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need for crossing the busy State highway. The small retail node at the intersection of 167 <br />Avenue and MN Hwy 47 /St. Francis Boulevard will also benefit from the ability of residents <br />from surrounding neighborhoods to reach their stores via non- motorized transportation. In <br />addition, as the entire loop system is created, the retail center will benefit from trail users who <br />use Elmcrest Park as a trailhead. <br />For adjoining landowners who do not value improved trail access, the proposed trail will not <br />likely have much impact. The trail will be constructed almost entirely on City -owned land and <br />public road right -of -way. Since most of the adjoining residential properties do not actually front <br />onto MN Hwy 47 /St. Francis Boulevard, the proposed trail will only cross a couple of private <br />driveways. <br />44. <br />Attention to the Potential Environmental Impact of the Project and Efforts to Avoid <br />or Mitigate Adverse Effects: <br />The City of Ramsey's 2030 Comprehensive Plan, which was recently updated, includes an <br />Environmental Protection/Resource Management Chapter. In 2007, the City completed a Natural <br />Resources Inventory (NRI) that collected and evaluated information on the community's natural <br />resources, as well as identifying potential strategies for protecting these natural resources. This <br />proposed trail may cross one wetland area utilizing an environmentally - sensitive boardwalk to be <br />constructed over the wetland. However, if impacts to the wetland remain a concern and /or <br />construction of the boardwalk is too costly, an alternative trail alignment is possible by shifting <br />the trail closer to the roadway. Overall trail design will be carefully considered in conjunction <br />with the Anoka County Transportation Department and the Lower Rum River Watershed <br />Management Organization. The City's Environmental Protection /Resource Management Chapter <br />specifically identifies as one of its policies that the use and protection of native species for <br />private and public development should be promoted by the City. Trail construction will include <br />landscaping that incorporates plants native to Minnesota. Erosion control best practices will be <br />used to minimize any impacts on nearby wetlands. <br />45. <br />Connectivity: <br />The construction of this proposed Trott Brook Greenway to Elmcrest Park Trail along MN Hwy <br />47 /St. Francis Boulevard will complete a trail connection between Elmcrest Park and existing <br />trails to the south and Trott Brook Greenway to the north. This trail will provide a critical non - <br />motorized connection to important community destinations to the south, including the Elmcrest <br />Park, Rivers Bend Park (community park), Fox Park, Ramsey Elementary School, Rum River <br />Boy Scout Camp, and commercial nodes along MN Hwy 47 /St. Francis Boulevard. To the north, <br />this trail will provide a critical non - motorized connection to the Trott Brook Greenway, which is <br />a natural greenway corridor that spans east -west across the entire community. This greenway <br />includes significant tracts of public land and conservation and trail easements that were acquired <br />utilizing LCCMR funds, and includes existing trail segments and over 1,200' feet of boardwalk. <br />Ultimately, this trail segment is a critical piece in linking the City's loop trail system to the Rum <br />River Central Park, which is a Metropolitan Council designated regional park in the northeast <br />Revised 12/7/2010 <br />Page 8 <br />