Agenda - Council - 10/26/2010 - Laserfiche WebLink

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SAINT PAUL AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TcT Sincerely, TILLER CORPORATION' GArvom HARRIS G �� G E RDAU COMPANIE MINNESOTA CHAMBER of CO METRO C ITIES MI S P COMMERCIAL 7 w GCI SYSTEMS NCCO> AGGREGATE 4i technology solutions NATIONAL „.. COMPANY INDUSTRIES `'' Joint Statement on Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area Rulemaking Project October 06, 2010 aInt r6 BUILDERS ASSOCIATION OF THE TWIN CITIES ROHM DM 110,0f HUM PERIIIIMERS �aITna 7)ir j ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS' JOHNSON BROTHERS LIQUOR COMPANY SAI NT P U 4 AAAA For more than 30 years, multiple use of the Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area (MRCCA) has been a high priority. Businesses, citizens, and local units of government have worked together to build a balanced regulatory framework for the MRCCA. This balance provides for the enhancement of the environmental and cultural characteristics of the MRCCA while ensuring that appropriate economic uses are maintained. Great progress has been made. It is imperative that the rules promulgated by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reflect a necessary balance between these interests. Cities and businesses are concerned that additional restrictions proposed by the DNR will undermine important investments that have already been made and will inhibit future investment and reinvestment in the MRCCA. Additional regulations stigmatize residential, commercial and industrial properties, discourage, and even prohibit property owners from making necessary improvements or expanding their buildings. The result will be reduced investment in properties, lower property values, and reduced revenues that allow cities to pay for essential services. Cities and businesses know that additional requirements imposed by more restrictive rules will work counter to both public and private efforts designed to stimulate job growth, increase capital investment, and grow the local tax base. Furthermore, the proposed draft standards are counter to the purpose of the MRCAA with respect to the development of roads and park facilities. These important infrastructure investments, which provide for the public use and enjoyment of the scenic and recreational resources of the MRCCA, will be unnecessarily restricted. We urge the DNR to develop rules that recognize the multi - purpose nature of the river and to respect the insight and knowledge of local units of government that have developed an effective regulatory framework for the MRCCA. This will allow the DNR to strike a balance that preserves and enhances the environmental, cultural, recreational, and economic functions of the Mississippi River within the rules it promulgates.