This transcript is from a **Hastings Planning Commission** meeting. Based on the context of the dialogue and the list of officials provided, here is the identified transcript: **Note on "Justin":** While not explicitly on your provided list, Justin Fortney is the City Planner for Hastings who typically presents these items. [0:00] **Melanie Peters (Chair):** Um, the first item of business is approval of minutes. Does anyone have any feedback, edits, or changes? Okay. If not, we'll consider those approved. And then the first item of business, a public hearing. So, we'll turn that over to Justin with the city staff. [0:24] **Justin Fortney (City Planner):** Um, thank you very much. Just to be clear, this isn't a public hearing. [0:29] **Melanie Peters (Chair):** No public hearing. Oh, I'm sorry. It's okay. No public hearing. We'll move to the um city of Hastings site plan for the water treatment plant. [0:41] **Justin Fortney (City Planner):** Um so this will be the eastern water treatment plant and it's located at 850 Spiral Boulevard and if the planning commission would review it and make a recommendation to the city council. Um, as you can see from the aerial picture, the address is located at 850 is located on specifically it's located on that little uh wellhouse building and then that orange square roughly represents the location of the proposed water treatment facility. [Continues presentation of site plans, parking, and landscaping...] [8:24] **Justin Fortney (City Planner):** So staff is recommending approval of the site plan um with the conditions that were mentioned in the staff report. And with that I can answer any questions. Also the u site designer is here that can answer any questions you might have also. [8:47] **Melanie Peters (Chair):** Thank you. All right. Thank you. Um, commissioners, do you have any questions for Justin or the site designer? [8:55] **Nicole DePalma (Commissioner):** Commissioner DePalma. Hi. Um, I'm wondering, um, two questions, please. Um, is there kind of a timeline once begun how long this process will take? [9:11] **Melanie Peters (Chair):** And feel free to come up there if you'd like. Thank you. [9:14] **John Christensen (Project Manager, WSB):** Yeah. Good evening, commissioners. I'm uh John Christensen with WSB, project manager with our water wastewater group um the PM on this job. Um so yes the construction of this plant will last about 18 months about a year and a half. So um you know if we bid this summer start construction in the fall then it would run through you know uh another year and a half after that. [9:45] **Nicole DePalma (Commissioner):** And then my second question is um because there's a budding in a residential area, what kind of impact will there be for those residents? [9:51] **John Christensen (Project Manager, WSB):** Very little impact on 31st Street. Um you know, all the traffic for deliveries to the plant will be along Spiral Boulevard um a block to the north up in the industrial park. Um, you know, I suppose there's um there's an opportunity to shift some of the trees down um to the south side of the site to help with screening, but um no, all the activity is going to be on the north side of the building facing the industrial area. [10:24] **John Moes (Commissioner):** Commissioner Moes. Um yeah, I was just wondering as far as parking goes, how it's so there won't be anybody there consistently on a daily basis. It's just for routine maintenance because it's a self managed or system overall. Is that right? [10:41] **John Christensen (Project Manager, WSB):** Yes, that's correct. Yep. Um, you know, public works operators will likely visit the site once a day. Um, but they won't be there very long because nearly all the systems in there are automated. [10:57] **John Moes (Commissioner):** Yeah, they can pull them up on their tablet. Yep. [11:00] **Melanie Peters (Chair):** Um, I had a question. Uh, and I think this is something we talked about when we looked at the other water treatment plant, but um, just what kind of noise might one hear on the outside and would that get to the noise to the residential area? [11:21] **John Christensen (Project Manager, WSB):** So, um, you know, the noisiest period would be during construction of course for that year and a half. Um the only equipment inside the building that really makes uh any noticeable noise is the permanent standby generator that we have there that would only run you know in emergency situations if the power goes out. Um and that generator is indoors um in the northeast corner of the plant. So, you know, oftentimes we'll say um I forget the exact distance, but if you're, you know, um uh I think it's around like 10 yards away from one of these generators, it sounds kind of like a vacuum cleaner, but that would be if it was outdoors. And this one's going to be inside, so you practically won't hear it from outside. [12:12] **Rachel Swedin (Vice Chair):** Swedin. Um just to piggy back on the noise, what is the light situation going to be like? Is that gonna is it going to have bright lights all around it that are on all at all times that neighbors would be able to see and affecting residential areas because otherwise I think this is a pretty dark area right now. [12:31] **John Christensen (Project Manager, WSB):** Mhm. The lighting is mainly just for operations, you know, if um if public works needs to work there at night. We have, let's see, we have three uh light posts around the driveway on the north side of the site. Um, and then we have maybe half a dozen light fixtures on the outside of the building. Um, and all of those fixtures will be LED fixtures that um, you know, have those hoods on them and they're oriented downward. So, um, they don't broadcast to the neighboring lots. [13:03] **John Moes (Commissioner):** Commissioner Moes. I was going to say overall I think it's probably it's a great spot. as far as um one of these facilities, it's um it's already an industrial area. There's the traffic and residential um effect is really minimal. Overall, I think it's probably the best spot for one of the good spots for it. [13:21] **Melanie Peters (Chair):** So, and I would also add it seems like a really smart use of of the site the way that it's laid out and everything. So, it's a good use of the space. I was just wondering if I could ask um does the building itself require any security other than you said it's very low maintenance. [13:42] **John Christensen (Project Manager, WSB):** We will have security cameras. Um but yes, we we decided not to fence in the whole site. Um you know, the doors will be locked um and only accessible to public works operators. [14:00] **John Moes (Commissioner):** Commissioner Moes. Is there anything in there that anybody would want anyway? I don't know. [14:08] **John Christensen (Project Manager, WSB):** You know, nowadays it's hard to know, but it's all pretty well bolted down. It would be tough. It would take you a while to detach anything worthwhile. Yeah. [14:21] **Melanie Peters (Chair):** Any other questions? Otherwise, is anyone ready to make a motion? [14:26] **Jennifer Silber (Commissioner):** Commissioner Silber. I motion to approve with the conditions. [14:38] **Melanie Peters (Chair):** With the conditions. So you have a motion to approve the site plan 2026-15 with the conditions included in the report. Is there a second? [14:54] **Rachel Swedin (Vice Chair):** Second. [14:56] **Melanie Peters (Chair):** Second by Commissioner Swedin. Any further discussion? All right. All in favor say I. [15:05] **Commissioners (Group):** I. [15:07] **Melanie Peters (Chair):** Oppose? All right. Then it carries. Thank you. [15:10] **Justin Fortney (City Planner):** Thank you. Um, next on the agenda. Oh, turn it off. Thank you. Next on the agenda, um, any other business that you have for us, Justin? [15:23] **Justin Fortney (City Planner):** Um just just to update you that city council did approve the Sunset Hills uh development plan and um the next item that we have coming up, I'm not sure if it'll be at our next upcoming meeting, but uh it's for a special use permit for a indoor cannabis um cultivation in in uh in the city. So that's all I have. [15:52] **Melanie Peters (Chair):** All right. Anything else? Otherwise, does anyone want to make a motion to adjourn? [16:01] **Rachel Swedin (Vice Chair):** Commissioner Swedin, I have a motion to adjourn. [16:04] **John Moes (Commissioner):** Second. [16:06] **Melanie Peters (Chair):** Second. Commissioner Moes. All right. All in favor? [16:11] **Commissioners (Group):** I. [16:13] **Melanie Peters (Chair):** All right. We are adjourned.