6.0. SR 09-22-2003Item #
6
MEMORANDUM
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
Mayor and City Council
Michele Mceherson,~i~ector of Planning
September 22, 2003
Joint Meeting with the Park and Recreation Commission
The Park and Recreation Commission has requested a joint meeting with the City Council to
discuss the Comprehensive Plan and specifically, the greenway initiatives outlined within the
plan.
Attachments
Excerpt - Comprehensive Plan, Initiative Regarding Greenways
Article - Pragmatic Partnerships, The Mississippi Greenway is a Model for Park Planning
Map Illustrating Possible Elk River Greenways and Corridors
The Park and Recreation Commission would like to discuss with the City Council the concept of
greenways, green infrastructure, and preserving the City's sensitive ecological areas through
greenway corridor identification and cluster subdivisions.
The Commission has invited Hannah Dunnevitz and Renay Leone from the Department of
Natural Resources to assist in providing information regarding sensitive ecological areas and
green infrastructure concepts to the City Council.
The Commission will begin with Chair Peterson introducing the speakers and providing a brief
overview of the discussion. Hannah Dunnevitz will provide information regarding sensitive
ecological information that has been gathered in the area. Paul Paige, Commissioner, and
staffperson with Hoisington Koegler Group Inc., will then provide more details regarding
greenways and their implementation.
The Commission specifically would like to discuss with the Council potential implementation
strategies for establishing a greenway corridor network throughout the community.
local street system must be designed to support traffic volumes a/
movement patterns.
/
· The closure of current intersections would alter movement ~terns in'
Elk River and alter devel°pment °pp°rtunides at t?, 7~,.,aU~°,~,~'
A proactive approach provides the City with a basis for wo~ w~th ~M...nD,?T_
on planning for highway improvements. The alternative/4flaces the City in a
position of reacting to State proposed designs. /
Sorn. e important land use issues are linked to t~,fature of kfighwaY access:
The land use plans for industrial d~ around the inters, e.ction
of Highway 10 and 165th A~kely to occur without
improvements to this intersection._
· Failure to plan for an i~ ........... River (Li_ke!y in _the area
of Jarvis Avenue) c~_.ft _in_ to Ramsey.
· This situau.'on co~mit future highway access in_ Elk River.
The lack of ~o. pm.ent may ct. cate
more im~velopme .nt~ a!ong.
Higher Main Street and School
· S tre~/ .........
I~~.imary accesp pimt
/~ long-term pi= .for
this intersection is essential to future land use and development planning.
Greenways
The Comprehensive Plan proposes to establish a greenway system throughout
Elk River. The implementation of this concept is not a single action. It involves
commitment to the concept and incremental steps to build the system. Much
like assembling a jigsaw puzzle, individual pieces are added within the
framework of a broader plan.
Identify key properties.
The Comprehensive Plan shows potential greenway patterns based on existing
data. Better information about current natural features would help to identify
key properties to target for acquisition, and also enhances the ability to idendfy
key parcels for linking the system together. Areas of environmental significance
can be preserved and incorporated into the greenway system.
Conduct NRI.
One way of gathering this information is through a Natural Resource Inventory
(NM). This study provides a current, city-wide analysis of natural features.
The NRI would identify key natural areas in Elk River including wedands,
prairie, swamps, marshes, forested areas, and habitats. This information would
be a valuable tool in guiding efforts to establish the greenway system.
Using the Plan
Building the Future - A Comprehensive Plan for Elk River
3015
Expand subdivision data.
A more incremental approach is to collect additional information during the
platting process. Cluster subdivisions are required to submit a detailed resource
inventory. Expanding this requirement to all plats would produce a better
database for the City, and would also provide a better basis for obtaining
greenway elements in individual subdivisions.
Establish a finance plan.
Limited financial resources will play a role in undertaldng this initiative. Some
potential finance strategies include:
· Allowing a landowner to place a desired preservation area in an easement
that is recorded on the deed and prohibits development of the land. In
return the landowner would receive some property tax relief. As
appropriate, these areas should include trail easements to allow public
access and links with other areas.
· Encouraging property owners to donate property to the City for long-
term preservation through the greenway system.
· Using density bonuses as an incentive for additional land dedication.
A developer can offset the loss of dedicated land with the ability to
build additional housing units. The City's Open Space Preservation
Plat regulations provide a model. The City can also grant the ability
to add additional lots if certain criteria are met. Allowing additional
units or smaller minimum lots might also be options for se~vered
subdivisions and zoning districts. This approach requires specific
criteria for obtaining the bonus and the limits on maximum changes in
density.
