Agenda - Council - 04/25/2017 - Laserfiche WebLink

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development of the master plan. The public engagement process must seek to mitigate existing racial, ethnic, cultural or linguistic barriers and include people of diverse races, ethnicities, classes, ages, abilities and national origin. A master plan must include the public engagement plan and describe the process undertaken to engage those mentioned above. The process must include opportunity for the public to be heard and to have influence over the contents in the master plan. The Council will provide staff assistance, where appropriate. Regional park implementing agencies are encouraged to include transportation and transit planners in the development of a master plan, when appropriate. The regional park implementing agency shall present the master plan and planned amendments to all affected agencies, local units of government, and local, state and federal recreation providers and address their concerns prior to submitting the plan to the Council. The master plan submitted to the Council shall include a summary of comments received that identifies issues raised and content resulting from engagement efforts. • Public awareness: Plans for making the public aware of services available when the regional trail is open, including how to access the trail by transit, if applicable. • Accessibility: A plan that addresses accessibility, affordability, and other measures designed to ensure that the facility can be used by people with limited mobility. The effective date for these master plan requirements is July 1, 2015 in acknowledgement of regional park implementing agency planning processes that may underway when the 2040 Regional Parks Policy Plan is adopted. Master plans submitted to the Council prior to this date will be reviewed subject to the requirements outlined in the 2030 Regional Parks Policy Plan. Master plans for regional destination trails or greenways: Master plans for regional destination trails or greenways shall include all of the elements outlined above for regional linking trails as well as a stewardship plan and natural resource inventory: • Stewardship plan: A program for managing the surrounding greenway areas and natural resource features. • Natural resources: As part of the master plan, the natural resource management component should include: - A Natural Resources Inventory (NRI) as a part of the master plan process. An NRI should include a land cover inventory that is consistent with the Minnesota Land Cover Classification system developed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Metro GIS - a consortium of government entities in the region that create, manage and share digital geographic-based data in a geographic information system (GIS). Using the same NRI format will ensure compatibility with other natural resource inventories that have been completed or will be done in the metropolitan region. The natural resource inventory should include native plant communities mapped in the Minnesota County Biological Survey and listed species (rare, endangered, and threatened) that are documented in the Natural Heritage Information System.