| Oak Grove council not likely to support comp plan |
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| Wednesday, 08 July 2009 | |
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Staff writer The Oak Grove City Council is set make a decision Monday on whether or not to approve the city’s final draft of the 2030 comprehensive plan. And that decision is likely to be a denial of the plan. Council members discussed the city’s 2030 comprehensive plan at their June 29 meeting. Councilmembers Mark Korin and Scott Lawrence expressed their displeasure with the plan as it was submitted to the Met Council. “I’m not happy with it,” Korin said. “I believe what they’re forcing us to do is not good for our city,” he said, citing concerns over property owners’ rights in the newly added 2,000 acres designated for future municipal sewer and water. The Metropolitan Council is requiring the city to designate 2,000 acres to be set aside for city sewer and water sometime after 2030. Of these 2,000 acres, 1,000 net acres need to be buildable land. Property in this future water and sewer area, anticipated for the southwest corner of the city with service provided through a planned treatment facility in East Bethel, will be required to develop in a way that allows for future efficient installation of sewer and water. Development that clusters housing together with more urban lot sizes and divding parcels with one house on 10 acres is one way to accomplish this. “It’s the best of a bad situation,” said Mayor Jim Iund. “I want people to know they don’t give us a choice,” said Councilmember Kristen Anderson. The comprehensive plan was approved for submittal to the Met Council last year. At that meeting, Korin, who along with Lawrence, were council members-elect, urged the council to reconsider the comprehensive plan. The comprehensive plan must be approved by a super-majority (four-fifths vote of of approval) of the council. At the June 29 meeting, council members discussed the ramifications of not approving the 2030 comprehensive plan. If that happens, the current comprehensive plan would remain in effect, but the Metropolitan Council will not likely approve any new comprehensive plan amendments, according to city staff. The Met Council may also initiate litigation to force the city to approve the 2030 comprehensive plan, something that gave Korin pause. “We’re not in a financial situation where we can spend a lot of money fighting big brother,” he said. Anderson expressed frustration with Met Council representatives forcing Oak Grove to plan for future municipal sewer and water when they are not elected officials. “They’re not accountable to anyone but themselves,” she said. The city’s 2030 comprehensive plan was given final approval by the Metropolitan Council in June. At the council’s June 29 meeting, council members directed staff to prepare a resolution for the council to consider at its July 13 meeting. Kelly Johnson is at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it |
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