Agenda - Planning Commission - 02/02/2017

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conservation and conventional developments across the United States found that alternative development practices (e.g., conservation design and low impact development practices) were more likely to protect sensitive areas and restore degraded stream environments than the conventional developments. Conservation design can also protect important wildlife habitat in shoreland areas, if designed to minimize land disturbance in those sensitive areas.21 Finally, if planned in unison with neighboring developments or in the context of a comprehensive plan, conservation design helps preserve wildlife corridors between areas of high quality habitat.22 There are additional benefits of conservation design, including creating a greater sense of community, increased connections to the natural environment, and more pleasing aesthetics 23. Conservation design has been shown to reduce both development costs and long-term maintenance costs of infrastructure, since the land area given over to infrastructure (such as shorter sewer and water connections and arterial roads) is reduced. Subpart 1. Purpose. This rule establishes minimum standards for the subdivision and development of land to protect and enhance the natural and scenic values of the MRCCA, protect and restore biological and ecological functions of primary conservation areas within the MRCCA from the impact of development and redevelopment, and encourage restoration of natural vegetation particularly in those areas within the corridor yet to be developed or subject to redevelopment. Subpart2. Applicability. This subpart establishes thresholds above which the requirements of this rule apply. The development restrictions applied by this rule were of significant concern to local governments and other interests because of perceived challenges in managing protected open space on small parcels. After consultation with these interests, and after analyzing actual parcel sizes within each district to assess the potential impacts of the rule, the DNR proposes to limit the application of this rule to large scale developments. As such, the requirements for open space protection and restoration are limited to those developments of twenty or more acres, unless the proposed project abuts the Mississippi River, in which case a ten acre threshold applies. The decision to focus only on large parcels was made because most of the remaining developable parcels within the MRCCA are above these size thresholds, and because managing development on those parcels will yield the greatest benefits for the protection of resources within the MRCCA. This approach also limits the administrative burden of administering numerous small, unconnected parcels for both landowners and local governments. The standards apply to subdivisions, planned unit development, and other large-scale master -planned developments. Developments involving three or fewer lots and minor adjustments are exempted from the requirements established by this rule. The three -lot threshold is consistent with the definition of "development" contained in Minn. Stat. § 116G.03, Subd. 7 (2015), which defines development as the 21 Milder. 2007. 22 Arendt. 1996. 23 Nassauer et al. 2004 63