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The application for the city of North Branch to review and consider a training facility for construction laborers,  got the okay to move forward from the city planning commission in a special session Monday this week.  The planning commission was supportive of having a locally-based training site for those going into careers that call for skills in heavy equipment use, wind turbine and solar repair and installation and many other vocational-related fields.

The plan was presented to the planning commission because the east part of the location, which is off 415th and County Road 30,  is zoned residential, and needs to be changed to industrial, matching how the west half of the property is currently zoned.

Owner Jane Magnison said  her family inherited the parcel and there is no desire to become “developers.”  The concept of a training facility is attractive to the Magnisons for its educational aspects and as a benefit to young professionals.

A few area property owners were opposed due to concerns about noise, pollutants and loss of the agricultural uses and status as habitat for wildlife that the land has enjoyed previously.

Planning Commission Chair Ka Bao Jennrich noted the applicant has been working well with the city, and there have been no issues with another association run facility in Lino Lakes.  

The facility will still require a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) and during this review the fine details of operations, etc. will be worked out.

The planning commissioners also supported adding a CUP definition for “training sites” in city industrial-zoned districts.  The Comprehensive Plan will be recommended for revision by city council too.

As it stands the training site will be active 10 to 12 weeks annually.  

The site is meant to offer real world experience like digging of trenches with actual heavy equipment, provide an actual set of solar arrays and a wind turbine on which to train, areas for laying underground pipe, practicing saw-cutting of concrete  and other public works type skills as well.  The spokesperson for the trades group said trenches are backfilled and not left open and any hazards are fenced should trespassing occur.  There is a 10,000 square foot building and parking for about 24 vehicles in the plan.

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