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In an effort to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and raise awareness about global warming, last week, the City of Grand Marais joined with fifteen other Minnesota cities across the state to declare a climate emergency.
When making the announcement Grand Marais Mayor Jay DeCoux, who has a raft of solar panels on the roof of his house, told the Minneapolis Star & Tribune, “We have a lot to lose. This is too little, too late, but this is where we are at.”
Cities and towns joining Grand Marais are Bloomington, Columbia Heights, Eden Prairie, Edina, Golden Valley, Grand Rapids, Lauderdale, Maplewood, Moorhead, Northfield, Red Wing, Robbinsdale, Rochester, St. Louis Park, and St. Paul.
Grand Marais has been working on a climate action plan for the last five years.
Following prompting from a local youth organization in 2016 noting the city didn’t have a climate action plan, Grand Marais City Council passed the Climate Inheritance Resolution in 2017. Thus began a process to develop a climate action plan aimed at reducing the city’s greenhouse gas emissions to levels that would protect the community’s children and grandchildren from the risk of climate change. A coordinator was hired in 2018 to work with a steering committee made up of community members, business owners, city officials and local youth to make a plan that would lead the city to be carbon neutral by 2040.
At the January 12 city council meeting, DeCoux told the council that there was plenty of evidence to support the effects of climate change in the Northland: forest fires, flooding, drought, significant fluctuations in temperatures, etc. and added: “some people in our community are passionate about this.” He told the council that he would declare a climate emergency for the city. Council will vote on the climate emergency resolution at the January 26 meeting.
In other matters:
*Councilor Craig Schulte was voted to serve as Acting Mayor if Jay DeCoux can’t attend a meeting.
*Cook County News- Herald was voted to serve as the official newspaper.
* 2022 official depositories of city funds include the Grand Marais State Bank, North Shore Federal Credit Union, Security State Bank, LMC/4M Fund, and RBC.
* Shawn Smith was hired as a volunteer firefighter.
* Alyssa Morinville was hired as a city administrative assistant.
* A 3.2 Off Sale application for Shop N. Save, the former Marathon Gas station, was approved.
Appointments to boards and commissions
Carl Colander was approved to serve on the Grand Marais Library Board for one three-year term.
Matthew Brown was appointed to serve two three-year terms on the Park Board. Incumbent Bob Nesheim was also appointed again to the Park Board.
* Councilor Anton Moody asked to be on the Planning Commission, and his wish was granted. He will serve a two-year term.
Jay remembered former city worker Tina George who recently passed away. And, Jay talked about the passing of Frank Moe and how much Frank meant to the community.
Cedar Grove Business Park
Council spent a large part of the meeting discussing a request by the EDA to modify an ordinance to allow more residential uses in the business park.
Currently, city zoning allows residential uses on a limited number of lots in the park for owner occupancy.
EDA Director Beth Drost and former EDA Director Mary Somnis came before the council to encourage the council to adopt Ordinance 2022-01, which would allow housing in the Cedar Grove Business Park in areas where it is now not allowed. The EDA also would like residential uses by other people than just owners, but the residences would still need to be accessories to a permitted commercial use.
Councilor Anton Moody noted that the property’s primary use in the business park has to be commercial but questioned,
“What does that mean?” He also asked who would oversee development in the park and make sure ordinances and rules were being followed. “I’m not saying I’m against it. But, I’m nervous about overseeing it,” Moody said.
Councilor Tracy Benson had many of the same comments and wondered about the safety of putting a residence in areas where big trucks would be coming in and out. In addition, she noted there is a lack of sidewalks and proper lighting in the park for residential houses. Like Moody, Benson acknowledged there is a serious need to add more affordable housing but wondered if the business park was the place for that development. She also said the city didn’t have the enforcement capability to ensure the rules were being followed.
Mary Somnis told the council that the declaration of covenants was in place with rules about how owners could use their land. She explained the idea to expand housing in the business park came about over the last five years from people who wanted to build a business in the CGBP but didn’t have money to buy more land to build a house.
Somnis suggested setting up a work session to look at the covenants and possibly make changes.
Council will vote on the ordinance at its January 26 meeting, or the council may decide to refer the request back to the EDA, who could then refine modifications to their proposal and resubmit those to the council.
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