Minnetrista is set to welcome a new farm winery, though visitors won’t have the opportunity to purchase wine on-site. Following a lengthy discussion, the Minnetrista City Council narrowly approved a conditional use permit (CUP) for a farm winery at 3330 Highland Road during its June 3 meeting.
The applicant, Barry Trebil, had requested permission to conduct two activities on his property: 1) To produce and bottle wine year-round for sale to local liquor stores and restaurants; and 2). To open the winery to 25 people at a time for drinking and tasting events on the property by reservation, for up to eight days a year in the early fall.
The council approved the first request but denied the second on the grounds that many of the surrounding neighbors had expressed concerns about traffic, noise, and the scale of the tasting events. The council also indicated it would be too difficult to enforce any restrictions put in place around the number of people on the property at a given time.
While a few neighbors spoke to the council in support of Trebil’s plan to offer tasting events on-site, several neighbors said that the farm winery did not fit with the neighborhood and was contradictory to Minnetrista’s rural character.
As a rationale for the council’s decision, Mayor Lisa Whalen pointed out that Trebil could still conduct tasting events offsite and host visitors on the property, though no wine sales would be permitted on the property.
Additionally, Whalen noted that a CUP is not needed for Trebil to sell flowers, apples, and pumpkins on the property, which he plans to do.
While the council granted verbal approval to Trebil at the June 3 meeting, a formal resolution will be presented for final approval at the council’s next meeting on June 17.
In other news, the council honored Mike Pawelk, who will be retiring on July 5 after 24 years with the Minnetrista Public Works Department. Pawelk was hired in July 2001 as a Public Works maintenance worker, where he served in this capacity until he was promoted to water operator in December 2016.
Another agenda item for the council was the approval of a joint powers agreement with Hennepin County for assessing services starting in 2025. In 2024, Minnetrista will pay $205,000 for the assessment of commercial, industrial, and residential properties within the city. Beginning next year, however, the county will cover these costs as part of the county-wide levy, eliminating this expense from the city’s budget.
The council also voted to amend its process for issuing temporary liquor licenses, removing the requirement for background checks. These licenses, typically granted for special events, can only be issued for up to four days.
Previously, applicants for temporary liquor licenses were required to undergo a background investigation conducted by the Minnetrista Police Department before city council approval and license issuance. However, after discussing the process at a recent workshop, the council determined that the background checks were unnecessary and time-consuming for both the applicant and the city. Furthermore, there is no state requirement for a background investigation; this was simply the city’s past practice.
Other action items for the council included approving a wetland replacement plan at 3900 Kings Point Road and approving a task order with the city’s water consultant, AE2S, for water main improvements in Woodland Cove with a not-to-exceed amount of $59,000 for design and specifications.
Most Popular
Comments / 0