09/02/2008 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Search

• Implementation • The Resource Management System Plan presented in this Chapter provides the conservation design framework for the Comprehensive Plan and sustainable decisions regarding growth and development. It provides a unified "system approach" to natural resource management and providing natural resource based amenities which are highly - valued and enjoyed by the community. This "systems" approach allows the city the ability to leverage several regulations and funding sources to implement the Resource Management System plan. Rice Creek Watershed District /Lino Lakes Resource Management Plan (RMP) Municipal Ordinance and Watershed Rule Coordination The RMP proposes a plan to address municipal and Watershed District rules at the same time. This requires updating of local ordinances and Watershed rules that effectively implement the plan. The Resource Management System Plan (commonly referred to as "green infrastructure ") or traditional conveyance infrastructure (referred to as "gray infrastructure ") are the two overarching surface water system alternatives, with the former focused on runoff volume reduction and the latter on runoff volume conveyance to downstream endpoints. Capital investments ought to principally focus on one or the other alternative on an overall city and related subwatersheds basis. Blending the two is not feasible, because subwatersheds are interrelated, with one feeding another. The RMP -based FBO modeling scenario was performed on a volume reduction basis and demonstrates the feasibility of implementing the green infrastructure alternative on a city-wide basis. Implementing green infrastructure ought to consider the particular modeling results on a subwatershed (RMU) basis, and also the feasibility of various green infrastructure strategies as they relate to various land uses. Green infrastructure strategies are more and more grouped according to whether the land area under consideration is: 1. 'Developing' from rural to urban land uses, 2. Currently developed in an urban setting served by municipal utility services, or 3. Included in the proposed greenway system. These three situations can be the basis of green infrastructure implementation and are recommended to be incorporated into the city plan review process, public works organization, and capital improvement funding. As part of the RMP, green infrastructure implementation will be pursued in the city, with the following three initiatives refined to be incorporated into programs and ordinances. Developing Areas - Low Impact Development (LID) Planning Assistance As agricultural and rural land uses convert to urban -scale development (e.g. commercial, industrial, and residential), the parties involved in reviewing and approving plans, such as staff, City Boards, and City Council, need tools for evaluating plans for whether all green infrastructure design parameters were utilized. For example, a project design with onsite pipes and holding ponds would presume an offsite stormwater conveyance system for the ponds to overflow to. Project -level design needs to be consistent with an overall city-level green infrastructure alternative to managing surface water. Green infrastructure as defined by the USEPA utilizes numerous features (see Appendix A, RMP, References, USEPA Green Infrastructure) that collectively operate to retain and recharge water where it falls. A green infrastructure system does not include a stormwater conveyance system (i.e., large regional ponds, pumps, and pipes) that is constructed in advance of and in anticipation of numerous individual projects' conveyance