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HomeMy WebLinkAbout5.b. Mississippi River Greenway Strategic PlanCITY OF ROSEMOUNT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FOR ACTION CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: July 2, 2001 AGENDA ITEM: Mississippi River Greenway Strategic Plan AGENDA SECTION: Department Head Report PREPARED BY: Dan Schultz, Parks and Recreation Director AGENDA NO.: ATTACHMENTS: Letter, Greenway Plan and Resolution APPROVED BY: r .V In February of 2000, The City of Rosemount passed a resolution supporting the Metro Greenway Planning Grant for the Mississippi River Greenway Strategic Plan. The Mississippi River Greenway Strategic Plan was intended to build on three efforts with similar focus: Hastings Green Way Plan (City of Hastings), Protecting Dakota County Farmland and Natural Areas (Dakota County) and Dakota County Township Greenway Plan (Township Officers Association). The process of creating a strategic plan was intended to: 1) build multi jurisdictional consensus around a unified greenway effort; 2) illustrate how greenways can coexist with various land uses; and 3) strategize site specific tools and implementation steps necessary for greenway protection. The plan will focus on a broad (1 -3 miles wide) band of land along the Mississippi River including the communities of Rosemount, Hastings, Marshan, Ravenna and Nininger. Tom Lewanski from the Friends of the Mississippi and Bruce Chamberlain from Hoisington Koegler Group will be in attendance at the meeting to provide a summary of the plan. The plan is now being shared with the governing bodies of the communities involved. Staff is recommending the Council approve a resolution adopting this plan. RECOMMENDED ACTION: MOTION to adopt A RESOLUTION TO ADOPT MISSISIPPI RIVER GREENWAY STRATEGIC PLAN. CITY COUNCIL ACTION: Creative Solutions for Land Planning and Design Hoisington Koegler Group Inc. Hula ffin June 27, 2001 Dan Schultz, Park & Recreation Director City of Rosemount Rosemount Community Center 13885 South Robert Trail Rosemount, MN 55068 Re: Mississippi River Greenway Strategic Plan. Dear Dan: Enclosed please find a final draft of the Mississippi River Greenway Strategic Plan. This has been an exciting project and one that, I believe, has tremendous implications for the future of Rosemount and the other communities involved in the process. Tom Lewanski with Friends of the Mississippi River and I will be presenting the plan to each of the partner communities over the next few weeks. Rosemount will be getting the first presentation in the series. Our hope is to review the plan with the City Council and Commissions on Monday evening and ask for adoption of the plan at the meeting. If there are significant issues raised, we will pass those comments along to other communities at their subsequent meetings, making modifications to the report as needed. I look forward to seeing you on Monday evening. Sincerely, Hoisington Koegler Group Inc. Bruce L. Chamberlain, RLA Vice President CC: Tom Lewanski, Friends of the Mississippi River Enc. 123 North Third Street, Suite 100, Minneapolis, MN 55401 -1659 Ph (612) 338 -0800 Fx (612) 338 -6838 IM Project Partners City of Hastings Marshan Township Ravenna Township City of Rosemount Dakota County Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Metro Greenways Program Partners Advisory Committee Acknowledgments Karen Bremer, Board Member - Nininger Township Cathy Busho, Mayor - City of Rosemount Roger Fox, Board Member - Marshan Township Marty McNamara, Park & Recreation Director - City of Hastings Lynn Moratzka, Director of Planning- Dakota County/ Council Member - City of Hastings Bill Penning, Outreach Coordinator, MN /DNR Metro Greenways Darr Schultz, Park & Recreation Director, City of Rosemount Al Singer, Coordinator - MN/DNR Metro Greenways Program John Mertens, Planner, Dakota County Beverly Topp, Dakota County Farmland & Natural Areas Project Hank Tressel, Board Member - Ravenna Township Project Consultants Friends of the Mississippi River 46 East 4th Street, Suite 606 St. Paul, Minnesota 55101 Whitney Clark, Executive Director Tom Lewanski, Conservation Director Hoisington Koegler Group Inc. 123 North 3rd Street, Suite 100 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401 Bruce Chamberlain, Vice President Lil Leatham, Project Planner The Mississippi River Greenway Strategic Plan creates a multi jurisdictional implementation strategy for proposed greenways in Hastings, Rosemount, I n t r o d u c t i o n Ravenna, Marshan and Nininger in Dakota County, Minnesota. The project builds on three recent local efforts with a similar focus: Hastings Greenway Plan (City of Hastings), Protecting Dakota County Farmland and Natural Areas (Dakota County), and the Dakota County Township Greenway Plan (Township Officers Association). The project is intended to 1) build multi jurisdictional, public consensus and support around a unified greenway effort; 2) demonstrate how greenways can coexist with various land uses; and 3) strategize tools and implementation steps necessary for greenway protection. The planning process used for the project has been conducted and documented to be a reproducible model for greenway planning and implementation elsewhere. The mostly rural landscape south of the Mississippi River between Rosemount and Ravenna is beginning to experience tremendous pressure for change. The why Greenways t Minneapolis /St. Paul metro area is projected to continue growing at a fast rate and this beautiful area is seen by many