HomeMy WebLinkAbout1977 06-22 Maple Greens EAW gets nod from council DISPATCH ‘-d'el/7 e a.2, /91-7
Maple Greens
EAW gets nod
from council
by Anne Skinner
A long disputed 500-plus unit
development got one step closer to
resumption of construction as a result of a
June 16 Maplewood City Council action.
The council voted to endorse a staff
recommendation that an environmental
impact study not be made.
The development,Maple Greens owned
by Century Land Co.Inc.of Oakdale,had
been issued a cease and desist order from
the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers until an
environmental assessment worksheet
(EAW)could be prepared.The worksheet
is a preliminary step to determining the
need for an environmental impact
statement (EIS).
The order and worksheet were ordered
after much protest from a nearby neigh-
borhood organization, the Maplewood-
Ferndale Association, questioned the
legality of contructing the development
the size of Maple Greens in phases.
Attorney for the city Don Lais looked
into the matter and found an EAW was
required by law due to the project's size.
Although input from the association was
invited into its preparation,attorney Seth
Phillips told the council, "We would like
to have more input before the EAW goes
to the EQC. We do have a petition which
we don't want to present (to the EQC
calling for an EIS) unless it can't be
avoided."
Phillips said the association was in
disagreement with the city's findings in
the worksheet. The council was advised
by the city staff that "adoption occur at
this meeting to avoid any further delays
or possible legal exposure."4�21
The staff indicated the developer might
have legal standing if the council were to
stall the submission of the EAW to the
EQC. Pending the EQC's decision
regarding the need for an EIS, a 30 day
waiting period, for citizen reaction, is
required.
A representative for the developer told
the council his client would like to "see
the council adopt the EAW and transmit it
as soon as possible."
The vote was 4-1 (Councilman Norm
Anderson dissenting)to forward the EAW
to the EQC.
Vice-president of the association Bill
Lorenz said later,"We are in almost total
disagreement with the whole EAW. The
city's got to understand they are
economically going to force people out of
Maplewood,"he added in reference to the
additional services the surrounding
neighborhoods would be required to bear,
if Maple Greens were completed.
"They (the city) want development to
bring people in, but they're just going to
force people out because there is a point
that you just can't bear any more cost,"
he continued.
Lorenz added the association has a
petition to submit to the EQC requesting
the preparation of an impact statment
"and is going to submit it."
The effect of an EIS would be to prolong
the completion of the development as well
as possibly prohibit its completion—if it
is found to do conclusive damage to the
environment.