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1 <br /> <br />Ramsey County Application for Conditional Use Permit for Yard Waste Operations and to <br />Allow for Source-Separated Organics Collection at the Arden Hills Yard Waste Site <br /> <br />June 1, 2017 <br /> <br />Introduction <br />Ramsey County is seeking approval to continue yard waste operations and for the addition of Source <br />Separated Organics (SSO) drop-off at the Arden Hills yard waste site. SSO includes food waste/scraps and non- <br />recyclable paper. At the direction of City of Arden Hills Community Development staff, both operations <br />require a Conditional Use Permit (CUP). The county applied for a CUP for these same operations in 2014, <br />which was denied by the Arden Hills City Council based on concerns relating to the SSO drop-off portion of the <br />permit (there was no discussion or decision on the yard waste operations portion of the permit). Recently, <br />The City of Arden Hills invited Ramsey County Environmental Health (EH) staff to attend a City Council Work <br />Session to revisit the idea of SSO drop-off at the yard waste site. EH and Arden Hills staff presented collection <br />data and observations from the first three years of SSO collection (2014-2016) at other county yard waste <br />sites. The information addressed concerns the Council members expressed during the 2014 CUP hearing. <br />Following discussion, councilmembers unanimously recommended that the county pursue a CUP for SSO drop- <br />off at the yard waste site. <br /> <br />While the Arden Hills yard waste site has been in operation for many years, yard waste operations had not <br />been previously permitted. Arden Hills Community Development staff suggested bringing the site up to <br />proper permitting status in 2014, when the county expressed interest in SSO collection at the site. City staff <br />had not required a permit for operation of the yard waste site as recent as 2004 when the County Board <br />authorized acceptance of tree and shrub waste at four of its yard waste sites, including the Arden Hills site; <br />City staff response at that time was that no City permits were needed for operations at the yard waste site. <br /> <br />Overview of Ramsey County Yard Waste Program <br />Saint Paul –Ramsey County Public Health (“Ramsey County” or “County”) operates seven yard waste sites <br />where County residents can drop off grass clippings, leaves, garden wastes and other soft plant materials at no <br />charge. Four of the sites also accept tree and shrub waste from residents (Arden Hills, Frank & Sims, Midway, <br />and White Bear Township). SSO collection was added to all sites except the Arden Hills site in 2014. The yard <br />waste sites began in the mid-1980s as joint operations between communities and the County. The County <br />(Public Health) took over operation of all the County yard waste sites in 1990-91. The sites are available free <br />of charge to Ramsey County residents. Lawn care companies and other commercial services are prohibited <br />from using the sites. Yard waste received at the sites is transferred off site at all sites except the White Bear <br />Township site where soft-bodied plant material is composted and the finished product made available in <br />spring to County residents at all the County yard waste sites. Wood chip mulch is also provided at the sites <br />that accept tree and shrub waste. The yard waste site locations are as follows: <br /> <br />In Saint Paul: <br />1. Battle Creek Site - 389 S. Winthrop St <br />2. Frank & Sims Site - 1150 Sims Ave <br />3. Midway Site - 1943 Pierce Butler Rte <br />4. Summit Hill Site - 870 Pleasant Ave <br />