HomeMy WebLinkAbout4C, 2030 Comp Plan Update
~
~HILES
Request for Council Action
Prepared By: James Lehnhoff, City Planner
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CounciJ Meeting Date: July 14, 2008
2030 Comprehensive Plan Update
Budgeted Amount:
$0.00
Actual Amount:
$0.00
Recommendation:
Funding Source:
Motion to Authorize Releasing the 2030 Comprehensive Plan Update to the Affected
Governmental Units for Review.
Supporting Documents:
1. July 14, 2008, Memo to the City Council
2. July 2, 2008, Draft Planning Commission Minutes
3. Public Comments
4. Draft 2030 Comprehensive Plan
~
~HlLLS
MEMORANDUM
DATE: July 14, 2008
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: James Lehnhoff, City Planner
SUBJECT: 2030 Comprehensive Plan Update
Planning Case 08-021
Requested Action
Motion to Authorize Releasing the 2030 Comprehensive Plan Update to the Affected Governmental
Units for Review.
This is not a request for approving the Comprehensive Plan. The Plan will come back to the City
Council before the end of 2008 for final approval.
Back2round
State Statute (473.864) requires all cities and townships in the seven county metropolitan area to
update their comprehensive plans every ten years, and the next update must be submitted to the
Metropolitan Council by the end of2008. While there are certain items that are required to be
addressed within the comprehensive plan document, the process gives the City an opportunity to
reflect on the previous Comprehensive Plan and review the community's vision, long-term goals,
and policies. The Metropolitan Council is concerned with coordinating region-wide growth and
change and certain regional policies must be followed. Nevertheless, the City has a great deal of
flexibility in the document to fit local needs. Although the Plan will presumably be reviewed again
in 2018, the Plan is required to look toward 2030.
There is more than one method to developing, writing, and completing a comprehensive plan.
Some plans include a great amount of detail with specific implementation timelines, while other
comprehensive plans follow a goal and policy approach with more detailed implementation to
follow after the plan is adopted. The Arden Hills 2030 Comprehensive Plan focuses more on
setting a community vision and supporting goals while recognizing the need to develop a flexible
implementation schedule and to coordinate implementation throughout the Plan after adoption.
City of Arden Hills
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Comprehensive Plan Or1!anization
The 2030 Comprehensive Plan is divided into the following chapters:
1. Introduction
2. Community Profile*
3. City Vision
4. Active Living (based on the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Grant)
5. Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant (TCAAP)
6. Land Use*
7. Housing*
8. Economic Development and Redevelopment
9. Parks and Recreation*
10. Protected Resources*
11. Transportation*
12. Environmental Conservation and Sustainability
13. Public Facilities, Infrastructure, and Services*
14. Implementation (is partially integrated into each chapter)*
Appendices:
A. Glossary
B. Transportation System Principles and Standards*
C. Transportation Plan Forecasts*
D" Water Supply Plan*
E. Sanitary Sewer Plan*
F. Stormwater Management Plan*
G. Inflow & Infiltration*
H. Capital Improvement Plan*
*Required by the Metropolitan Council and State Statutes
Chapters 4-13 include a goal statement that is intended to be somewhat of a general, positive, and,
for the most part, uncontroversial statement. Each goal statement is then supported by a series of
policies and background data that are designed to advance and inform the goal statement and overall
City vision. The policies can be specific or general; short-term or long-term; easy or difficult; and
may be controversial in some instances. Not all policies or ideas will have unanimous support.
Some ofthe policies will require a great deal oftime, research and effort to fully implement while
others are relatively simple. Ultimately, some policies and implementation strategies may not be
achieved by 2030. Since the Comprehensive Plan is meant to guide the City through 2030, it is not
necessary to fully evaluate the potential or possibility of each goal or policy at this time. However,
each statement should have a desired result and be within the realm of possibility.
