Skyway News: Environmental Review Could Delay Delasalle Field Vote
The city will have to approve an Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) for a proposed Nicollet Island athletic complex before the project can proceed, according to a unanimous City Council vote Sept. 2.
The EAW, which reviews potential environmental impacts and ways to minimize or eliminate problems, means a two-to-six-month delay before government bodies could vote to approve the project.
All 13 Councilmembers voted to require the EAW for the proposed joint-use DeLaSalle/Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board field.
The joint-use facility would span park and school land and include football and soccer fields; practice areas; 750-seat bleachers; and storage, refreshment and restroom areas.
An EAW is a public process that reviews a development's potential negative environmental impacts and ways to avoid or minimize problems before a project is approved, a state Web site said. The EAW requires the proposing organization to respond to a 31-question form, providing information on everything from soil conditions to the project's noise, dust, traffic, wildlife and visual aesthetic impacts.
Brother Michael Collins, DeLaSalle's president, said the school supported the required EAW. "We are amenable to whatever measures seem to be necessary to lead to the project happening," he said. "This being one of them, we will do everything we can to cooperate."
Barb Sporlein, city planning division director, estimated EAW completion in two to six months, depending on how long it takes DeLaSalle to submit its materials and for city staff to evaluate.
At a minimum, the athletic complex will need city approval of a site plan and permission to close half of Grove Street. The school also needs to have a reciprocal-use agreement with the Park Board, outlining responsibilities for the costs, maintenance and use of the facility.
DeLaSalle wants to get the project approved before the fall elections, which will see Park Board membership change, but the two-to-six-month EAW timeframe could complicate that. The new Board will be elected in November, two months away, and seated in January, four months away.
Don Siggelkow, Park Board general manager, said the Park Board could speed up key votes by approving a reciprocal-use agreement with DeLaSalle, contingent on final EAW approval.
The proposed athletic field has stirred heated emotions on the island, with many residents and preservationists opposing the field, and DeLaSalle and youth sports backers supporting it.
More than 25 people signed a petition seeking the environmental review. The state referred the petition to Minneapolis. City staff said the DeLaSalle field plan met the criteria for a mandatory EAW.
The Park Board is creating a Citizens Advisory Committee to review the DeLaSalle proposal to try to find a compromise. Appointments were expected in early September.
By Scott Russell