HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution 737 _;c •
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RESOLUTION # 737
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A RES�?LUTION REGARDING THE PROPOSED FUTURE CONSTRtJ.CTION
• OF THE JOINT INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT N0. 287 AREA
VOCATIONAL-iECHN2CAL SCHOOL LOCATED ON THE SOUTH BOUNDARY
OF THE CITY OF MEDIPdA
WHEREAS, during 1970, and without requesting or receiving
input from Orono pertaining to consistancy with comprehensive
planning or other zoning requirements, the Joint Independent School
District No. 287 purchased land located in the City of.�:: Medina
within the Lake P�innetonka watershed for the future site
of the West Campus of the Hennepin County area Vocational-Technical
School, and ,
WHEREAS, the future development of this site into the
Vo-Tech West Campus will require municipal services from the
City of Orono such as sewer, transportation routes, police, fire
and other municipal services required to serve urban development; and
WHEREAS , Joint Independent School District No. 287 on
November 8, 1976 requested that Orono consider their urban needs
for municipal services, especiallv sewer service for a 2,400
student Vo-Tech School to be operational in 1980 at its Medina
site; and
WHEREAS, the request of the Vo-Tech School for services
would requir.e the extention of several urban services thru the
� rural service area of Orono which is in conflict with the
long established cornprehensive planning of Orono and the
� T•Zetropolitan Council Development Framework, and
WHEREAS, the City of Orono is fullyfaware and cognizant
of the magnitude of the problems of balancing the deleterious
effects of urbanization with the fragile ecology. It does not
take lightly proposals presented for projects or programs
that effect the ecology of our area that do not represent
all environmental concerns required to protect our area and
Lake Minnetonka; and
_. WHEREAS, with the completion of the Harza Study, Orono
� became increasingly aware of its responsibilities required for
-the protection and perservation of Lake Minnetonka; and
WHEREAS, because of this awareness and other concerns as
hereinafter set forth, Orono has defined its Land Use Policy
so that development within its rural service areas would
remain rural in nature without the requirement� for expensive
municipal services that Orono cannot provide; and
WHEREAS, Orono has experienced a steady population growth
rate of approximately 2� per year which if continued would
allow Orono to increase its level of municipal services at
• a tolerable rate in light of the 6� mill rate levy limitation
imposed by the 5tate of Minnesota in 1972;. and
Resolution #737
� School District No. 287
Page 2 �
•� WHEREAS, Orono has adopted a Comprehensive Guide Plan
approved by the Metropolitan Council which establishes a 25 year
plan in which Orono will continue to grow at a slow steady rate
without the need for expensive interceptor sewer system within the
rural service area. These interceptors have a profound effect on
the demand for land development at densities required to pay for
the supporting local trunk and lateral sewer systems which result
in a level of urbanization that Lalce Minnetonka cannot tolerate; and
WHEREAS, Orono in making this consideration of the Vo-Tech
request of November 8, 1976 must assess all the urban services
required and the total impact on its comprehensive planning in the
following areas:
l�. • `Sewers: Orono's Comprehensive Sewer Plan dated October, 1976
is based on the fact that Orono is partly urban and partly rural.
The basis for the decision to maintain parts of Orono within the
rural service area is the need to maintain the quality of storm
water runoff to Lake P�innetonka. The quality of the storm water
runoff degenerates as the land use densities are increased.
, Because of the high costs to provide trunk and lateral sewers
to rural Orono, land use densities would have to be increased
to pay for the sewers. The resultant degeneration of Lake
Minnetonka resulting from the .urbanization, would exceed a level
that the lake could tolerate. Orono's Comprehensive Sewer Plan
� supports the design of the Long Lake interceptor to include
capacity for existing lands in Orono presently sewered through
the Long Lake sewer system. These include the Orono School, the
- Orono Industrial Park, twenty (20) units for the Gagne property,
and the Hackberry Hill Subdivision. Orono also has requested
interceptor capacity for the existing I�orningside Subdivision
in Medina that can be sewered by joint cooperation through Long
Lake to the interceptor. Orono foresees no future capacity to
serve any other land located within the rural service areas of
Medina or Orono through the Long Lake interceptor for at least
25 years.
2. Transportation: The Orono transportation plan contained in the
Comprehensive Guide Plan is based on the contention that the
existing streets within the rural service area can facilitate
the planned 2� growth rate within Orono and allow traffic
generated from communities to the west passage through Orono
for the next 25 years with only minor modifications. The Ring
Route concept would require modification to County Roads #110,
north from rZound, County Road �19, north from Spring Park and
Navarre, and County Road #6, east from #110 and #19 to State
Highway #12, so that the heavy commuter traffic load on County
Road #15 along the shoreline of Lake P�innetonka can be re-routed
nor.th along Highway #12 and County Road #6. The Orono School
complex located at the intersection of Highway #12 and Old
• Crystal Bay Road has already caused this intersection to be
classified by Orono as a hazardous intersection requiring a
traffic light to be installed. The increased traffic load from
,
a
Resolution # 737
School District No. 287 ,
Page 3
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the lakeshore areas, the future requirements from the rural�- �" .
service area together with the existing traffic make County
Road #6, Old Crystal Bay Road and Highway #12 incapable for �
the traffic load of the proposed Vo-Tech School until such
time as the new Highway #k12 is constructed. The State
Highway Department has informed us that the planning stage
of new Highway #12 is a minimum of 20 years in the future.
Orono foresees no capacity in the present road system for the
Vo-Tech School for at least 25 years.