as one of the "next frontiers" of metropolitan development. At the same time, many people believe that our - local and regional quality of life is rooted in the tremendous natural and rural amenities that make this place and others like it special. Finding common ground between these two potentially opposing forces is the basis for the greenway effort. We can all think of places that have developed and grown and in the process, lost their essence — the very thing that made THAT place special. It usually happens piece by piece, over a long period of time without us recognizing the loss until its too late. Greenway preservation is a way to capture and hold on to the essence of a landscape. Greenways protect the most critical natural and scenic lands while still allowing agriculture, industry, and neighborhoods to grow and thrive - its just that they do so within a preserved fabric of natural landscapes. This will result in a healthier ecosystem, a richer culture and a greater quality of life for the community. Greenways can: • Protect the natural features that make the landscape unique. MISSISSIPPI RIVER GREENWAY STRATEGIC PLAN Page t • Enhance property values by preserving natural and scenic amenities. • Provide important habitat corridors for wildlife. • Serve vital community functions such as protecting water quality, preventing erosion, purifying the air, and providing floodwater storage; functions that may otherwise have to be engineered at a higher cost. • Help protect the priceless natural resource of the Mississippi River by enhancing the environment of the surrounding watershed. The Mississippi River Greenway Project is focussed on roughly 60,000 acres in a swath of land several miles wide, south of the Mississippi River in the communities of Rosemount, Nininger, Hastings, Marshan and Ravenna, Minnesota. The project limits were selected partially based on community boundaries and partially on ecological factors. The project area includes a diverse mix of agriculture, industry, residential and commercial uses. The word " greenway" means different things to different people. For the Mississippi River Greenway effort, the following definition is used: Greenways are privately or publicly owned corridors of open space which often follow natural land or water features and which are primarily managed to protect and enhance natural resources. A year -long, public consensus - building process was conducted to identify a vision for greenways in the project area. The vision is based on a combination of science (suggesting we should preserve landscapes that are ecologically sensitive), community passion (suggesting we should preserve landscapes and views that are meaningful), and common sense (suggesting we should link together the preserved landscapes). Through the process, the community had a chance to tell the professionals creating the plan what they know about the landscape and then react and re- react to the plan as it unfolded over the year. The greenways drawn on the plan are called "greenway opportunity areas" because they are just that — lands that would be ideal for greenway preservation. Predicting that not all the lands MISSISSIPPI RIVER GREENWAY STRATEGIC PLAN Project Area Defining " Greenway" Public Consensus Building Process Page 2 identified as greenway opportunities will actually be preserved, the goal is to preserve a continuous greenway somewhere within each of the targeted corridors that, when viewed from the sky, forms an inter - connected web of natural lands. Guiding Principles provide the foundation for the Mississippi River Greenway Project. They identify broad directives for development of the G u i d I n g strategy and eventual implementation. The guiding principles result from P r i n c l p l e s input provided by public through community Visioning and Issues work- shops. The Guiding Principles for the Mississippi River Greenway Project are: In regard to greenway implementation... • Establish a greenway system that preserves and inter -links the unique natural features and important ecological corridors within a broad project area near the Mississippi River from Rosemount to Ravenna. • Think of greenways as the enduring web of natural landscape within which other land uses exist and evolve. • Think of greenways as a strategic land management tool in the effort to preserve and enhance our quality of life. • Organize a greenway effort that has an open process and voluntary landowner participation. • Organize a greenway effort around a partnership between landowners, local governments, citizens, and the non - profit community. • Along with greenway establishment, work with landowners to conduct voluntary habitat restoration/management on greenway lands. • Encourage the minimization of infrastructure development within greenway areas and if infrastructure must be built, use creative, low - impact approaches to minimize disruption to habitat and wildlife. • Educate the community about greenway stewardship. MISSISSIPPI RIVER GREENWAY STRATEGIC PLAN Page 3 In regard to the planning process... • Identify a hierarchy of greenway lands; suggesting a range of ecological Guiding sensitivities. P r i n c i p l e s (cont.) • Suggest greenway "best management practices" that allow flexibility to accommodate landowner wishes while upholding the basic ecological principles of the greenway effort. • Suggest ways to address potential_ conflicts between different types of greenway users. To determine where greenways may be well suited, an in -depth analysis of landscape features was