Agenda - Council - 09/13/1982 - Special

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15 I I I I .Once a landfill is closed, few options exist for future development of the land. The soils may have limited use as cropland. The installation of a pro- tective clay liner over a landfill limits cultivation of crops to those with short root zones. The normal working of the soil by farm equipment could disturb the integrity of that cover. However, the real impact of losing prime or other farmland depends in part on the landfill's location and whether the area is planned for eventual develop- ment in the local comprehensive plan or is committed to long-term agricultural use. Special planning would be required to return farmland to limited farming or other agricultural use such as pasture, feedlot or fertilizer storage area. I I I I I I I I I I LOSS OF PROPERTY VALUES Property values near waste disposal facilities may be adversely affected. Homeowners near a sanitary landfill or a sludge ash site may have difficulty selling their property and, if they do sell it, may have to take a loss. Undeveloped land near a waste disposal facility may also lose its value as potential residential or commercial property. Few conclusive studies have investigated how waste facilities affect property values. Several studies being conducted in other states are not yet com- pleted. The Council contacted county and local assessors in the Metropolitan Area regarding property value of houses near or adjacent to sanitary land- fills. All the assessors noted that there was a lack of information in this area, and as yet no evidence has been produced that shows whether property values will decrease near a landfill. According to local assessors, the assessed values of houses have not been reduced because of their proximity to a landfill. However, the assessors all noted that the values would likely be affected if properties were located on the truck route to a landfill, or if the properties had an unobstructed view of the landfill. If the truck route to the landfill was a major traffic route before the landfill began operation, property values would not be affected. However, if a small county'or municipal road were upgraded to accommodate truck traffic to the landfill, property values along the route would be more severely affected, according to the assessors. Property values near landfills may be affected when a facility is constructed. The property values are unlikely to be further affected by the facility during its operating life. In other words, if property near a facility were to change hands several times during the facility's operating life, the impact on the property's value would occur only when the facility began operation. The assumption that a house near a landfill may be difficult to sell is only speculative. Of the many factors that determine property values /such as price, financial options, house size, location of schools, and access to other areas), the distance from a landfill may or may not be more important than any other factor. I I For example, at a recent public meeting in the Metropolitan Area to discuss the proposed expansion of the Flying Cloud sanitary landfill, a local resident noted that he had lived in a residential area less than one mile from the land- fill and had been unaware of the landfill's existence. Furthermore, the city of Eden Prairie has been approving permits for residential development increas- ingly close to the Flying Cloud landfill, even though the PCA had informed the