Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 02/08/2018

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to help ensure urban development and land uses in areas adjacent to Regional Parks System units occur in ways that preserve the integrity of the Regional Parks System. System Protection - Strategy 2: Conversion of Regional Parks System lands to other uses Lands in the Regional Parks System will only be converted to other uses if approved by the Metropolitan Council through an equally valuable land or facility exchange as defined below: "Equally valuable land" is defined as land that: • is contiguous to the Regional Parks System unit containing the land proposed to be exchanged (within the same park/trail unit) • has comparable or better natural resource characteristics, and • could provide comparable or better recreation opportunities than the land being released from the covenant In exceptional circumstances, the Metropolitan Council may accept as equally valuable land the addition of land to another unit of the regional parks system where: • the replacement land has comparable or better natural resource characteristics • the replacement land has comparable or better recreation opportunities than the land being converted, and • no other reasonable alternative exists and where all other provisions of this policy can be met "Equally valuable facility" is defined as an exchange of land for facilities when recreational benefits and/or natural resource benefits are increased as a result of the exchange. For example, some land within a regional trail corridor may be exchanged to widen a highway if a highway department constructs a trail overpass or underpass of the widened road at no cost to the regional park implementing agency. The Metropolitan Council will consider conversion of regional park land to other uses only if the conversion will not harm the Regional Parks System. The following criteria will be used to determine whether regional parks system lands may be exchanged for other land or a facility: Issues with respect to the existing park system unit: • Whether the park system unit can continue to meet Council standards for sites and site attributes established for the particular type of park system unit (regional park, park reserve, trail greenway or special recreation feature) • Whether the park system unit will continue to function as originally planned • Whether environmental features (wildlife habitat, water quality) will be adversely affected and can be protected with the new use • Whether the loss of site or function will be made up through acquisition of a site with comparable characteristics adjacent to or in the immediate area of the current location