2009 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

The Vadnais Lake Water Management Organization (VLAWMO) has informed the City that the water body known as Gem Lake does not have an outlet. Therefore, inlets to the lake must be filtered and flow control added. • Wetland protection - VLAWMO and Ramsey Washington County Metro Watershed District (RWMWD) recently adopted updated water management plans that might require changes in the storm water section of the zoning ordinance. The Gem Lake has two years from the date these plans where adopted to update its City storm water management plan appropriately. • Subdivision regulations - The City of Gem Lake has adopted a new set of subdivision regulations. These regulations should be reviewed to allow for smaller lots (and zero lot line construction) that might occur with PUDs that include town homes or other similar structures. Private Investment The basis for a comprehensive plan diminishes rapidly absent private investment. Therefore, implementation policies recognize the desirability of encouraging private land ownership, protection of environmentally sensitive areas, enhancement of business/commercial opportunities, construction and maintenance of a broad range of life -cycle housing, and provision of resident and visitor oriented retail and service facilities. Promoting the qualities of the area and providing cost effective public services are at the core of the public strategy to encourage and support private investment. Other public policies affecting private investments include tax increment financing, special assessments, coordination of community and business promotion activities, cooperative ventures and development sensitive regulatory frameworks. Public Investments In carrying out the objectives of the comprehensive plan, the components and staging of public investment is important. Understanding the basis for, and phasing of, public investments stimulates private investments in terms of location and timing. Public capital improvements involve the acquisition of land and the construction of public facilities. Public ownership has historically been the case, but varying ownership arrangements are emerging. Many municipal capital improvement budgets also include major equipment purchase such as fire trucks, road maintenance vehicles, office furniture, and so on. Maintenance expenditures (such as resurfacing a road) overlap between maintenance and capital expenditures. The majority of parkland and roadway rights -of -way have been acquired through dedication. Subdivision regulations provide for that dedication. In the case of future rights -of -way, they will need to be purchased by agreement or condemnation. Municipal Capital Improvement Program 2008-2018 Background The capital improvement program provides a working strategy for guiding public investment within the comprehensive planning framework. Resources are finite and rarely meet all needs. A well thought out capital improvement program results in a comprehensive "shopping list" where all desired investments are cataloged and prioritized. Absence of current available funding should not keep a project off the SEH13. implementation I page 66