Minutes - Environmental Policy Board - 08/06/2007

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in, there is a lot more expense of time and money to control them than it is to keep them out in the first place. Ms. Gould suggested that the City may want to consider where to put recreation opportunities such as trails and bike paths. There is nothing that says greenways have to be hands off. Mixed use is a good concept plan. Ms. Gould stated that they reviewed the zoning and subdivision ordinances in light of the NRI. She noted that the NRI does provide valuable data for shaping the future of the community for land use, subdivision design, and potential infrastructure. Ms. Gould explained that their planners saw a three level approach to ordinances within the City. She gave examples of the possibility of updating existing ordinances, adding new ordinances, and adopting an environmental protection overlay zone. Ms. Gould explained that the information dense slide indicates a way that one community in Chaska Minnesota integrated NRI data into their existing ordinances to help shape development. Chaska had natural areas around the perimeter of the site. They took that into account when designing the plat. They concentrated the building area in the center and left the natural areas around the perimeter intact. It provides a nice amenity for the City. She suggested ways that management of areas can be managed by cities, suggesting things like park dedication, declaring them as outlots, potential upland setbacks, or density bonuses and transfers. Board Member Bentz asked how dense the lots were in Chaska. Ms. Carolan responded that she was not certain. Ms. Gould suggested potentially doing an upland setback as an option. She wasn't certain how that would be accepted in Ramsey. Ordinances can provide incentive for development or regulate development. Ms. Gould explained their last consideration was opportunity for alternative design and conservation/management. The focus was on lots larger than. 10 acres within the greenway corridor, highlighted with black lines on the map. The other lots larger than 10 acres are shaded gray. The natural areas are colored. It appears that they were factored into the corridor planning by the Anoka Conservation District. Other things that were considered for conservation opportunities were whether they were City owned or other public properties such as parks, oak savannah areas, greenway corridors, or potential private parcel management. The scout camp area stands out because a lot of other scout groups have been selling off their lands lately. Board Member Bentz asked Environmental Coordinator Anderson if the City has considered upland setbacks. The recommendation in the draft report is for 100 ft. setbacks on both sides. Environmental Policy Board! August 6, 2007 Page 7 of 10