Agenda - Council - 09/24/2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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43. 1 Impact on Adjoining Landowners in the Vicinity of the Project: The planned trail will be constructed entirely within the public road right-of-way owned by the County. All of the existing and planned land uses in this area of County Road 83/Armstrong Boulevard are residential. Landowners who seek to use the City's loop trail system, including non -motorized access to the nearby COR (with retail destinations) to the south and Central Park to the north, will now have a means of safely and easily accessing it. Landowners will also see a reduction in the number of conflicts between motorized and non -motorized transportation with the construction of a separated trail which moves users off of the road shoulder and prevents the need for crossing the busy County roadway. For adjoining landowners who do not value improved trail access, the planned trail will not likely have much impact. The trail will be constructed entirely within the public road right-of- way owned by the County. Since most of the adjoining residential properties do not actually front onto County Road 83/Armstrong Boulevard, the planned trail will not cross many private driveways and will be located primarily along the side property lines of existing residences. 44. Attention to the Potential Environmental Impact of the Project and Efforts to Avoid or Mitigate Adverse Effects: The City of Ramsey's 2030 Comprehensive Plan, which was recently updated, includes an Environmental Protection/Resource Management Chapter. In 2007, the City completed a Natural Resources Inventory (NRI) that collected and evaluated information on the community's natural resources, as well as identifying potential strategies for protecting these natural resources. This planned trail is not located in an identified natural resource protection area. Trail design will be carefully considered in conjunction with the Anoka County Transportation Department and the Lower Rum River Watershed Management Organization. The City's Environmental Protection/Resource Management Chapter specifically identifies as one of its policies that the use and protection of native species for private and public development should be promoted by the City. Trail construction will include landscaping that incorporates plants native to Minnesota. Erosion control best practices will be used to minimize any impacts on nearby wetlands. 45. 1 Connectivity: The construction of this proposed Central Park to Alpine Drive Trail along County Road 83/Armstrong Boulevard will complete a trail connection between trails to the south and Central Park to the north. It will build off the Bunker Lake Boulevard/County Road 116 trail that was extended north to Alpine Drive in 2011. This trail will provide a critical non -motorized connection to important community destinations to the south, including the community's pedestrian -oriented COR development, the 2012 rail station for the Northstar Commuter Rail line, Mississippi West Regional Park, the Mississippi River Regional Trail, and the Central Revised 8/9/2011 Page 8