When reviewing the document, you may notice some topics or sections have a great deal of
background data and/or do not seem to apply to Arden Hills. There are a number of items that the
Metropolitan Council requires a City to address, even if the item is ultimately not applicable to
Arden Hills. The Metropolitan Council's Local Planning Handbook includes the items that a City is
City of Arden Hills
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required to address in the Comprehensive Plan. This handbook can be viewed online at
httr:1 /www.metrocouncil.orglplanning/LPH/handbook.htm~
The appendices are primarily used for the technical reports required by the Metropolitan Council
that would make the chapters cumbersome to read and use. For example, the Stormwater
Management Plan in Appendix F is nearly two inches thick by itself~
The draft document does include all of the figures and maps in the completed sections, though a few
of the maps have not been dropped into the final template. Due to the cost of printing color maps,
the draft document is printed entirely in black and white~ Unfortunately, this does make some of the
maps and charts difficult to read. Full color versions are available on the City's website at
www.ci.arden-hiIls.mn.us/compplan. The final adopted version of the Plan will include color maps
in an I 1 "x 17" size.
Water Supply., Sanitary Sewer., and Stormwater Manat!ement Appendices
Although the water supply, sanitary sewer, and stormwater management plans are required
components of the Comprehensive Plan, they have not been fully included in the draft distributed to
the City Council. The water supply and sanitary sewer are nearing completion but were not finished
in time for this review~ These sections are technical documents relating to the function of the City's
water and sanitary systems. The cover page for the appendices is attached and includes a link to the
Metropolitan Council's webpage to show the data that is required for these sections. The
Comprehensive Plan can be released for affected government review without these two appendices.
The Stonnwater Management Plan is complete but was not included due to its substantial length. A
paper copy can be reviewed at City HalL Due to the file size of the scanned document, it cannot be
uploaded to the City's website.
Community Involvement and Review Process
The Comprehensive Plan update process included a public involvement component and a
significant amount of input and review from the City Council; Planning Commission; Economic
Development Commission (EDC); and the Parks, Trails, and Recreation Committee (PTRC). A
series of three community meetings were held in August 2007, October 2007, and June 2008. Each
of these meetings solicited public input and provided time for questions and suggestions.. The
information collected at these meetings is available on the City~s website at www.ci.arden-
hills.mn.us/compplan. The comments from the June 2008 meeting and the comments that were
posted on the website are included in Attachment A.
While the language in the Comprehensive Plan has been refined, the content itself has not changed
significantly since the last City Council work session in May. Minor'changes and corrections can
City of Arden Hills
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still be made up until the Plan is formally adopted. Once the Plan is adopted, the Plan can still be
amended; however, it may require Metropolitan Council approval.
The full draft Plan and maps were uploaded to the City's website on June 9, and it will remain there
through the end of this year. If edits or corrections are made, the website will be updated. The
Comprehensive Plan can be viewed at www.ci.arden-hills.mn.us/compplan.
Implernen tation
While preparing the Comprehensive Plan is a formidable task, it is only a step in the comprehensive
planning process. After the Plan is officially adopted, the City must focus on implementation.
Implementing the Comprehensive Plan will require coordination between City departments,
direction from the City Council, and efforts from the various commissions and committees. The
Planning Commission; Parks, Trails, and Recreation Committee; Economic Development
Commission; and the other City committees/commissions will almost certainly have a role. It must
be everyone's goal to not let the Comprehensive Plan become an unused document.
It is important to remember that while a Comprehensive Plan is meant to take a long-term look at
the community, it is not a static document. The City should work to implement the Comprehensive
Plan over time; however, this Plan does preclude exploring new projects, goals, policies, priorities,
and. strategies in the future if new opportunities or issues arise.
Upon official adoption, the City is technically required to amend the official controls (i.e. zoning,
subdivision, and other ordinances) within nine months to bring the City ordinances into
conformance with the Comprehensive Plan. While a few tweaks may be needed, significant
changes to the zoning and subdivision ordinances are not anticipated to be needed because there are
no significant land use changes south of Highways 10 and 96. However, the City may want to
consider changes beyond what is required in order to make more effective and responsive
ordinances.
