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Developer, council weigh options as High Point Crossing stalls over sewer capacity
Summary
A 65-unit High Point Crossing plan remains unresolved after new soil and hydraulic tests ruled out community septic; staff told council the Metropolitan Council must clarify downstream sewer capacity before a MUSA amendment can proceed, while the developer pressed for either sending the amendment for Met Council review or moving to a lower-infrastructure 11-lot rural option.
The High Point Crossing comprehensive-plan amendment and possible MUSA inclusion were the focus of an extended discussion at the Oct. 21 Lake Elmo council meeting after the developer reported that additional testing showed soils unsuitable for a community septic system.
Staff recalled that a preliminary plat and open-space PUD for 65 units had been approved in September 2024 but said new hydraulic connectivity and soil investigations required a change in approach. The developer presented alternatives: pursue a MUSA amendment and force-main sewer connection (the prior preferred option), or pursue lower-infrastructure alternatives such as a 30-lot plan with 1.5-acre lots or an 11-lot rural concept with large lots served by private wells and shared private drives.
A central constraint is sewer capacity where the city ties into the Metropolitan Council system. Staff said the local system may have capacity but the downstream acceptance point has an uncertain bottleneck; engineering is conducting a sewer-capacity analysis and coordinating with the Met Council. The applicant asked council to forward the comp-plan amendment to the Met Council so the regional agency can respond (60- or 120-day review window would clarify capacity), while staff advised waiting until city modeling provides clearer data. Councilmembers expressed interest in the 11-lot rural alternative and asked staff to vet exceptions (private wells, road sections, PVC vs. ductile iron pipe) and to present findings in a workshop.
No formal vote was taken; the developer requested a 90-day extension (new deadline 2026-01-23) on the comp plan decision and staff will continue sewer coordination with the Met Council and prepare analysis for council consideration.
