Agenda - Council - 11/28/2017 - Laserfiche WebLink

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He stated that he is not against renewable energy but if this does not work, Connexus will move to another area outside the City. He stated that while publicity is great, protecting the environment is better. He asked the Council to go back to the beginning to collect all the necessary information. He stated that this will affect his business. He stated that plans change, and this will be a 25-year commitment. Jeff Angra, 8390 Highway 10, Shorewood RV, stated that his concern is on the environmental impact. He stated that there is no method as to how this product is disposed of when the 25-year period expires. He asked if money would be put into a bond to ensure that the City would not be left with the clean-up costs. Dave Nathe, 14453 Llama Street, stated that he owns the 174 acres of land that was originally purchased by Anoka County for the bridge site. He asked that the Council leave the zoning the same as that will help the adjacent land owners develop their land in the future. John Dobbs, Woodbury resident, stated that he helps the Pearsons with some real estate planning. He stated that this is the last large undeveloped track of land guided for sewer and water. He stated that the 40 acres that Anoka County owns is the key to the land in the west and south. He stated that generally when you split a 40-acre tract of land and take half of that out of play for 25 years, it makes it challenging to develop the remnant parcel. Mr. Burandt provided information on the disposal of the solar panels, noting that they are classified as e-waste. He referenced the large solar farm in North Branch noting that there have not been any negative impacts to property values because of that project. He stated that there have also been no negative property values near the Ramsey Connexus site. Community Development Director Gladhill took credit for the confusion on the vote at the Planning Commission. He stated that the Planning Commission is supportive of the project, although they potentially would have liked a different location. He recognized that the plans for infrastructure in this area have changed and may continue to change. He stated that as he looks at what is allowed, the surrounding area would still be developable. He stated that trunk fees would be used to finance the extension of the sewer and water services. Councilmember Kuzma stated that this parcel is the plan that Connexus has decided on and confirmed that the Connexus owned site has been ruled out as a possibility. Mr. Angra asked why staff cannot provide an estimate of the impact to property values, similar to what is done with street projects. Community Development Director Gladhill stated that staff could follow up with Anoka County, that completes the assessing. He noted that there are other projects that have not had negative impacts on property values. Mr. Angra asked the vote from the Planning Commission.