Report: Afton Plans ‘Woodbury-Free’ Zone Along Manning Ave.

Afton officials are contemplating a new “agritourism” zone along Manning Avenue in an effort to maintain its rural atmosphere, according to the Pioneer Press.

Woodbury last winter opened up the so-called Phase II area for development, and the city expects to have about 80,000 residents when it’s fully built out.

Afton, with a population of less than 3,000, is hoping to preserve its bucolic way of life.

“I don’t like Woodbury at all,” Mary Schiltgen, who owns a farm in Afton, told the Pioneer Press.

The new zone would run from Bailey Road to Hudson Road and allow farmers to sell goods or engage in other commercial ventures, like wineries or hosting weddings, the Pioneer Press reported.

Woodbury was No. 3 in terms of population growth from 2010-11, according to the Metropolitan Council, and the city in November 2012 began allowing developers to start building in the southern portion of Woodbury near East Ridge High School.

The city’s plan for growth in Phase 2 envisions 6,000 new homes there over the next decade.

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