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MINUTES OF THE <br /> ORONO PLANNING COMISSION MEETING <br /> Monday,March 18,2013 <br /> 6:30 o'clock p.m. <br /> MCWD permits indicating approval of the project should be required for the administrative land <br /> alteration permit to be issued by the City as well. <br /> Leskinen asked if the offsite mitigation will be within Orono. <br /> Curtis indicated it is not. <br /> Tim Johnson indicated it will be located in Wright County because there are no available credits in this <br /> area. <br /> Landgraver asked if there is the presence of invasive species that is no allowing replacement credits to be <br /> granted. <br /> Curtis stated that refers to the newly created wetland. <br /> Schoenzeit asked if there is any project that is closer to the water. <br /> Johnson indicated that was the closest they could find and that this is the recommendation of all the <br /> involved government entities. <br /> Schoenzeit commented this project does not benefit Orono's efforts to remove phosphorus and manage <br /> runoff and that it is unfortunate a closer spot could not be found. <br /> Landgraver asked how the credits work. <br /> Gaffron stated whenever developers have excess wetland credits anywhere in the state,they are able to <br /> bank and sell them. Gaffron indicated City Staff had a similar discussion with the staff of the Watershed <br /> District about the inability to do something more on site. The Watershed District has indicated there are <br /> no bankable credits in Hennepin County or in the Watershed District, and if there had been any created in <br /> the past,they were likely used up immediately by developers. <br /> Gaffron stated the City's Code talks about doing something on site, and absent that, WACA rules allows a <br /> developer to go to the next step and buy credits from somebody else. No credits were available from the <br /> Watershed District and so the developer went to the next watershed. <br /> Schoenzeit asked if the cost of the credits is comparable to doing the project on site. <br /> Johnson indicated it costs substantially more in wetland credits than if the project is done on the property. <br /> Schoenzeit asked if the City could act as the intermediary to sponsor something locally. <br /> Consulting City Engineer David Martini stated the issue is finding land that is available next to an <br /> existing wetland. Martini noted this project is fairly small and that it was not possible to find land that <br /> was conducive to it on this site. <br /> Schoenzeit noted the City has had some subdivisions in the past where they have had to create wetlands. <br /> Page 3 of 24 <br />