by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
A moratorium has been lifted for two of three parcels of property along the Mississippi River in Sartell with a unanimous vote by the Sartell City Council at its Jan. 23 meeting.
The two properties are the site of the DeZurik Co. and of Eagle Creek, the name of the owner of the hydroelectric facility that spans the river at the former paper-mill site. The third property, the paper-mill site, will remain under the moratorium for a month or two more, so the city council-appointed moratorium task force can give it further study.
The moratorium began by the city council in May, so the task force could study current, former and future land-use issues regarding those properties. All are located in an area zoned by the city as “Heavy Industrial” (I-2). During the moratorium, all expansion development was curbed at the sites.
After studying the first two sites, the task force recommended the moratorium be lifted by both the city planning commission and the Sartell Economic Development Commission. Those two commissions, in turn, recommended the city lift its moratorium.
As for the former paper-mill site, now completely razed and vacant, the task force will examine its potential for land use and re-examine its zoning designation, now “Heavy Industrial.”