conducted. Determining the Landscape Features: First, the project area and its landscape features Greenway Pian such as topography, soils, surface water, ground water, etc. were electronically mapped using a geographic information system (GIS). Sensitivity Thresholds: Next, sensitivity thresholds were determined and applied to each feature. For instance, it was determined that slopes over 18% have sensitivity to erosion and may be poorly suited to agriculture and development. Therefore, lands with 18% slopes or greater became a threshold for inclusion as a potential greenway. In addition to determining the thresholds, a differenciation was made between high sensitivity features such as wetlands and floodplains and low sensitivity features such as wooded areas and soils poorly suited to development. The enclosed Feature Threshold Maps illustrate this stage of the process. Composite Landscape Sensitivity: At this point in the process, feature threshold maps were overlaid into a single landscape sensitivity map. This map (as enclosed) provides the full picture of sensitive landscapes but does not quite offer a high quality greenway system. A Functional Plan: For a greenway system to be ecologically functional, it must provide an interconnected web of uninterrupted greenway corridors (primarily for wildlife migration). To accomplish this, open space corridors were added to the plan to provide strategic connections where needed. MISSISSIPPI RIVER GREENWAY STRATEGIC PLA Page 4 Greenway Opportunities Map: The combination of all these elements has lead to the Greenway Opportunities Map. This map is really "the plan". It is intended to guide protection of the greenway system. Each of the greenway corridors and areas have been named to make communicating the plan easier. As mentioned earlier, it will be challenging to preserve all of the land identified as greenway so the goal is to preserve a continuous greenway (at least 300 feet wide) somewhere within each of the targeted corridors. There is sometimes a perception that the creation of greenways would "take over" the landscape and preclude human use of the land. To demonstrate how R e i a t i n g greenways could coexist with other land uses, a series of sketches (enclosed) G r e e n w a y s have been done showing hypothetical landscapes with and without greenways. to other Land Uses Best Management Practices (enclosed) suggest land management techniques that support the various types of greenways suggested. They can be used as a Best Man a g e m e n t Practices guide in negotiating conservation easements with property owners as well as by property owners and easement holders in managing greenway areas. Establishment of greenways will obviously be a challenging task and one that will take continued community commitment for years to come. We learned i m p l e m e n t a t i o n through the planning process that for the most part, people support the greenway B i u e p r i n t concept but we also learned that there is a degree of skepticism (sometimes passionate) about the role of government in the greenway effort. Some people who participated in the planning process made it clear that they do not want greenways to become an extension of public parks. Taking this point of view into consideration, an effort to protect greenways is seen as 1) including a range of preservation options — most of which would keep greenway land in private ownership; 2) a voluntary activity by a property owner; and 3) an effort of partnership between the local communities, landowners, and non -profit conservation organizations. Those involved in the greenway preservation effort will have to earn peoples respect, skeptical or not, by honoring the wishes of individual landowners and allowing the results of greenway preservation to speak for themselves. The cornerstone of the planning phase was citizen involvement. This will MISSISSIPPI RIVER GREENWAY STRATEGIC PLAN Page 5 continue to be true as the plan is implemented. Success will only come if the residents of the communities in the project area are actively involved in it. The following blueprint will be used as a guide to the implementation of the greenway plan. There are many factors that will influence the tasks that make up the implementation phase of the project, their order, and the timing of these tasks. However, there are specific activities that will occur. This blueprint will describe these activities. Coordination Staffing. The overall greenway project is multi jurisdictional and therefore beyond the scope of any one of the partnering communities. Friends of the Mississippi River (FMR) has proposed to take the lead in coordinating the implementation of the plan. This scenario presents several benefits. FMR is a non - profit, citizen based organization. It has no greater interest in one community than it does in another, providing a level of impartiality in the implementation of the greenway plan. Inherent in this greenway development is the voluntary participation of private landowners. FMR may provide a less threatening face to the project, especially for landowners that may be suspicious of government's role in land use decisions. FMR has experience and success in working with landowners on land protection and natural resource management projects in Dakota County. Its staff is knowledgeable about conservation, natural resource restoration and management, and funding sources for activities associated with greenway development. Steering Committee. A steering committee will be organized to provide guidance, local knowledge