Agenda - Council - 05/31/1983 - Laserfiche WebLink

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A townhouse complex was constructed adjacent to the old fill site. Methane monitors were installed on and a~und the site, but no methane has ever been detected near the residential buildings. The restaurant and lumber company installed vent wells to prevent any danger from methane. Within.a year after the city sold one of the land parcels, its pnice doubled to $50,000. The same property was resold some time later for $100,000. The parcel was subsequently divided in half, and one of the halves sold for $100,000. Within a period of six years the land's value has increased eightfold. Another example involves aa housing development in Eden Prairie. The sub= division is located southeast of the Flying Cloud sanitary landfill. A sales representative of the development has noted what he calls "buyer resistance" of prospective homebuyers because of the nearby landfill. However, sales of the homes are proceeding at a pace comparable to that for homes elsewhere. Because the value of a home depends on a variety of factors, the sales representative could not discern a loss in property value for homes close to the landfill. According to the representative, establishing a large buffer zone ameliorates the negative perceptions of the buyers. There are few detrimental effects of a closed landfill except for settl- ing and the generation of methane gas and leachate that may contaminate groundwater. Some settling is unavoidable. Methane gas can be con- trolled by venting the gas to the atmosphere either through natural or mechanical means. The liability for groundwater pollution problems can be resolved, as discusssed earlier in the report, even though it may be made more complicated if the land is leased or sold for development. Conse- quently, the short operational life of the landfill reduces the potential for property value impacts. Landfills are really interim land uses. New landfills in the Region may operate for five to 10 years, depending on several factors. It is extremely unlikely that any of them will remain in operation for more than 10 years because sites are small. Moreover, if the closed landfill is returned to a highly desirable end use, the potential market values of the adjacent properties may increase substantially. Because property value impacts are not easily resolved, they should be further studied by the counties and local units of government once the counties select landfill sites in accordance with the Council's landfill development schedule. The counties should acquire sufficient land around the fill area to shield adjacent pro.~erties from impacts that could affect the market value of the adjacent properties. Furthermore~ the c6unties or landfill owners should first devel'o'p the appropriate' b"uffer feature's~ such as trees and berms in ~he buffer zon'e~ before develo~in~ the remainde~ ~f the site. Furthermore, when the landfill sites ar~ acquired by the counts~ the effect of the landfill upon the market value of adjacen~ property should be studied further by the county and local unit of government. 13 i I I I I [ I I I I I I I I I I I ! I