Minutes - Planning Commission - 05/19/1994 - Special Meeting

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Memorandum May 19, 1994 Page 2 Planning for park [and trail] development, land acquisition and programs should be coordinated with adjacent communities, the school district, the County, the State, the Department of Natural Resources, and other governmental bodies. o Parks and open space [and trails] should be developed and improved to take maximum advantage of natural features such as Lake Itasca, Sunfish Lake, Trott Brook, natural drainage areas, wooded areas, or other significant physical features. Great effort should be made to preserve land along Trott Brook to link a major trail system across the City which could eventually tie in with the Rum River and Central Park in the northeast corner of the City. Consideration should be given to implementing this through selected acquisitions, trail easements, and scenic easements as well as park dedications. 14. To a practical extent, the Planning and Zoning Commission should adhere to the policies of land acquisition, parks and open spaces and trailways (greenbelts, waterways, bike trails, hiking trails, ski trails, snowmobile trails, walkways, etc.) as recommended by the Park and Recreation Commission. 18. As called for by the Mississippi River Critical Area Designation, a continuous trail will be provided along the Mississippi River for pedestrian and bicycle use. Where direct access is not possible, existing streets will be used as part of the trail system and identified with signs. The proposed trail is identified in Ordinance 89-11. 20. A component of the City's trail system should be to provide neighborhood access to developed parks while minimizing the number of major road crossings and providing a trail system separate from roadways. 22. In an effort to stretch park development funds, the city should aggressively pursue park [and trail] development grant funds as available and other alternative funding sources (e.g. tax increment financing and CDBG funds). On review, the goals are complete and sufficient for the City's recreational trail system, but inadequate in the area of commuter trails. The commuter trail system should be designed to link residential areas with places of employment, shopping, educational and social/community services, and transit facilities and services. The commuter trail system could also be linked to the Citfs recreational trail system. As part of the process for developing the Trail System element of the Comprehensive Plan, the list of goals will be expanded to include commuter trails. Efforts will be made to relate the commuter trail system to transit services and other alternative travel modes.