When a final plan is selected for the TCAAP property, the Comprehensive Plan will need to be
amended to reflect the details of the TCAAP plan.
Planum!! Commission Recommendation and Review Schedule
'The Planning Commission reviewed the draft Comprehensive Plan at their meeting on July 2, 2008,
and they are unanimously recommending approval of the Plan. The Planning Commission provided
a few minor edits to the draft Plan, which have been incorporated into the document.
Upon City Council authorization, the Plan will be forwarded to the adjacent cities, Ramsey County,
the school districts, and the Rice Creek Watershed District for review. The Comprehensive Plan
cannot be officially approved by the City or sent to the Metropolitan Council until after these
government entities have had a chance to review the draft Comprehensive Plan and provide
City of Arden Hills
City Council Meetingfor July 14, 2008
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comments. The City is required to give them up to six months to review the plan, but the reviews
are typically completed sooner.
After all of the comments are received from the other government entities, the City Council will
have an opportunity to review the comments, make any final changes, and then forward the
Comprehensive Plan to the Metropolitan Council for review. The Plan must be submitted to the
Metropolitan Council by the end of2008.
The Comprehensive Plan is required to conform to the system statements and regional policies set
by the Metropolitan Council. City staff and consultants have made a specific effort to address the
Metropolitan Council requirements to help ensure that the Plan is not rejected by the Metropolitan
Council. At this time, staff does not anticipate any problems with conforming to those
requirements; however, it is not uncommon for the Metropolitan Council to require minor changes.
If changes are needed, that would probably not occur until 2009. The Metropolitan Council system
statements and all policy documents can be reviewed online at
http://www.metrocounci1.org/planninglindex.htm.
Options
If there are any edits or corrections needed in the Plan, those can be included with the authorization
for release. The City Council is encouraged to provide any minor edits or corrections to staff prior
to the meeting. If you do have any unresolved concerns, please feel free to contact staff prior to the
meeting.
1. Authorize for Release: Motion to authorize releasing the 2030 Comprehensive Plan update to
the affected governmental units .for review.
2. Authorize for Release with Changes: Motion to authorize releasing the 2030 Comprehensive
Plan update to the affected governmental units for review with the following changes. . ..
3. Table: Motion to table the authorization to release the 2030 Comprehensive Plan update for the
following reasons ...
Staff recommends against tabling the Comprehensive Plan update due to the tight timeline for
submitting the Plan to the Metropolitan CounciL However, it can be tabled if there is an
outstanding issue that cannot be resolved prior to or at the meeting.
Attachments
A - July 2, 2008, Draft Planning Commission Minutes
B - Public Comments
C - Draft 2030 Comprehensive Plan
City of Arden Hills
City Council Meeting for July 14, 2008
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Attachment A
Planning Commission
Meeting Minutes
From July 2, 2008 (draft)
July 14, 2008, City Council Meeting
'ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION - JULY 2, 2008
8
PLANNING CASE # 08-021 - 2030 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE- PUBLIC
HEARING
Chair Larson commended Mr. Lehnhoff for receiving the employee of the year award for
the City of Arden Hills.
Mr. Lehnhoff thanked him for the kind words and clarified that he is co-employee of the
year.
Mr. Lehnhoff explained the background of the comprehensive plan. He stated that State
Statute (473.864) requires all cities and townships in the seven county metropolitan area
to update their comprehensive plans every 10 years, and the next update must be
submitted to the Metropolitan Council by the end of the 2008. While there are certain
items that are required to be addressed within the comprehensive plan document, the
process gives the City an opportunity to reflect on the previous Comprehensive Plan and
review the community's vision, long-term goals, and policies. The Metropolitan Council
is concerned with coordinating region-wide growth and change and certain policies must
be followed; nevertheless, the City has a great deal of flexibility in the document to fit
local needs. Although the Plan will presumably be viewed again in 2018, the Plan is
required to look toward 2030. He stated that Staff recommends approval of the 2030
Comprehensive Plan update.
