By Nancy Huddleston, Editor

The city has received a letter from the attorney representing Prior Lake Aggregates that the gravel pit owner intends to file a petition for the annexation of 200 acres in Credit River Township into Savage.

 The five parcels are on the south side of County Road 44 and are part of an overall redevelopment plan for the aggregate company’s gravel mining operation.

City Administrator Barry Stock said the letter is simply a notification of the company’s intent and no formal petition has been forwarded to the city.

Once a petition is filed, Stock said, Credit River Township will have 90 days to review it. If the township does not object to the petition, the city may act upon it.

If the township objects to the petition for annexation; however, then the matter will be turned over to an administrative law judge for further review and a ruling.

When Prior Lake Aggregates conducted an AUAR (Alternative Urban Areawide Review) on the gravel pit it owns in Savage and accompanying land in Credit River Township, there was talk of possible annexation. However, Stock pointed out, the city’s position has been that it would not pursue annexation of land in Credit River Township, but instead would wait for petitions to be filed by landowners or the township.

As part of the AUAR process, Prior Lake Aggregates presented a preliminary development plan to the Savage City Council that calls for redeveloping the current gravel pit into housing and commercial uses. As all the gravel is mined from the current operation, the aggregate company plans to move its operation over to the land it owns in Credit River Township.

Another aspect of the AUAR was how the plan might impact surrounding land uses. Prior Lake High School is to the north of the gravel pit and the aggregate company has been in discussions with the Prior Lake-Savage Area School Board regarding how to connect the two sites with a frontage road.

To date, that plan has included removing SS-9, a rare woodland that was preserved when the PLHS site was developed. The gravel pit owners have said they will work with the school district to remove SS-9 and re-grade the area for the road and more athletic fields.

The District 719 School Board is expected to decide if its wants to move forward with that plan at its Aug. 25 meeting.

 Nancy Huddleston can be reached at editor@savagepacer.com.