Recently, on March 29, the
Planning Commission held another
Special Meeting with Sherri Buss of
TKDA, in part concerning the updating of the Comprehensive Plan, and invited members of the
Metropolitan Council and the
Town Board to attend as well.
The issue of the
possible annexation of the AirLake Airport by Lakeville
vs. Eureka being "allowed" to
offer sewer and water to the airport
without its leaving the Township was the prime subject of focus for that portion of the meeting. Representatives from the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) and the airport itself were present in the audience and offered comment. The Airport's expressed motivation in this is to be sewered and watered in keeping with MAC's policy for all its airports metro-wide.There were a fair number of citizens also in attendance, which was good to see, as this is a "hot button" topic that has been discussed at Planning Commission meetings, Town Board meetings, and at the Annual Meeting this year.
How this possible annexation is to be addressed within Eureka's Comprehensive Plan update is perhaps the simplest aspect of this whole matter. It has been suggested that this area could be highlighted and noted as a possible area of change in the near future. You see, MAC has not yet updated
its own Comprehensive Plan. Whatever MAC ends up with would have to be reflected in Eureka's document. That will mean an amendment for the Township sometime down the road when the dust settles.
The representatives from the Met Council were
Patrick Boylan, Eureka's area rep;
Kyle Colvin, who deals with sewer and water for the Council; and
Wendy Wulff, Vice Chair of the Council's Environment Committee. As noted in the most recent edition of the Township Newsletter, the Council reps indicated that the Council
might be willing to entertain a submission (my phrasing)
from the Township to the Council's Environment Committee. This would request the ability to deliver sewer and water to that portion of the airport that is in Eureka Township. Acceptance of this proposal could mean that Eureka itself would administer the service to the Eureka portion of the airport without an annexation being involved.
The Town Board is waiting to receive a list of the items/information that would have to be submitted for consideration.
Without getting into too much detail at this
very early phase of such a possible proposal, it is Yours Truly's understanding that Eureka would send billing to and collect fees from those accessing this limited sewer and water. What is perhaps most important is that it is unknown at this juncture what
the cost to the Township might be. It is very possible that engineering work would be part of what the Township has to submit to the Council. There is the cost of the infrastructure itself. It is also conceivable that a person would have to be hired by Eureka just to actually administer the service. Currently, there is no staff to do this. Stay tuned for the details.
Also raised at this meeting with the reps was an idea concerning sewered commercial/industrial (C/I) use at some location(s) in the northern part of Eureka. This has been recently put forward (again) by "certain individuals" at the Annual Meeting, at Board meetings, and at Commission meetings. Questions were asked about the Council's possible reception of such a proposal and even its feasibility at this time.
You may recall that the Township conducted a study of possible C/I use a few years ago. Part of the study was to determine if there were a block of interest in this type of zoning. The intent to conduct the study was noted in the last version of the Comprehensive Plan. The current updating of the Plan reports the results of that study. (These results are available on the website.) "The individuals" seem to object to updating the Comp Plan simply by means of reporting the study results and have voiced to the Commission that they think it should be including provisions for C/I uses in the update. THIS would ignore the conclusions of the study and its next steps and, further, would require a "rogue" Planning Commission, in my opinion. I said as much at a meeting. The current Commission is following the Town Board's direction given when it was assigned the task, which is what it is
supposed to do.
The tail doesn't wag the dog!
The C/I task force completed Phase I of the study and came to conclusions
that were subsequently accepted/adopted by the Board. They include:
1) There are openings for C/I uses in the AirLake Industrial Park. (That Park has never actually been full, to my knowledge.)
2) There are many such opportunities available nearby in Farmington as well.
3) The sites available in Lakeville and Farmington are "pad-ready" and have sewer and water.
4) Without sewer and water available, the uses that would be attracted to Eureka would be of a type that may not be desirable long-term (Read: Hard to replace with other uses when sewer and water do become a possibility for Eureka), and may not generate much in the way of taxes (Think outdoor storage, contractor's yard, truck depot).
5) Having C/I on the northern border with Lakeville only makes it more attractive to Lakeville for annexation. There is no guarantee that landowners wouldn't asked to be annexed.
6) When there are significant changes in the economy, among other things, the study could be reopened to explore further.
The above conclusions were arrived at by the task force in part by discussing the
Market Study done by Jon Commers of Donjek, which was part of Phase I. Among other things, Jon talked with commercial real estate brokers concerning market potential. (This study is also available on the website.)
Phase II of the study will involve engineering costs.
The thought to provide C/I in the northern part of Eureka seems to be that Eureka could "tap into" the sewer interceptor that runs from Elko-New Market through the Township and water could be supplied by means of a wellhead of sufficient size to do so. Of course, this would circumvent the whole study process and the logical conclusions arrived at. Trouble is...
When the Met Council reps were asked about this, part of their answer was "that (having C/I in Eureka outside of the airport property but serviced with sewer) would be much more
'challenging.'" (Is that a polite way to refer to the snowball's chance in Hell?) It was asked and clarified at the meeting that the Township
would not be able to access the interceptor until such time that it would change from "agricultural" to "urban." That change,
if it were accepted by the Council, could cost up to $100k just for the updating of the Comprehensive Plan itself, I understand, because of the engineering costs that would be involved. The Council's projections are that Eureka will not have access to sewer and water until 2040,
at the earliest.
Those following this planning closely know that this date continues to be "pushed out" in ten-year increments.
If/when it became "urban," the Township would be expected to absorb its share of the housing needs for the metro area and would no longer be exempt from providing lower income/affordable housing. Currently, the Council's projections for Eureka household numbers
even in 2040 are
within the number of housing rights that currently exist in Eureka. What would happen to farmers' eligibility for the Ag Preserves program if Eureka became urban? What else would be required of an "urban" Eureka? What might all that cost?
An "individual" went so far at the March 29th meeting as to say publicly that asking about C/I uses wasn't what the meeting was for; it was only to address the airport annexation possibility and how Eureka could provide the services sought by the airport. How interesting! Perhaps those who
called the meeting know best what it is "for." The response given by the Chair was that this suggestion has been brought up many times of late and getting information from the Council reps about its practicality is important for citizens to have.
"Just the Facts, Ma'am" was a common line in the old cop drama "Dragnet." I have given the facts as I took them in at the meeting. (My favorite exchange from that show? She: "Sergeant, why did he have to die?" Jack Webb: "I wouldn't know, Ma'am." Those were the days, huh?!)
Since these minutes have yet to be approved and thus the recording disc still exists, you can purchase a copy from the Town Clerks for $5.00 and listen for yourself. Or, check out the website which should have the
draft minutes of that meeting posted by now.
Commission members. Thank you, Ralph, for your 
