01-22-2003 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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Attachment Rarnsey- Washington Metro •/ J •.�s� D i s 4 d 14.E 6 0 December 23, 1999 Greg Schroeder City of Little Canada 515 E. Little Canada Rd. Little Canada, YIN 55117 Re: Sculley Property Review. Dear Greg: „1„ 1902 East County Road 3 Maplewood, MN 55109 (651) 704 -2089 fax (65 1) 704 -2092 e -mail: rwmwd @mtn.ora Enclosed is the GIS map for the Sculley property and surrounding area. It indicates the 1945 and 1996 wetland areas. As you can see, the areas are fairly similar on his pro-perry except for the high ground area picked up on the 1945 effort, but missed on the 1996 effort (I marked this area with an X). As we saw in the field this area is non - wetland. This was a mistake in our 1996 wetland identification effort. The other inconsistency appears to be on the eastside of the Sculley property. The 1945 identification effort didn't pick up the drainage channel that Mr. Sculley said existed behind the existing homes (see post it note). The 1996 effort did pick up the drainage channel on the south. This is consistent with the excavated ditch that was created by Mr. Sculley's father. The filled eastern channel may explain the slightly higher elevation and larger extent of the 1996 wetlands. However. the difference between the 1945 and 1996 wetland identifications is minor and may be attributable to the different methods and personnel. In conclusion, I don't think the lack of maintenance by Maplewood at the southeast corner of the Sculley property has created more wetland area. It may contribute to the wetlands being wetter than in previous years, but the aerial photos don't indicate much difference in the land area classified as wetlands under the current taws. I still believe this area would make a great nature preserve. It would be a great loss to have this area chopped into home lots. Even though there couldn't be a large number of homes built, the roads, yards and disturbance would severely impact the area. I would encourage Little Canada to consider securing this area in conservation easement or fee title. This could be ajoint project with Maplewood. There could be Metro Greenways grant funding for this project. I would be happy to assist in preparing a Grant request if the City is interested. Since Mr. Sculley's development options are extremely Limited. he may be interested in a combination of cash. tax breaks and estate benefits. This project. should also involve the other land owners in this area north of Kohlman Lake. .EC EV'E`a • 4QQQ IyVJ 2 s "age 109