07/23/2001 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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• • July 11, 2001 Jeff Smyser, City Planner City of Lino Lakes 600 Town Center Parkway Lino Lakes, MN 55014-1182 RE: EAW for Lino Lakes Marketplace Metropolitan Council District 9 (Natalie Haas Steffen, 763 - 753 -4298) Metropolitan Council Referral File No. 18553 -1 Dear Mr. Smyser: Metropolitan Council staff reviewed the environmental assessment worksheet (EAW) on the Lino Lakes Marketplace to determine its adequacy and accuracy in addressing regional concerns. The review • concludes that the EAW is incomplete and consequently the Council is unable to determine whether there may be issues of consistency with Council policies and whether an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) may be necessary for regional purposes. Item 8 — Permits and Approvals Required A Metropolitan Council sanitary sewer extension permit is required for this project. Item 9 — Land Use Rice Creek Chain of Lake Regional Park is located directly across Interstate 35. This should be noted on page 8 as an adjacent land use. Item 10 — Cover Types and Item 11: Fish, Wildlife, and Ecologically Sensitive Resources The proposed site includes 5.6 acres of wooded/forest and 32.3 acres of brush/grassland. Post- development, the site will include 3.99 acres of forest, 1.85 acres of grassland, 28.8 acres of impervious surface, and 2.5 acres of suburban lawn landscaping. The tree survey indicated 752 trees on site, including 566 significant trees (hardwood deciduous trees 6" caliper* or greater, softwood deciduous trees 8" caliper or greater, and coniferous trees 12' height or greater). Proposed grading and other activities will result in loss of 495 significant trees. The EAW includes a tree preservation plan map (Exhibit K), which indicates that trees will be preserved in the northeast corner and along the southeast border of the site. Unfortunately the map is of such poor quality that it is impossible to decipher the species of those trees that will be removed or preserved. While the draft EAW indicates the presence of 24-30 inch burr oak trees on the site (p.10), • the significant tree survey (Exhibit J) indicates only white and red oaks on the site. This inconsistency should be corrected. Also, the city's tree ordinance defines significant trees,