6.2. SR 05-19-1997 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Expansion - Figure 2 in the attached Long Term Development Plan shows the original permitted 40 acre landfill site (cells 1-11). This drawing also reflects the proposed 52 acre expansion (cells 12-18). Please note that there is a 200 foot buffer area around the expansion area which is mostly wooded on the south and west sides. Staff is recommending approval of this horizontal expansion to the extent to be permitted by MPCA. In fact, this expansion was anticipated when the city approved a rezoning of the property involved to Solid Waste Facility Overlay District. The questions for this amendment are how this expansion will take place. The Council needs to consider land use issues such as preservation of adjacent property values, orderly development of surrounding properties, impacts on essential services, aesthetics, screening, dust, litter and other land use impacts. The staff recommended conditions in the draft permits address the technical/environmental aspects. Approval of the proposed amendments will allow the construction of cells 12 and 13. The specific construction details of each of these additional cells is proposed to be left to staff approval at a future date, as long as they are consistent with the overall approval given by the City Council. Final elevation - In staff's opinion, the most crucial land use issue the Planning Commission and City Council must consider with regard to the proposed amendments to the landfill's conditional use permit and license is the final elevation of this facility. The issue of height has been the subject of much debate and negotiation between city staff and the landfill. A summary of the discussion is as follows: The landfill is currently at a maximum elevation of 1,100 feet above mean sea level (MSL). Plans approved through the current city conditional use permit and license allow the landfill a final elevation of 1,105 feet. This elevation is consistent with the city's Environmental Impact Statement (ELS) on mineral excavation. This EIS was done to provide long range planning for the city's mining district and represents a component of the city's comprehensive plan. The landfill's property is part of the mining district and the landfill voluntarily participated in the EIS. Gravel is mined from the landfill property prior to it being used as a waste deposit. The landfill proposed a revision to their MPCA permit that would allow them to have side slopes of 3 to 1 versus the normal 5 to 1 side slopes The steeper side slopes proposed by the landfill could have accommodated an ultimate height in excess of 1,200 feet. City staff met with representatives of both MPCA and the Elk River Landfill on January 30, 1997 regarding the 3 to 1 slopes and expressed concerns about the ultimate height of the landfill. The 3 to 1 side slopes were rejected by MPCA. Lanfi197