09/02/2008 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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• • Chapter 3: Land Use Plan Introduction The community of Lino Lakes anticipates growth in upcoming years. Planning for growth poses opportunities and challenges for the community. The city's Land Use Plan is an important tool to ensure that the city is adequately prepared to respond to these opportunities and challenges. The Land Use Plan plays a key role in managing growth within the city. The Land Use Plan builds on the vision, goals, and strategies to establish a policy framework in which future development will occur. The Land Use Plan is also used to determine the community's capacity to accommodate projected household and employment growth. These household and employment forecasts are used to develop the remaining chapters of the Comprehensive Plan. Additionally, the Land Use Plan was prepared in conjunction with the Resource Management System Plan, which incorporates the Rice Creek Watershed District /Lino Lakes Resource Management Plan (RMP), the City's Parks, Natural Open Space /Greenways and Trail System Plan, and the city's Local Surface Water Management Plan to manage and protect community resources. As part of this process, the Land Use Plan was analyzed to determine impacts to the natural environment and to identify appropriate mitigation measures, which are identified in the Resource Management System Plan. This process ensures that adequate infrastructure is in place to accommodate the community's growth and that natural resources are protected. The ultimate purpose of this Land Use Plan is to implement community vision developed by the Citizen Vision Committee, and to manage future growth in an efficient manner while protecting Lino Lakes' valuable natural resource and community assets. The Land Use Plan will provide a guide for managing future development and growth by determining future land uses, development intensity, and areas for environmental protection. In addition to the Land Use Plan, this chapter will also incorporate growth management tools for the City to ensure that adequate infrastructure is in place to accommodate new growth. While growth in the city is inevitable due to market forces, its location in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, and regional policy, the comprehensive plan will ensure that growth can be accommodated in an orderly fashion, while enhancing the existing environmental, social and economic resources found in Lino Lakes. Growth in Lino Lakes is shaped by a variety of community features, including the Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Regional Park Reserve, Interstates I -35W and I -35E, regional sewer interceptors, and an abundance of wetlands and other natural resource areas scattered throughout the city. The Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Regional Park Reserve runs the entire length of the city, from the southwest to the northeast corner. This area provides important ecological and recreational benefits to the community. However; it also divides the city in two; connectivity between the eastern and western areas of the city is an issue. The Park Reserve will shape growth, as it represents a large portion of the City's land area that will be permanently preserved as open space. Additionally, because the Park Reserve divides the City in two halves, development patterns and growth pressure may differ on either side of the Park Reserve. In addition the Park Reserve, the presence of Interstates I -35W and I -35E will also affect the city's growth, as demand for available commercial and industrial land with convenient transportation access increases. In particular, a potential future interchange on I -35E will facilitate development in the northeast quadrant of the city. 3 -1