· The greenway initiative promotes a reevaluation of the overall park
dedication regulations, allowing the City to discuss the role of park
dedication, and to develop plans to ensure implementation of overall
park open space needs.
· Shifting park dedication resources to greenways will reduce funds for
other elements of the park system. In new subdivisions, special
assessments and housing improvement areas could be used to acquire
and improve neighborhood parks.
· Parks and greenways will compete with other services and facilities for
property taxes. Some communities have sought voter approval to issue
bonds to finance park and open space initiatives.
Old Town
The Old Town is an essential part of Elk~
, .,,....
Old Tow~ial di!tric_ts
and resid ' ' oods in this area. Designating a land use is only the
Building the Future - A Comprehensive Plan for Elk River
Using the Plan
3,~16
TMississippi River Green-
way Strategic Plan serves as a political-
fy.savvy model for open-space p[anmng
at the edge of growing metropolitan
eas. Covering a 20-mile stretch of-the river
south of' Saint Pard, the plan represents an
all too rare combination of ecologically
based park planning, political outreach, and
public support fbr funding. Brace Cham-
berlain, ASL~., o£ Minneapolis-based Hois-
ington Koegler Group Inc. (HKGi), began
Pragmatic
Partnerships
The Mississippi Rivet Greenway
is a model for park planning.
BY FRANK EDGERTON MARTIN
a long-term relationship with this dramat-
ic bluff landscape in 1998 with a greenway
plan fbr the city o£Hastings, a historic and
rapidly growing river town of 18,000 just
south of the Minneapolis-Sc. Patti area. Set
in the brcyad Mississippi River valley, Hast-
ings is blessed with views across the MSssis-
sippi into Wisconsin and steep bltttC~s
that frame both sides of the valley.
Using numerous participatory
techniques including public fortwns
and citizen photography of cherished
places, Chamberlain soon discovered
that the most valued landscapes in
Hastings lay outside its boundaries.
Even though there are a historic
downtown and traditional courthouse,
Hastings derives much of its identity from
its mm[ and riparian surroundings. In the
public forums, residents of Hastings and
neighboring townships often delineated
blufftops and wooded slopes as important.
Indeed, participants who lived outside
The expansive gorge known locally as Sand Coulee, near Hastings, Minnesota, contains a rare sand-prairie habitat and
is one of the primary greenway corridors suggested for preservation by the Mississippi River Greenway Strategic Plan.
Landrcape,4rc'h~tec'~ure J 40 ] FEBRUARY 2003
Hastings brought their own insights of
cherished viewsheds and open spaces near
their homes. "Ir was interesting to see,"
Chamberlain notes, "how people from Rose-
mo~tnt and Ravenna saw different places."
The public process led to a broader consensus that Hastings
was part of a larger visual and ecological region---one that new
parches of strip development and large lot ho~sing from the Twin
Cities clearly threaten. "Many people were very articulate about
rural character," Chamberlain observes. "They feel a sense of loss
about the agriculture being lost ro development."
During the public workshops, HKGi tried to raise awareness
that greenways are more than manicured pathways and can sup-
port species migration, diversity, aquifer recharge, wetlands,
and steep slopes, among other factors. HKGi developed a site-
sensitivity map that located these ecological qualities in Hast-
ings and in townships to the north and south. When overlaid
with the map of residents' cherished places, there emerged a re-
markable similarity of human perception and ecological value.
To address potential concerns about the imposition ofgreenways
onto private lands, HKGi also developed six bird's-eye views that
show how ecological corridors can coexist with varying land uses,
including housing, industrial, and agricuirm'al. The drawings il-
lustrate how greenways can link woodlots, streambeds, and parks
with minima~ disruption of development.
places like Pine Bend IBluff~ and Spring awareness of the river and to support [and
take Reserve haYe names that are gert- conservation. The Friends chose Dakota
erations old, a~esting to tine deep pon- County as their first target for open-space
nection between people and place, protection because of its rapid growth and
the relatively large areas of undeveloped
land in the watershed. Both an ecologist and public policy spe-
cialist, Lewanski can speak the language of public funding while
building enthusiasm for species diversity and conservation.
Originally, HKGi worked with Hastings on a greenway plan
only for the city kself. But ultimately, by allying with the
Friends of the Mississippi, the team encouraged Hastings to
think more broadly about its open-space planning and to in-
dude neighboring communities that alrimately comprised
55,000 acres of land spreading over six townships.
The resulting plan locates new greenways along corridors and
ridges. They are desigr~ed for a minimum of 150 feet in width to
accommodate species migration. On the southern edge of Hast-
ings, a wide swath called the "Hastings Traverse" is the one piece
of the system not located for ecological diversity. Rather, resi-
dents wanted to create a defined edge, a kind of greenbelt for
Hastings to preserve the sense of the rttral character rhar ~hey
clearly value. Linking several greenways set in stream valleys, the
Traverse will become an important recreational connector with-
in the area's web of hydrology.
