Agenda - Planning Commission - 02/02/2017

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extended comment periods beyond the minimum required, and met with other federal and state agencies and interest groups to gain feedback on early drafts of these rules. The DNR also engaged local governments and other agencies in conducting analysis necessary to develop the rules; for example, the DNR worked with the City of St. Paul and National Park Service to develop and test a bluff mapping tool to inform the definition of bluffs, as discussed later under "Bluff Protection Standards." History of the MRCCA Designation and Rulemaking Efforts The MRCCA encompasses many of the Twin Cities metropolitan area's most significant natural and cultural resources, including: water, navigational capabilities, scenic views, geology and soils, vegetation, minerals, flora and fauna, cultural and historic resources and land and water -based recreational resources. The MRCCA is home to a full range of residential neighborhoods, as well as river -related commerce, industry, and transportation. Though the river corridor has been extensively developed, many intact and remnant natural areas remain, including geomorphological features such as bluffs, islands, floodplains, wetlands, riparian zones, and native aquatic and terrestrial flora and fauna.' To manage and protect these vital resources, Governor Wendell Anderson designated the MRCCA in 1976 by Executive Order 130, attached hereto as Exhibit A, under authority of the Critical Areas Act of 1973.2 The designation was renewed by Governor Albert Quie in 1979 by Executive Order 79-19, and made permanent that same year by resolution of the Metropolitan Council. The MRCCA covers a 72-mile stretch of the Mississippi River through the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area, extending from the townships of Dayton and Ramsey in Hennepin and Anoka counties to the north and extending downstream to Ravenna Township, just south of Hastings in Dakota County (Figure 1). The legal boundary of the MRCCA is established in Executive Order 79-19, attached hereto as Exhibit B. A copy is also on file at the Legislative Reference Library. The MRCCA varies in width and includes 54,000 acres of water and public and private lands. A total of 30 communities have land within the MRCCA, including 21 cities, five counties, and four townships. Land use in the MRCCA is currently regulated by local governments through local MRCCA plans and ordinances as directed by Executive Order 79-19. Executive Order 79- 19 established four land use districts within the MRCCA and set standards and guidelines to be used by local Anoka ,TW17, A a�w Pa,A ""'" Ramsey ,Stine PAW Hennepin Current Districts rural open space urban developed urban diversified urban open space Dakota Washington Figure 1. MRCCA boundary and current districts. 1 Lafrancois, B. M., D. L. Vana-Miller, and S. P. Johnson. 2007; Anfinson, J. 2003a, 2003b. 2 1973, ch.752, 1973 Minn. Laws 2258-2265 (codified at §§ 116.01 — 116G.14). 2