Agenda - Council - 01/22/1980 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

- 4 - adopted Metropolitan Council Water Quality Management Policy Plan recommends that ge~eral rural use areas are to be designated in local comprehensive plans and that a maximum development density of one unit per 10 acres be established in the plan for these lands or one unit per 40 acres in commercial agricultural lands. Appropriate standards for the location, management and maintenance of on-site sewage disposal systems are to be developed and adopted. The level of standards may vary depending on the city's proposed density maxim in the rural service area. The Ramsey Critical Area land use plan conflicts with Critical Area standards and Metropolitan Development Framework policies in significant ways. The land use plan does not clearly distinguish between the rural service and urban service areas within the river corridor. Industrial and commercial land uses are proposed in the river corridor outside as well as within the MUSA area designated by the Metropolitan Council and in the'Critical Area rural open space district. The proposed minimum lot size in unsewered areas would be 2.5 acres per dwelling unit. (In areas scheduled for sewers within five years smaller lots would be allowed but these would not exceed a density of one unit per acre until the utilities are available. Finally, the proposed industrial and expanded commercial uses although reduced in area from the existing plan conflict with the rural service area policies, requirements of the Critical Area rural open space and urban developed districts. Also, the Wild and Scenic River rule.5 an.~d..regulations prohibit such uses in the river corridor. The plan indicates that high-rise uses would' not be allowed in the river corridor but commercial structures as tall as 45 feet would be permitted. This conflicts with the 35-foot height limit under the Wild and Scenic River designation. However, it is not clear whether these building heights would be visible from the river and have a visual impact. Public facilities element a. Transportation plan The plan acknowledges and describes hazardous traffic accesses on U.S. Highway 10, due to the lack of controlled access and service roads, and contains policies to limit local accesses to one mile intervals, require developers to provide service roads and provide local collectors. The need for and timing of these impPovements will depend on the types of land uses and timng of urban development along the river corridon. A letter received from the Minnesota Department of Transportation supports these recommendations. A copy is attached.