Minor Amendment-MUSA Expansion Requests

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-, These three strategies will not completely resolve the problem of nonpoint source pollution and the degrading effect this source of pollution has on area water bodies. The strategies, however, are a good first-step in addressing the nonpoint source pollution problem. Long-term, comprehensive strategies may be forthcoming after the Metropolitan Council and other state agencies complete a series of water quality studies in 1994. All of Ramsey is lo.cated in the Lower Rum River watershed management organization. This watershed management plan was approved by the Board of Water and Soil Resources in 1991. The city should develop a local water management plan consistent with the overall watershed management plan. It is in the city's best interests to incorporate the necessary stormwater management practices while the city is developing rather than waiting until the city is developed and has to retrofit an existing system. TranspoI1ation (Carl Ohm) TH 10 is a metropolitan highway and runs through the city of Ramsey. Since Ramsey is requesting an expansion to its MUSA, it is the city's responsibility to demonstrate that the proposed development will not generate traffic that exceeds the capacity of TH 10. Policy 12D of the Council's Transportation Policy Plan (TPP) states that the Council will approve the expansion of the urban service area, including the urban service area of freestanding growth centers, only when the state and/or the appropriate local unit of government demonstrates that adequate highway improvements will be provided when needed to avoid exceeding the capacity of the affected metropolitan highway. (See page 29 of the TPP). In the Council's review of the Ramsey plan amendment in July, 1989, the following recommendation was included: 12. That the city's comprehensive plan amendment implementing the above-referenced city resolutions also include an evaluation of the potential impacts planned land use will have on the metropolitan highway system. Land use strategies should be developed in conjunction with highway system management strategies to ensure that locally generated traffic does not exceed the metropolitan highway system capacity. This evaluation of highway impacts must be complete before the final 205 acre MUSA extension is approved. The city has included a traffic analysis that attempts to forecast a general level of traffic on TH 10 given anticipated land development in the city by the year 2010 in response tathe Council direction. The analysis fails to consider all future traffic using TH 10. It appears that commercial and industrial land development, while discussed, was not considered in the final calculations of traffic loading on toTH 10. The result is that over 4,900 peak hour trips are not allocated to TH 10. Further, the future capacity problems on TH 10 are not fully recognized. The city references Anoka County's transportation plan and notes no traffic problem was reported on TH 10 by the year 2010. The city of Ramsey is correct in this assertion, and the Council's review of the Anoka County plan also failed to raise this as an issue. Subsequent to Council review of the county plan, however, this issue has been discussed with Anoka County and the city. . No resolution of the issue has occurred to date. 7