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e e Cindy Sherman January 13, 1999 Page 3 affordable and life-cycle housing planning and development efforts, through at least the year 2010. The goals are included here to fulfill the affordable housing planning requirements of the Land Planning Act. " Mississippi River Critical Area -- (Sandra Pinel, 651-602-1513) The city of Ramsey borders the Mississippi River and includes lands designated as part of the state Mississippi River Corridor Critical, state Wild and Scenic River and Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (1988) for multiple economic, recreational, aesthetic and environmental purposes. Critical Area plans have been required since 1976 but Ramsey never received state approval for an earlier plan. The final plan and ordinance will be reviewed by the Metropolitan Council and approved by the Department of Natural Resources for consistency with minimum state standards and guidelines in Executive Order 79-19. Under a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service, the Metropolitan Council also reviews plans for consistency with the additional voluntary resource protection policies contained in the 1995 MNRRA plan. Critical Area and MNRRA standards are addressed in both the Critical Area chapter and other sections of the land use plan. The plan was clearly written and included many policies for protection of environmental and scenic values that went beyond minimum state requirements and addressed goals in the MNRRA plan. Staff provided the City with a preliminary review of the draft plan on September 30, 1998 and provided technical assistance to the City's consultants in October and December, encouraging the City to aim for MNRRA certification. Based on these comments, the City revised the Critical Area chapter and requested a second informal Critical Area review on December 22, 1998. That review will be completed under separate cover and sent to the City before the end of January for possible incorporation into the revised plan for formal review. Comments in this letter are limited to general consistency of other comprehensive plan elements (land use, public facilities) with Critical Area guidelines. Land use and MUSA extensions: Although much of Ramsey's river corridor is now developed into homes on septic tanks or urban services, the Critical Area designation for almost all of the corridor in Ramsey is "Rural Open Space District". Lands within that district are to be used and developed to preserve their open, scenic and natural characteristics and ecological and economic functions and undeveloped islands shall be maintained in their existing and natural state. This overall designation remains even if the area is included in the MUSA. The City is proposing that almost all the river corridor be included in the MUSA and be planned for Mixed Residential at a density of five units per acre. Althoughthe area can be developed, it would be inconsistent with the purposes of the designations to concentrate urban housing in the river corridor and leave areas away from the river more rural. The City needs to include language in the plan to ensure that future development will be consistent with protection of natural features and open space and will maintain the natural view of the river. This can be accomplished in the MUSA through clustering, shoreline and bluff protection and setback policies and programs for acquiring or protecting permanent open space. Adopting site development and open space policies consistent with the MNRRA can also accomplish it. The plan could expand on the purposes of the proposed greenway and density credits in order to ensure that open, scenic and natural characteristics are preserved within any future development. Public facilities: We commend the City for including an objective for studying the aesthetics and other issues related to the Critical Area along Highway 10 corridor. Plans and designs for transportation facilities should provide for scenic overlooks, pedestrian crossings and access to land between the highway and ensure that such facilities do not stimulate incompatible land uses. Critical Area plans must also include a policy to minimize and concentrate river crossings. The City should include those policies