7.2. PRSR 12-10-2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

A WSB &Associates.Inc Infrastructure•Engineering•Planning•Construction 701 Xenia Avenue South Suite 300 Minneapolis,MN 55416 Tel: 763-541-4800 Fax: 763-541-1700 Memorandum To: Elk River Parks and Recreation Commission From: Kelsey Johnson,Project Manager WSB&Associates,Inc. Date: December 4,2014 Re: Gravel Mining Study Area Land Use Scenarios Discussion Background The City Council authorized the preparation of a land use,transportation, utility, and schematic grading plan for the 2,600 acre Gravel Mining Area located in northern Elk River along Highway 169. The Plan is aimed to answer a number of questions including what are the desired land uses for the area post mining, how can the City work with the miners to establish compatible reclamation plans, how much development can be supported through an extension of the existing sanitary sewer collection system, how will transportation access (both vehicular and pedestrian) and visibility be managed, and how will the neighboring land uses be protected? Community Engagement As part of the process, the planning team has utilized a number of public engagement techniques to- date including: 1. Four(4)focus group meetings with mining companies, property owners,Sherburne County staff, MnDOT staff, City and ERMU staff; 2. One(1) public visioning session; 3. Direct email correspondence and telephone conversations with key stakeholders;and 4. The use of MindMixer,an online public engagement tool. The results of the community engagement efforts are included for your review. Overall, the top priorities for the people involved in the community engagement(online or in-person)were: 1. The need to lay out a plan for the area that has a mix of uses (diversified) and have patience to see the plan through; 2. The need for clean industrial land uses with provide jobs(not heavy industry); 3. The need to provide adequate streets,traffic flow,and infrastructure to the area; 4. The importance of providing parks and trails(which includes active and passive areas);and 5. The need for more diversified retail opportunities. Those involved in this process so far had top "likes" of retail opportunities, industrial based businesses, housing, but most importantly, parks and trails opportunities. The largest comments for"dislikes" were the existence of the landfill,the type of retail development,and the heavy industrial users. Overall, people want to see more jobs, more retail options, and more parks and natural spaces. Flexibility and the need to plan were both rated as important land use management principles. A mix of