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Blue System <br />Overview <br />Water features and drainage systems are essential components <br />of the Town Center Master Plan. The potential mix of ponds, <br />streams, fountains and other water elements will provide focal <br />amenities and year round activities within the framework of an <br />environmentally responsible, visually pleasing strategy to <br />manage stormwater. Because the mississippi River is a restricted <br />discharge water of the state, and because we are creating a new <br />discharge from this development, each sub -district and each site <br />has a responsibility to utilize 'best management practices' (BMP) <br />to pretreat run-off, reduce erosion and encourage infiltration. <br />Water elements are not intended to be separate stand alone <br />features, but instead should be integrated with the variety of <br />parks, trails and public open space proposed for the Town <br />Center. Water and landscape should be designed and utilized <br />within multipurpose areas that accommodate both active and <br />passive recreational use. <br />Guideline Recommendations <br />Blue System guidelines not only define the overall role and <br />character of public space, but also encourage each <br />development parcel to address the following: <br />• Create signature water features (ponds, pools, fountains, <br />waterfalls, etc.) as major visual amenities throughout the Town <br />Center <br />• Promote high quality, creative and appealing aesthetics for all <br />blue system elements <br />• Integrate stormwater management components (meeting both <br />water quality and quantity requirements) <br />A great deal of time and effort has gone into the calculation and <br />design of a `watershed -based' stormwater management plan to <br />support Town Center development. While this overall strategy <br />addresses the water quantity issue for the entire Town Center <br />by providing storage and conveyance facilities for storm <br />events, individual development projects (block -by -block) have <br />an equal responsibility to meet water quality standards as a <br />primary goal. Each project should integrate a variety of <br />techniques, materials and methods (listed in the examples <br />below) to promote multiple use, maximum flexibility, improved <br />aesthetics for parking areas, park spaces, drainage swales and <br />other site features. <br />Objectives <br />Integration of water and landscape, design creativity, use of <br />high quality materials and safety concerns are the critical <br />objectives to be met — the following examples illustrate only a <br />few of many possibilities: <br />• Innovative new products, such as special soil systems <br />(Netlon, structural soils), pervious pavements for parking <br />areas, storm ceptors, underground storage and other creative <br />techniques should be used to BMP standards <br />• `Green architecture', expressed through green roofs, gray <br />water recycling and other techniques should be included to <br />reduce the impact of new development on stormwater systems <br />• Water feature design should include both formal elements <br />(such as reflecting pools or fountains) and natural/informal <br />forms (such as ponds, streams, waterfalls) and should <br />explore creative ways to integrate wetland/rain garden <br />landscapes with active, urban spaces. <br />4 Ramsey Town Center Development Guidelines <br />