Posted: 4/13/05
By Aaron Vehling
Now that Stacy city council has hired a planner, its members are ready to go ahead with forging the future of the city.
The council met April 5 with new city planner Sam Crosby of Landform, City Attorney Pete Grundhoefer and attorney George Hoff to discuss extending the cityís zoning authority outside its borders. They also entertained the possibility of annexing property in Lent Township.
The councilís aim was to extend zoning authority two miles out from Stacyís borders to organize growth. This move, Crosby said in a phone interview Monday, would allow the city to ěhave some control of what happens just outside its boundaries.î
ěWith a small city like Stacy,î she said, ěanything going on around the city can affect it.î
The city would be unable to extend any zoning authority into townships that already issue building permits and have their own zoning authority. It would only be able to extend its power into areas that lack zoning authority.
ěThe city can move in to fill that void,î said attorney George Hoff who was present to consult on the matter of zoning and annexation.
Councilman John Daher said at the meeting that he was uncomfortable with extending the zoning two miles out in every direction.
He said that such an extension would creep into Oxford and Linwood townships and into Anoka and Isanti county.
ěMy personal opinion would be to stay within the confines of Chisago County,î Daher said, adding that the city has far too much planning to do right now to be concerned with moving into two new counties.
Another problem that came up was what zone would apply in that surrounding area.
ěNone of our codes would come close to doing what we need to do in that area,î Daher said.
As a result, the council voted to establish an agricultural zoning district and extend the cityís zoning authority to two miles beyond city limits to the extent that it could legally proceed within the confines of Chisago County.
The council also discussed annexing land surrounding the city.
Councilman John Walz told the Post Review in a phone interview Monday that the city is looking into about eight different sections of land to annex in order to organize growth and create a comprehensive plan for the area. Most are in Lent Township but a few possibilities are in Wyoming Township, he said.
Because attempts by Mayor Michael Carlson to contact Wyoming officials has been unsuccessful, the council directed Grundhoefer to send a letter to Wyoming Township and the city of Wyoming indicating Stacyís interest in annexing a portion of Wyoming Township.
If you want to voice your concerns to the council about either the zoning extension or the annexation, the city is holding a public meeting at 7 p.m. on April 25 at Stacy City Hall.
In other news:
ď The council voted to approve the city plannerís contract with Landform contingent upon Landformís attorney and the city attorney agreeing on the terms.
ď The council will consider at upcoming meetings if the on-sale and off-sale liquor outlets will require two separate managers.
©ECM Post Review
6448 Main Street
North Branch, MN 55056
Telephone: 651-674-7025
Fax: 651-674-7026
E-mail: editor.postreview@ecm-inc.com