Moran Neighbors To Discuss Growth

Members of the Moran Prairie Neighborhood Association will get a chance to talk about growth and its impact on their area at a meeting tonight.

The association is convening at 7 p.m. at the Moran Prairie Grange.

County Commissioner Kate McCaslin is expected to talk to the group about newly approved measures designed to slow the rise of stormwater runoff problems.

On Tuesday, the county commissioners adopted interim controls requiring lined evaporation ponds on any new building projects on Moran and Glenrose prairies.

The controls also prohibit basements unless they are built to hold out water.

But the new controls won’t affect existing home plats or developments in the planning stages at the county.

The commissioners backed way from a full moratorium on new development, which had been sought by the association.

Currently most developments have grassy depressions that absorb water into the ground. The water table has risen so high that the grassy areas stopped working properly.

During tonight’s meeting, Cheryl Gwinn of the association steering committee will play a videotape she shot of the flooding last winter.

Over the past two years flood waters repeatedly have rushed over streets, lawns and parking lots and into basements. New ponds have popped up in the area.

Susan Brudnicki, president of the association, said the county is beginning to take the problem seriously.

“Until the county is willing to sit down and figure out a plan, it’s going to get worse,” she said.

About 300 households have joined the association.

A watershed study is being conducted by the county and could lead to construction of new stormwater facilities.

The group is also expected to talk about plans for a new shopping center and multifamily housing at 57th and Regal. The association wants builder Rich Naccarato to incorporate attractive design elements to the buildings.

Naccarato has said he will continue to meet with neighbors and listen to their concerns. His application shows he plans to use metal roofs, bricks and other building materials that will make the center attractive.

The association is also pushing the county to finance a detailed comprehensive plan of the Moran Prairie neighborhood.

The leaders of the association want the county to include a neighborhood review of future proposed projects.

, DataTimes