09/02/2008 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Additionally, the RMP provides the following tangible benefits to property owners within the RMP: • Streamlined or consistent processing of local, state and federal permitting • Clear stormwater management expectations • Expanded range and flexibility of replacement options • Expanded opportunity for wetland credits • Increased land value for properties associated with preserved open space Rice Creek Watershed District's Proposed RMP Rule The City has worked with the RCWD to develop a watershed district rule that helps implement the RMP within the City's jurisdictional limits. The major components of the rule include: • Designation of wet /and preservation corridors (WPC). These corridors form a network of inter - connected natural communities that contain many of the highest priority lake, wetland, and upland resources in the City. They provide the critical foundation for efforts to both preserve and expand the quality and quantity of the wetland, wildlife habitat, and stormwater management functions in the City. An important link between the Comprehensive Plan, Local Surface Water Management Plan, and the RMP is the incorporation of the wetland preservation corridors into these plans. • Development of customized wet /and impact /replacement ratios. As part of a thorough and wide - ranging wetland management plan developed in cooperation with the RCWD, the rule requires replacement ratios of as high as 3:1 for wetlands within designated WPCs. To the extent allowed by the WCA, the rule also allows lower replacement ratios for certain types of wetlands outside the WPCs if the functions and values of those wetlands are replaced within the corridor. In general, the rule creates an incentive to avoid impacts to wetlands within the WPCs and consolidate replacement wetlands within contiguous ecological units on which the WPCs are based, which will enhance their value for multiple purposes. • Setting up ofa wetland bank. This provision provides incentives for creating wetland banks within the same geographic area and management units that the impacts are anticipated to occur. By doing so, the benefits of replacing wetland functions and values will remain local. • Development of wet /and buffer requirements. This rule component requires designation and protection of upland buffers adjacent to wetlands within the WPCs. It lays out specific requirements for development of recordable instruments through which the buffer dimensions will be legally designated monumentation to delineate the buffer on the ground, and allowable uses and management of the buffer. The buffers will provide critical upland habitat components for the WPCs. • •