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COMPOSITE REPORT-Page 4 Application No. CUP 1484 DANE COUNTY PLANNING DIVISION STAFF COMMENTS (REVISED 5/13/98) I. BACKGROUND A. The applicant requests a conditional use permit to allow a mineral extraction operation in the A-1 Exclusive Agriculture District. The applicant intends to excavate,process, and remove sand and gravel from portions of the 117 acre site over up to 24 years. B. The subject property is in the Town of Verona, approximately one mile south of the Verona Bypass along STH 69. The property is not within an urban service area. C. With this application,the proposed operator(Payne and Dolan)has submitted a collection of background materials. These staff comments will summarize the submitted materials, but they are also available for viewing at the Planning and Development Department. Most have also been provided to ZNR Committee members. D. This staff report is an update to a previous Planning Division staff report of March 19. Since that date, the proposal has been revised to some extent, analyses of environmental and property value impacts have taken place, there have been significant public testimony and communications, and the Town of Verona Board has taken action. II. ANALYSIS A. Site Characteristics: The subject property is divided by STH 69. The east side contains about 40 acres primarily in cropland use. A gently sloped hill begins on the east end of this part of the subject property. There is a registered Indian Mound on this slope and along the eastern boundary of the CUP area. The west side of STH 69 contains about 77 acres which are also mostly in cropland use. The Badger Mill Creek also runs through the west side of the property from northwest to southeast. FEMA maps designate a floodplain area varying in width from 100 to 300 feet north of the creek and 300 to 800 feet south of the creek. There is also a small amount of DNR delineated wetland on the western edge of the property within this floodplain area. The geology of the site was formed by a glacial outwash river which once flowed down the Badger Mill Creek-Sugar River Valley. According to a geological survey conducted by the applicant, the sand and gravel deposits left by that river within the bounds of the CUP area total approximately 5 to 7 million tons. The deposit begins roughly 8 to 10 feet below the surface, and is in excess of 50 feet thick on the west side of STH 69 (thinner on east side). Nearly all of the deposit lies beneath the groundwater table. B. Surrounding Area Characteristics: See Maps A, B and C. The surrounding area is primarily rural agricultural in character, and under A-1 Exclusive zoning. However, about one-third of the perimeter of the subject property is used and zoned for primarily residential uses. Directly northeast of the subject property are 10 residences along Manhattan Drive, along with a small landscaping business. The residences are on a hill which is up to 40 feet above the elevation of the subject property. The nearest residence in the Manhattan Drive area is roughly 200 feet from the subject property. A second set of 4 or 5 residences and an auto garage are along Riverside Road southwest of the subject property. These properties are at the same elevation as the subject property.