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Sherburne planning commission: Deny housing proposalBy Joel Stottrup A proposal by Thousand Acres Development to develop a parcel into housing for as many as 33 homes, each on a third of an acre lot in the northeast part of Baldwin Township, is meeting strong resistance. Resistance isn't coming only from residents in the area of the proposed plat that would be located about three miles southeast of Princeton. It has also come from the Baldwin Township Board and the planning commission of Sherburne County. The planning commission, at the end of a public hearing last Thursday in Elk River, recommended the county board deny a plat for the proposal which is called Bluffs of Rum River. Zoning administrator Nancy Riddle said last Friday that the density calculations for the proposed site from the developers - Dan Howard and Jack Gracik - were "erroneous" and have to be recalculated. The development is proposed as a cluster type with a central sewage septic system servicing the homes, which would be bunched together. Riddle noted that the county has questions about what the open space, something all cluster developments must have by law, would include in acreage. She noted that the proposal called for some of the open space to be rented out for farming. That, in effect, goes against the intent of a cluster development in which the open space is supposed to be useable by the development's residents, Riddle explained. Riddle figured that three lots from the originally proposed 36 would have to be removed in order to meet the requirements. The Union-Eagle was unable to get in touch with Howard at Thousand Acres Development for comment. Sandy Peterson, a resident located across from the proposed development, told the Union-Eagle recently that among her worries about such a development is fire protection. Baldwin Fire and Rescue is responsible for that area although it has a mutual aid agreement with Princeton. As the primary fire protection provider, Peterson said, the Baldwin trucks would likely take as much as 20 minutes to respond to a call in that area. That's considering having to drive from their station south of Princeton, north to Highway 95, then east to Mille Lacs County Road 1 and then travel along the narrow and winding road that for years had been called Silver Lake Road. With houses that close together on lots a third of an acre, if a fire at one of the houses got going and there was a wind, it could spread to many of the rest, Peterson said. Baldwin Township supervisors talked three times at township meetings about the proposal - once in September 2002, once in February 2003 and once in April. During Baldwin's April 7, 2003, advisory to the county on the proposal, these five concerns were raised: l. Still have concerns with the road entrances. They are too close to the curves. 2. Concern about County Road 37. It is narrow, icy and has short-radius curves. Increased traffic could be tragic. 3. The destruction of the rural character. Two-and-one-half acre lots would be a welcome alternative. 4. Fire safety, primarily because of the distance to the [Baldwin] fire station. 5. Township engineer feels it is a tough piece to develop and there is no good solution to its problems. However, so far there is no good basis for denial. The comments during each discussion were signed by board chairman Jess Hall. Riddle was asked Friday what the next step is in the process for the proposal to stay alive. She answered that it can now go before the Sherburne Board for action. But if the developers want to change the proposal before bringing it to the commissioners, they would have to first go back to the planning commission, she said. Riddle explained that Sherburne commissioners do not want the affected residents to lose their right of a public hearing on any changes in a proposal. Princeton Union-Eagle |