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City flags environmental and zoning constraints at National Avenue site; gas station use unlikely
Summary
City staff said a privately owned parcel on National Avenue has environmental history tied to past industrial use; letters from the Department of Natural Resources note closure but soils and monitoring requirements remain, and a proposed gas station would require conditional use approval and faces barriers.
City planning staff told the Community Development Authority that a privately owned site on the National Avenue corridor, formerly the location of an industrial operation, has environmental constraints that complicate redevelopment and make a gas station use unlikely under current zoning and site conditions.
Staff said the site has undergone environmental work with Department of Natural Resources correspondence about closure, but that soil management and monitoring would be required and that the level of cleanup standard (commercial vs. residential) was not specified in the meeting. Staff said contamination linked to an industrial process (described in the meeting as chemical mixing that affected soils) will require ongoing management and could complicate financing and redevelopment.
On zoning, staff said a gas station proposal would need conditional‑use approval and that the corridor rules limit fuel uses adjacent to residential areas; staff concluded, "Not a gas station," explaining that the site’s environmental and zoning constraints make that use unlikely without extensive remediation and approvals.
Staff said prospective buyers are performing environmental due diligence and that any redevelopment will have to address remediation, monitoring and financing hurdles before the CDA or Common Council would consider approvals or incentive requests.
