Cannon Falls council approves final order to begin AUAR for proposed industrial/data center site

The Cannon Falls City Council voted unanimously on April 15 to approve a final order initiating an Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR) for a proposed industrial development that city staff said could include technology-center or data-center uses.

The final order directs consultants to complete the AUAR study, which city staff said will be conducted over roughly the next 120 days and include an additional formal comment period and an agency objection period at the end of the process.

The AUAR will evaluate potential environmental and infrastructure impacts of developing the site for light industrial or technology uses, and will run alongside separate city processes for annexation, zoning and any development agreement, staff told the council. City staff said those parallel processes will address how infrastructure is routed to the site and how costs would be apportioned.

John (staff member) presented the order and said the scoping period drew several written comments that the consultants have incorporated into the AUAR. He said the city will accept written comments during the AUAR process and will forward substantive technical questions to the consultant team for formal responses.

Councilmember Ryan moved to approve the final order; Diane Johnson seconded. A roll-call vote recorded votes in favor from Chad Johnson, Mitch Jepsen, Novak, Cronenberger, Diane Johnson and Zimmerman; the motion passed.

In response to council questions about water and sewer capacity, Bill (staff member) said city engineering had reviewed TRAC’s materials with city and TRAC consultants and that, while some issues remain to be worked through, the city’s preliminary engineering review did not identify insurmountable barriers to meeting the project’s water and sewer demands. He said the city will return with a formal recommendation on available water supply that will account for projected city growth and safety factors.

City staff also noted TRAC (project representatives) plans a community meeting on April 29 with subject-matter experts present to answer resident questions; staff said those sessions and written comments submitted during the AUAR will become part of the official record when provided in the formal comment windows.

What’s next: consultants will complete the AUAR over the coming months, the city will publish the next formal comment period for the AUAR study, and separate annexation and zoning proceedings will follow as required by local procedures.

Council and staff emphasized that comments intended for the official record should be submitted in writing during the published comment periods so they can be incorporated into the AUAR record, although staff said they would make reasonable efforts to answer questions received outside formal windows.

No final land-use approvals (annexation, zoning or development agreements) were made at the April 15 meeting; the council’s action was limited to approving the final order to proceed with the AUAR study.