and community representation to the implementation effort. Members of the steering committee might include landowners, community leaders and elected officials from the communities in the project area. The remaining elements of the implementation strategy will be pursued under the auspices of the steering committee. As currently planned two representatives from each of the project communities will sit on the steering committee: Hastings, Rosemount, Marshan, and Ravenna. In addition, one representative from the following organizations would be asked to sit on the committee: Dakota County, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Dakota County Soil and Water Conservation District. MISSISSIPPI RIVER GREENWAY STRATEGIC PLAN Implementation Blueprint (cont.) Page 6 Specifically, the Steering Committee will set priorities for landowner outreach and specific project implementation, publish a greenway newsletter, assist with fundraising, coordinate public relations, provide project staff with local information crucial to project success. Communication Effective communication is important to ensure that accurate and timely information is available to the residents of the project area. In addition to face to face discussions with landowners, efforts will be made to raise the level of awareness among area residents about the greenway project. These efforts will include the development and dissemination of promotional_ materials and the use of area media. Implementation Blueprint (cont.) Promotional Materials. It is anticipated that two communication pieces will be developed to disseminate information about the greenway project. Greenway Brochure. A brochure that describes the greenway project was developed during the planning phase of the project. The anticipated audiences for this brochure include the landowners, public officials, potential fenders, and interested citizens of the project area. Greenway Newsletter. A periodical newsletter will be developed that will introduce the project, provide project updates, and highlight land protection projects. It is anticipated that this newsletter will be mailed to the approximately 20,000 residents of the project area. Media outreach. The steering committee and FMR staff will work strategically with local media to provide informational feature stories and press releases regarding the greenway project. Local media contacts include: Media Rosemount Town Pages Rosemount This Week Hastings Star Gazette Hastings Free Press Ravenna Township Newsletter Marshan Township Newsletter City of Rosemount Newsletter City of Hastings Newsletter City of Rosemount Website City of Hastings Website MISSISSIPPI RIVER GRE ENWAY STRATEGIC PLAN Page 7 KD WA Radio - Hastings Rosemount Cable Access Hastings Cable Access Landowner Outreach Through the Strategic Planning Process, amap was produced showing greenway opportunity areas. A corresponding database of landowners in these areas was also developed. Staff from FMR, with the guidance and assistance from the Steering Committee, will first prioritize this list of landowners based on their property's greenway designation (high sensitivity, low sensitivity, protected open space), known landowner disposition toward project, and the parcel's proximity to other land protection and /or natural resource management /restoration activities. Based on this prioritized list, FMR staff will conduct outreach to landowners in the greenway opportunity areas. The following process will be used to conduct this outreach: A letter will be sent from the Steering Committee to the landowner(s) introducing the project and FMR and asking for the opportunity to meet with the landowner. FMR staff will contact the landowner(s) by phone to schedule a meeting. The landowner meeting will be used to: Provide additional information on the greenway project and their parcel's role in it. Provide information on land protection tools and natural resource management (see attached land protection tools document). Explore the landowner's interest in participating in the greenway project. Clarify next steps. If a landowner is interested in participating, FMR staff will spend additional time with them to explore his/her wishes and needs for the property, the appropriate land protection tool, and the timing of the project. FMR will also research possible funding sources and apply for the appropriate one(s). Funding Funding will be a crucial component of a successful greenway project. It will be used for operational expenses associated with the project and for specific land protection and natural resource projects. FMR staff will seek funds from a MISSISSIPPI RIVER GREENWAY S TRATEGIC PLAN Implementation Blueprint (cont.) Page 8 range of sources including state and federal governmental agencies, local units of government, the Metropolitan Council, foundations, corporations and private I m p l e m e n t a t I o n individuals. Funds would be used toward: B l u e p r i n t ((ont.) Operational Funding., Operational funding will be used to support the staffing required to pursue the project activities outlined above. It will also be used to produce the project's communication materials. Project Funding. These funds will be used to complete individual land protection projects. Costs associated with land protection include purchase of development rights or fee title and the services related to these protection efforts including appraisals, legal fees, and stewardship endowments. Natural Resource Management/Restoration Funding. These funds will be used to conduct