Laserfiche WebLink
Comment: The comment from the Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis is: “We appeal to <br />the golf course developers to avoid this [Big Woods] forest entirely. We also urge the <br />citizens and city councils of Orono and Medina, as well as prospective golf course <br />members, to value this woods. Springhill Golf Course will undo what a it took nature <br />hundreds, if not thousands of years to create.” <br />Response: Impacts to the Big Woods have been minimized in several aspects throughout the <br />golf course design. Eleven different routings were prepared and reviewed for the site. A <br />comparison of densities of golf holes on the property south of Co. Rd. 6 and north of Co. Rd. 6 <br />shows that 11.80 Acres per hole of land is proposed, compared to a more dense 9.07 Acres per <br />hole in less sensitive areas. The density is significantly lower in the Big Woods. <br />Fairway design is as narrow as possible in sensitive areas such as Big Woods and wetlands. <br />In addition, an area (0.64 acres) has been set aside as upland buffer area, for protection under the <br />Wetland Conservation Act. In total, this area is approximately 4.6 contiguous acres of Big <br />Woods. This portion of the property lies adjacent to ocher Big Woods tracts of residential <br />property. Another area where fairways were designed to minimize impacts, allow for a 2 acre <br />parcel of Big Woods. Most Big Wood tracts are connected so as not to leave “islands” of <br />isolated areas. The historical evaluation of the site did not reveal any historic significance to this <br />tract of Big Woods. <br />The clearing process on this golf course will go thru many stages. The first stage will be a <br />clearing, 30 feet either side of the center line of the golf hole. After this initial clearing is <br />completed, all of the clearing fr.)m that point on will be flagged. Any tree that is in question to <br />remain or be removed will be left until the golf hole has been roughed in, at that point a decision <br />will be made on the trees. <br />Comment: Another comment from the Audubon Society is regarding a public buyout: <br />“The neighboring communities of Eden Prairie, Plymouth and Maple Grove, have <br />implemented public buyouts of ecologically significant tracts such as this. Perhaps it’s <br />not too late for Orono and Medina to consider this option.” (letter March 27, 1997) <br />Response: City acquisition of the Spring Hill property is financially prohibitive. The applicants <br />have indicated their costs of acquisition of the property are in excess of $5 million. No public or <br />private entity has stepped forward offering funding for acquisition of the property. The owner of <br />the Big Woods parcels in Medina has indicated if the golf course project does not go forward, he <br />expects the property will be sold for residential development or developed by himself for that <br />purpose. He indicates he has no intent to donate the Big Woods property to the DNR nor to <br />grant conservation easements over it.