The landscape could be changing soon in Clear Lake, as the city council met Monday evening and heard an update on a pair of developments that could begin seeing new home construction in the near future.

Representatives from both the Parkside development and Hunter Lake Bluffs were on hand to have an open discussion with council regarding future plans for housing and other amenities.

Hunter Lake

The current development near Hunter Lake has another phase that could see development in the near future, based on the preliminary discussions with the developer.

One of the main items discussed was what to do in the future with the natural area contained in the first phase of the development. It was always meant to be a pristine buffer area, but in the past several years people have been accessing the area and leaving trash behind. The developer has been back three times over the past ten plus years to clean it up, but a more permanent solution was being sought.

Originally, a Homeowners Association (HOA) existed in the development, but that has since disbanded.  With an addition of the phase two plans, council felt the undeveloped area should be retained, but possibly with city ownership and the establishment of trails for the public to use. With the additional houses being built near the pristine area, it was felt there would be better surveillance in the area to discourage people from having negative effects on the land.

Discussions will continue in the future, although no date has been determined for the second phase to commence.

Parkside

The Parkside development discussion was led by Jay Roos, LGI Homes representative, who spoke about the timeline and plans for the second phase.  

City Engineer Keith Yapp also weighed in on the final plat, noting that he had some very minor concerns he wanted to address, but that the bulk of the plans were similar to the original plat.

The biggest area of discussion for this project was the timing of any future development beyond Parkside and the size and scope of the lift station that would service the area.  One option was to put in a smaller sewer service that would service the 130 possible homes, while another option was to create a more regional substation that would allow for future expansion beyond the scope of the current development,  Pros and cons for each of the options were discussed and ultimately, council decided to pass a motion for continuance of the final plat, with more discussions to follow.

In the next few weeks, Clerk Kari Koren will be in contact with the city attorney and Roos, as the developer’s agreement will be worked on in order to keep the project moving.

In Other Business, the Council:

• Heard from Sherburne County Attorney Kathleen Heaney about her office’s prosecutorial services in 2021, noting that 62 cases were handled on behalf of the city. Heaney also shared county-wide data that included a 16% increase in felony filings in the past year, as well as a 25% increase in gross misdemeanors. Heaney’s office has been working overtime to work through the backlog of cases that accumulated during the covid-19 pandemic;

• Heard an update from Sgt. Andy Ochs of the SCSO that detailed 75 calls for service last month, including 21 traffic stops;

• Approved the city personnel reviews that had been discussed at the closed meeting earlier in the evening;

• Approved a water refund for a resident who experienced unusual high flow charges due to a faulty plumbing fixture, agreeing to keep the refund the same as past practice within the city;

• Approved a new pay structure for training for personnel from the CLFD. Member Chad Nelson abstained from the vote since he is a member of the department.