Minutes - Council - 06/26/2001 - Laserfiche WebLink

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City Attorney Goodrich stated that there have been several comments during the public hearings concerning an environmental assessment worksheet (EAW). He advised the City Council on what those procedures are. He explained that an EAW can be a mandatory study, or initiated by a petition signed by 25 citizens. If the City receives a petition, the City would be required to stop all further approvals on the development until the EAW process is resolved. If the petition is confirmed, the City would be required to hire a firm to conduct the EAW. To date, there has not been any formal comment from the Environmental Quality Board (EQB), but to his understanding the residents had been petitioning. The third way an EAW could be completed is if the Council determines that one is necessary. Councilmember Hendriksen inquired if the residents' petition would be submitted to a State agency and then once they make a determination it would come before the City. City Attorney Goodrich replied yes. Robert Shoberg, 5731 - 145th Court NW, Ramsey, noted that the residents have submitted a petition requesting that an EAW be completed on the site. Sara Stroman, 14546 Krypton Street NW, Ramsey, stated that the petition for the EAW was filed yesterday and the EQB will take up the issue within five days to make their decision. Eighty- five signatures were received from the residents requesting the EAW. She explained that the reason the residents felt the request was necessary is because the threshold that requires a development to have a mandatory EAW is if the calculation is greater than one and in the proposed development it is .92. Jim Bitner, 14331 Neon Street NW, Ramsey, inquired if anyone had considered the potential of hazardous waste being on the site. Mayor Gamec replied that when the senior apartment was built, they did have the property analyzed. Councilmember Anderson inquired about the senior building. Mike Black, Royal Oaks Realty, explained that they had discussed the idea of mirroring the access site, but never said that they would be proposing 50 units or the same exact building. He stated that the site consists of 87 acres with 30 of those acres being wetland. He reviewed the overall density of the site. He explained that the amount of open space, including all green area, is 42 percent in the townhome area and the senior building site has 64 percent of open space. Mr. Black did not feel that the development would be a high-density development and thought it met the intentions of the proposed Comprehensive Plan. He stated that he has worked closely with staff as well as the Council on developing a good plan for the City of Ramsey and he thought that the PUD was the appropriate process to complete the development. If the Council so chooses he can go through each area individually. City Council/June 26, 2001 Page 15 of 28