specific land management activities such as the restoration of natural communities or the management of existing natural communities. Once a greenway plan has been developed, it begins to come to life as landowners begin to take steps to protect and manage land within the corridors. There are several tools that landowners can utilize to protect the natural features on their La n d P r o t e c t i o n properties. These tools can serve the dual purposes of protecting valued natural r o o I s community assets, while potentially providing economic benefit for the landownerp. What follows are the primary land protection tools that will be utilized during the implementation phase of the Mississippi River Greenway Project. The full range of options will be discussed with the landowners in the corridor opportunity areas. The tool that will ultimately be used on a particular parcel of land will be dependent on the landowner's disposition toward the project, his/her financial situation, the political jurisdiction in which the parcel is located, and available funding. The following descriptions of land protection tools were taken largely from the Land Protection Options handbook authored by Laurie Allmann: Land Protection Tools: 1. Acquisition. A landowner wishing to sell property but also interested in protecting the natural qualities of that property could consider selling it to a conservation buyer. Conservation buyers include the Department of Natural Resources, the Nature Conservancy or other non - profit conservation organization, a local unit of government or private individual. There are MISSISSIPPI RIVER GREENWAY STRATEGIC PLAN Page 9 many factors that will determine which of these entities might be interested in purchasing the property. These factors include the property's location, L a n d P r o t e c t i o n the quality of the natural resources, and the appraised value of the land, T o o i s among other things. If acceptable to the conservation organization, the (cont.) landowner may reserve a life estate in the property. This will enable the landowner to live out his/her life on the property, while enjoying the financial benefits of the sale. At the time of death, the property than goes to the conservation organization. There are several ways to sell a piece of property. One technique that can be beneficial to both the seller and the buyer is a bargain sale. In this situation, the landowner sells the property for less than the fair market value. It is obvious how this can benefit the buyer, but it can be advantageous for the seller as well. If sold to a qualifying buyer, the difference between the fair market value and the bargain sale price may qualify as a charitable donation, which could result in income tax savings. An important consideration is that as a result of the tax savings from the charitable donation and the reduced capital gains tax owed due to the reduction in income from the bargain sale, the seller may be better off financially through the bargain sale than by selling the property at the fair market value. 2. Donation. A landowner that is interested in protecting her property and is not in need of the financial assets that are associated with property may consider donating it to a conservation organization. The landowner can claim the value of the donated land on income taxes. As in the sale of property, there are several ways to approach the donation of property. A few of the more common ones are described below. A landowner that wants to make sure that the property is used in the way that she intended, can donate the property with a restricted title. This can be done in a couple of ways. The land can be donated to one organization , while a conservation easement is donated to a second organization. In this scenario, the organization holding the easement will serve as a watchdog making sure that the terms of the easement are not violated (see conservation easement description below). A second approach is to place a deed restriction on the property's title before it is donated. However, unlike the conservation easement, the deed restriction does not designate a person or organization to monitor the property to make sure that the land is used as the donor intended. MISSISSIPPI RIVER GREENWAY STRATEGIC PLAN Page 10 The donor may wish to continue to live out his/her life on the property. At J. the time of death the land then goes to the conservation organization. This is called a life estate. 3. Conservation Easement: A conservation easement is a voluntary and permanent transfer' or retirement of (a) specific right(s) associated with land ownership. For instance, a landowner may permanently retire the right to develop his property. The Supreme Court likened rights associated with property ownership to a bundle of sticks. The landowner has the right, within local or other ordinances, to farm a piece of land, build a home on it, log the trees, sell the property, as a few examples of the sticks in this bundle. of rights. By placing a conservation easement on the property, the landowner is voluntarily removing certain specific rights from this bundle to protect the ecological integrity of the land. A common right that is permanently removed is the right to develop the property. A conservation easement might also remove the right to log or mine the minerals from the property. The person retains all the other rights associated with land ownership, including the title to the land. The easement does not make the land open to the public. Each easement is individually. crafted for each