Agenda - Council - 08/24/2010 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Page 3 PART 1 . OVERARCHING ISSUES PRINCIPLE I: Core areas of high ecological, cultural, recreational or scenic quality should be combined in one district with robust rules and enforcement expectations. We are uncertain about the intent and implementation of District A. Most of the areas encompassed by MNRRA's proposed District A do tend to be parks where the natural and ecological functions predominate, and are of more regional significance. But in a few cases — most notably Levy Park in Hastings (Map 1 17) — the A designation seems inconsistently applied. If Levy Park is included in the designation, the question is why other similar circumstances ought not be included as well — including a good portion of the Minneapolis Central Riverfront, and St. Paul Downtown Riverfront. Instead, FMR's preferred approach would be to establish a slightly different threshold for land to include in District A. Our proposal is that District A would contain the kinds of resources that have provided the fundamental rationale for the corridor to have been designated a National Park and Area of Critical Concern. Any DNR rules should recognize these key areas, and they should be managed to particularly rigorous standards. RECOMMENDATION I. I: Redefine the Intent of District A to more explicitly protect the core areas of regional ecological, cultural recreational, or scenic value. Specifically, District A would include all public lands that are of regional or statewide significance in terms of their natural, cultural, recreational, and/or ecological quality. This would presumably include all the land within the boundaries of established regional parks, historic sites and districts (whether in public or private ownership; whether on a local, state or national register of historic places), DNR -owned SNA and WMA sites, and any other sites that rise to the general definition. Strict protections on physical form, setbacks from the river and bluff, vegetation management, cultural, and historical controls would be implemented in these areas. RECOMMENDATION 1.2: Based on the new definition of intent for District A described above, reassess the boundaries of the District. Using a revised definition akin to what we propose, several areas would likely need to be added to District A: • The Ramsey Wayside Rest at the far northwestern corner of the Critical Area (Map 1) deserves special additional protections in the zoning as an "A" zone. This area is currently owned by MnDOT, and is an important long-term holding in the creation of a riverfront park system through the northwest metro area, and provides some historic interpretation of the surrounding area; • Goodin Park (Map 2) at 17330 Dayton River Road could act as a natural extension to the zone that has already been designated "A" around Goodin Island and DNR holdings further northward between Dayton River Road and the River; • The Mississippi West Regional Park in the City of Ramsey — already owned by Anoka County, just not formally developed as a Park — is classified as Category B (Map 4); • Doris A. Kemp Park in Champlin (Map 9) is visually connected with the Riverfront environment — the Critical Area's outer boundary jogs away from 169 in this area in an apparent specific attempt to include it. It therefore should be included in District A, not District E;