Committee expands RFP request for wetland delineation, urges mitigation planning before plat finalization

The Missouri Valley Complex Committee heard a presentation from representatives of Simpson and Hagen on the status of zoning, platting and stormwater planning for the Missouri Valley site and agreed the county should fund a wetland delineation and related mitigation/permit work before the final plat is approved.

Simpson and Hagen told the committee the plat sequence remains: a preliminary plat submittal to Planning and Zoning, review by the city commission, and a public hearing. The consultants recommended dedicating streets as public right‑of‑way rather than private easements so the city can accept, construct and maintain streets and storm infrastructure. "Our recommendation... is that the public right away does have benefits to it," the consultant said, noting city maintenance simplifies service and consistency across parcels.

The presenters said preliminary plat submittal is scheduled for late April (the consultant said the PLAT submittal would be Friday the 25th) and that a formal wetland delineation is needed to define wetland areas around Hay Creek and across the property. A delineation, the consultants said, will show whether mitigation on site is required, whether mitigation can be accomplished by on‑site avoidance or relocation, or whether purchasing mitigation credits (for example through Ducks Unlimited or a similar mitigation bank) will be necessary. The consultants added that a jurisdictional determination (J.D.) from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would be required if areas are determined to be jurisdictional waters and wetlands.

The committee was told wetlands and stormwater affect road placement and site layout: putting roads and detention in certain locations could create impacts that would require mitigation or credits and change the cost and usable area of the planned development. The presenters described detention ponds and the difference between detention (temporary storage that drains) and permanent wetland areas, and said that older wetland delineations become invalid over time and should be updated during the growing season.

Committee members and the consultants discussed options: (1) delineate the full area of interest, (2) prepare mitigation plans and Corps permit applications if impacts exist, and (3) evaluate buying credits from a mitigation bank if on‑site mitigation is impractical. The consultants recommended the county issue an RFP that includes those tasks and also requests construction oversight/longer‑term monitoring if mitigation is required. They warned cost uncertainty: specific dollar estimates were not provided at the meeting, and the consultants said they could supply "ballpark" numbers after the delineation defines impacts.

Why it matters: the delineation will determine buildable area, stormwater design, potential mitigation costs and how roads and public utilities are laid out. Committee members said the RFP language must cover enough scope so the county and the committee will not have to return repeatedly for incremental work.

The committee asked staff to draft language and to recommend the expanded RFP to the Burleigh County Commission so the Corps permit route, mitigation plan or credit purchase and necessary oversight can be included in the county procurement.

Ending: Committee members agreed the expanded RFP language should be provided to the county packet deadline so the commission can consider funding and scope. The consultants and staff will put together the technical language for the RFP and return to the committee and county as requested.