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<br />City of Gem Lake Comprehensive Plan GEMLK 140643 <br />Page 93 <br />12 Park and Open Space Plan <br />The 2040 Regional Parks Policy Plan, adopted by the Met Council on November 22, <br />2018, is the official system plan for regional recreation open space. Local comprehensive <br />plans must conform to the principles of this parks policy and are based on three primary <br />criteria: <br />• Conformance with Metropolitan System Plans <br />• Consistency with Council Policies <br />• Compatibility with Adjacent and Affected Governmental Units <br />12.1 Conformance with Metropolitan System Plans <br />This system statement summarizes significant elements of the metropolitan system plan <br />and highlights those elements that apply specifically to the City of Gem Lake. In addition <br />to reviewing this system statement, Gem Lake should consult the entire 2040 Regional <br />Parks Policy Plan, the Thrive MSP 2040 and other pertinent regional planning and policy <br />documents to ensure its comprehensive plan and plan amendments conform to the <br />metropolitan system plans. A PDF file of the entire 2040 Regional Parks Policy Plan, the <br />Thrive MSP 2040, and other regional planning and policy documents of the Metropolitan <br />Council are available online at the Metropolitan Council’s website: <br />https://metrocouncil.org/Parks/Planning/Parks-Policy-Plan.aspx <br />See Figure 12.1 – Twin Cities Metropolitan Area 2040 Reginal Park System Plan <br />12.1.1.1 Regional Parks and Trails in Gem Lake <br />There are no regional parks in, or adjacent to, Gem Lake, however two regional trail <br />facilities are located at the boundaries of the City of Gem Lake as identified in the 2040 <br />Regional Parks Policy Plan, Table 5 (Trail Number). <br />Bruce Vento Regional Trail (28) <br />St. Anthony Railroad Spur Regional Trail Search Corridor (20) <br />12.1.1.2 Bruce Vento Regional Trail <br />This regional trail is partially complete and open to the public. The section on the eastern <br />border of the City of Gem Lake is not yet complete. The trail alignment is shown in <br />Figure 2 and is acknowledged by the City of Gem Lake. <br />12.1.1.3 St. Anthony Railroad Spur Regional Trail Search Corridor <br />This is a proposed 10 mile regional trail that would follow the existing railroad corridor <br />long the northwest border of the City of Gem Lake. Since there is an active railroad <br />operating on this corridor tracks, trail planning would not take place until there is a <br />change in the status of the use of the tracks. At that time, the County will work with Gem <br />Lake and others to master plan the trail. The general alignment of the proposed trail is <br />shown in Figure 2 and is acknowledged by the City of Gem Lake. <br />See Figure 12.2 - Map of Gem Lake - Regional Parks and Open Space Map. <br />12.2 Consistency with Council Policies <br />The 2040 Regional Parks Policy Plan includes the following policies and strategies for <br />regional parks; <br />• Expanding the Regional Parks System to conserve, maintain, and connect <br />natural resources identified as being of high quality or having regional <br />importance.