10/05/2005 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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As described in the zoning ordinance, the purpose of a PUD general concept plan is "to provide an opportunity for the applicant to submit an application and plan to the City showing the basic intent and the general nature of the entire development. The concept plan provides an opportunity for the proposal to be publicly considered at an early stage." The concept plan does not require approval or any type of vote. However, it is important that the City Council provide staff and the application with comments on the concept plan before the project design progresses. Conservation Development Conservation development is a method of developing land in a way that is kinder to the natural environment than traditional development. Conservation development includes such things as preserving open space, restoring or improving greenways and wildlife habitat, managing stormwater with natural infiltration, creating buffers to protect valued natural features, creating trail corridors to connect greenways, and other methods. In short, conservation development is a method of development design. Projects that are designed as conservation developments can be exempt from some Lino Lakes growth limits, at the City Council's discretion. The Hardwood Creek project will be a conservation development. The applicants originally intended the application to be a conservation development project. They are aware of the City's desire to encourage conservation design, and have been following the AUAR project. The AUAR mitigation plan requires that all development incorporate conservation elements whenever possible. In Lino Lakes, the growth management ordinance provides that the City Council can allow development in excess of specific growth management limits when a project provides elements consistent with identified conservation development goals. However, there are two reasons we cannot exempt this project from the growth limits based on it being a conservation development. 1. the exemptions from growth limits do not include the Stage 1 MUSA total, so a comprehensive plan amendment would still be necessary. There are only 90 acres remaining in reserve for Stage 1 (pre -2010) residential development and 68.5 acres for commercial /industrial development. The development project site requires 363 acres of additional MUSA. 2. we need a great deal of information in order to exempt it from the specified growth restrictions. Specific information would include such things as stormwater management designs, open space designs, long term stewardship plans for open space, etc. Such information typically would be included in a planned unit development/plat application. The current application for a comprehensive plan amendment does not include such detailed information.