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X City of Arden Hills Page 12 of 63 October 7, 2022 All four previously-constructed portions of the proposed trail have been constructed on the west side of the corridor and the portion of the proposed trail from County Rd. E2 north to Lake Valentine Rd. is proposed to be on the west side of the corridor. Although locating a trail along the east side of the corridor from around Valentine Ave. north to around Wedgewood Cir. appears to have some merit due to fewer access point crossings and an apparent wider right-of-way, locating any portion of the proposed trail on the east side of the corridor would require at least two crossings of Old Snelling Ave. / Old Highway 10 to maintain continuity with the portions of the trail on the west side of the corridor, significantly increasing the possibility of pedestrian / vehicle conflicts. Also, the east side of the corridor includes lakes, wetlands, ditches, and a freeway, which are generally avoided for trail construction for safety, constructability, and cost benefits. Overall, it is recommended that the proposed trail within the updated project area be located on the west side of the corridor, and Figure 3 in Appendix A has been updated to not show a proposed trail alternative on the east side of the corridor. Figure 3 in Appendix A illustrates the recommendation for locating the proposed trail along the west side of the corridor only, and Table 2 below provides a summary of the trail recommendations for only locating the proposed trail along the west side of the corridor, as explained above. Table 2 Summary of Trail Recommendations Preferred Section: conc. curb, 6’ unpaved buffer, 10’ paved trail Constrained Section: conc. curb, 2’ paved buffer, 8’ paved trail Additional Curb Construction Retaining Wall (with Fence or Safety Rail) 3512 ft 2924 ft 6227 ft 642 ft The topography of the corridor have some impacts (including driveways, steep slopes, gardens, landscaping, lakes, and wetlands) that cannot be quantified until a full topographic survey has been completed and the final design phase of the project begins. The portion of the proposed trail remaining to be constructed still includes its share of notable topography as indicated by the approximate elevation contours shown in Figure 3 in Appendix A. During final design it will be necessary to identify these areas and use retaining wall and boardwalk to minimize the impacts, and any boardwalk used will need to be structurally designed to accommodate a City vehicle for snow removal, although it is not anticipated that any boardwalk will be necessary for the portion of the trail remaining to be constructed if it is constructed on the west side of the corridor. It is anticipated that there will be some private utility conflicts within the impact footprint of the prosed trail, and primarily the conflicts will be with existing power poles. During the final design phase of the project, utility coordination will be necessary and will need to include communication with utility owners to mitigate utility conflicts and facilitate utility relocation plans for all identified utility conflicts. The future trail connections along the portion of the proposed trail remaining to be constructed are from the west side at Lake Valentine Road and from the west side at Parkshore Drive. These two future trail connections currently remain to be constructed, and they are labeled as Future Trail in Figure 3 in Appendix A. They are also the only future trail connections along the portion of the proposed trail remaining to be constructed shown in Figure 9.1 on Page 5 of Chapter 9 of the City’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan . Another possible future trail connection is mentioned in the City’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan under “Round Lake Open Space”. Specifically, “the possibility of adding a path connecting Old Highway 10 to the path west of Round Lake by easement or land acquisition”. This possible future trail connection is not shown in Figure 9.1 of the City’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan, however it would likely occur along the line labeled “FWS Access Trail” shown in Figure 3 of the Round Lake Conceptual Management Plan. The connection