SHAKOPEE

Plans for Hy-Vee store advance in City Council

Hy-Vee passed another round in its plans to open a second Scott County location in Shakopee.

The City Council approved the Iowa-based grocery chain's application to rezone a roughly 24-acre plot in the city's west end. The proposal includes a grocery store with attached liquor store and restaurant and gas station as well as a 10,000-square-foot medical office building and a 100-unit apartment building.

The council approved the new housing as medium-density residential, instead of high-density, after Council Member Matt Lehman posed an amendment to the initial request.

Hy-Vee entered the Twin Cities market last fall with two stores. Other Hy-Vees are coming soon to Eagan, to open late summer, Savage in spring 2017, and then Cottage Grove, Maple Grove and Shakopee. The latest location opened in Lakeville this month and boasts a fast-fashion department, juice/smoothie bar and a wider selection of grab-and-go foods.

NATALIE DAHER

INVER GROVE HEIGHTS

Council approves trash hauling moratorium

The Inver Grove Heights City Council approved a moratorium Monday on licensing new trash haulers until September.

In the meantime, city staff will complete a study examining whether there should be a limit on the number of trash haulers in the city. There are currently 17 licensed trash haulers.

The resolution places a hold on new licenses until Sept. 12. The City Council will take up the completed study on Aug. 8.

EMMA NELSON

FARMINGTON

Northbound Hwy. 3 to be closed next weekend

A stretch of northbound Hwy. 3 in Farmington will be closed next weekend as part of the construction project on that road.

The northbound lanes will be closed from Hwy. 50 to just south of 213th/Main Street starting 5 p.m. Friday, July 8, the Minnesota Department of Transportation said. The road will reopen with one lane in each direction by 5 a.m. Monday, July 11.

Traffic will be detoured along Hwy. 50, Pilot Knob Road and 195th Street. The closing allows workers to install a pipe beneath the road.

Work on Hwy. 3 began last month to resurface the highway, install new traffic signals and update pedestrian crossings between Hwy. 50 in Farmington and 170th Street in Empire Township. The project is expected to be completed in fall.

CASEY COMMON

Mendota Heights

City Hall repairs to begin later this summer

Mendota Heights is moving forward with plans to plug up water intrusion in City Hall.

Staff is working on a multiphase project that would remediate mold and water intrusion in the Police Department in the lower level of City Hall. City officials will meet next Tuesday with a prospective contractor to offer the city guidance. The city anticipates starting on repairs toward the end of summer. The city estimates the cost of repairs could be up to $70,000.

To accommodate the Police Department, the drainage project will be completed in phases.

beatrice dupuy

Belle Plaine

Solar energy plants added to zoning code

Belle Plaine, in largely rural southwestern Scott County, is the latest city to add solar energy systems to its zoning code.

The City Council unanimously approved on June 20 an ordinance that outlines performance standards to prospective solar energy providers looking to expand in the city of roughly 6,800 people. The final vote comes after the City Council asked its staff to create guidelines in January for the systems that have become a front-runner of the clean energy movement.

Cities and counties across the metro area have been fielding more requests from solar energy providers. Some municipalities, including Wright County in the west metro, have passed moratoriums on applications from solar companies to preserve remaining open farmland.

Natalie Daher

BURNSVILLE

Compost site opens for buckthorn disposal

Burnsville residents can dispose of buckthorn plants at the city's compost site on weekends throughout the summer and fall.

The compost site, at 121st Street and Pleasant Avenue, will be open between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on designated days through August 30.

Buckthorn is an invasive species, known for out-competing other plants for resources and degrading wildlife habitat, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. It is illegal to import, sell or transport in Minnesota.

For more information on the disposal program, visit www.burnsville.org/buckthorn.

EMMA NELSON