District 12 Community Council files appeal on Kasota Development

St. Anthony Park District 12 Community Council is appealing the St. Paul Planning Commission’s recent conditional approval of the Rohn Industries’ site plan for 2495 Kasota Ave.

Currently, Rohn Industries wants to develop a semi-trailer parking facility at the site, which is located between Highway 280 and the railroad crossing near the NAPA Parts driveway.

In a recent news statement, District 12 said it has “many serious concerns about the potential air/waterborne pollutants that could manifest at the Rohn Industries project because an old ash dump underlies this site. Rohn intends to excavate and stockpile topsoil on site, which will disturb the historic Elm Street ash dump and expose the underlying polluted material. It contains tons of partially incinerated hospital waste from HCMC [Hennepin County Medical Center], and ash from the city of Minneapolis and the U of Minnesota, dating from the 1930s to the 1960s.”

Ideally, the Rohn Industries’ site should be remediated and restored to its original wetland condition,” the Community Council said. “At a minimum, the site should remain undisturbed.”

Kathryn Murray, District 12 executive director, said Community Council representatives plan to press their appeal at the City Planning Commission’s Zoning Committee meeting slated for Oct. 24. The full Planning Commission is expected to consider the issue on Nov. 1.

Since filing its appeal, SAPCC has launched a petition and fundraiser to help pay for its appeals fees. People can sign the petition at chng.it/HBbdtxZPRj, and donate to the fund at givemn.org/story/Rohn-Appeals.

“SAPCC is encouraging neighbors to fill the seats and wear green as a show of solidarity” at the Planning Commission’s Oct. 24 Zoning Committee meeting, Murray told the Bugle.

Scott Carlson, Bugle editor