Melrose Council Approves Casey's Plat, New Downtown Zoning, and Archaeological Survey

MELROSE — July 19, 2018 — Melrose City Council approves new downtown zoning district and advances $2.7 million channel grant. The council unanimously adopted ordinance 7-19-2018 creating a C-5 commercial residential downtown district, which permits apartments above the first floor and allows parking ramps as accessory uses — the highest building height allowance in the city at 45 feet. City Engineer Mike Nielsen reported that the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources has recommended a $2.7 million grant for the 5th Avenue Bridge channel relocation project, calling it "a big deal, big big deal," though the award requires full legislative approval by May 2019. The council also approved a Casey's General Store preliminary and final plat featuring a reoriented car wash and a developer-funded right-turn lane on Country Club Road, and authorized a $7,000 archaeological survey required by the State Historic Preservation Office before the Rocker Trap dam removal can proceed. A contested County Road 65 sidewalk project estimated at nearly $240,000 was not approved; the council directed staff to seek curb-work-only bids and confirm county flexibility before committing further.