Session Week 5:
Update to Construction Stormwater General Permit Released
MPCA recently released a draft proposal to update the Minnesota Construction Stormwater (CSW) Permit. The EPA requires an update and re-issuance of the CSW every five years. The CSW is an important regulatory document affecting all development disturbing one acre or more. BATC has identified three initial areas of concern in the recently released draft of the update to the Minnesota Construction Stormwater Permit:
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24-Hour Rain Event - Inspection Threshold Reduction: The rule proposal calls for construction site inspections within 24 hours after a rainfall that's greater than 0.25 inches in 24 hours, and the inspector must record inspection data and ensure that maintenance is undertaken within 24 hours. This reduction from the current 0.5 inch rain event threshold would double the inspection requirement and significantly increase costs. This proposal is more stringent than EPA guidance.
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Permanent Treatment of Surface Run-Off: The rule proposal requires that one-inch of new impervious surface runoff must be held on site and infiltrated, harvested, or reused if feasible. The one-inch permanent treatment requirement exceeds the EPA’s requirement and will place a significant cost and process burden upon applicants who are developing in conditions where the permanent treatment goal isn’t feasible.
- Online Applications Required: The owner operator shall submit an online application form. If applicant is not able to apply online, contact the MPCA for technical assistance or a waiver.
BATC members Jason McCarty (Westwood Professional Services) and Ian Peterson (Pulte Group) joined BATC staff and counsel in a meeting with MPCA Commissioner John Linc Stine and senior staff to discuss the draft and items listed above. A small work-group of Public Policy Committee members will be reviewing the permit in greater detail as we prepare public comment and continue discussions with the MPCA.
Transit Oriented Development Highlights Metropolitan Council State of Region
Metropolitan Council Chair Susan Haigh delivered the State of the Region speech yesterday at the Union Depot. Haigh highlighted the importance of the transit system to the region’s economy and the way it connects people to communities, jobs, and other amenities. The Met Council’s focus on connecting transit to development, coupled with the Governor’s budget commitment to raising revenue for transit will place this issue front and center for BATC in the coming years. Highlights from the speech:
Transit matters to this region because it is the foundation on which we build a world-class economy…Tomorrow’s Minnesotans expect more transit…Young adults live in a world that moves faster every day. Forty-six percent of drivers aged 18 to 24 said they would choose Internet access over owning a car…This means our traditional economic growth strategy of competing for jobs isn’t enough – our region now has to compete for workers who are entirely mobile…The Governor, in pursuing a budget that is fair and ends gimmicks, proposed an additional $250 million annually in reliable transit funding…The funding will be raised through a quarter cent sales tax in the metro area and will greatly accelerate the build out of metro area transitways – LRT, BRT, express bus, rapid bus and regular route bus service…Transit expansion is a means to an end and that end is job growth, business growth, and ultimately prosperity for our residents, today and tomorrow…Connecting development to transit is what we need to reach our goal…We are at a pivotal moment for our transit system.
Park Fee Bills
Bills to clarify park dedication fee processes for Minneapolis and St. Paul were heard and passed in the Senate Government Operations Committee yesterday and are up in the House Government Operations Committee today. The core metro cities sought statutory clarification for developments that do not subdivide but add net new housing units. BATC negotiated language to ensure that their park fee authority contained existing requirements for fee processing and a nexus connecting the new homeowners with a new or expanded park or trail.
Budget Update
Governor Dayton’s budget plan continues to receive scrutiny from BATC and many other business groups across the state. The plan calls for nearly $2 billion in new revenue raised by a business-to-business sales tax on a host of professional services such as interior design, marketing, accounting, and legal services. Some insiders believe the opposition to the B2B sales tax extension is strong enough to derail the entire section of the bill, which would leave a scramble for the DFL legislature and Gov Dayton to keep his budget together. We are continuing to receive feedback from members on how the expansion of the B2B sales tax on services would affect our members’ businesses.
