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3) Comn~nt~ Il'he proposed alignment will affect a Type 4 Wetland. Respot~se[ necess~ recentl~ Boule'~ard have proj~ ~n~i~ ano It is true that the roadway will impact a protected wetland. However, when !the City has constructed roadways through wetlands. Most notable is the impleted segment of 153rd Avenue between County Road #5 and Ramsey ~vhich the staff feels was done in an environmentally acceptable manner. We ed positive comments from citizens on the wetland mitigation elements of the e City acknowledges wetlands as a valuable resource and is committed to both ~and mitigating any impacts to them. Vehicle access along the wetland will also Ublic an opportunity to enjoy their beauty. 4) Comment: ~At the December 10, 1991 meeting a resident stated that the adjacent wetland was a l~ab[Ot for the Blanding turtle, which is a "threatened" species. Respot~se~' f Discussion with the Department of Natural Resources office dealing with threatened hnd endangered species indicated that numerous sightings of Blanding turtles have ~n! .~orded in the Ramsey area, including one sighting within the general proximity of the ~rOp~sed project. Blanding turtles are common within the Anoka sand plain area since theii' [habitat consists of shallow wetland with emergent vegetation. They tend to remain~in ~lje wetland except for nesting to lay eggs, which they prefer to do in sandy soils as cloge fi5 the wetland as possible. Discussion with DNR personnel indicated the Dep~eO~ policy on such projects is to address each project having a potential impact on a case b~ ¢:/js[ basis. Some potential provisions to address the impact on the Blanding turtle may i~ld~de a) recreating similar wetland in another location, b) limiting construction activiti~~ !~ a period when the turtles are not nesting, and c) installing fencing to keep the turtles ~ep~ate from the roadway. Comment: i It was pointed out that a portion of the roadway will necessitate the taking of parkla~_d. Response: ;A small portion of the project located south the Section 21 Half Section Line was de4flica~xl as parkland as a portion of the Greenland Hills Plat. All of the dedicated parkla~d ~cept perhaps a strip fronting along Armstrong Boulevard no greater than 100 feet WiOe islin actuality wetland. 6) Comment: i It was pointed out that the land parcel between Armstrong Blvd. and the propOs~"~:t 8geet (currently owned by Mr. Wayne Knutson) would have double frontage on two!m~o~?,oadways. Since the land is zoned residential, the value of the land would be decre :a~d;I Respon3sev fit ~s reasonable to conclude that the referenced property would become less desireablelifesidential property. The fact that the property would have direct access to both a nort~sofi!h and east/west arterial street would ~ncrease ~ts potennal value ff ~t were to be rezon~ f~[commercial use. Recommend~ti0n: Alternative 2 e~e~{s a functioning east/west arterial which terminates at Armstrong Boulevard. As developmentp~&ls, traffic having origins or destinations west of Armstrong Boulevard wishing to travel eastOard [to City Hall, the elementary school, clinics and future developments in this vicinity wili~ ~ !o travel excessive distance, make additional turns and be subject to safety hazards of usi!~g ~strong Boulevard or travel over non-arterial residential streets to avoid the use of ArmstrOng ~o~vard. I recommend against pursuing this alternative.