Chair Larson opened the floor to Commission questions.
Commissioner Zimmerman inquired if the zoning code and the comprehensive plan will
match. Mr. Lehnhoff stated that the Met Council requires the zoning code to be brought
into conformance with the Comprehensive Plan within pine months. However, we do not
expect that significant changes will be needed in the developed part of Arden Hills.
Some tweaks and adjustments may be needed to make the Code function more efficiently.
Commissioner Zimmerman stated that in the past there have been difficulties because the
zoning map indicated how things were currently and the comprehensive plan indicated
how they would like the City to be.
Mr. Lehnhoff stated that the conflicts are not uncommon, but there should be
conformance between the Plan and the Zoning Codes. That doesn't mean that the Code
and the Comp Plan need to match exactly since the Zoning Code is more detailed than the
Plan. For example, the Future Land Use Map may designate most residential area as
"low density residential," but the Zoning Map may further refine that into two or more
zoning districts.
Commissioner Zimmerman stated that it will be a challenge to keep the public engaged,
but he would like to continue to receive public input throughout the process.
Commissioner Holewa stated that there was a comment from Cynthia Wheeler about
daring to take risks. He stated that the comprehensive plan has come a long ways from
where it began. He complimented Mr. Lehnhoff for his work on it. He stated that the
comprehensive plan lacks specificity including how and when things are going to be
ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION - JULY 2, 2008
9
accomplished. He stated that there are 11 miles of trails indicated in the comprehensive
plan, but there aren't any goals stated. He stated he understood the limitations of the
Plan, but more specific goals would have been nice. He inquired if the City has received
any comprehensive plans from other cities. Mr. Lehnhoff stated that they have received
the City of New Brighton's comprehensive plan.
Commissioner Holewa inquired about receiving a copy of the Capital Improvement Plan
in larger print. Mr. Lehnhoff stated that it could be made available.
Chair Larson opened the public hearing at 7:54 p.m.
Chair Larson invited anyone for or against the application to come forward and make
comment.
Chair Larson closed the public hearing at 7:55 p.m.
Commissioner Zimmerman moved, seconded by Commissioner Thompson, to
recommend approval of Planning Case #08-021 for the 2030 Comprehensive Plan update.
The motion carried unanimously (7-0).
This Planning Case will be reviewed at the Monday, July 14, 2008, City Council meeting.
Attachment B
Public Comments
July 14, 2008, City Council Meeting
June 19, 2008, - Public Open House Comments
The following comments were collected at the June 19~ 2008, Comprehensive Plan Open
House. The comments are unedited.
.
Sitting benches on hiH along crab trees in Lindy~s Triangle Park. They were asked
for in 2001 and put in the park plan in 2002 and here it is 6 years later and we still
have nothing to sit on in this park. Will it be in my lifetime?
.
The baseball backstop was removed in 2001 in Lindy's Triangle. It was used, and
people nearby assumed it was to be replaced. Other than a handful of bocce ball
players and Bethel's rugby team~s practice, it has turned more into a dog park. How
about something for the children?
.
A little walking/bike trail from behind the shops in "downtown" Arden Hills to the
trails north of Crepeau Park??
.
4.1 Active Living: Nice Principles. Healthy food restaurant in downtown Arden
HiJJs.
.
Access to park-n-rides with public transportation to get to downtowns.
.
The City needs to continue to help pay for annual goose round-up on Lake Johanna.
This used to be a much worse problem and could be bad again, if this isn't kept going
and funded properly.
.
It would also be nice to have housing for the down-sizing, able, independent, elderly,
since we like Arden Hills. E.g. - The Holiday Inn site - easy access to shops and
restaurants, and would help "greater downtown Arden Hills" shopping center (Lex.
and Cty. Rd E) to survive and maybe even the restaurant(s).
