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Memo to Mayor & City Council/Cargill, Inc. <br />June 18, 2001 <br />Page 2 <br /> <br />Attachments <br /> <br />· Map of Cargill property <br />· Map of changes to urban service boundary <br />· Map of proposed A (Agricultural) land use designation <br />· Map of proposed AR (Agricultural Research) district <br />· Map of proposed designated expansion area for the conditional use permit <br />· Table of proposed uses and expansion for the conditional use permit <br />· Map of Cargill property to be deeded to the City of Elk River <br />· Ordinance No. 01- <br />· Ordinance No. 01- <br />· Resolution No. 01- <br /> <br />Planning Commission Meeting <br /> <br />At the Planning Commission meeting held on May 22nd, no one spoke at the public hearing. <br />Representatives from Cargill were present to answer questions and the City Attorney <br />explained the history leading up to these applications. The Commission had some questions <br />regarding the operations at Cargill's facility and recommended unanimously that the City <br />Council approve the 4 applications. <br /> <br />Analysis of Applications <br /> <br />(OA 00-8) Ordinance Amendment Creating an AR (Agricultural Research) District <br />and New Definition for "Agricultural Research Facilities" <br /> <br />In May 1995, a conditional use permit was granted to Cargill for a feedlot at their animal <br />nutrition center. The conditional use permit was issued for their existing facility on the south <br />side of 165th Avenue and the proposed expansion of their swine facility. At the time it was <br />felt that their facility best fit the definition of a feedlot which is defined as: <br /> <br />"A confined area used for housing or feeding poultry or livestock where substantial <br />amounts of animal waste will be generated, but not including barns or pens which <br />are necessary uses incidental to a farming operation." <br /> <br />This definition does not accurately describe the operations of Cargill's facility. One aspect of <br />the operation fits the zoning code definition of a feedlot, but the nutrition center is primarily <br />a research center and offices for the development of improved animal nutrition. Along with <br />research in animal nutrition, the center conducts research in the preservation of feed and <br />silage, development of new types of feed and laboratory analysis. <br /> <br />During the summer of 1996 the City and Cargill began discussions that included the current <br />classification of the nutritional center as a feedlot as well as which zoning district <br />classification would be most appropriate for Cargill's property. The facility is an agricultural <br />research facility that does not fit neatly into any of the existing definitions or zoning districts. <br />Cargill's 980 acres is currently part of 3 zoning districts, Rla (Single Family Residential), I1 <br />(Light Industrial) and C3 (Highway Commercial). <br /> <br />S:\PLANNING\SCOTTkCARGILL.DOC <br /> <br /> <br />