Jackie Lallier
Wyoming Township Reporter

The Wyoming Town Board last week voted to grant a rezoning request that will allow a Wisconsin company to move to a site south of the Fairview Lakes Medical Center campus.

First on the Wyoming Township agenda Tuesday, Feb. 13th was an amendment of the comprehensive plan along with rezoning the property at 5102 250th owned by John Mathison, president of Xccent, based in Osceola.

The rezoning of this acreage has been previously addressed and Mathison has since been working to make his building project fit amenably for this site.

The Wyoming Township Planning Commission met Feb. 6th to address the comprehensive plan and the rezoning issues with the resulting recommendations to amend the comp plan to permit a change and to rezone the property to light industrial use.

The vote was four votes “ for” and two “against”.

At last week’s town board session, Mathison reiterated he is not a “land developer” and that he paid the fair market value for the property.

He and his wife live on Turtle Lake in Shoreview, own other lakeshore property and are currently purchasing 25 acres on Heims Lake. He addressed several statements made previously by local residents and said he would like to clear up any misunderstandings.

He said he has no intentions to pollute the lake as he and his wife are “lake people” themselves. He said there are no environmental issues and full studies have been done with no “failing” inspections.

Resident Mark Lobermeier presented a number of items concerning the comp plan and the rezoning.

Zoning Administrator Fred Weck explained the comp plan was already changed when 5000 acres of land were lost to Chisago City and the tax base from that area altered goals of the plan.

Lobermeier had questions such as having the DNR check for problems, if a screening condition can be placed for “minimized view,” if the parking lot could be placed as far north as possible, if a shoreline setback could be established and if the use of the land can be absolutely limited to light industrial.

Supervisor Pat Fandel questioned if this project might be detrimental to surrounding property values.

A Realtor in the audience spoke up to say the sewer and water system needed for Xccent will be available and therefore, appreciate property values to residents.

Weck said the hospital on the north side and the freeway on the west side would certainly not be affected.

A lot of work went into the present publication of the comprehensive plan but it was completed with the understanding that some changes would always be necessary to keep up with realistic, modern goals in the future, officials said.

Weck reminded the town board and the audience that conditions can’t be placed on a request for “rezoning” but can be placed on a “conditional use permit” and the Feb. 13 agenda dealt with the rezoning issue.

Town Attorney Tom Fitzpatrick said if the land is rezoned and the development planned does not materialize, the land can be rezoned back to residential in future time.

At this point, a motion was made to amend the comprehensive plan to allow for the rezoning and to rezone the area purchased by Xccent from “residential” to “light industrial.”

The resolution passed 4-1 with Fandel in opposition.

Xccent is working with Chisago Count officials and hopes to utilize provisions of the state’s JOBZ program to relocate and expand in Wyoming.

2nd CUP OK’d

The town board also addressed a request for a conditional use permit request by Jeff Hansen of Interstate Pavement Maintenance at the former Crystal Pierz Marine site, 6671 Lake Blvd., on the east side of US-8 and just northeast of the Greenway Avenue US-8 intersection. The land is now zoned Highway Business.

The use of the building will remain as office use and the business is stated as: Parking lot design and construction; lot sweeping; lot striping; asphalt repair; concrete removal and installation; new development construction sweeping and snow and ice removal.

The planning commission recommended approval with conditions including the maintenance of the present screening, offensive noise prohibited between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. and site lighting conformance.

The owners plan to repair and update the building, add some landscaping, and bring the lighting into conformance with the zoning ordinance.

The neighboring business, Hult & Associates, has asked for better screening so sound screening will be added. An existing drainage problem will be corrected.

The town board unanimously approved the CUP request.

Sewer ordinance

Next on the agenda was an update on the new proposed sewer ordinance. The township has started to make a list of sewer installations through the years in order to begin an annual inspection program.

Weck has a list of pumpers and inspectors qualified to provide the township with compliance. The board talked about the typical family needing their sewer system pumped normally every 21 months compared to an elderly couple who may use a minimal amount of water when they are home. It could be that a “stick test” could be taken to determine whether the system needs to be pumped.

It was suggested the ordinance specify a system should have a visual inspection every three years.

It was also suggested that a three-part form be used (one for the homeowner, one for the pumper/inspector, and one for the township) for convenience.

It was then mentioned that this project might be hampered by the possibility (or probability) that some of these properties will be taken over by Chisago City or eventually be considered in the city of Wyoming, where there might be a different ordinance.

The subject was tabled to give the town board more time to consider this proposal.

The meeting ended with approval of the following election judges: Republicans — Joyce Winnick, Bee Tolzmann and Mary Utecht; Democrats — Norma Olson and Evelyn Rodrique.

It was reported by two members of the planning committee that they went to the Chisago City Council meeting on Feb. 13 before coming to this meeting and learned the Chisago City/Wyoming Township legal matter was tabled and not put on the agenda.

Top of Page