09/02/2008 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Infrastructure Capacity In addition to the protection of natural resources, many participants of the Visioning and Comprehensive Plan processes expressed concern about the capacity of the city's infrastructure to accommodate new growth in the community. The availability of infrastructure will also be used to determine the timing and feasibility of new growth. As part of the comprehensive plan, the transportation, water, and sanitary sewer systems were analyzed to determine their capacity to accommodate the 2030 and full build -out growth forecasts. These systems are discussed more fully in Chapters 6, 7 and 8. Land Use and Transportation The city's Land Use Plan was analyzed to determine compatibility with the local transportation system. Based on this analysis, improvements to the transportation system were identified to accommodate additional growth in Lino Lakes. These improvements are discussed in the Transportation Chapter of this plan. Development review will include analysis of the transportation system and transportation improvements may be required as part of the development permitting process. Utility Staging The provision of sewer and municipal water service will be a key factor to determine the timing of future growth. As part of the Comprehensive Plan process, the future land use plan was analyzed to determine future water supply and wastewater infrastructure needs to accommodate new growth. These systems will need to be expanded to accommodate future development in the community. Therefore, a staging plan was developed to identify the sequence and anticipated timing of water and sewer provision (Figure 3 -4). The staging area boundaries are based on the city's sewer districts, current development patterns, and land needed for forecasted development. The staging plan establishes the pattern, timing, and location of future growth to 2030 and beyond. The Staging Plan reflects the City's three growth areas where regional interceptors are located, the northeast, northwest, and south growth areas. It is noted that the White Bear Interceptor is located 1/2 mile from the Lino Lakes border and is not shown on the Staging Plan. The Staging Plan identifies areas for growth from 2010 to 2020, 2020 to 2030, and post 2030. The City will monitor growth by annually assessing market conditions and land capacity to determine when the next staging area should be opened for development. The staging plan cannot force development to occur. Rather, it prohibits urban growth from occurring outside areas planned for utility service. It should be clear that while there are legitimate reasons why cities should stage and time growth in an orderly and contiguous manner, there is nothing about adopting a staged growth plan that forces any private property owner to sell their land before they wish to do so. The staging plan provides several benefits to Lino Lakes, which are listed below: • A staging plan creates orderly logical growth pattern based on planned development patterns and availability of infrastructure. • Clearly defines timing at which land is potentially available for development. • Allows the City greater control over the pace and location of new development combined with providing necessary services when planned development occurs. • Provides greater ability to plan, budget and set goals for future development based on the Staging Plan. 3-22 • • •