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best be provided by linking the primary north and south access points with some sort of through route, using one road or perhaps two. to East-west connectivity is more problematic. However, the envisioned north-south connector could provide a connection between the Hamline/96 intersection and the 1-35W/County H intersection. Creating some kind of east-west roadway would also be important in providing access to the site's developable areas. . Access to specific properties would be provided by looped collector streets extending off the main through- roads. . Access to residential and non-residential uses should be segregated to the extent that this is possible. Although they might share the major roads, their respective traffic distribution systems should be separate. 2. Infrastructure and Utilities Because it was estimated that most of the underground infrastructure is more than 50 years old, the planning team decided to assume it would be replaced throughout the site. Two important infrastructure components will be retained: . the new Mounds View interceptor sewer, which was completed within the last two years and currently serves Alliant Techsystems at the western edge of the site; and .. the water reservoir located atop the kame. Electric and gas utilities are the responsibility of private companies. In 1995, Northern States Power, the major local electrical utility, assumed ownership of all on-site distribution equipment. NSP will upgrade this equipment as needed to serve development when it occurs. 3. Open Space Preservation The most crucial consideration in developing the planning framework was the high-quality natural environment present in certain portions of the site. Although much of the site, particularly toward the south and west, had been heavily developed, large portions of the site had been lightly used and retained many important natural featurcs. (These features are described in greater detail in Chapter II, "Site Overview.") Based on a natural inventory prepared jointly by the Minnesota Audubon Council, Audubon Society, Izaak Walton League, POSE and the local Sierra Club, five natural "zones" were singled out as worthy of protection from urban development. The intent within these zones would be to allow passive recreation and trail development but to discourage large-scale land alteration and prohibit most construction. The five zones are described below and shown in Figure Zone J, Marsden Lake: Zone I contains Marsden Lake and all related wetlands. It occupies most of the easternmost one-fourth of the TCAAP site. In addition to high-quality wetlands, which have attracted nesting trumpeter swans, this zone contains much of the habitat associated with Blandingts turtle, including some nesting areas. Preservation of this zone would also provide wildlife corridors to natural areas north of the site, as well as to other on-site areas. Zone 2, Prairie Potholes: This zone contains uniquc wetlands called prairie potholes on the north side of TCAAP. The zone is characterized by unique soils and geology. It also contains critical nesting areas for Blanding's turtle and provides linkage to the Marsden Lake area, the kame (Zone 3) and natural areas to the north. The zone also subsurnes two contaminated sites, thus protecting those sites from development and providing the City of Arden Hills with a wider range of options in dealing with them. Zone 3, Kame: Although kames are not unusual in Minnesota, this kame is unique within Ramsey County and, indeed, within the metropolitan region. Preserving it would preserve its unique topography, the highest point in Camiros, Ltd.lSEH. Inc./LHDL, Ltd. TeAAP Framework Plan Page 2 Chapter IV I .1 I I I I I I I .. I I I I I I .- I I