3. � Police, Fire and Other Urban Municipal Services: The stated
� policy of maintaining a slow steady growth rate and the 6�
mill rate levy limitation imposes restrictions on Orono that '
prevent the_.level of municipal services required by the Vo-Tech "
School by;�1980. �; Orono foresees that the level of "
,.. municipal services required by the Vo-Tech School and the
resulting impact of sewer availability within Orono could not
be provided during the next 25 year period; and
WHEREAS, Orono contends that the construction of the Vo-
Tech School within the rural service area would so completely absorb
the present and projected level of municipal services that Orono
residents could be denied their share of the services; and
� WHEREAS, the original justification for the Vo-Tech
location was based on needs and conditions during the late 1960 's.
P�lany of 'these conditions and projections have changed since that
time. Orono itself has spent much time and considerable monies in
the planning process to insure a balancing of complex needs in this
environmental sensitive area contiguous to Lake Minnetonka. Some
. of the major decisions that have beeri made in Orono since the time
the proposed Vo-Tech School was justified are:
l. The determination of rural and urban service areas within
Orono which shows that the areas adjacent� to'�the Vo-Tech
location as a rural service area.
2. The development of a Comprehensive Guide Plan which was adopted
by the Metropolitan Council November 7, 1974 which shows the
areas adjacent to the Vo-Tech School site as as rural service
� area for at , least the next 25 year planning cycle.
3. The adopting of a Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance implementirig , y ,��,
the Comprehensive Guide Plan.that places the adjacent lands -
to the Vo-Tech School site as two (2) acre minimum lot�size `-'
- ,, _.._xural residential land use for on-site sewer systems for at least
the next 25 ' year period.
• 4. The adopting of a Surface Water Management Plan developed
in conjunction with the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District Board
of Governors. • '
� . , , ,
. Resolution # 73�
Schoo�l Dis.tr.ict No. 2$7
Page 4
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5. The strengthening of the Wetlands Preservation Ordinance No. 12'5.
6. The imposition of the 6� mill rate levy limitation by the State
of Minnesota.
7. The continuing effort with the Hennepin County Highway Department
over our established policy to preserve the roads on the
T�tinnetonka shoreline as scenic parkways and to be consistent
with the ecology of the lake, rather than the County's desire
to pave the shoreline of Minnetonka into a massive transpor-
tation network.
8. The completion of a new Comprehensive Sewer Plan that establishes
the sewer service area of Orono consistent with the Comprehensive
Guide Plan and zoning code. This Plan shows the Orono land
adjacent to the Vo-Tech site as rural service unsewered area
with no need for municipal sewer service for at least a 25
� year period.
9. The reduction of population projections for Orono by the Metropolitan
Council from 35,500 to 12,900 and a saturation population
� _� projection by Orono from 23,000 to 12 ,871.
� Orono feels strongly that the introduction of the proposed Vo-Tech
School by 1980 negates the determination of basic land�J.use planning,
including policies for the preservation of Lake Minnetonka that have
been established by Orono in the past five years; and to be adverse
to the health, saftey and welfare of Orono residents; and
WHEREAS, the recognized existence of overbuilt facilities
in all of the area school systems today coupled with the realization
that the reduction of population projections will add to the under-
use of present educational facilities to even a greater extent in
the future, makes Orono wonder if there are not other alternatives
� to the construction of new facilities for the Vo-Tech West Campus
that did not exist at the time the project was justified in the
late 1960 's; and
WHEREAS, in 1976 Orono granted the Vo-Tech School a one year
conditional use permit for the temporary use of land in Orono, just
south of the proposed site of the West Campus in Medina, for
agriculture purposes. This one year conditional use permit was
granted only after determining that this ter.lporary :usage�was .�onsis�ent
with the rural service�a`rea.'of Orono.and would not require urban
services such as sewer,�,-fire and police, and that the additional � •
traffic,yj load to ,support this limited and temporary agriculture usage,
would be minimal 'caus.ing no additonal hardship to Orono residents; ;`��_:
• NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the proposed construc-
tion of the Vo-Tech School West Campus and the requirement for urban
services in the year 1980 is inconsistent with Orono's Comprehensive
Guide Plan, ;Orono�_s�Comprehensive Sewer Plan, and the Metropolitan
Council's Developinent Framework; and •
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Resolution # 737
School District No. 287
Page 5
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Orono cannot afford the expensive
costs of municipal services required to support an urban facility
the magnitude of the 2 ,400 student Vo-Tech ��lest Campus, particularily
in light of the 6� mill rate levy limitation; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that because of the inconsistency of
this proposal �zith the comprehensive planning of Orono and the
Metropolitan Council, Orono will not request capacity for the Vo-Tech
School West Campus in the design of the Orono-Long Lake interceptor;
and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that because of the many developments
that required changes in comprehensive planning and future projections
since 1970, that the entire Vo-Tech School West Campus as proposed
at the Medina site be re-evaluated and rejustified considering
other alternatives than the present proposal. One such proposal
� should consist of using excess space within the present school systems
of west Hennepin County for Vo-Tech• classes; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this resolution be transmitted
to:
� The Metropolitan Council
City of Medina
City of Long Lake
Metropolitan Waste Control Commission
P�ietropolitan Transit Commission
Hennepin County Board of Commissioners
Joint Independent School District No. 287 '
Hennepin County Park Reserve District
State Senator George S. Pillsbury
State Representative Robert L. Searles �
Adopted by the City Coun�cil of the City of Orono, Minnesota
at a regular meeting held December 13, 1976.
Brad"Van IJest, Mayor
i
Attest �
Walter . e s , C er -A ini rator
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