The foray into a possible truck stop near the intersection of County Road 137 (formerly 37) and MacIver Avenue Northeast isn’t going away, and people on the Otsego and Albertville border are beginning to rally against the idea.
Nearly 900 interested area residents have signed up for a “Maciver Ave Neighbors Against Otsego Truck Stop,” group on Facebook, banding together the neighborhoods of Sunray Farms, Martin Farms, Heritage Estates and more along the northeastern edge of Alberville, a stone’s throw from Interstate 94.
The issue is moving forward, and quickly. The developer has submitted a traffic study to Wright County, and a preliminary plan is also available for view on the City of Otsego website. Yet, to date, no official plan has been submitted to the City of Otsego, which would open it up for pubic hearing at either a planning commission meeting or at an official Otsego City Council meeting.
That hasn’t stopped the group, which has pitched its case to the council already, with a series of residents offering their take on the proposal late last year.
RELATED: Otsego and Albertville Residents Weigh in on Future Truck Stop
“This is a bad idea, all the way around,” one resident said. “For traffic. For the people who live in the area. For the businesses that have already established some of the same services. It’s just a bad idea.”
“I haven’t heard of [any support for the truck stop],” said Jamy Hanson, a resident in the area and one of the administrators of the Facebook page, in a recent issue of the Elk River Star News. “There’s no support out there for this.”
Granted, it wouldn’t be local residents who would comprise Love’s target audience. Instead, it would be the 14,000 or so trucks per day that utilize westbound Interstate 94 as they head out of the metropolitan area – or through it. And, with both St. Michael and Otsego targeting the County 137 and Naber Avenue Northeast intersection (north of I-94) as an industrial/commercial area when and if an overpass is placed at I-94 and Naber, trucks servicing those sites would be future Love’s customers.
But, residents are saying, the impact to both living conditions and the environment should be considered. School Lake, just off of County 137 and bordered by the County Highway 19 off-ramp, is home to a pair of nesting bald eagles. And idling trucks, particularly on winter nights, are bad news for homes in the area who would be exposed to diesel fumes.
The residents spelled out that and these other points in a group letter to the City of Otsego:
1) Increased traffic levels will overwhelm an already overcrowded road system as evidenced by the traffic study performed. The traffic study shows an 80% increase in volume and 3x increase in delays.
2) Noise levels generated from idling trucks will exceed MPCA allowed daytime and nighttime regulations for residential neighbors. Sound studies show 1 idling truck can exceed MPCA regulations up to 1600 feet from the source.
3) Air pollution generated from idling diesel engines will exceed EPA regulations for residential neighbors. Studies show truck stops generate 2X highway levels of PM2.5, 10X increase in nano-particles, and 3X mass emissions.
4) Crime studies of truck stops in our state and across the nation show dramatic increases in and around those locations. Increased crime means more tax expense paid by citizens for additional Wright County Sheriff patrols not to mention the impact on safety and wellbeing of our children that get on the school bus directly across from it.
5) The location of this proposed development and proximity to residential Otsego citizens is not in accordance to your planning and zoning ordinance for this property and is not consistent with all of the other truck stop locations in our region. We have over 104 homes within a ¼ mile and the next closest in density is Sauk Center with 4 homes.
6) Tax Revenue generated from a 100+ stall parking lot will be far less than other more suitable development opportunities. Revenue of area retail is 30%-240% greater than area truck stops and gas stations on a per acre tax basis.
Lochmeil says
An absolute joke that this is even considered at this location.