Minutes - Parks and Recreation Commission - 04/12/2018

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Commissioner Sis asked what drives the alignment of the park space dedication. He wondered whether a different bridge alignment, perhaps north-south, would be more amenable to Mr. Nathe and would preserve the shoreland that he is concerned about. Mr. Riverblood responded that the preponderance of the Mississippi River is already taken up by single- and Mississippi West Regional Park. There will likely be hundreds of families living in close proximity to the proposed park along the river. Lining up 4 or 6 or 12 homes allows those residents the benefit of the resource, but it shuts off the resource having the river access spread out over 300 to 500 homes means that every home value increases more than $10,000. Mr. Nathe had commented on the 300-foot setback. That is part of the critical river areas corridor, which is a planning distinction that says the resource needs to be protected. That is where the layers of planning come in, to cause the City to be prudent about protecting that resource in perpetuity. As a prospective homeowner, if maintaining just an individual lawn is the priority, there are hundreds of homes along the Mississippi regularly for sale with private access to the river. Chair Bennett stated a goal of the Comp Plan is to develop parks and communities and have something for everyone. The river is a prominent resource in this community, but it is not leveraged by many people. This could be a really unique development with some really interesting amenities, and everyone in the City of Ramsey would benefit from it. Mr. Riverblood noted there clearly would be those internal neighborhood connections to the space under consideration. Roads and sidewalks and all those things are looked at when a development comes forward. Developers want to know what the plans are for the area. Developers do not want to buy a $1 million tract of property, to then invest millions of dollars in it, to make a 4 or 6 or 8 percent margin of profit, only to plans. Chair Bennett reiterated that this was also part of the 2030 Comp Plan. Commissioner Sis asked whether there was a Comp Plan prior to the 2030 version. Mr. Riverblood responded there had been Comp Plans dating back to the establishment of the Met Council right after 1967. However, the Comp Plans continue to get more sophisticated with each iteration. Twenty or thirty years ago, this community had nowhere near the density. The character of the community continues to change, and the densities continue to change, which drives up the need for park spaces, particularly for needs within the urban service area. Similar to the recreation districts. Motion by Commissioner Andrusko, seconded by Commissioner Bayer, to approve the draft recommendations for the Parks and Recreation section of the 2040 Comp Plan as written. Motion carried. Voting Yes: Chair Bennett; Commissioners Andrusko, Bayer, Leistico, Sis, Tchuinkwa, Trappen. Voting No: None. Absent: None. 5.02: Recommend Park Dedication for Rum River Prairie Park and Recreation Commission/April 12, 2018 Page 5 of 7