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HUGO FIRE DEPARTMENT: Sees call volume increase PAGE 15
Hardwood Creek Trail: Hugo will continue negotiating BY SHANNON GRANHOLM MANAGING EDITOR
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Public works gears up for cleanup
The city of Hugo will host its once-a-year spring cleanup from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 25, at the Public Works Facility, located at 8220 140th St. N. Residents can bring trash and certain household items for disposal. Find more Earth Day-inspired events in the roundup and coloring contest on pages 8 and 9.
HUGO — The City Council has decided to proceed with improvements on the Hardwood Creek Trail extension to the south as part of this year’s street improvement project, even though an agreement with the county is still being finalized. For several months, city staff have been working with Washington County to reach an agreement on the cost share for the trail improvements. “Collaboration and communication with Washington County has been excellent. They have been good to work with,” City Engineer Mark Erichson said. “I think we see it a little bit differently, so we have hit a little bit of a roadblock. We are continuing conversations … but we need a little more time to work through some of these items, and I’m not sure we will get there before we get to a point where we need to look at awarding a (construction) contract.” The city’s planned Bald Eagle Industrial Area SEE TRAIL, PAGE 11
Final phase of Old Mill Estates in the works in Centerville
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access point. Written by Assistant Fire Chief Matt Montain, the letter states that the fire department would like to see a turnaround location at a proposed fire hydrant and the water extended to the two homes at the end of the shared access point. Commissioner Jeannie Seppala asked Fuerst if the concept plan for the development will undergo major changes, and if buildable acreage was already calculated in the original concept plan. “I think this may have been initially planned to some degree in terms of the number of units,” Fuerst responded. “I think we’re in a good place at this point … It appears to me that we’re likely able to meet the density standard for this area.” The Planning and Zoning Commission did not make a formal decision. It was discussion only.
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units proposed for the 6.5 acres, it’s about a gross density of less than one unit per acre. “That being said, we can net out the unbuildable wetland areas. So, in future submittals the developer will have to calculate what the area of wetland on the property is so we can get an accurate calculation of net density, not gross density,” he said. Once those numbers are in front of the city, Fuerst said they would probably be seeing something that is compliant with the two to four units per acre. Due to wetland impacts, three of the lots are shown to share an access point off Laramee Lane. The fourth home also would have its own entrance off Laramee Lane. The city did receive a letter from the Spring Lake Park-Blaine-Mounds View Fire Department regarding the shared
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The third and final phase of development is in the works for the Old Mill Estates development. This third phase would be called Woods of Old Mill. The concept plan proposed by Elmcrest Vistas LLC includes four single-family residential lots on approximately 6.5 acres, according to Centerville City Planner Nathan Fuerst. Old Mill Estates encompasses about 20 acres along Old Mill Road in Centerville and has been subdivided into two plats. “Concept plan reviews are advisory. These are really helpful for us to have a discussion, ask questions and provide the developer with feedback on their respective project,” Fuerst said. Approvals of the first two phases of
development occurred in 2019 and 2020. Since then, Fuerst said the developer has refined plans for the final phase and brought it to the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission in 2024 and 2025. As the commission now has several new members, the developer has asked to bring the concept back for review to ensure there is support prior to proceeding with formal approvals. Fuerst said that based on his understanding, this would be the last addition of the development due to the presence of nearby wetlands. “There is a pretty sizable wetland on the property, which is really driving the location of the home sites and it’s also really driving the number of home sites proposed,” he added. The future land use category for the site, which is low-density residential, requires two to four units per acre. Fuerst explained since there are four
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BY MADELINE DOLBY QUAD COMMUNITY PRESS EDITOR