PUBLIC HEARING: Consider Final Plat, Zoning Amendment and Easement Vacations for a Proposed Lot Combination (Project No. 18-100); Case of ACE Solid Waste, Inc.

The City has received an application from ACE Solid Waste (the "Applicant") for Final Plat review to combine two (2) lots into one.  The application also includes requests for a Zoning Amendment and Easement Vacation as well.  The two properties include 6601 McKinley Street (ACE's headquarters) and 14050 Basalt Street (together referred to as the "Subject Properties"). While no site improvements are proposed at this time, ACE Solid Waste is anticipating a potential future expansion of their transfer station building, which would extend across an existing property boundary between the Subject Properties, and additional parking/storage area, prompting the requested actions.

City Staff attempted to notify all property owners within 700 feet of the Subject Property of the request via U.S. mail and published a notice of public hearing in the Anoka Union Herald, the City's official newspaper.

Final Plat
The Subject Properties combined are just over ten (10) acres in size. The existing transfer station building is located in the northwest corner of ACE's main campus (6601 McKinley Street NW) and any expansion of that building would be to the north, which would cross the existing property boundary separating the Subject Properties. The proposed plat would simply eliminate the boundary line between the two lots, creating one larger parcel. There are no proposed site improvements associated with this request at this time.  The new parcel would meet all the minimum standards for the zoning district.

Basalt Street is currently a dirt/gravel road south of 141st Ave. Any future improvements to the northern portion of the Subject Properties would have to gain access from 141st Street, unless the segment of Basalt Street were brought up to current standards (pavement, curb/gutter). This had been conveyed to the Applicant when City Staff met with them in 2017 to discuss their potential future improvements.

Easement Vacations
There are some existing drainage and utility easements and a permanent street easement encumbering 14050 Basalt Street. The Applicant has requested the vacation of all the underlying easements, which will be re-dedicated as drainage and utility easements and dedicated right-of-way with the recording of the plat.  The Final Plat does include the required ten (10) foot wide drainage and utility easements around the perimeter of the new parcel and also dedicates the right-of-way along 141st Ave.

Zoning Amendment
The Subject Properties currently have a split zoning. 14050 Basalt Street is zoned E-1 Employment while 6601 McKinley Street is zoned E-2 Employment. The Applicant is requesting a Zoning Amendment to rezone the Basalt Street property to E-2 Employment to establish a single, uniform zoning designation for the newly created parcel.  That zoning designation would be consistent with the parcels to the west and north of the Subject Properties.

The Planning Commission conducted a Public Hearing concerning the Zoning Amendment and reviewed the Sketch Plan at their February 1, 2018 meeting.  There were no written or verbal comments received and the Planning Commission supported the project.

All costs associated with this request are the Applicant's responsibility.

The Planning Commission recommends approving the Final Plat and Zoning Amendment and Staff supports the Easement Vacation request, contingent upon recording of the Plat.

Motion to introduce Ordinances 18-07 and 18-08 and adopt Resolution #18-052 related to the parcel and zoning district consolidation for Ace Solid Waste.