9 PCSR 03-22-1994 ( / ITEM 9
y of MEMORANDUM
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lktRiver
TO: PLANNING COMMISSION
FROM: STEPHEN ROHLF, BUILDING AND
ZONING ADMINISTRATOR
DATE: MARCH 22, 1994 S
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON ENFORCEMENT OF
CUSTOM MOTORS CONDITIONAL USE
PERMIT, PUBLIC HEARING, CASE NO.
ZC 94-02
A previous agenda item at this meeting is the re-zoning for Custom Motors
from light industrial to single family residential. Besides the re-zoning, the
Council asked staff to review two other issues regarding Custom Motors;
screening and environmental clean up.
Ill Assuming Custom Motors is re-zoned to single family, staff has the following
recommendations to the City Council:
1. SCREENING
The City's amortization period for a junk yard is 5 years. If Custom
Motors is willing to enter into an agreement prepared by the City
Attorney stating that they will relocate within the 5 year amortization
period, staff recommends that they do no screening. Our feeling is that
it would be better for Custom Motors to save the money they would put
into screening and use it to relocate.
2. ENVIRONMENTAL CLEAN-UP
Attached is a memo from John Lichter, City Environmental
Consultant. John indicates his preliminary analysis of the Custom
Motors site shows areas of contamination, but immediate clean up is
probably not necessary. Staff recommends further testing and clean
up of the site once the junkyard inventory is removed but prior to
redevelopment of the site into residential. Testing and clean up will be
made much easier once the inventory is gone and the type of
• contamination should not migrate far within the 5 year amortization
period. The condition that testing and clean up be postponed should
also be made part of an agreement drawn up by the City Attorney.
P.O. Box 490 • 13065 Orono Parkway • Elk River, MN 55330 • (612) 441-7420 • Fax: (612) 441-7425
Custom Motors, Re-Zone Page 2
March 22, 1994
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Staff further recommends additional confinement measures to
minimize further contamination of this site be implemented
immediately. An example would be disassembly of parts be done on a
concrete pad under a roof.
3. RELOCATION AID
Custom Motors is in an unfortunate situation. When this business
started in the early 60's, they were isolated. Now, the City has grown
up around them. Staff is recommending that the City's Economic
Development Department explore ways to soften the economic blow to
this business due to relocating.
Obviously, if Custom Motors is not rezoned and remains industrial,
staff recommendations on screening and environmental clean up will
change.
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pccm.doc
B.A.LIESCH ASSOCIATES, INC. 13400 15TH AVE. N. MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55441 612/559-1423 FAX 612/559-2202
MEMORANDUM
TO: THE CITY OF ELK RIVER
FROM: JOHN LICHTER, B.A. LIESCH ASSOCIATES P/1?
DATE: JANUARY 21, 1994
RE: CUSTOM MOTORS SITE SCREENING AND ASSESSMENT
Recently, Liesch was requested to conduct reconnaissance soil sampling at this property
on Highway 10. Testing and groundwater monitoring of off-site wells adjacent to this
Property was also completed. A report dated November 17, 1993 was submitted which
. summarizes the results of soil testing on the Property. Follow-up groundwater
monitoring was completed in December 1993. This work was initiated based on the
City's desire to determine environmental conditions on the Property and how these
conditions may affect potential future land use.
Assessment activities to date appear to indicate environmental impacts are predominantly
limited to surficial soils in high activity areas, including, but not limited to, the engine
and transmission storage area, vehicle processing areas and traffic pathways. Soils in the
vicinity of typical automobile storage areas do not appear to be problematic, as field
screening measures and analytical test results did not indicate parameters above detection
limits, although some minor staining was observed in these areas.
Additional soil sampling and analytical testing would be required to confirm
reconnaissance soil sampling findings, as well as to further define the extent and
magnitude of impacts already identified, in particular, the processing garage and
engine/transmission storage area. Additionally, TCLP analyses may be required on soils
with high lead levels to evaluate mitigation and disposal options (to determine if the soils
would be regulated as hazardous). There is also the possibility of localized groundwater
contamination suggested by data from the engine/transmission storage area, permeability
of soils, and anticipated shallow depth to ground water.
• To evaluate off-site groundwater impacts, Liesch tested two wells on the Boelter property
north and anticipated downgradient of the Custom Motors site. These tests did not find
Page 2 •
January 21 , 1994
any evidence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in either well. Lead was present
slightly above the recommended allowable limit (RAL) for drinking water, however,
based on available data collected to date, Liesch does not believe this is associated with
the Custom Motors operation.
To mitigate environmental concerns on the Custom Motors parcel, several items must be
considered.
1. Work completed by Liesch was a screening effort to identify possible problem
areas and does not delineate the comlpete areal extent of contamination. Further
work is needed to accomplish this.
2. Custom Motors has implemented several management practices to reduce
environmental problems but it appears additional items should be considered.
These include the use of concrete pads to retain vehicle fluids, conducting certain
operations under roof, preventing run on into vehicle disassembly areas and other
methods to prevent vehicle fluid loss.
3. Some soil and possibly limited groundwater remediation may be necessary to •
achieve environmental standards for residential development. The Minnesota
Department of Health has recently established a soil lead level of 300 mg/kg for
residential areas. Data from Liesch's work suggests soil lead levels in some areas
of the site significantly exceed this value (up to 9400 mg/kg near the garage).
Implementation of additional containment measures, further soil assessment and limited
soil clean-up at this time would minimize further contamination and provide expectations
of meeting the goal of possible residential use for the Property.
maw:ENV/64102/memo 12194.wp
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B.A.LIESCH ASSOCIATES, INC. 13400 15TH AVENUE NORTH MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA 55441