01/08/2007 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Anoka County Multi - Jurisdictional All Hazards Mitigation Plan (1857 — 1949) came to Minnesota as a young man of seventeen in 1874 from Quebec, Canada. He bought his first forty acres on the eastern edge of Anoka County in the City of Columbus between Forest Lake and Centerville in 1883. The Thurnbeck farm was settled in 1893 and became a Century Farm in 1994. Although Columbus is currently being developed, the minimum lot size is 5 acres, which does allow for the preservation of a significant portion of the current tree cover. These forests are comprised mainly of Northern Pin Oak, Burr Oak, Red Oak, and White Oak. Of the mature forest, the oaks comprise roughly 60 — 70 % of the tree species, with minor contributions of hackberry, red maple, basswood, aspen, white pine, red pine and spruce. The most significant forestry problem currently is oak wilt disease. The community has participated in an extensive oak wilt management program since 1991 to contain the effects of this devastating disease. For the future, tree preservation of its existing woodlots and invasive pests will be the largest threats to this suburban forest. Commercial and industrial development and trends: There are two primary commercial areas within Columbus, which account for 4% of the total City area. One lies along the southerly portions of Lake Drive (CSAH 23) near Lino Lakes. The other surrounds a portion of Interstate 35 comprising a 3 square mile area. The City of Columbus hopes to see high growth in our Freeway District as public utilities become available. Since 2003, the City has added a 175,000 square foot retail commercial space in the Freeway District. Residential development and trends: The City began to experience development pressure in the 1960's, as population and employment growth in the Twin Cities and increased mobility made Columbus an attractive site for rural homesteads. The City's residential population began to significantly increase while its farm population began to diminish. Rural residential uses comprise 4,799 acres of land, including 1,221 acres of wetland and flood plain. Both population and households increased sharply during the 1970's, resulting in a 62% increase in the number of residents and a 79% increase in households, a growth rate much higher than County as a whole. Nearly 5,000 acres of land, which is neither encircled by wetlands nor floodplain, remain vacant or in agricultural use. Residential growth slowed during the 1980's, resulting in an average increase of 26 new households per year, a pace that continued through the first half of the 1990's. Infrastructure and infrastructure projects: The city continues to improve City roads each year based on resident petitions. The City completed the Trunk Sanitary Sewer system and ordered the Trunk Water System in 2005 and will continue public utility projects based on property owner petition in the commercial 3 square mile area of the Freeway District. COON RAPIDS Geographic location and characteristics: The City of Coon Rapids Minnesota is located fifteen miles north of Minneapolis, MN. The Mississippi River establishes the City's southern border. Hennepin County and the City of Brooklyn Park are located across the river. Coon Rapids shares its remaining borders with the cities of Anoka, Andover, Blaine, and Fridley. The City is 23 square miles in size. The City of Coon Rapids is located at Latitude 45.17N and Longitude -93.31W and has an elevation of 863 feet. •