landowner's situation. It takes the form of a legal contract that is filed in the public records of the county in which the land is located. Once this is completed the current and any future owners of this piece of property are legally bound by this easement. Since the conservation easement restricts development on a piece of property, it may dramatically reduce the fair market value of the property. There are two types of conservation easements. In the first situation, the landowner donates the conservation easement to a qualifying conservation organization. The donation is determined by subtracting the value of the property after the specific rights have been removed from the value prior to the easement being placed upon it. The difference between the two figures is the charitable donation. The landowner may enjoy tax savings from donating a conservation easement. Since some of the value of the property has been taken away by removing specific rights, property taxes may be reduced. Theoretically, the property is worth less because it can not be developed. The charitable donation can result in income tax savings and because the value of the property has been reduced, estate taxes may also be less. The second situation is when the easement is purchased by a qualifying MISSISSIPP RIVER GREENWAY STRATEGIC PLAN Land Protection Tools (cont.) Page I I conservation organization. The landowner can thus receive some or all of the value of the rights that is permanently retired. Because the landowner is receiving money f o r giving a conservation easement, he is unable to enjoy La n d P r o t e c t i o n a charitable donation tax savings (unless the purchase price is less than the r o o i s fair market value), but because the value of the land is reduced by the removal (cont.) of certain rights, property and ultimately estate taxes may be reduced. 4. Land Management. The ultimate goal for developing a system of greenway corridors along the Mississippi River in Dakota County is to protect and enhance the ecological functions of the landscape, which in turn will help to protect and enhance the quality of life in the area. By permanently protecting land within these corridors, the residents of the project area can prevent changes to the landscape, brought about by human development that can have negative impacts on the landscape and communities. This aspect of the greenway development is preventative in nature, aimed at changes to the landscape that will prevent the natural systems from working. Greenway development must be a two - pronged approach, however. The second aspect of this work is to manage and restore the natural communities so they function in as healthy a manner as possible. A healthy natural community is one that has a high level of native biodiversity and ecological function. Whether a landowner chooses to permanently protect his /her property or not, the values of the greenway can be enhanced by conducting natural resource restoration and management activities. Improving the ecological health of individual land parcels raises the level of health for the entire greenway. There are several recommended steps in the process of improving the ecological health of a parcel of land. Natural Resource Management Plan. A natural resource professional meets with the landowner to discuss the landowner's goals for the property, walk on the property to assess the health of the natural community, and to lay out the process of developing a land management plan. The natural resource professional may make several visits to survey the land. The land management plan will guide the effort to manage or restore the natural community on the property. The actual plan may include information on the land use history, health of the existing natural communities, plant and animal surveys, extent of exotic species, management /restoration goals, management /restoration activities, timeline, and possible funding sources, among other things. MISSISSIPPI RIVER GREENWAY STRATEGIC PLAN Page 12 Natural Resource Management Activities. Once a natural resource management plan has been completed, activities can begin which serve to manage or restore the ecological health of the land. These activities may include prescribed burns, invasive exotic plant removal, soil preparation and planting of native plants, streambank stabilization/restoration. The actual activities will be based on the needs of the individual parcel and that of the greenway corridor of which it is apart, the desires of the landowner, and available funding. Monitoring. Ongoing monitoring of the project area should be conducted to ensure that the activities are having the desired affects and to provide the opportunity to respond to situations as they become known. END OF REPORT MISSISSIPPI RIVER GREENWAY STRATEGIC PLAN Page 13 Prepared by Dakota County Office of Planning Source: Dakota County - Mississippi River Greenway Strategic Plan - ~` Project Area Map Mississippi River Greenway DRAFT Best Management Practices for Greenway Development/Management 8 0 i o� I Overlooks can be developed on the Q F e ; fringe, otherwise development of 0 ;any kind is not consistent with this a designation. Stormwater water management (structures such as ponds are not allowed, outlet structures are allowed, using LID techniques. No fences are allowed. Chemical, re c herbicide, and pesticide use is p� limited to natural resource !management of greenway. Artificial ;drainage devices should be ,removed or blocked. Wetland and Istreambank restoration is consistent. localized and site