7.1. SR 02-03-2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Copart USA Traffic Impact Study 1/14/2020 Elk River, MN A. INTRODUCTION Westwood Professional Services has conducted a traffic impact study for the proposed Copart USA online auto auction development in Elk River, Minnesota. The proposed land use would encompass 47 acres in eastern Elk River. The site is located approximately 1,600 feet north of TH 10 along Jarvis Street NW, and until recently has served as a storage yard for metal pipes. Copart is a global leader in online car auctions, and a premier destination for the resale and remarketing of vehicles. Copart specializes in the resale and remarketing of salvage title vehicles for a variety of sellers, including insurance companies, rental car companies, local municipalities, financial institutions and charities. Specializing in salvage vehicle auctions, Copart makes it easy for members to find, bid on, and win the vehicles that they are looking for. From salvage cars to clean title vehicles, members can bid on classics, early and late model cars and trucks, motorcycles, industrial vehicles and more. What is unique about Copart versus a standard used car lot is that Copart's inventory and sales platform are all online. Vehicles are brought to the storage lot and added to the inventory. Prospective buyers view and purchase vehicles online. Most vehicles are then picked up and delivered from the Copart lot by vehicle delivery trucks. For the most part, the traffic generated by the Copart site is from employees and the delivery trucks themselves. Minor customer traffic is generated, but not on the level of a standard used car lot. The Copart site in Elk River is planned to be built in two phases (See Figure 1). The first phase would encompass just under twenty acres and be located on the west side of Jarvis Street NW on the south end of the property. It would extend along the north side of the railroad tracks. Access to the site would be by way of an existing gate just north of the railroad crossing. A drop lot for Phase I will be designated just inside this entrance where transport haulers can offload vehicles during non -business hours. During Phase I, Copart employees will utilize an existing building as their business office. During Phase II, an additional 28 acres of development will extend to the north past 163r6 Avenue NW. Access to the Copart site will be moved from the existing gate to a new access off of 161s' Avenue NW. At that point, the existing gated access just north of the railroad tracks will close. In addition, a new business office will be built north of 1615t Street. As with Phase I, a new secure drop lot will be constructed off of 1615t Avenue NW. Transport drivers will be provide with a key code to access the drop lot before and after business hours so no transport vehicles will be waiting along 1615t Avenue NW. Westwood