Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 04/10/2014

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City of Ramsey 2030 Comprehensive Plan Update Chapter 11: The Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area home in the corridor several years ago. New commercial development continues to occur today. All economic development that has occurred within the corridor has occurred away from the riverfront to take advantage of Highway 10. The Mississippi River is not considered as a resource for commercial river navigation through Ramsey; however, there has been some interest by private landowners and developers in riverfront development for commercial purposes such as a restaurant overlooking the river. c) Public spaces (including parks trails and open space) Three park facilities are located within the Corridor, all having frontage on and providing access to the River. The State of Minnesota has a wayside rest at the northwest corner of the City, which has a shelter, restrooms, park benches and some historical interpretation markers. Mississippi West Regional park is a County owned park that is a passive recreational park consisting primarily of natural areas with some Oak -Savanna restoration. The third park is part of the Rivenwick Subdivision and includes trail access that connects to the City of Ramsey trail system. This park is directly adjacent to the Mississippi West Regional Park. Boat access to the river is limited to canoes at the Wayside Rest area. Through Ramsey, the Mississippi River is designated a State Canoe Route, as is the Rum River north of the Rum River Dam in Anoka. Ramsey is fortunate to have several small islands (which it shares with the City of Dayton) within the 5 -mile stretch of the Mississippi River including the named islands of Foster Island, part of the Mississippi West Regional Park, Cloquet Island and Goodin Island. Many of the islands provide public and private campsites for river travelers. Future park development includes a proposed passive or natural park along the banks of the Mississippi River between Bowers Drive and Alpaca Estates. The intent of this park is to preserve the remaining riverfront in a natural state. d) Agriculture Use Roughly 250 acres within the Critical Area Corridor are actively farmed to corn, soybeans, and other cash crops. Although some of the soil types in this area are suitable to agricultural uses, the high permeability of sandy soils and the risk of seasonal flooding create hazards to agriculture uses. The soils in the areas are more suitable to pasture or woodland than cash grain agricultural uses. The current farm operations, however, have not shown an interest in developing their land. However, as urbanization pushes outward along Highway 10, this land is likely to succumb to development pressures. Agricultural uses are expected to continue until urban services are extended to serve this area and the landowners make the decision to develop the land. e) Transportation The Mississippi River is primarily used only as a recreational means of transportation within the City of Ramsey. There are no barge terminals or fleeting areas north of the Coon Rapids Dam. Major roadways that are within the corridor are also at a minimum. Highway 10, running generally parallel with the river, is a major four -lane divided highway that is currently operating at maximum capacity. There are no bridges spanning the river within the City of Ramsey, however, Anoka County has proposed locating a new Mississippi River bridge in Ramsey. The County's proposed alignment for this bridge would generally be the southerly extension of an alternative alignment to Armstrong Boulevard through right -of - City of Ramsey 2030 Comprehensive Plan Page 11-10