specific development (i.e.. Farmstead) that I Widespread development occurs should not interfere with the !that alters the fundamental barrier -free movement value of the , ecological functions of the greenway. Widespread development land or which preclude that alters the fundamental greenway development in ecological functions of the greenway, the future is not allowed. are not allowed. Utilize BMPs to conserve wooded areas. Some economic uses of the land an allowed, such as native plant seed production or intensive rotational grazing. Use of seasonal fencing for rotational grazing is allowed. Can be used to buffer High Sensitivity Greenways. Artificial drainage devices should be removed or blocked. Conservation BMPs for agriculture should be followed. Wetland and streambank restoration is consistent. This "holding" category allows the landowner to, continue current land uses but protects the future opportunities to develop a greenway. Conservation BMPs for agriculture should be followed. A I B C I D High Sensitivity Greenways Low Sensitivity Greenways Preserved Open Space Greenway that contains a high level 0 o Greenway that maintains some ecological functioning and /or some Open space protected of ecological functioning and high quality natural areas. Minimum m width natural areas, and that exist within, 'through PDR or donated is 300ft. and are a part of, a working ';conservation easement. 2 1 !landscape. Minimum width is 150ft. !Current land uses are Must have perennial plant cover, no Je c Managed for the long -term health of allowed over a mowed grass. The goal is to restore I G o a the native and natural communities predetermined time period. the natural community that is native to the particular site. At that point, the greenway 3 practices are phased in. Trail development using LID Trail development using LID Trails are not consistent with these techniques is consistent with this techniques is consistent a�5 ti c greenways. designation. Trails should be (with this designation. Trails situated along the edge of the should be situated along the 4 Igreenway, edge of the greenway. New road construction or !New road construction or reconstruction of existing roads !reconstruction of existing roads I should use LID practices to !should Use LID practices to New road construction or minimize impacts to greenway. minimize impacts to greenway. !reconstruction of existing ay :(minimize road width, bridging, (minimize road width, bridging, !roads should use LID B oa provide culverts under roads to provide culverts under roads to practices to minimize provide migration corridors for small ( provide migration corridors for small ;impacts. Minimize road ;animals). Mowing should not occur - animals). Mowing should not occur 'crossings. more than 4 feet from pavement. more than 4 feet from pavement. 5 'Minimize road crossings. !Minimize road crossings. wildlife Current land uses may or ;Provide barrier -free movement. corridor Provide barrier -free movement. may not serve as a wildlife 6 corridor. ,.0 a e Passive recreational use is Passive recreation and trail Passive recreation and trail use is ce J e u ,�� ;consistent with this designation. ; consistent j use is consistent with this with this designation. 7 p idesignation. 8 0 i o� I Overlooks can be developed on the Q F e ; fringe, otherwise development of 0 ;any kind is not consistent with this a designation. Stormwater water management (structures such as ponds are not allowed, outlet structures are allowed, using LID techniques. No fences are allowed. Chemical, re c herbicide, and pesticide use is p� limited to natural resource !management of greenway. Artificial ;drainage devices should be ,removed or blocked. Wetland and Istreambank restoration is consistent. localized and site specific development (i.e.. Farmstead) that I Widespread development occurs should not interfere with the !that alters the fundamental barrier -free movement value of the , ecological functions of the greenway. Widespread development land or which preclude that alters the fundamental greenway development in ecological functions of the greenway, the future is not allowed. are not allowed. Utilize BMPs to conserve wooded areas. Some economic uses of the land an allowed, such as native plant seed production or intensive rotational grazing. Use of seasonal fencing for rotational grazing is allowed. Can be used to buffer High Sensitivity Greenways. Artificial drainage devices should be removed or blocked. Conservation BMPs for agriculture should be followed. Wetland and streambank restoration is consistent. This "holding" category allows the landowner to, continue current land uses but protects the future opportunities to develop a greenway. Conservation BMPs for agriculture should be followed. Why greenways? We can all think of places that have developed and grown and in the process, lost their essence - the very thing that made THAT place special. It usually happens piece by piece, over a long period of time without us recognizing the loss until its too late. Greenway preservation is a way to capture and hold on to the essence of a landscape. Greenways protect the most critical natural and scenic lands while still allowing agricul- ture, industry, and neighborhoods to grow and thrive - its just that they do so within a preserved fabric of natural landscapes. This will result in a healthier ecosystem, a richer culture and a greater quality of life for the community. Greenways can: • Protect the natural features that make this landscape unique. • Enhance property values