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• Planning Commission April 23, 1996 Page 2 Background The ANC is a research agricultural center located at 10383 165th Avenue in Elk River. The ANC is the central component of the Cargill Animal Research Group. Its mission is the development of improved technology in animal nutrition, nutrient utilization and management. The ANC conducts beef research, dairy research, swine research, and preservation research on a site consisting of 980 acres. Materials describing the operations of the ANC are attached. The ANC has conducted agricultural research at its present location since 1958. Thus, Cargill's operations at our present site predates the City of Elk River's assumption of governmental jurisdiction over this area by two decades. While there have been changes in applicable land-use regulations over the nearly 40 years that the ANC has been in operation, our activities at this site at all times have been authorized uses. Prior to the consolidation of Elk River Township with the City of Elk River in 1978, the Cargill property was zoned A-2, General Agricultural District, by Sherburne County. When consolidation occurred, the City placed the ANC property in its A-1, Agricultural • Conservation District, which permits general agricultural uses. The ANC obviously was a permitted use under these classifications. In fact, although Cargill has sought and obtained all necessary City permits for numerous improvements to the ANC since 1978, until last year, we were never required to obtain a conditional use permit for our research agricultural uses. It is our understanding that in 1988, Elk River rezoned hundreds of acres of agricultural land as part of its long-term growth Management Strategy. As part of this process, the ANC property and most of the surrounding properties were rezoned R-1 a, Single Family Rural Residential District. Cargill was not given direct notice of this zoning change. This change did not affect the ANC, however, because the R-1 a zoning district is intended to permit agricultural activities of the type conducted by the ANC side-by-side with low-density residential development to create a "rural life-style." (Council minutes from September 7, 1988 include a staff summary stating "[f]arming is a principal use on lots five acres or larger within the R-1 a zone. Being zoned to R-1 a does not eliminate farming or affect farm taxes.") In 1990, Elk River rezoned several large areas of land along Highway 10 south of the central business district to I-1, Light Industrial District. These broad zoning changes were made to conform to the Comprehensive Plan. Approximately 225 acres of the ANC property lying north of 165th street were rezoned to I-1 as part of this larger rezoning. However, this change again did not affect the ANC because research • laboratories are permitted uses in the Light Industrial District. It always has been our