01/06/03 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Status of Park Commission Appointment to EPTF Ms. Frolik reported that the Park Commission will make a recommendation for an appointment to the EPTF at their meeting on January 9; City Council would be scheduled to ratify the recommendation on January 14. Proposed Development of Village at Sunfish Lake Ms. Dvorak noted that there is 29 acres located south of Sunwood Drive and east of Sunfish Lake Blvd. that is proposed to be developed. A portion of the property is field and a portion is fairly wooded and contains remnants of an old tree farm. There is a wetland at the end of 146th that will be filled in; most of the pine trees will be wiped out and there are acres of oaks to be removed. This EPTF is supposed to be a tree group and should be offering comments on the proposed development. Ms. Dvorak stated that if the City Administrator would take land instead of cash for park dedication, this project could be a beautiful development. The developer is being required to reduce the density by 14 units and this group should recommend that the units deleted be in the area of the mature trees. Motion by Committee Member Max and seconded by Committee Member Sitz to direct Chairperson McDilda to draft a letter to the City Council, Park Commission and Planning Commission that will be posted on the EPTF Web Site and presented to the Park Commission on January 9, recommending that the Developer of Village at Sunfish Lake perform a tree inventory in conjunction with the tree preservation plan so the City has an idea of what is there and how we can get best preserve the existing resource by relocating units to the most appropriate locations. Further Discussion: Mr. Boos noted that it is the Park Commission that determines the appropriate park dedication for each plat. The Park Commission is recommending cash versus land because after continued examination, they have determined that it is cost prohibitive to have a lot of little park spaces all over the City to maintain. Mr. Boos noted that if the goal is to protect trees and natural resources, it doesn't always need to be protected by the public. He also noted that you lose trees and ground cover when you implement a grading plan to ensure the project area properly drains. Motion carried. Voting Yes: Chairperson McDilda, Committee Members Reeve, Dvorak, Sitz and Max. Voting No: None. Absent: Committee Members Marshall and Connolly. Discussion ensued regarding obtaining an aerial from the Anoka County Soil and Water District of the area involved in Village at Sunfish Lake. An aerial and ground truthing would substantiate where the open space should be versus where it is proposed. Ms. Frolik was directed to add review of the City's grading ordinance to the Parking Lot List. ACTION ITEMS RESULTING FROM MEETING Merge two items on the Parking Lot List (developing a list of preferred, acceptable and unacceptable trees, and developing a maintenance manual) into one task, noting that the document will evolve into an educational booklet for distribution to the public.