01/08/2007 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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co Residential development and trends: Most of the housing stock was built in the early 1900's and then post WWII. There has been a decline in property maintenance. The City is working on a Point -of -Sale type inspection program to update the residential properties. The City's property maintenance code is being updated to maintain the housing stock. With the redevelopment of many areas of Columbia Heights, approximately 500 residential units over the next 5 years will be added. Most of these units will be town homes and condos. Anoka County Multi - Jurisdictional All Hazards Mitigation Plan Infrastructure and infrastructure projects: The City has an ongoing 7 -8 year schedule for replacement/repair of city streets and alleys. Included with this schedule is the replacement of water, sewer, natural gas, and storm drains. The city is broken into seven zones with one zone being done each year. 2006 is the last year of the initial time through the city. The public Works building is currently being updated and remodeled. Plans have been talked about over the last 3 years of replacing the City Hall, Library, and Police and Fire Department buildings. Public works has been working on a storm water mitigation plan for the last five years. This has included purchasing some residential properties that are prone to flooding. These properties were turned into storm water retention ponds. A City park was remodeled to include a storm water retention pond due to street flooding near by. The City started inspecting homes for sump pumps being deposited into sewer systems due to the sewer systems backing up in areas during heavy rains. A plan is in place to assist home owners with the cost of installing a valve on their main sewer lines in their homes to shut off future sewer back ups. CITY OF COLUMBUS Geographic location and characteristics: The City of Columbus is located in east central Anoka County in the northerly portion of the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Columbus is characterized by its large open spaces and low- density rural character. In addition to the natural open space resources of the three wildlife management areas and a County Park on Coon Lake, extensive wetland areas and large lot zoning provide scenic vistas and natural habitat. The City of Columbus is located at Latitude 45.26N and Longitude - 93.07W and has an elevation of 919 feet. Public lands: The only City site that is on the National Register of Historic Places is the Carlos Avery Game Farm, located at County Highways 17 and 18. It has been on the Register since 1991. It is the site of buildings built by the WPA in the 1930's and includes an entrance gate to the site that is built of stone and iron. During that era, it was a national showplace for the rearing of quail. The facilities are now the home of the north metro wildlife office of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the headquarters for the DNR's Carlos Avery Wildlife Management Area, and the Wildlife Science Center, a nonprofit group that conducts research on wolves. The City currently maintains four public parks and has three additional undeveloped sites. The City maintains a major community park adjacent to the City Hall that includes land on either side of Kettle River Boulevard. This facility includes five softball diamonds, two tennis courts, a volleyball court, a football field, a picnic area and shelter, and playground equipment. Anoka County owns and maintains Coon Lake County Park, which includes a swimming beach, boat access, and picnic facilities. Private fee areas: There are few fee areas in Columbus. • Agriculture and forestry: Columbus has two Century Farms. The Furrer Farm and the Thurnbeck Farm. The Furrer farm became a Century Farm in August 1989. Alfred Bergeron