Proposed Wise Road zoning change tabled by council

A proposed zoning change of a property on Wise Road from residential to business will wait for two weeks.

The Brainerd City Council on Monday tabled the second reading of a proposed ordinance to change the zoning of the Robert Baumgartner property, located on Wise Road just east of Danielson Road, from rural residential to general business.

Northwood Turf and Power proposed to move from its location at the East Brainerd Mall to the Baumgartner property.

The motion to table was made in light of a petition for an Environmental Assessment Worksheet from 98 area residents, stating the proposed project has the potential to result in significant environmental effects.

An EAW is a brief document to set out basic facts, required to determine whether a larger-scale Environmental Impact Statement may be needed. The EIS involves mandatory information gathering from governmental agencies and is used to look at environmental impacts in detail.

Randy Perkins, Northwood Turf and Power outside salesman who researched property for the business relocation, said when they applied for the commercial permit, the business had contracted for wetland delineation.

Wetland delineation is the actual field assessment to determine what is a wetland and where the boundaries lie. Perkins said Northwood Turf and Power planned to complete the wetland study before any building project began.

"We are not surprised that people were concerned as we were as well," Perkins said of the wetlands.

There was no discussion or public comment on the tabled second reading because it might jeopardize the city's authority to make a decision concerning the Baumgartner property while an EAW was being conducted, said council member Jim Dehen.

City Engineer Jeff Hulsether asked that anyone who had not submitted a comment to the city about the EAW and would like to, do so within the next week.