Minutes - Council - 04/25/1995 - Laserfiche WebLink

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developing this property short of bridging wetlands to construct through streets. A grading and drainage plan has been accepted and approved by the City Engineer. The final plat should dedicate all of the wetland area as a drainage and utility easement. The developer must submit a Tree Preservation and Planting Plan. Ms. Frolik reported that park dedication is to consist of a combination of trail development and cash. City Staff suggested, and the Park Commission agreed, that the section of park trail south of 151 st be realigned to the west to more directly line up with Quicksilver Street. As a result of concerns expressed recently regarding the impact of development on the Environmental Learning Area at Ramsey Elementary School, Staff is recommending that the segment of trail from 151st Lane to the south boundary of the plat be preserved as a trail corridor but not paved and developed at this time. An alternate route to this segment of trail would be to follow 151st Lane east to the bituminous path on Nowthen Boulevard. The remainder of trail heading northwest to 153rd Avenue from Quicksilver Street wouId be paved. The Planning Commission recommended approval of same. Ms. Frolik recounted that at the April 11 meeting, a resident of Haubrich Addition (just east of the proposed Fox Knoll) approached the City Council and requested that a moratorium on development be implemented prior to considering granting preliminary plat approval to Fox Knoll. The moratorium would give the City time to consider curtailing the rate at which urban development is occurring and preserving the rural characteristics of Ramsey. She stated that the City completed major comprehensive plan amendments in 1980, 1988, 1990 and 1993, and is currently in the process of amending the land use/transportation/parks and trails elements of the Comprehensive Plan. These projects have caused the City to review land use, transportation and urban versus rural development. Consequently, there does not seem to be justification for an interim ordinance for planning purposes at this time. In addition, courts have said that cities have the right to implement moratoriums, but in doing so, are also liable for loss of use of property, similar to that which occurred with the interim adult use ordinance which cost the City $9,500, plus over $100,000 in legal fees. The City is charged with planning for the highest and best use of property and providing for services in a cost efficient manner and she does not feel that a moratorium is justified. Rick Murray, Residential Development Company, commented that Staffs report is comprehensive and thorough. He reported that their vision for this plat was to set home sites on the property they have and to preserve the beautiful stand of oak trees. His concern with Staffs report is the treatment of trail from l$1st, south to the school property. People had a concern about the Environmental Learning Area (ELA) which could be potentially negatively impacted. He reported that they took out the segment showing east and west. He presented the re-design and suggested that the residents didn't want such easy access to the ELA trail. City Administrator Schroeder stated that the trail would continue to be maintained south of Quicksilver. Paving would not be provided but the corridor would be maintained so that if the Ramsey Elementary School decided to, they would have access to that. In an earlier conversation, Mr. Peichel, Principal of Ramsey Elementary, had 'expressed that was reasonable with the alignment south of Quicksilver. Terry Herman, John Oliver & Associates, stated that the comments he has heard is that the students do not even go back there unsupervised. If we create a corridor, they will lose some of the control. They have a pathway along Nowthen Boulevard. It was.suggested it made more sense to come across 151st and not have that access. Councilmember Beyer commented that they will have to request a variance to extend the cul-de-sac. Ms. Frolik suggested that could be worked out with the developer. City Council/April 25, 1995 Page 12 of 23