CORINNA TOWNSHIP NEWS Annandale,
Minnesota 320-274-5179 #24
October, 2005
Township Board: John Dearing, Chairman Bill Lieb, Ken
Jude, Supervisors
Vi Novotne, Clerk
E-Mail: cortwp@lakedalelink.net
Website:http://www.corinnatownship.com
FUTURE PLANNING – FUTURE ANNEXATION
Update of the City of Annandale’s Land Use Plan
The City of Annandale
wisely decided to update their Land Use Plan. They hired Northwest Associated
Consultants, Inc. to facilitate the study of the existing plan and to make
recommendations for changes. Good planning will promote orderly growth.
The first public step in the process occurred July 21, 2005. The Workshop included
representatives from Corinna Township,
Southside Township,
Annandale ISD 876, Annandale Development Corporation, Annandale P&Z
Commission, and the Annandale City Council. An agenda and a map of Annandale
and the surrounding area were distributed to all participants. The map included
the City and a small amount of land south of the city that would be included in
future planning. Agenda item “III. What do we hope to accomplish? The
anticipated outcome will be a consensus as to a land use policy within the
City.” The discussion at the workshop was open and reasonable.
The second workshop was held on August 25, 2005. A new map was included with the
agenda, which included a little more land in the two townships. Some other
changes were made in the use of the different areas. Several items came up in
the discussion which raised concerns on the part of Corinna
Township. Mr. Darrow from Northwest
Associated Consultants implied that the areas in the townships that are also in
the City Plan would be controlled by the City Plan and not the existing
Township Land Use Plan. If you wished to build on your land in the township,
met all the existing requirements, but your plans did not meet the City Plan,
you were limited. Corinna Township
does not accept this interpretation of the City’s planning rights.
In early September all workshop participants received the
third map. This is the colored map printed in this newsletter. What a shock!
Nearly all land from Lake John
on the west to County Road 6 on the east and County Road 39 on the north to 60th
Street on the south is included in the City Plan.
It was evident to the Town Board that we could not continue to participate in
the City Land Use planning process. Information in the Advocate announcing the
Public Hearing on September 27th gave the impression that Corinna
Township supported the results of
the two workshops. The Town Board sent a certified letter to Mark Casey, City
Administrator, stating that we would not attend the hearing, that we did not
support the plan, and that Corinna Township
was willing to negotiate an orderly annexation agreement. This letter was not
presented at the hearing.
At the hearing it was stated that the County’s Land Use plan
was out of date, since it was adopted in the 1980’s. Corinna
Township updated our portion of the
plan in 1998. At that time the future growth area south of Annandale
was greatly expanded. (Corinna Township’s
Land Use Plan can be viewed on our Web site: www.corinnatownship.com). We felt
with the development of South Brook, this was the logical direction of
expansion for the City. The three ˝ sections added fit in with the development
and are relatively free of large wet lands.
The Town Board was taken completely by surprise by the scope
of the area the City of Annandale
wanted to control. When the Annandale/Maple Lake Sewage Treatment Plant was
proposed, the two cities needed to project growth over a 20-year period. The
projections Annandale submitted
stated that the City would grow by 30 housing units/year over the next 20
years. The population was projected to go from 2684 in 2002 to 4304 in 2022.
That 20 year growth number hardly substantiates the huge area colored yellow or
orange on the map. Either Northwest Associated Consultants was not aware of the
public testimony by the City at the Permit Hearings or they disagree with the
facts presented. Hopefully, the City will clarify the information.
The Town Board would like to thank all of the residents that
attended the September 27th meeting. Your support showed that we
stand together and will not have a large portion of our township taken over by
the City, just because their “paid consultants” say it is necessary. We know
growth is going to come, but let’s be reasonable. The next time the Town Board
meets with the City, minutes will be taken. There will be a record of what is
agreed to. The Board is open to such a meeting.
Attend the October 24th meeting, at 7 P.M., at the Annandale
City Hall and voice your concerns.
Revised Annandale Land Use Plan