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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 staffs 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(EIS) 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. • The landfill submitted a Long Term Development Plan(dated March, 1997) for city review that proposed a final elevation of 1,170 feet. The cover letter from Victoria Kreger that accompanied the landfill's submittal, dated March 27, 1997, also identified 1,170 as the height being requested by the landfill in their MPCA and city permits. • In a letter dated March 28, 1997, city staff member Stephen Rohlf expressed concern over the 1,170 height to MPCA staff. • In a letter dated March 31, 1997, Greg Korstad, attorney for the landfill, requested that language in MPCA's permit that referenced the required approval of the ultimate • landfill height by the City of Elk River and Sherburne County be stricken. Lanfil97