.
It looks like AH could use more housing for the workers, to help with convenience, a
shorter commute, and savings in fuel.
.
Downtown street lighting looks too retro. Lights similar to New Brighton's would be
an improvement. This may prove to improve the wild night life we used to so enjoy
in downtown Arden Hills~
.
People using bus system and picked up at Pine Tree and County Road E, need a
shelter for rainy and cold days. Could the City request one from MTC and/or help
pay for one?
.
Public Works needs to not put grass clippings in the street when they mow. I.e.-
Johanna Blvd. and Siems Ct. intersection.
.
Make sure that storm sewer and gutter are kept clean of tree debris - more street
sweepIng.
.
Use energy saving transportation == electric mini-buses? To save energy in
transporting people within the areal e.g. from bigger rapid transit buses or rail stop.
.
It's encouraging to see potential manor homes and TCAAP - Hoping for some
apartment buildings also. A place for new families and empty nesters to move to.
.
Let an Indian tribe build a casino on the north end off CO. Rd. J on the worst polluted
soil and let them share profits with the City.
.
TCAAP - Drain storm water ponds to waterways of sufficient size to allow
recreational use such as water skiing. Eliminate center road and expand ponds, they
would be large enough to ski in.
.
I'm hoping for TCAAP and/or B-2 Gen. Bus. District to include apartments (at all
price levels) and manor homes, townhomes. Somewhere for ""new to the area"
families and empty nesters to move to.
.
We need to courage upscale shopping, road improvements, curb appeal, upscale
restaurant, and more local city meeting areas.
.
We need to get more city involvement in city businesses.
.
The newsletter is useless.
.
We need to move the City further north, to less congestion.
2
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First Name:
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Address 1:
Address 2:
gerald
garner
4652 prior ct
City:
State:
Zip:
Phone 1:
Phone 2:
Email:
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2008 Comprehensive
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Date:
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Yes, pfease add my name to the maiting list
arden hills
mn
55112
(651) 635-0672
kayjer@usfamily.net
kayjer@usfamily~ net
use land north of highway 10
for service road.
7/22/2007 2:59:44 PM
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6/26/2008 10:19 AM
;lte AClrnmlstratlon
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jill
kerns
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Email: jillf_@hotmaitcom
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2008 C h. what are the plans for developingl
ompre enslve . ~
PI C t selling the land the Armory IS on
an ommen s:: tl ? th k f J.II
curren y. an s _ I
12/1112007 2:29:25 PM
arden hills
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(651) 636-8705
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City: Arden Hills
State: mn
Zip: 55112
Phone 1: (612) 910-3083
Phone 2: {651} 635-9396
Email: pguzj@earthlink.net
Email (confirm):pguzi@earthlink.net
I have a comment regarding the city
pfan,especiafly the TCAAP devefopment
and how it will impact every homeowner
north of hwy 694,incfuding myself.lts no
mystery that ham line ave is the exclusive
residential road ,along with its
tributariesJ want the city administrators
to keep this in mind and find ways to
minimize the impact this development
will have on our quality of life.hamline
ave already is under way too much
duress with traffic,noiseyand safety for
my family and the kids.me spped limit is
way too fast at 40 mph,l would like to
see it at 30 mphJts ridiculous at certain
times of the day for me to access
Hamline already due to excessive traffic
2008 and the excessive speed limit of 40
Comprehensive mph. The city needs to work with the
Plan county and state to have the spped limit
Comments:: lowered to 30 mph.Crosswalks need to
be at every single sidestreet intersecting
with Hamtine ave.The city needs to find
other ways to route to foreseen added
traffic and noise polution to be directed
to other streets,not just
Hamline.Again,Hamline aye is the only
residential or otherwise street going
north to south and will be the burden that
the TCAAP development will
affect.Currently,only 1 council member
Jives in this quadrant of the city,and
judging by the voting under the previous
mayoral administration(Beverlys)~lm not
confident that council members living in
other quadrants of this city will have any
interest in my quadrant.My quadrant will
feel the impact of this developmentyand
Jerry
Guzi
1266 Nursery Hill Lane
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6/26/2008 10: 19 AM
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money needs to be invested in my
quadrant 'to improve my quality of life
and protect my home value.While you're
at itlower hwy 96 speed limit to 40
mphuJ can be reached at the above
phone numbers if anyone on our council
doesnt nget it",and IIf be happy to meet
with them to discuss issue"Thank
youtJerry Guzi
Date: 6/10/20084:25:16 PM
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-'....
