HomeMy WebLinkAbout91-032 a
CITY OF LAKEVILLE
RESOLUTION
Date March 18, 1991 Resolution No. 91-32
Motion by Harvey Seconded by Mulvihill
WHEREAS, the Minnesota Legislature has mandated a
dual-track strategy to preserve the region's options for meeting
future airport capacity needs, with one track focusing on a new
airport option and charging the Metropolitan Council with the
selection of candidate search areas for a possible new
replacement airport, and the second track focusing on possible
ways to improve the capacity of the current airport and charging
the Metropolitan Airports Commission with studying ways to
• improve the capacity of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International
Airport site to meet the needs of air traffic to the year 2020;
and
WHEREAS, this dual-track strategy is a well-conceived
effort designed to preserve the region's airport options for the
future; and
WHEREAS, this strategy allows an open, public process for
making decisions, including public informational meetings and
solicitation of opinions from county, municipal and township
governing bodies and the general public; and
WHEREAS, the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is
a major employer for Lakeville and the surrounding area, so any
change in airport location would affect the economic health
of the region and cause major disruption for existing
businesses, highways and utilities; and
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WHEREAS, replacing the existing Minneapolis-St. Paul
International Airport with a new airport at another site would
severely impact comprehensive land use plans, both at the
present airport site and at any of the candidate search area
sites; and
WHEREAS, costs for developing alternate uses for the
current airport site if it is abandoned as a major airport must
be considered; and
WHEREAS, selecting either the Dakota-Scott new airport
search site south of Lakeville in Eureka, Castle Rock,
Greenvale, Sciota and Waterford Townships, or the Dakota County
new airport search site in the City of Rosemount and Empire,
Vermillion and Marshan Townships as the candidate-site for a new
airport would place all land use planning in-the selected area
in limbo for up to five years; and
WHEREAS, selecting either the Dakota-Scott site or the
Dakota County site as the definite location for a replacement
airport would lower the area's quality of life by adversely
impacting natural areas and critical wetlands, eliminating
hundreds of acres of productive farmland and the tradition and
heritage of the family farm, and increasing the sprawl of urban
land uses,; and
WHEREAS, a recently-completed survey by Decision Resources,
Ltd., indicated that the citizens of Lakeville, by a 77 percent
to 16 percent margin, support maintaining and expanding the
airport at its present site over building a new one; and
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NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the
City of Lakeville urges the Metropolitan Council, the
Metropolitan Airports Commission and the Minnesota Legislature
to avoid the negative economic and environmental impacts that
would affect the entire region if the regional airport were
moved to a new replacement site, and focus instead on retaining
the region's present Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport,
mitigating existing problems and improving and expanding the
present site in order to meet anticipated needs in the 21st
Century.
ADOPTED this 18th day of March, 1991.
CITY OF LAKEVILLE
BY•
Duane Zaun, yor
ATTESTED:
r
Charlene Friedges, 'ty Clerk