Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 02/13/2014

Home

Motion carried. Voting Yes: Chairperson Olsen, Commissioners Bennett, Fyten, Barr, and Mobry. No: None. Absent: Commissioner Chubb. 5.02: Discuss Planning Process for the Lake Feature in The COR Parks & Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood reviewed that the official Development Plan for The COR (Center of Ramsey) has seen regular, minor amendments, reflecting land sales, improvements to the transportation system, market realities and refinements to the park, trail and open space system within this approximate 400 -acre, pedestrian and transit orientated, master -planned development. One of the refinements to the vision for the park and open space aspects of The COR in recent years, was the elimination of the westerly swoosh' park, which was a mirror image of The Draw from the west edge of the existing park — to Armstrong Boulevard. Generally in its place within the Development Plan 6.0 is a proposed lake feature sometimes referred to as "Lake Ramsey" or "Lake Ramsey Commons." A summary of the above change is due to four primary factors in no particular order: • A mirrored park to The Draw may be somewhat redundant park programming (aside from maintaining an east/west `green' connection throughout The COR. • Reconfiguring the proposed land uses in the manner shown in Development Plan 6.0 may provide better marketing for an anchor retailer — which furthers the marketability for land sales in The COR. • The overall grading plan for The COR is predicated upon significant cuts and fill (dirt) to make grade -ready all the various lots and parcels in the larger development; (meaning the fill from the lake excavation is required to avoid costly importation of fill). • The City of Ramsey does not have any recreational urban -type lakes (what few lakes there are in Ramsey are technically shallow water wetlands). Additionally, the myriad of recreation and open space options potentially associated with this type of 'lake feature' may only be successful with the creation of the proposed lake. Parks & Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood stated the purpose of this case is to initiate community planning for the proposed lake and the private and public open space associated with it. Staff proposes the kick-off of the public process on March 13, 2014. The City has been utilizing a citizen -driven, collaborative process for several projects over the past year with great success. These community conversations are intended to provide an opportunity for the community to be part of the policy development as the first step in policy analysis, as opposed to the traditional reactionary role. The City will frame the policy question, with participants being the focus of preparation and discussion. The city will provide resources for participants to analyze the policy question, which is kicked off by an initial scoping meeting. Specific sub -topics are selected by participants. From there, the remaining process is designed around the output of the initial kick-off process. Parks & Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood provided photographs as a beginning point in the public process of ideation for the lake and surrounding private and public green spaces are amenities and treatments other communities have developed in similar urban Park and Recreation Commission / January 9, 2014 Page 4 of 7