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6/26/2008 10:19 AM
~
Although the new Comprehensive Plan is much kinder to the Arden
Manor community than the 1998 Comp Plan, there is still much room
for improvement. It just doesn't seem to be sensitive to the plight of
our residents. The new Comp Plan sees Arden Manor as an
"important supply of affordable housing." We're not a commodity, we
are a community!
Duane Sheaser and I attended all the Comp Plan community
meetings. There was a Jot of discussion about what we wanted for
the future for Arden Hilts. Many talked of bike paths and green areas,
a transit system, park and ride areas, community centers, etc. There
was no talk of affordable housing.
Arden Manor is the only affordable housing in Arden Hills, which is
far behind on its commitment to build affordable housing units. Were
it not for Arden Manor, Arden Hills would have little to no affordable
housing units. I think much more effort and discussion should be
expended in striving to maintain Arden Manor. Much progress has
been made since 1998, when the concensus was "it is anticipated
this area will be considered for redevelopment If Most of this progress
has been made in the last year when Arden Hills discovered that
there are actually people living in this community and they care about
their homes and their neighborhoods.
The 2008 Comp Plan touches on "affordable housing units. If For
single family homes, I believe the prices start out at around $250,000
(TeMP). This is not affordable housing for many, many people.
Townhomes are mentioned. For many this is nothing but expensive,
glorified apartment living. Though many may not like it, manufactured
housing is perfect for many others. It is affordable home ownership. It
affords the privacy of a single family dwelling. The small yards are a
bonus for senior citizens who like taking care of a yard, but have
downsized to something manageable.
Instead of Arden Manor being the main "supplier" of truly affordable
housing, perhaps more attention should be paid to the next "supply"
and where it will come from.
Thank you
0-uP~ ~J
~ C~ /J /l )
~~~ 7r~~ /U-d-. L/~ .
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Page 1 of3
James Lehnhoff
From: cynthiawheeler [cynthiawheeler@comcast.net]
Sent: Sunday, June 29,2008 8:59 PM
To: James Lehnhoff
Subject: Comments re: 2030 Comprehensive Plan
June 28J 2008
Hi James,
I have perused the City of Arden Hills 2030 Comprehensive Plan and it has many positive
recommendations.
If, however the city wants to ensure Arden Hills will be a desirable and attractive community to
live, work, and play in, both today and into the future, I believe there are four areas that need
more emphasis. They are:
1) Noise
As population and traffic increases, noise will play an increasing role in negatively impacting the
city's livability and quality of life.
Everything from the constant roar of the adjacent interstates, to the vehicle noise from busy
county roads such as Lake Johanna Blvd., to loud mufflers on cars and motorcycles, to car
stereos that are so loud windows in nearby homes rattle, to the noise from leaf blowers (wouldn't
a broom and a rake be equally effective?) negatively impacts the quality of life for
residents. Noise adds to stress levels and inhibits the ability of residents to open windows, sleep,
or enjoy time outdoors.
Solutions may include a variety of mechanisms such as sound barriers (walls or berms) along the
interstates, traffic calming techniques along busy roads (which may have to do with road design),
establishing and enforcing motor vehicle noise ordinances, and limiting decibels or restricting the
use of leaf blowers. Trees can also help buffer noise as well as improve aesthetics and air
quality.
