Cottage Grove board tables site plan for proposed Ridge lift station after residents and trustees raise cost, access and timing concerns

The Village of Cottage Grove on Jan. 13 voted to table consideration of a site plan for a proposed Ridge lift station after residents and trustees questioned building the $6.8 million facility before a developer agreement or secondary roadway access were secured.

The item before the board was a site-layout plan for a new lift station on West Ridge Road. The plan commission previously approved rezoning and a certified survey map; the board was considering only the site layout tonight, village staff said.

Why it matters: The project carries a multi‑million‑dollar price tag and would serve about 320 acres on the village’s east side that staff said cannot be fully served by the existing Trillium lift station as growth continues. Trustees and residents asked whether the village should instead spend roughly $750,000 on upgrades to Trillium until a developer and access improvements are in place.

Residents voiced objections during public comment. Tina McFadden, who lives at 100 Heather Drive, said, “I’m against the putting in a new lift station at this time … I think we should fix the 1 that we have.” Abby McDowell, a homeowner at 208 Heather Drive, told the board the proposed $6,800,000 expense “seems financially irresponsible to commit such a large sum to a project intended for a future village development that has yet to be approved.” McDowell also raised landscaping and easement‑maintenance questions and warned that the planned development would add traffic to Taylor Street: she estimated 491 homes could…