4.2. SR 08-28-2000ITEM 4.2
City of
E
MEMORANDUM
River
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
MAYOR & CITY COUNCIL
STEPHEN ROHLF, BUILDING AND
ZONING ADMINISTRATOR
AUGUST 28, 2000
SUBJECT:
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY BOARD
RESPONSE TO PETITION
REGARDING THE CITY OF ELK
RIVER STATUS AS RESPONSIBLE
GOVERNMENTAL UNIT FOR THE
REQUESTED ENVIRONMENTAL
ASSESSMENT WORKSHEET
Staff has been in contact with the Environmental Quality Board (EQB) regarding the
issue of who would be the Responsible Governmental Unit (RGU) charged with the
preparation of the Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) for the OPUS Facility,
if one was required. The RGU is generally the governmental unit with the greatest
responsibility for approving or supervising the project, which obviously is the City of Elk
River. The EQB has confirmed that the City of Elk River would be the RGU, if an
EAW were required.
If the argument that the city should not be the RGU because it stands to gain through
economic development (tax base) by a project being approved was valid, no city in the
state could ever be the RGU for any project. In this case, the point is somewhat moot due
to the fact that an EAW has already been done for the Country Crossing Project in 1994
and OPUS' proposed facility is consistent with that document. Many of the same issues
raised in the petition were identified in the Country Crossing EAW. Those issues that
required some sort of action on the city's part, have been addressed through the
improvements already made as part of the Country Crossing plat improvements.
Considering the cumulative impacts of a project like Country Crossing is much more
useful than reviewing each proposed building individually. Individually, it takes a
300,000 square foot or larger warehouse or light manufacturing facility in Elk River to
trigger a mandatory EAW.
Although it is probably not necessary legally for the city to respond to the petition, since
the environmental review has already been completed for this area, staff felt it prudent to
address the issues and concerns raised.
13065 Orono Parkway · P.O. Box 490 · Elk River, MN 55330 · TDD & Phone (763) 441-7420 · Fax (763) 441-7425