2) Trees, trees, trees!
The City recently developed and passed a tree preservation ordinance. This was a very positive
and long overdue step.
However it appears to address only private developments. What is the city's role in preserving
and enhancing trees on public property? What are the city's responsibilities for replacing trees the
city removes or damages during street or other city projects? Does the city have an inventory of
city owned trees and a plan to maintain, replace, and enhance them? While Arden Hills is
substantially smaller than the city of Minneapolis, by way of comparison Minneapolis maintains
200,000 boulevard trees in addition to its trees on public park property.
We need trees for noise and visual buffers, for improved air quality, for shade, for beauty. If we
want to make Arden Hilfs a desirable place to live trees are an essential ingredient. If the onus is
only on private property owners the city is missing the mark. The city needs to develop an overall
plan for augmenting and maintaining its trees.
7/8/2008
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3) Walkability
A walkable community is a desirable community! The city needs to recognize that its citizens
might actually like to walk to the regional park, neighborhood stores, or around the neighborhood
without having to walk in a STREET!
Due to any apparent lack of vision or foresight the city has been developed to be car-centric. The
city needs to be developing and retrofrtting the community with walking paths (or sidewalks for
those of us who grew up with them). Walking in a street is not an acceptable alternative - streets
are for vehicles, sidewalks are for pedestrians! Residents and the council need to get over
their sidewalk phobia and make this community pedestrian friendly for people of all ages. We
cannot wait until 2030 and this is not an attribute that should just apply to new developments
(although it should be a requirement of new developments)_
Sidewalks should be designed to be pedestrian friendly (not immediately adjacent to the road,
pedestrian scale lighting, shade trees, landscaping). The benefits are many and include creating
a human scale environment, providing safe access to local amenities, providing opportunities to
exercise, positively impacting the environment. reducing vehicle traffic, and creating a sense of
community (its easier to visit with a neighbor if you pass each other while walking on a sidewalk.
vs. driving by each other in vehicles).
4) Open Space
I have often lamented the missed opportunities the city had to create a community that was really
special. It is most unfortunate, with its lakes, wetlands. woods, and open spaces there was no
overall vision to protect and preserve those unique features. While the county, fortunately. has
retained some public property along lake Johanna and lake Josephine, imagine the potential that
existed to create a "chain of lakes" such as is in Minneapolis, or to acquire and create public park
spaces similar to what surrounds Sf. Paul's Como lake and Lake Phalenr
If the city wants to attract and retain residents and hold property values they must have a vision,
and develop and implement a plan to attain it, for acquiring, connecting, developing, and
preserving the city's open spaces. Instead what happens time and time again is land that was
platted as developable 50 years ago, even though it may be wetlands, swampy, or a hillside, is
developed. If anyone has study the old plats, they may notice it often looks as if lots were platted
by just drawing straight lot lines on maps without any criteria for what was a developable lot and
what wasn't. One has to wonder if anyone even looked at the property first.
The city needs to be proactive in identifying key parcels of property for public acquisition, that are
either substandard for development purposes. or developed but where acquisition might add to a
public linkage or neighborhood park, or that might provide needed green space in a developed
residential area.
If the 2030 Comprehensive Plan is to err at all it should be on the side of daring to dream, daring
to have a human scale vision for the community, daring to take risks that enhance the quality of
fife for all of its citizens.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment.
Regards,
7/8/2008
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Cynthia Wheeler
3576 Ridgewood Court
Arden Hills, MN 55112
651-639-9049
cynthiawheeler@ comcast.net
7/8/2008
Attachment C
DRAFT 2030 Comprehensive Plan
Due to the length of the Comprehensive Plan document,
not all copies of this memo will include a copy of the Plan.
A free electronic copy can be downloaded on the City's
website at www.cLarden-hills.mn.us/compDlan/ or
it can be viewed at City Hall.
July 14, 2008, City Council Meeting