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Conservation Commission - 03/27/2007 APPROVED MINUTES CONSERVATION COMMISSION TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2007 7:00 PM, CITY CENTER 8080 Mitchell Road, Eden Prairie, MN Prairie Room COMMISSION MEMBERS: Eapen Chacko (Chair), Jan Mosman (Vice Chair), Ray Daniels, Rita Krocak, Geneva MacMillan, David Seymour STUDENT COMMISSIONERS: Alesia Casanova, Lauren Mosman, Mark Muston CITY STAFF: Leslie A. Stovring, Staff Liaison VISITORS: Laura Jester I. ROLL CALL Chair Chacko called the meeting to order at 7:07 PM. Rita Krocak and the Student Commissioners were absent. Laura Jester was present as a visitor. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Seymour moved, seconded by MacMillan, to approve the agenda. Motion carried 5-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. March 13, 2007 MOTION: Seymour moved, seconded by MacMillan, to carry approval of the minutes to the April 10, 2007 meeting. Motion carried 5-0. IV. REPORTS FROM STAFF V. REPORTS FROM COMMISSION MEMBERS VI. OLD BUSINESS A. Prospect Road EAW—Review and compilation of comments Chacko opened discussion by stating that the meeting was being held as a vehicle for finalizing group comments regarding the Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW). He asked who the letter should be addressed to. Stovring stated that the letter should be addressed to Scott Neal, City Manager. Chacko originally thought to organize the letter by heading as listed in the EAW, but determined this would be too difficult. As such the comments were grouped by type of comment or issue. Stovring showed the Commissioners a map developed by Short Elliot Hendrickson (SEH, Inc.) for Prospect Road in response to the developer's comment regarding the footprint for the Alternative A (Prospect Road). The design shows that the road Eden Prairie Conservation Commission March 27, 2007 Page 2 of 3 itself only requires 2.1 acres of grading area, which is similar to what is stated in the EAW. Stormwater treatment could be handled within an existing stormwater ponding area which would be regraded to include a pond developed for trout rearing. The pond infiltrates too quickly to support fish and could be used for stormwater infiltration instead. Additional grading by the Developer would be for construction of the Oak Creek development project, not the road itself. For example, the developer had moved the road slightly north to provide stormwater ponding for the development, which moved the road into the area with Kitten-tails and increased the grading requirements. Discussion ensued regarding the grading for the culvert versus a bridge crossing. Stovring stated that there would be two primary concerns with a bridge crossing that she is aware of. One would be the need to move stormwater ponding back to the west side of the creek and the second would be the need for additional deicing compounds for bridge maintenance. Daniels asked if the Commission could request additional evaluation as part of the EAW as he felt that additional planning was needed to make a decision on whether the EAW was complete. Stovring stated that additional investigation for individual items, the need for revising the EAW or requesting that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) be completed could be included in the comments. Jester asked if an Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR) was considered. Stovring stated that it was not, that the types of issues covered by an AUAR could be incorporated into the EIS in sections such as Cumulative Impacts. The Commission then reviewed the Planning Board memorandum and the mitigation measures and additional investigation and evaluation recommended by Staff to the Board. Stovring presented these as examples of the types of additional evaluation or investigation that could be recommended. Discussion continued on including a request for evaluation of a "no-build" alternative in the comment letter. Questions were raised regarding long-term impacts beyond 2008 and whether they were adequately addressed in the EAW. Additionally, could other alternatives be evaluated? Stovring stated that the consultant hired by the City was asked to look for alternatives to Prospect Road, and these were the alignments they felt would work best when looking at the terrain within this area. Daniels was concerned that the Prospect Road crossing would fragment the wildlife corridor and habitat within the creek valley. Daniels stated that the bridge crossing alternative needs more study as it is not clear whether the impact from a bridge crossing would be more or less than a culvert crossing. More evaluation is required to provide meaningful discussion on how the crossing could be done with the least amount of impact. Mosman stated that more information should be provided on items such as the length of the bridge and the location and area requirements for stormwater ponding. Chacko stated that the EAW is not clear on how the construction would be mitigated to lessen impacts to the creek valley. Eden Prairie Conservation Commission March 27, 2007 Page 3 of 3 Mosman asked if the creek reach listed as impaired includes the Hennepin Village section. Stovring stated that the turbidity measurements are taken at the Metropolitan Council water quality monitoring station at the intersection of Flying Cloud Drive and Riley Creek. The next monitoring site she was aware of would be Riley Lake itself and as far as she knows the entire stretch from Lake Riley to the Minnesota River is impaired. Stovring also stated that there is a lot of erosion occurring along this creek corridor that would contribute to the sediment load in this stretch. Discussion of the comment letter concluded. Chacko stated he would work with Stovring to incorporate information and suggestions provided during the session, and to improve the text. A final draft would be circulated to commissioners for review, with the goal of sending the letter to the City Manager by the end of the week, if possible. . If commissioners want to provide comments on any additional issues, they would need to provide those comments individually as residents on their own. MOTION: Mosman moved and Seymour seconded to move forward with revision of the letter and circulation of the final draft, as discussed.. Motion carried 5-0. VII. NEW BUSINESS/DISCUSSION ITEMS VIII. INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS/HANDOUTS/COMMUNICATIONS IX. UPCOMING EVENTS A. City Council Meeting—EAW Discussion - May 1, 2007 B. Living Green Expo — May 5-6, 2007 at the State Fairsrounds (Grandstand Buildin D. Friends of Birch Island Woods Buckthorn Workshop — Saturday, March 31St Eden Woods Center X. NEXT MEETING A. April 10, 2007 XI. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Seymour moved, seconded by Chacko, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 5-0. Chair Chacko adjourned the meeting at 8:36 PM.