Alexandria Township
Alexandria, Minnesota 56308
Minutes of the meeting of October 4, 2021
A regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Alexandria Township was held on the 4th day of October, 2021 at the Alexandria City Hill Council Chambers, 704 Broadway.
ROLL CALL: Supervisors present were Joel Dahlheimer, Rod Eldevik, Dennis Butz and Jerry Wright. Also present was Gregg Raisanen, Clerk, with Mona Billmark, Treasurer, and Jeff Oberg attending via teleconference. As said members formed a quorum and the meeting was called to order by Chairman Eldevik at 6:00 p.m.
Wright, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to adopt the agenda as presented. Roll: Butz, Wright, Dahlheimer, Oberg, Eldevik – yes. Opposed: none. Motion carried unanimously.
Dahlheimer, seconded by Butz, made a motion to approve the minutes of the 09/20/21 regular board meeting as written. Roll: Butz, Wright, Dahlheimer, Oberg, Eldevik – yes. Opposed: none. Motion carried unanimously.
Dahlheimer, seconded by Butz, made a motion to authorize payment of claims 21166 – 21173 in the amount of $11,303.11, net payroll $5,612.67 totaling $16,915.78 and no transfer from savings. Roll: Butz, Wright, Dahlheimer, Oberg, Eldevik – yes. Opposed: none. Motion carried unanimously.
CITIZEN’S CONCERNS: none
PLANNING AND ZONING: Chairman Eldevik remarked that the Massman rezoning request had been tabled at the September 7, 2021 meeting and a motion was needed to move forward with the request. Wright, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to remove the item from the table. Roll: Butz, Wright, Dahlheimer, Oberg, Eldevik – yes. Opposed: none. Motion carried unanimously.
Chairman Eldevik stated Massman had recently amended their application to rezone only 35 of the original 60 acres.
Zoning Administrator Oleson reported that the current rezoning request consists of 20 acres to the west and 40 acres to the east. He stated Massman has requested to adjust their request to rezone approximately 35 acres. The request is to rezone from Urban Residential to Industrial, Commercial-Rural or Commercial-Urban.
Jeff Hohn, representing Massman Cos., stated they are reducing their request and are proposing to use only the western portion of the lot.
Oleson provided a recap of comments presented at the public hearing.
Chairman Eldevik opened the meeting to the public for comment, asking that the comments be limited to new information only.
Steve Sternhagen, 3515 Maple Drive, asked about future expansion plans and would they be able to guarantee work would cease by 7 p.m.
Another resident asked about spot zoning and ways of preventing it in the future.
A third resident noted the planning commission had initially recommended denial. Asked if the planning commission had considered the new request and, if so, what was their reaction.
Camille Norris, 3505 Maple Drive, inquired why this specific property was chosen and if it was chosen for a financial gain.
Another resident stated the company is not welcome in their neighborhood. He wondered why they won’t consider an area already zoned commercial.
Seeing no further comments, Chairman Eldevik closed the public comment portion and brought the item back to the town board for discussion.
Eldevik, seconded by Wright, made a motion to deny the request submitted by Massman Co. to rezone the property from Urban Residential to any of the aforementioned three zoning districts.
Supervisor Wright commented that he supports the Massman proposal but that he cannot support this location at this time.
Eldevik commented that the town’s comprehensive plan does not support spot zoning. He also stated the planning commission had held the public hearing and, after hearing from both the residents and the applicant, recommended the request be denied. In addition, he has received concerns from residents about the proposal.
Eldevik called for a roll call vote on the motion to deny the rezoning request. Roll: Butz, Wright, Dahlheimer, Oberg, Eldevik – yes. Opposed: none. Motion carried unanimously.
ENGINEER’S REPORT: none
OLD BUSINESS: none
NEW BUSINESS: none
Being no further business, Dahlheimer, seconded by Butz, made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
Meeting adjourned at 6:29 p.m.
Respectfully submitted….
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Gregg Raisanen, Clerk
Approved this ____ day of ________, 2021
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Rod Eldevik, Chairman