09/02/2008 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Parks, Open Space, Greenways & Trails System Plan The City of Lino Lakes adopted an extensive comprehensive parks, natural open space /greenways, and trail system plan in 2004. The following three statements provide the key underpinnings of the plan's vision. • Fostering a high quality living environment within the context of ecological protection, responsible land stewardship, long -term sustainability, and economic viability. • Perpetuating an interconnected latticework of natural landscapes, greenways, parks, and trails throughout the city. • Fostering the "city as a park "concept, whereby preserved natural areas and parks serve as a primary factor in shaping the character of the community. The mission statement was an outgrowth of the vision and reflects the city's commitment to preserving natural open space and providing a balanced overall park and trail system. The mission statement is to: Promote a high quality of life in Lino Lakes by providing a comprehensive, balanced, and sustainable system of parks, natural open spaces, greenways, and trails in as fair and cost effective manner as possible. A number of guiding principles support the park vision and mission statements. These include: • Implement a balanced system plan the offers multiple community values. • Allow for some flexibility in implementing the plan to adjust to realistic financial limitations and unforeseen events. • Maintain a high and consistent standard of quality throughout the system. • Plan and design parks for their entire lifecycle (i.e., 15 to 20 years). • Adhere to a standardized planning and design process for individual parks to ensure consistency in public involvement and outcomes. The system plan describes the various components of the parks, natural open space, greenways, and trails and the plan provides a framework for implementing the system plan (see Figure 2 -4). The plan also includes a natural resources stewardship and water resource plan that provides a framework for restoring and managing the city's natural areas and protecting water resources. The plan notes that achieving the common vision requires the use of conventional and non - conventional approaches to planning, development, and funding. Successful implementation of the plan also requires a steadfast commitment to collaborating with the development community for a couple of key reasons: • The nuances of integrating greenways, parks, and trails into a development require a high level of collaboration and flexibility to achieve the highest public values. • The cost of implementing the parks, greenways, and trail system plan to its fullest potential is likely to be well beyond the city's means using conventional funding mechanisms, park dedication policies, and approaches to acquisition and development. By combining standard regulatory controls with alternative approaches to the development process (such as conservation development), achieving the vision and goals set forth in this and other city plans becomes more realistic. Lacking that, realizing the full potential of the system plan becomes significantly more of a challenge, and perhaps even unlikely. • • •