Lino Finds "No Significant Impact" For Nature's Refuge
The Lino Lakes City Council has determined that the Nature's Refuge development will not require an Environmental Impact Statement. By a vote of 4-1 at its meeting of January 8, the council approved Resolution No. 07-06, making a negative declaration on the need for an EIS.
As part of the environmental review process for the 278lot residential development, an Environmental Assessment Worksheet was prepared and public comment, including a review by numerous government agencies, was gathered over the thirty-day comment period from Oct. 23 to Nov. 22, 2006.
The 249.7-acre conservation development project is located north of Main Street, generally between Lake Drive and Wood Duck Trail. The parcel includes "large, high-quality existing wetland complex containing rare plant species and communities" in addition to "oak and aspen second-growth forests, planted pines, fallow agricultural fields, and wetlands of varying type and ecological quality," according to the EAW.
Prior to the council's decision, a public hearing was held. Potential impacts of the project on already-congested intersections, including Lake Drive and Main Street, was a recurring theme among residents.
"I ask the council to take a close look at that before making a decision," said Carol Featherstone.
Steve Mockenhaupt was concerned about surface water drainage. "They're talking about filling, diverting wetlands. Have they thoroughly looked at it from a hydrologic standpoint?" he asked.
Dave Anderson wanted to know if it was possible to extend water and sewer service to his neighborhood north of the project.
Other topics included the reductions in forest and grassland areas, water tower capacity, the high water table, pedestrian access from the north, and where road connections might be made through established neighborhoods.
City Planner Jeff Smyser addressed residents' concerns about the project's potential demand on city utilities, saying that "three hundred homes is not a big strain on the city's water supply."
He also said there would likely be constraints on the number of homes that could be built as part of the project "before the signal is in."
Smyser said, "That intersection [Lake Drive and Main Street] is going to function badly whether or not this project gets built. We know that will have to be resolved before this project is approved."
Council Member Donna Carlson expressed her concerns about the combined impacts of this project and the potential 600-plus-acre Robinson sod farm project to the east.
Smyser said that the Nature's Refuge project would "have no effect" on the other, much larger, potential project "because of the huge difference in size."
Community Development Director Michael Grochala said the sod farm project would likely involve an Areawide Urban Alternative Review (AUAR), a form of an EIS, due to its magnitude.
"That project is awaiting the city's Comprehensive Plan process to begin," Smyser said.
Smyser stressed that a project application for Nature's Refuge has not been received by the city and that no approvals have been given. He said that the city of Lino Lakes "does it a little differently" than other cities, recognizing that once a developer submits a set of plans, "they get very reluctant to change anything."
The Nature's Refuge EAW, which addressed topics ranging from the presence of Blandings turtles to the location of the development's main access, was reviewed by Anoka County, MnDOT and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, among other agencies.