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Regular Planning CommissionMeeting <br />Minutes –Wednesday, December 2, 2015 <br />Page 11 <br />used in an average agriculture setting, but would more akin to that applied for a typical <br />503 <br />household lawn or garden. <br />504 <br />Mr. Haun advised that their firm would screen the test plots, especially the greenhouses, <br />505 <br />to avoid attracting any attention with light, or for vandalism; noting that their equipment <br />506 <br />was expensive and valuable and therefore they wanted to protect it as much as possible. <br />507 <br />Mr. Haun further advised that the fields would be landscaped to look appealing and <br />508 <br />include a buffer between them and the street, and between the park and research plots to <br />509 <br />function as needed. <br />510 <br />Mr. Haun noted their firm’s ongoing consultation and cooperative work relationship with <br />511 <br />the U of MN Research Station Manager, advising that Calyxt would use best practices to <br />512 <br />those used by the U of MN at their sites near Larpenteur and Fairview Avenues, and <br />513 <br />would abide by those same chemical application guidelines dictated and regulated for <br />514 <br />their use and as found on the individual products that may be applied periodically.Mr. <br />515 <br />Haun referenced the conditions followed by the U of MN for such applications under <br />516 <br />windy conditions, and the logs kept related to weather conditions on application days; <br />517 <br />advising Calyxt would follow those same procedures and documentation. <br />518 <br />Mr. Haun advised that this site was an unusual shape, but worked well for their plans and <br />519 <br />also tied into the City’s interest in protecting Langton Lake and Park.Mr. Haun noted that <br />520 <br />the north side of the site would not be cultivated, and opined that moving this site from its <br />521 <br />existing use as a large parking lot and Brownfield site, provided benefit to the city, its <br />522 <br />residents, and their firm. <br />523 <br />Discussion <br />524 <br />Chair Boguszewski provided anecdotal comments based on his experience as an <br />525 <br />Undergraduate at the University of Chicago andgenetic crop testing being done at that <br />526 <br />time, and the due diligence then and more advanced technologies available today of <br />527 <br />benefit to the Roseville community. <br />528 <br />Based on remediation comments, Chair Boguszewski questioned the applicant on their <br />529 <br />projections or estimates at this time for potential contamination levels existing on these <br />530 <br />parcels. <br />531 <br />Mr. Haun advised that they had just received the Phase II study within the last few days, <br />532 <br />and noted the City Council had held discussions and allotted funds already and hired a <br />533 <br />Brownfields consultant to assist with those mitigation efforts.Mr. Haun noted there was a <br />534 <br />lot of blacktop and oil, but nothing indicating it would preclude them from moving forward <br />535 <br />or mitigation required outside what was anticipated from that past use. <br />536 <br />Given that the Conditional Use applies to the land, should mitigation costs subsequently <br />537 <br />be found to be beyond the applicant’s ability to move forward, Chair Boguszewski asked <br />538 <br />what happened with the Conditional Use situation. <br />539 <br />Mr. Paschke advised that many things still needed to occur to proceed, including <br />540 <br />mitigating soil contamination under the direction of the Brownfield consultant; but was <br />541 <br />confident the property would redevelop, whether for this use or another use. <br />542 <br />Tom LaSallenoted that the intent was to move forward quickly, since this client wanted to <br />543 <br />purchase the property yet thisyear and get in the ground by February of 2016.Mr. <br />544 <br />LaSalleassured the Commission that this request was not speculative in nature, but was <br />545 <br />a serious intent to get the sale accomplished.Mr. LaSallequestioned why any other <br />546 <br />potential purchase would have an interest in having a Conditional Use for outdoor <br />547 <br />research plots. <br />548 <br />Regarding the Brownfields clean-up, Member Murphy asked if done to the north it was <br />549 <br />well-bounded, but to the east of the research plot, was there any concern or potential that <br />550 <br />the south property would not be cleaned up, even though not part of this property <br />551 <br />purchase, could some contaminant still leach to the north. <br />552 <br /> <br />