Agenda - Council - 04/08/2003 - Laserfiche WebLink

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CA~E #: ~ AUTHORiZING THE RELEASE OF THE DRAFT TOWN CENTER ALTERNATIVE URBAN AREAWIDE REVIEW (AUAR) FOR COMMENTS AND REVIEW.. By: Principal Planner Patrick Trudgeon, AICP Background: In January 2003, the City Council authorized the initiation of the Ramsey Town Center Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR) environmental review. The AUAR looks at the environmental impacts of the project and identifies mitigation efforts that need to be undertaken. A draft AUAR document has been prepared for the Town Center project and is now ready for consideration. Under Chapter 4410.3610 (5) (A) of Minnesota Rules, the City is required to release a Draft AUAR to.various state, county, and mutli- jurisdicational agencies for review, and comment. In addition, tt,,e_Draft AUAR document will be available to -the general public for their comments. The following items are part of the case: a) Ramsey Town Center Draft AUAR document (To be handed out at meeting). b) Resolution authorizing release of Ramsey Town Center Draft AUAR. Observations: The document is a very large document and is nearly 300 pages long. The base document was created by Ramsey Town Center's consultants. As the Council will recall, the City has hired three engineering firms to' review the document for accuracy and Consistency with City policy .and goals. City Staff has also been reviewing the documents and suggesting changes and refinements of the document. At a previous work session, the City Council reviewed an early draft of the AUAR document. As this case is wr/tten, Staff is still working with RTC's consultants to Complete the Draft AUAR document. Therefore, the AUAR document' is not attached to this case, but will handed out at the City Council meeting. Staff will review the document and answer any questions that you may have. Staff anticipates that the Draft.A'UAR that will be reviewed on April 8, 2003 will be a document that the City can endorse. It should be mentioned that the document under consideration is only a draft document. As mentioned above, State Statutes require the City to release a draft AUAR for consideration by other governmental agencies and the general public. There is a 30-day review period (with the possibility of an additional 15 day extension) for everyone to review and comment on the AUAR' document. The City will then have to address the comments and adopt a final AUAR document. Staff would also point out that the City Council should focus on several key points when considering whether to release the Draft AUAR. One, how valid is the data used for the analysis? Second, are the environmental impacts described consistent with the' data? Finally, are the mitigation efforts described in the document consistent with City policies and ordinances and strong enough from the City's viewpoint? From Staff and the City Consultant's review, the Draft AUAR generally uses sound analysis for determining the enviromnental impacts and the mitigation efforts described are strong and consistent with -227-