01/14/2026 PZ Combined Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Pine Oaks Concept Plan Submittal TREE PRESERVATION/ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION PLAN/ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT WORKSHEET A formal tree preservation plan will be done and submitted with the preliminary plat application, and so at this time, it is not known for sure how many trees will need to be removed on site. We have minimized tree removal as much as possible by reducing lot sizes, opted for slab on grade homes to reduce ponding, and are proposing deeper ponding in concentrated areas rather than spreading out multiple ponds to a larger area. However, in order to avoid as much wetland impact as possible, we anticipate that a significant number of trees will need to be removed in order to accommodate lots and ponding. In order to avoid wetland, rare plant, and tree impacts, we are preserving a significant amount of open space on the site – approximately 73%. Given that this property is densely forested, it is not feasible to replace the number of trees required to be removed within the development or through paying tree restitution. Therefore, we are proposing to perform ecological restoration on the site in order to offset the effects of tree removal. We have engaged Midwest Natural Resources to develop an ecological plan that will be submitted to the city along with the preliminary plat application. Such plan will include detailed descriptions of the conditions documented at the time of the ecological survey for the avoided areas of the site. The plan will propose management strategies, such as invasive species control, woodland management, potential prescribed burning, or other methods to enhance those communities and maintain habitat for rare plants and resources. An Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) was done on the property in 2007. It spanned the subject site as well as the properties that are now Natures Refuge and Natures Refuge North and contemplated a unit count of 278. Natures Refuge has 61 units, and Natures Refuge North has an approved 94 units with preliminary plat. With the addition of these 82 proposed units, the total proposed unit count (237 homes) for the area on which an EAW was done is well below the EAW’s threshold. DENSITY The total site area is 75.42 acres with 31.02 acres of wetlands, 14.37 acres of wetland buffers, and a 0.37- acre gas line easement. The planned density for this area is 1.6-3 units per acre. Netting out wetlands, wetland buffers, and the gas line easement, we are proposing a density of 2.76 units per acre, which is below the allowable maximum density of three units per acre. While we could get to the minimum required density traditional R-1 zoning, the Comprehensive Plan mentions density transfer several times as an incentive for conservation development. First, the Goals and Policies of the Land Use Chapter recognizes that density transfer and bonuses can provide an incentive for achieving specific public values not achievable under conventional zoning standards. The Housing Chapter contemplates density bonuses as an incentive to developers to provide more affordable housing units within conservation subdivisions, as it recognizes that allowing additional units on a site may make a conservation development more financially feasible. The Parks and Trails chapter identifies density transfer as an incentive for setting aside land in a conservation easement or greenway. Snips of this language from the City’s Comprehensive Plan are on the following page. In addition to this, the Metropolitan Council has issued its 2050 Land Use Policy, which designates Lino Lakes as a Suburban Edge community, which will require a minimum density of 3.5 units per acre in sewered areas within the City when developed under the guidance of the City’s 2050 Comprehensive Plan. Because a large portion of the site (over 60%) is encumbered by wetlands and their required buffers as well as the gas line easement, and because wetlands, buffers, and utility easements are netted out in determining density numbers, there are many challenges to developing the property with traditional R-1 zoning. Grading costs will be more expensive on this site due to the wetlands and elevations, and the costs of streets and utilities will remain the same regardless of the number of lots on the site. While impacting wetlands would increase the amount of developable acreage on the site in terms of density calculations, we wanted to conserve as many wetlands as possible. Page 4