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Isanti council conditions approval of Centennial Drive apartment on developer funding road upgrades
Summary
Council approved moving forward with a proposed 28-unit Centennial Drive apartment only after the developer agrees to pay all street upgrades to city standard; council cited traffic, school proximity and long-term costs to taxpayers in debate.
The Isanti City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to allow a proposed 28-unit market-rate apartment on Centennial Drive to proceed only if the developer pays for required street upgrades to city standards.
City staff told the council the existing city street adjacent to the middle school is in a failed condition and currently lacks a turnaround; staff described options including waiving upgrades, requiring the developer to pay the full cost, or cost‑sharing under policy (staff estimated a city share of about $144,000 and a developer share near $125,000 under cost‑sharing). Council discussion centered on traffic flow by the school, snow‑plowing access and long‑range capital costs.
“Most developers when they develop property, they’re responsible for that infrastructure to start with,” a council member said during debate and urged that the developer bear the cost rather than taxpayers. Another council member said the city street provides the existing access and an assessment approach could distribute costs across affected parcels, but several members stressed that the proposed housing would increase demand that creates the need for upgrades.
Council member Holgrren made the motion to proceed only if the developer covers all upgrades, seconded by Council member Peterson. The motion carried 5-0.
The project still requires site-plan review, rezoning from R3 to the proposed multifamily designation and a formal easement from the school district for roadway work; staff said the developer would also be subject to setback, stormwater and tree‑preservation requirements. Council members requested that staff include traffic‑calming and turnaround design in the site‑plan review and confirm plow‑route implications before final approvals.
Next steps: staff will relay the council’s condition to the developer and continue the planning review process; the motion achieves only a policy condition, not final site‑plan approval.
