06/11/2001 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Lino Lakes Public Services Department 600 Town Center Parkway Lino Lakes, MN 55014 (651) 982 -2440 Fax (651) 982 -2439 • Memorandum To: Jeff Smyser, City Planner From: Rick De Gardner, Public Services Director Date: June 5, 2001 Re: Spirit Hills Development I want to respond to the Planning and Zoning's recommendations that were approved at their May 9, 2001 meeting pertaining to parks and trails for the Spirit Hills Development. "Dedicate Lot 30 as Park Land" The Comprehensive Park Plan and Development Guide provides a framework for city staff and the Park Board for the purpose of guiding future park development within Lino Lakes. All aspects of future park development should be considered in a manner which is consistent with the park system framework, development criteria, and general principles defined in the Comprehensive Park Plan and Development Guide. When reviewing a development such as Spirit Hills, potential park system components must be justifiable within the context of the overall parks system. Neighborhood parks are the basic unit of our park system and are typically 5 to 17 acres in size and serve residents within a 1/4 to a 1/2 mile radius. In an ideal world, it would be great to have a neighborhood park within a 1/4 mile of each and every home. However, reality dictates that when planning the park system, numerous factors must be taken into account when determining the number, size, and location of parks. This is exactly what the Comprehensive Park Plan and Development Guide was created for. Additionally, the realities of limited resources for the development and maintenance of our parks system also affects decisions related to future park areas. Specifically with the Spirit Hills Development, acquiring a .28 acre parcel of land will not provide a functional area for neighborhood residents to enjoy. It would not be cost effective to maintain, especially when a large park area (Rice Lake Elementary) is only a 1/2 mile away, connected by an off -road paved trail along the north side of Birch Street. The development of the parks system should be based on the principle of providing and maintaining quality park areas. Scattering mini -parks in every residential development will not result in a quality parks system.