by preserving natural and scenic amenities. • Provide important habitat corridors for wildlife. • Serve vital community functions such as protecting water quality, preventing erosion, purifying the air, and providing floodwater storage; functions that may otherwise have to be engineered at a higher cost. • Help protect priceless natural resource of the Mississippi River. Where is the project? The Mississippi River Greenway Project is focussed on roughly 60,000 acres in a swath of land several miles wide, south of the Mississippi River in the communi- ties of Rosemount, Nininger, Hastings, Marshan and Ravenna, Minnesota. The project limits were selected partially based on community boundaries and partially on ecological factors. What are greenways? The word "greenway" means different things to different people. For the Mississippi River Greenway effort, the fol- lowing definition is used: How will greenways actually be established? Establishment of greenways will obviously be a challenging task and one that will take continued community commitment for years to come. We learned through the planning process that for the most part, people support the greenway concept but we also learned that there is a degree of skep- ticism (sometimes passionate) about the role of government in the greenway effort. Some people who participated in the planning process made it clear that they do not want greenways to become an extension of public parks. Taking to heart this point of view, an effort to pro- tect greenways is seen as 1) including a range of preservation options - most of which would keep greenway land in private ownership; 2) a volun- tary activity by a property owner; and 3) an effort of partnership between the local communities, land- owners, and non - profit conservation orga- nizations. Those involved in the greenway pres- ervation effort will have to earn peoples respect, skeptical or not, by honoring the wishes of indi- vidual landowners and allowing the results of greenway preservation to speak for themselves. The intended next steps toward establishing greenways are to: a create an oversight panel made up of community members, ID begin contacting property owners within "greenway opportunity areas" about their interest in discussing greenway establishment, and ® conduct fundraising to support landowner outreach and greenway protection. UNFOLD FOR GREENWAY OPPORTUNITIES MAP 44 Greenways can coexist with existing and fietnre land use patterns to enhance gautlihj of life. The top sketch is a depiction ofan agri- crdhiml landscape without a greenway net- work. The second shows the same landscape 'with a greenway rnmzing through the land. CITY OF ROSEMOUNT DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA RESOLUTION 2001- A RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER GREENWAY STRATEGIC PLAN WHEREAS, The City of Rosemount participated in a planning process to create a multi - jurisdictional implementation strategy proposed for greenways. WHEREAS, the greenways could be a valuable tool used for land preservation and restoration. WHEREAS, the City of Rosemount will include this information as part of the Parks, Trails and Open Space Master Plan update. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of Rosemount adopts Mississippi River Greenway Strategic Plan. ADOPTED this of , 2001. Cathy Busho, Mayor ATTEST: Linda Jentink, City Clerk Motion by: Voted in favor: Voted against: Second by: Member absent: /V J Tr ails Histo and Archeolo 0 1 4 4 � - 1, - S ,.r t' , Water i -- - - Topography Soils — - -- - -- - I' + i�y . i ti 5 � r _ i Vegetation - Detailed Land Cover DN - N atural Heritage Pro_ ram d Sensitivity of The Prairie Du Chien Aquifer x �' • + " In Dakota County, Minnesota MISSISSIPPI RIVER GREENWAY For the Communities of Hastings, Marshan, Ninin Ravenna, and Rosemount April, 2001 MIN „ STRATEGIC PLAN Sponsored by the Minnesota DNR Metro Gree —ys Program µ .rte ., f�QSEM0 UN T " F NIt�tNGER` . HAAAA S Landscape Thresholds High Sensitivity Lands Hater -- Sites and Rare Species from the Mn DNR Natural Heritage i Program ON Sites of Btodrversity _ souoe: rAn ell I ......a,"po�,.,n Center Pivot Irrigation a ' -- MARSHA` Very High Sensdvity to Contamination of the Prairie Du Chien Aquifer Souce:GmbOK. /Atbx. Deko/a COUny,.un -. 100 and 500 Year Flood D a kota Coun}} Shoraland Buffer Sauce: De— County. National Wetland Inventory Rivers, and Open Water with 300' Buffer o✓ce s: N.eon.twe/bna tnxnrvy:Oexob County Hrd c Soils surer or Dexob County mn Low Sensitivity Lands Slopes >18% with a 40' Buffer soboe: me n/ve or o.xob c-1 Mn Historic and Archeological Sites souro'sNmo ` co„ny Forests, Woodlands, Shrublands, and Grasslands net classified as disturbed or non - native by the Dakota County Detailed Land Cover Survey ,,.— o.— coun/y o­e eem coves su,ver Severe limitations for buildings with basements Soils producing -c48 But \acre of Corn ( lowest 10% yield per acre on soils where corn is grown) sovoe sou swv<v erw.ob count' Mn MISSISSIPPI RIVER GREENWAY In Dakota County, Minnesota For the Communities of Hastings, Marshan, _ STRATEGIC PLAN Nininger, Ravenna, and Rosemount - Sponsored by the Minnesota DNR Metro Greenmys Program S April, 2001 Q® Y A t f , k 0 N: °S q 7f T7�7� �n MISSISSIPPI RIVE1RI GREEN W Y �' AY In Dakota County, Minnesota For the Communities of Hastings, Marshan, STRATEGIC PLAT. v Nininger, Ravenna, and Rosemount Mav, 2001 ®® S nsnred he the Minnesota DNR Metro keenways Program ®® '- a sa Ln l g9 o a f � g M o Q o p c cad 8 Y z � o S ° xa' A "a n V) � � k� �