Agenda - Council - 04/12/2016 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Valuable Facility. Notification: No public notification is required. Following authorization by City Council, staff will notify and contact other jurisdictions on the proposal to share the cost of the regional facility (pedestrian bridge) this case discusses. Observations/Alternatives: Observations: For any conversion of park land to another use, Metropolitan Council would require a Master Plan Amendment, submitted by the implementing agency, in this case, Anoka County Parks for Mississippi West Regional Park. A Master Plan Amendment is also required for any significant changes to the existing Master Plan. In addition to the development of a Cost Share Agreement, another aspect of the park plan amendment would be to move up the phasing of the pedestrian facility from the Fifth Phase to the Second or Third Phase of park development. (The boat landing was the First Phase, initiated by the City of Ramsey in 2009.) Alternatives: An alternative to seeking approval for considering the completion of the pedestrian bridge as an Equally Valuable Facility for the conversion of park land to roadway ROW for Riverdale Drive, would be a cash purchase of the ROW. A land appraisal cost is pending, and Staffs estimated cost for acquiring the +/- 5 acres of ROW is between $200,000 and $350,000 dollars. Funding Source: No funding is required as part of this case. However, it is expected that a successful Cost Share Agreement would include significant Federal grant funding for the pedestrian bridge. (A regional solicitation is anticipated to be announced in the summer of 2016, with grant awards up to $5.5 million for multi -use trails/bridges .) Additionally, it may reiterated here, that the city does have the $490,000 from the National Park Service for the bridge, that must be applied to this project by 2017. Recommendation: As the proposed Riverdale Drive frontage road, and the proposed pedestrian facility's connection of transit to the park both add considerable value to the regional park, together with measurable safety improvements —staff recommends pursuing the Master Plan Amendment to realize additional benefits (developing the Cost Share Agreement for the Mississippi Skyway), in contrast to issuing a cash payment to Anoka County for acquiring the roadway ROW for extending Riverdale Drive. Action: Motion to authorize Staff to pursue a Cost Share Agreement with Anoka County Parks and Metropolitan Council and other funding entities for the Mississippi Skyway —and secure the right of way for Riverdale Drive through a Master Plan Amendment to Mississippi West Regional Park. Attachments Miss.West Master Plan