aging and deteriorating motel. The motel generates many police calls and problems, so the removal of this blighted property would improve the safety of the entire area, including the manufactured home park that is located north of this site.