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City of Arden Hills - Comprehensive Plan - DRAFT Of the 585 acres on the TCMP property that are anticipated to be ~ to the City for redevelopment, preliminary plans include approximately_168 acres for use as open space in the form of parks, wetlands, stormwater areas, recreational areas, and a wildlife corridor, The Rice Creek Watershed District has compiled data and generated a resource protection map to show areas of significant natural resources. The map is only intended to be a guide and is not detailed enough for site specific planning as there may be inaccuracies due to the scale of the assessment. Additional information regarding feasibility and site condition should be collected before utilizing this information at a smaller scale. This resource protection map has two primary purposes. First, it is meant to help develop regulations to protect significant natural resources where it is feasible to do so. Secondly, it is meant to help make more informed development decision in places where there may be significant resources. The map displays the following information: o Remaining natural areas within your community o Results of a natural resource assessment o Results of a wetland restoration assessment o Lakes and streams currently listed on the 303(d) list of impaired waters o Results of lake water quality assessment 10.5.1 Natural Resources Assessment The Rice Creek Watershed District (RCWD) evaluated the natural areas within its jurisdiction, which includes all of Arden Hills. to determine the relative quality of remaining natural areas. The RCWD evaluated the natural resource data based on the following characteristics: o Health of natural area: High quality areas with native vegetation were considered more important than areas with partial or total dominance by invasive species. o Size: Large natural areas (5 acres or greater) were considered more important that small natural areas (less than 5 acres). o Rarity of community type within the watershed: Natural community types that are rare due to specific site requirements (fens, bogs, etc.), or have become rare due to historic land use changes or degradation (prairie, oak savanna, etc.) were considered more important than more common natural community types. o Adjacency to other natural areas: Natural areas that are immediately adjacent to several other natural areas were considered to be more important than natural areas that are adjacent to one or no other natural areas. DRAFT 5/15/2008 fDeleted:'t~~~d f~Delet~d~~-~~-r - 'I -' r--"--~"-------'-'- .. .....".._...-....--. -......._."._""._"-~---, I Deleted: While some institutional i I development from the Minnesota I National Guard may occur on the southern part of the AHATS property, much of that area is anticipated to remain as open space, though it is generally not open to the public. 74