1991-03-26 - Laserfiche WebLink

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1 ] 1 Council Meeting Minutes March 26, 1991 Page 4 Public Hearina. continued There were no comments from the audience. Motion by Benke, seconded by Williams, to CLOSE THE HEARING. 5 Ayes - 0 Nayes, Motion Carried. Mattila said Parcel B's soils are fairly good and buildable, but Parcel A is the site of the former landfill and has limited buildability. Gunderman feels if Parcel B is utilized, Parcel A could become totally un functional and may have damaging effects to the surrounding areas. Applicant, Thomas Boemer has a potential buyer for Parcel B, but has not received a firm proposal for Parcel A. A buyer would need to make a tremendous investment to make Parcel A buildable. He feels combining the two parcels would not be an attractive selling option. Mattila said the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) encourages the use of Parcel A as a paved area to help cap~off the landfill. However, if the landfill material was unearthed, MPCA would install monitoring wells. Ramsey County Parks has not currently shown interest in Parcel A, but is interested in the property south of Parcel A. Gunderman is concerned that if Parcel B is sold, Parcel A's owner would not have reason to pay taxes and the parcel could become tax delinquent. Williams said in such a case, Parcel A could be donated to the adjacent Ramsey County open space as a tax write-off. Rebelein asked if the property south of Parcel A is accessible. Childs said the County owns the property south of the railroad tracks and the area of Rush lake up to the 1-1 Zone. The small parcel to the west of the TCAAP spur is owned by Mr. Moore. The County's Park Plan indicates an interest in obtaining Mr. Moore's parcel, however, Parcel A is not in the Park Plan. Childs noted that if Parcel A lapsed into tax forfeiture and environmental contamination is found, the owner is still liable. The County or City would not inherit a huge environmental liability. LeFevere said an owner continues to be responsible after declaring bankruptcy. The State or Federal Superfund would step in and take care of the site, but because the owner is unable to respond to damages, the State and Federal Government would be unable to secure reimbursement. Gunderman asked if Parcel A may have created the contamination flowing from Rice Creek into long lake. Mattila is unfamiliar with the situation and cannot comment. Gunderman theorized if the City inherited Parcel A and it was found the parcel caused the contamination, the City could automatically become involved in a contamination issue. Public Hearina Thomas Boemer Subdivision Report 91-074