Park system m~er plans are s~and~d f~e
ibr many Nndscape archkect~e fir~. What
sets ~he Mississippi Greenway Strategic Plan
ap~ are its scale, ks ecologic~ emphais, and
~he involvement of~he S~. Pa~-baed Friends
o( ~he Mississippi, a nonprofit group char
wor~ with HKGi in landowner ou~rmch, im-
piemenm~om ~d punic polio.
Tom Lewanski, the conse~a~ion director
of ~he Friends of ~he Mississippi, works
with communities like Harings up raise
To help local residents envision how green-
ways could fit into the landscape, HKGi pre-
pared a series of bird's-eye sketches
showing local scenes as they exist today
and with hypothetical greenways added.
[~,tndscape,4~'o,Sttecture 42 I FEBRUA~.¥ 2003
in a classic NIcHargian approach, landscape fea-
tures were layered with sensitivity thresholds
applied and then recombined in GIS to paint
a of sensitive landscapes, and
thus prime greenway op-
portunities, within
the study area.
Landscape Thresholds
~ Higll Sensitivity Lar~/s
~ ~ow Sens~ffw~ Lands
Water
Ce.ter .ivot ~rrigaao.
In October 2002, Dakota County passed a $20
million referendum for open-space acquisition that
will be matched by stare funds. HKGi and the Friends
worked ro build suppox for the bond. The fact that
so many residents had already participated in work-
shops probably helped to improve voter support. Some of these
funds will assist in open-space acquisition for the greenway
plan. But many other partnership and conservation tools will
be needed.
'9(Tkh the completed greenway plan as a guide, Lewanski
now travels the surrounding townships to talk with residents
about conserva:ion issues. He o£ten re/ers property owners to
local land trusts and conservation easements. "Our role is to
build relations with the land owners," he says. "There are sev-
eral high-quality ecosystems in this area, including the Ver-
milion River Boz~oms, approximately 5,000 acres of emergent
marsh, floodplain forest, and lakes, with habitat fbr bald eagles,
cerulean warblers, and red-shouldered hawk," Lewanski ex-
plains. Upstream i'rom Has,rings, the Pine Bend Bluffs are
home to deep meltwater ravines with oak forests on the north-
facing slopes and rare sand gravel prairies on the south-facing
slopes.
DESIGN AT MA_.~Y SCALES
HKGi's relationship with Hastings is
condnmng with site-specific planning
for the Hastings River Flats, an "envi-
ronmental sculpture park" ~har will
bring together art installations docu-
menting Mississippi River ecology.
Located bet-ween downtown and the
river's edge, the 200-acre floodplain site is a small piece of the larg-
er greenway system. The Flats promise to become a highly visible
at~raction for downtown and a catalyst for increased understanding
of riparian ecosystems.
Paul Neseth of Locus Architecture worked with HKGi ~o de-
sign an outdoor classroom, pedestrian bridge, interpretive center,
and bandsheli. "Since it is a former industrial zone, we wanted to
represent it by recycling pieces of old oil tanks and other refinery
materials." Locus located a treasure trove of metal at a nearby
rank farm. Massive arcs of plate steel will be
reused as curved sound baffling on the ceiling of
the bandshell.
Flat refinery panels are recycled as surface ma-
terial in retaining walls while old oil pipes serve as
load-bearing columns in ~he 3000 SF interpretive
center. Designed to work together, the center
serves backstage function for the bandshell. With
its low elevation, the interpretive center is de-
signed to withstand flooding, wkh horizontally
hinged doors on the lower level that can open up
during spring flooding and for large summer pub-
lic events. Acting to mitigate flood effects while
making a bold visual statement, berming around
the bandshell and the interpretive center provides
an upwater barrier to debris during flooding.
At a metropolitan scale, HKOi is working with
~rban planner Calrhorpe & Associams to create a
regional plan for Pool 2, the Army Corps of Engi-
neers term for the Mississippi River segment
FEBRUARY 2003 [ 43 [ £a~=ch'ca?e Arc/3arecrure
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planning
srrercNng 40 miles from the lock and dam
in St. Patti ro the lock and dam ar Hastings.
F~mded by the McKnighr Foundation. the
RSve~ronr Initiative provides a regional per-
specrive for future local projects such as the
River Flats and the Greenway Plan. In :he
report, Chamberlain argues that the init/a-
live looks ar the regional watershed as a
whole co lay strategies for sturainabte future
agric~dmre and development.
