Council approves conditional use permit for water treatment plant adjacent to Sorbbo Park

Mound City — The Mound City Council on Tuesday approved a conditional use permit allowing a new water treatment facility with an attached utility/vehicle garage to be sited behind Sorbbo Park, following a public hearing in which neighbors pressed staff for more information on cost, safety and screening.

City planner Rita Trap told the council the project would be located north of Bartlett Boulevard with access from Evergreen Road, would be built of brick, and would remain below the R1 zoning district height limit of 35 feet. Trap said the site plan anticipates less than 30% impervious surface and includes a stormwater filtration basin sized to meet Minnehaha Creek watershed district requirements.

The project, submitted by Bolton Mink on behalf of the city, will also provide space to store and service city utility vehicles. "Essential service buildings such as a water treatment facility are considered essential in all districts," Trap said, noting the planning commission recommended approval with conditions on screening, lighting and fence requirements around the retention basin.

Neighbors at the hearing urged the council to scale back the facility’s utility component and add more trees and a higher-quality fence. "We didn't sign for a $30 million project," resident Johan Shama said, criticizing the size of the combined utility/filtration design and asking how much the additional garage and driveway would add to the cost.

Staff answered technical questions about siting and operations. The planner and city engineer said the basin was placed to capture runoff efficiently given local topography and watershed rules, and that the basin is generally dry except after storms. As described at the meeting, staff estimated visible water in the basin for a typical 2-year storm would last about 16 hours and for an extreme (100-year) storm about 26 hours. The engineer also said the site generator would be a hospital-grade unit with a muffler and would be run only for emergencies or routine monthly testing to limit noise.

Public works director Ryan Preach said the facility would improve operational efficiency by giving water staff dedicated space for trucks, valves and testing. "This will give us an opportunity to spread out a little bit and put the right things in the right places so they're accessible," Preach said.

Council members and residents repeatedly raised safety concerns because the proposed filtration basin sits uphill from an area children use for play. Staff said the planning commission required consideration of a perimeter fence and additional screening; that fence and a finalized lighting plan were included as recommended conditions in the resolution presented to the council. Trap also said some planting locations are restricted because of underground utilities, but that staff will refine the landscaping plan during final design.

After discussion, a councilmember moved and a second was received for Resolution 26-28, approving the conditional use permit for planning case 26001 (parcel PID 23117-243100077). The council voted to approve the resolution; no recorded dissent was noted in the meeting transcript.

Next steps: staff will carry the planning commission’s conditions into the site plan and return to bid and construction phases where final contract documents, noise mitigation and detailed planting plans will be developed. The council and staff told residents they expect additional opportunities for public input as those designs are finalized.