Vadnais Heights Press

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2021 VOL. 46 NO. 1 www.vadnaisheightspress.com $1.00

RUSH LINE: Moves forward with a new name PAGE 16

Vadnais Council OKs Bluebird Grove PUD BY CYNTHIA SOWDEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

One by one, Vadnais Heights residents filed up to the front of the City Council chambers to once more voice their opposition to a proposed development in an area bounded by McMenemy Road and Bear Avenue. This time, however, developer Martin Harstad prevailed. In a unanimous vote, the council agreed to change the zoning for the area from R1 residential to a planned unit development (PUD) for Bluebird Grove, allowing Harstad to begin the process of recording the plat once the council’s approval has been published. It was an uphill battle for Harstad, who walked through the tract several times with City Council members, city staff and neighbors, sussing out their concerns about a piece of land that is what he terms a “valley.” The final proposal puts 21 homes on six privately-owned lots. After working with the city and Vadnais Lake Area Management (VLAMO), Harstad came up with a plan that he believes will fix drainage problems in the area and preserve an existing wetland. Part of the plan includes digging up a portion of that wetland and making it deeper. There will

PAUL DOLS | PRESS PUBLICATIONS

Royal homecoming wave White Bear Lake Area High School Homecoming Queen Addie Bachmeier and King Gavin Rogers wave from atop an SUV to the crowd of spectators lining the streets in downtown White Bear Lake during the annual parade that was part of homecoming festivities last week. Find more photos online at presspubs.com.

SEE BLUEBIRD GROVE, PAGE 14

South Shore road, trail design nearing final turn YOU SHOULD KNOW:

RAMSEY COUNTY — When South Shore Boulevard and its parallel trail are constructed, flooded yards should be a thing of the past. "If there’s one unifying theme of concern from property owners, it’s drainage," noted Greg Brown, a Kimley-Horn civil engineer hired by the county to help design the project.

For more information on the project, go to the Ramsey County’s website: tinyurl.com/kheyemxz There is also a link on the site to the YouTube recording of the virtual open house. "The new roadway is designed to be a drainage/ gutter system," Brown explained. "It isn’t like that today. Much of the roadway runoff goes into adjacent yards." At the county’s last open house on the 1.5-mile project late last month, Brown

and Project Manager Joey Lundquist presented the latest refinements to the road and trail design and answered questions from the community. As reported in the past, plans for South Shore include a twoway road with a multiuse trail from White Bear Avenue to McKnight Road, and a one-way

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with a trail from McKnight to County Road F. The trail, separated from the road by a boulevard, connects White Bear Avenue in the city to East County Line Road in the township as part of the Lake Links Trail system around the lake. Both the new road and trail will fit within the existing

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SEE SOUTH SHORE BLVD., PAGE 15

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footprint, which Brown noted is a "big reason for the one way in the first place." The roadway centerline will shift 4 feet to the south. The 10-foot trail itself is designed for two-way traffic and will be striped. Design updates from the project team include: • Addition of "water quality" areas to handle stormwater. Runoff will be infiltrated into the ground at various places. At the White Bear

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BY DEBRA NEUTKENS STAFF WRITER


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