Agenda - Planning Commission - 04/07/1998

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MIDTERM PROGRESS AND FINANCIAL REPORT MNRRA GRANT Work Plan The work plan the City of Ramsey submitted in July 1997 consisted of two phases.. Phase I involved updating the Critical Area ordinance and other ordinances related to MNRRA, while Phase II will identify local issues of land use, open space, recreation, natural resources and economic development relating to the MNRRA comprehensive management plan. Below is a progress index for the steps outlined in the first work plan. PHASE I Task Review the Critical River and Shoreland ordinances and identify areas not in compliance with state standards. Solicit input from Critical River Area stakeholders.' Prepare a list of options for meeting MNRRA Tier I goals. Status It was determined the Critical River and Shoreland requirements should be separated in the Ramsey City Code so as not to confuse the two. Sandy Fecht assisted the City in reviewing the current ordinance, and separating out the Shoreland requirements. Sandy Fecht is currently reviewing the ordinance for inconsistencies with the current state requirements. We expect to receive the suggested changes in March 1998. It was also decided that the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), City of Ramsey and City of Dayton should work together to update the Critical Area requirements and the Wild and Scenic River area requirements at the same time. Thus melding the "best" of both into a single Mississippi River environmental protection ordinance. We will probably educate stakeholders at a public meeting about TIER I goals and solicit reactions to those amendments from stakeholders at a public meeting. However, the primary purpose of such a meeting would be to discuss TIER II policies. It is likely the City of Ramsey will accept the suggested revisions to our current code from Sandy Fecht to meet the state requirements for the Critical River Area. We