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Cass Property <br />October 30, 1995 <br />Page 4 <br />The city has had soil borings and the soil analyzed for the future building <br />sites and every indication is that the six building sites are suitable for the <br />construction of a home. The city has an appraisal and real estate opinion <br />completed for this property. The city has a recommendation from the Park <br />and Recreation Commission from its 4/19/95 meeting that supports this <br />purchase. The city has had a wetlands analysis completed which shows that <br />any wetlands impacted by this project can be mitigated on site. The city has <br />had a phase one and phase two environmental audit completed for this <br />property and it appears that there are no contaminants or environmental <br />issues that would restrict the city's use of this property. It should be noted <br />that the city will request the residential lots to have deep wells constructed <br />in order to minimize the nitrates that are in the soils from years and years of <br />farming this area. <br />The City Council should note the property that the city hopes to sell for real <br />estate purposes is currently in the 2.5 acre residential zone of the city. This <br />potentially could change with the adoption of the Comprehensive Plan <br />update and with any zoning code or subdivision changes that may go along <br />with the updated Comp Plan. Additionally, if this area is ultimately viewed <br />as land that may be serviced by municipal sewer and water, this may change <br />the scenario and the opinion of staff on the desirability of this transaction. If <br />this project moves forward, the City Council ultimately would have to <br />approve a plat for this property that may include a service drive or common <br />driveway easements in order to limit the access onto 165th. Additionally, the <br />city may want to identify building location pads for the lots to be sold and/or <br />the type of structures that could be constructed on the property. These are <br />decisions for the future if this project moves forward. The same is true as to <br />deciding whether or not the city should be the real estate agent selling these <br />properties or if we should just contract this out to professionals in the <br />industry and have them market and sell the sites for the city. <br />There are many reasons for the city to move forward with this project <br />including the need for recreation fields, the need for additional sludge land, <br />and the need for the city to be creative financially so that it is not a burden <br />on the taxpayers or any of our funds to pursue the development of recreation <br />fields. Some reasons to not do this project include the concerns over the <br />future zoning, lot size requirements, and sewer and water in this area. Also, <br />there is a concern about the city getting into the real estate business, but it <br />should be noted that this is not the primary purpose for this land acquisition, <br />but simply a by-product that the city is going to take advantage of in order to <br />recapture some of its expenditures. <br />The City Council needs to make a preliminary decision as to whether or not <br />we want to pursue this project. By authorizing the execution of the purchase <br />agreement, the city runs the risk of losing $5,000 if we do not finalize this <br />