Like the Mississippi River Greenway
Plan, ecology rather than economic or scenic
values grounds the policies for a working
river rhar flows through a highly ~banized
area of mote chart one million people. "In-
stead of beginning.., by identifying [and
es," Chamberlain wrote, "the process starts
with identifying essential ecological pre-
serves within which [and ~tses are then 'fit."
As an early success story in the Riverfront
Initiative, the Mississippi Greenway Strate-
gic Plan is an important example of how
landscape architects can work with policy
advocates and nonprofit groups to achieve
shared goals. While the profession is adept
in ecological analysis, public input, and
graphic documentation, implementation is
often a lingenng challenge. With the help
of[and trusts and experts familiar with con-
servation easements and funding sources,
HKGi is achieving a vision for connected
parks that Minnesota has not seen since
H.W.S. Cleveland persuaded the Twin
Cities to lay out its Grand Rounds park sys-
tem in the i9~h century.
The message here is that landscape ar-
chitects build long-term client relation-
ships and see their projects built when they
involve the public and find parrners to
support outreach ro landowners and local
governments. Tom Lewanski argues that,
in many ways, the planning is =he easy
part. "The work has really just begun now
~o engage the landowners in conservation
practices."
Frank Edgerwn R~artin is campus planning :o-
ordinator./-or Hammel, Green and Abrahanuon
in Minneapolis.
~rll r 0 ~ t =~ *.}t ~ ~q r ,t=1:,71 ~1~ ~ - J
~/~IS$1SStPP! RIVER GREENWAY
~TRATEGIC
Project partners: ~it¥ 0~ Hastings~
N[arshan Township, Ravenna Township,
CIRCLE 126 ON READER SERVICE CARD
L,tnd~c'a~eArchxtect'~tre I 44 ] FES~,U.~,~V 2003
City, of Rosemount, Dakota County, Min-
nesota Department of Natural Resources,
Metro Greenways Program.
Part. ers Advisory Committee: ~J:en
Bremer, board member, Nininger Town-
ship; Cathy Busho, mayor, Rosemount;
Roger Fox, board member, Marshan Town-
ship; Mawr McNamara, park & recreation
director, Hastings; Lynn Morarz!-:a, director
of planning, Dakota County, and council
member, Hastings; Bill Penning, outreach
coordinator, MiN/DNR Metro Greenways;
Dan Schultz, park & recreation director,
Rosemount; At Singer, coordinator, M:N/DNR
Metro Greenways Program; John Mer~ens,
senior planner, Dakota County; Beverly
Topp, Dakota County Farmland & Natur-
al Areas Project; Hank Tressel, board mem-
ber, Ravenna Township.
Project consultants: Friends of the
Mississippi River, Saint Paul, Minnesota
(Whitney Clark, executive director, Tom
Lewanski, conservation director); Hois-
ington KoegIer Group Inc., Minneapolis,
Minnesota (Brace L. Chamberlain, ASLA,
vice president, project manager; Lillian C.
Learham, associate landscape architect,
project designer; Eric Blodgetr, publica-
tion; Michael Schroeder, RLA, vice presi-
dent, design support; Brady Halverson,
ASLA, design support).
HASTINGS RIVER FLATS MASTER PLAN
Client: City of Hastings, Minnesota
(Marcy McNamara, park 8: recreation di-
rector; Michael Werner, mayor); Advisory
Committee: Janette Yandrasits, city coun-
cil; T~ney Hazier, city council; Lynn Mor-
atzka, city. council.
Project team: Hoisington Koegler
Group Inc. (Brace L. Chamberlain, ASIA,
vice president, lead designer; Bryan Harjes,
associate landscape architect, project design-
eri Brady Haive~son, ASLA, project designer);
Locus Architecture, LTD (Paul V. Neseth,
MA, principal, lead architect; Wynne G.
Ydland, AIA, principal, architect).
RESOURCES
Hoisington Koegler Group Inc., Min-
neapolis, Minnesota. 612-338-0800,
Friends ohhe Mississippi Kiver, Saint Paul,
Minnesota. 651-222-2193, wz~:fm~: :om.
Mississippi Kiverfronr Initiative, wwu:me;r0
counCZ l. org/planning/~'iver/ intro.
we hold up banks'
retaining wall systems
www. risistone.com
1.800.626.9255
2003 I 45 [ La.dscapeArd~ztec;ure
CIRCLE 315 ON READER SERVICE CARD
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'- ' I
least
Legend
Open Water
Elk River Parcel 12 02 02
Environmentally Constrained Areas/Civic and OpenSpaces
Connection Opportunities
0.5 1
I Miles