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COMPOSITE REPORT -Page 3 Application No. CUP 1476 <br /> DANE COUNTY PLANNING DIVISION STAFF COMMENTS (REVISED 2/11/98) <br /> I. BACKGROUND <br /> A. The applicant is requesting a conditional use permit to allow a mineral extraction <br /> operation in the A-1 Exclusive Agriculture District. The applicant intends to excavate, <br /> process, and remove sand and gravel from the 57 acre site,primarily to supply the <br /> reconstruction of USH 12-18. <br /> B. The subject property is in the Town of Cottage Grove, northwest of the intersection of <br /> CTH N and USH 12-18. The property is not within an urban service area. <br /> C. This is a carry-forward from the ZNR Committee's January public hearing. At the time, <br /> planning staff identified some outstanding issues and deficiencies with the application. <br /> Since then, staff has met with the operator. The operator has also submitted revised site, <br /> operations, reclamation, and preliminary erosion control plans and provided other <br /> information to address staff issues. This revised report reflects the new information. <br /> II. ANALYSIS <br /> A. The subject property has been in cropland use. There are 8 to 10 houses within 1000 <br /> feet of the subject property in scattered locations, with the two closest homes 200 feet <br /> from the site. The Rolling Wheels and Skyhigh subdivisions are located at a higher <br /> elevation approximately 1/2 mile north. Other surrounding lands are in agricultural use. <br /> Lands immediately south of the property have been acquired by DOT for right-of-way. <br /> B. The Little Door Creek lies northwest of the subject property. The operator has <br /> delineated the proposed site to come no closer than 400 feet from the creek. Such <br /> distance would not require approval of a special exception permit for filling and grading <br /> in the shoreland area,but would require and erosion control plan and permit. The site <br /> generally slopes from southeast to northwest, which would continue after reclamation. <br /> C. The operator intends to extract gravel and borrow material from the site through use of <br /> endloaders, backhoes, and trucks. The operator estimates that the site may yield, in <br /> total, roughly 600,000 tons of material. A crushing plant and screening and washing <br /> plant would be used. Blasting and drilling would not be required. The applicant <br /> proposes that the site would be in operation for four years, with extraction proceeding <br /> from north to south to take advantage of/existing topography. Most of the sand and <br /> gravel excavated from the site would be used in reconstruction of USH 12-18, <br /> scheduled for 1998 and 1999. The site would have direct access to the highway project <br /> area during construction of that section only. Requested hours of operation are 6:00 <br /> a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. The <br /> operator also proposes that crushing, screening, and washing not begin before 7 a.m. <br /> Finally,the operator requests that extended hours be possible only with the approval of <br /> the Town Board. Staff is reluctant for the County to delegate such authority to the town <br /> when the town has not yet requested it. <br /> D. The operator's site plan is shown in Exhibit A. The plan shows a safety fence near the <br /> northerly and westerly edges of the property. In addition to inhibiting public access, <br /> this fence would prevent earthmoving closer than 300 feet from Little Door Creek. The <br />