09/02/2008 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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• • Environmental Site Review With each additional subdivision review in the City, additional natural resources and rare features data are being documented, refined, and collected as part of local, state, and federal environmental review requirements and environmental regulatory programs. Environmental review of proposed subdivisions has resulted in the discovery and documentation of additional high quality natural community remnants and additional rare feature records (rare plant communities, state - listed plant and animal populations) that were not able to be accessed or documented during previous county-wide or city-wide surveys and inventories. Many of these new discoveries are a direct result of the City's Conservation Development policies and processes. Significant natural resources data that result from environmental reviews of proposed subdivisions and developments are incorporated into local and state databases and plans, and are used to help guide land development to help avoid, preserve, and enhance rare, sensitive, or otherwise important natural features within the City and to incorporate natural areas into contiguous city-wide greenway corridor systems. Additional Data and Future Opportunities Additional natural resources data layers and information have been collected by local, regional State, and Federal government agencies for areas that include the City of Lino Lakes. Such data sources include: The National Wetlands Inventory (NWI), the digital Soil Survey of Anoka County Minnesota, and historic, recent, and current aerial photographs. These and many other data layers are often referenced to perform natural resources assessments and update existing natural resources data within the City. Considerable City resources have been allocated to the documentation and assessment of remaining natural resources within Lino Lakes. Additional inventory and assessment will likely result in improved documentation of remaining resources, additional rare species and sensitive natural features, and an increased understanding of how to best manage and steward high - priority natural resources within the City in the future. Achieving a Natural Resource Based Comprehensive Plan Update A goal of the 2030 Lino Lakes comprehensive plan update is to incorporate all available and pertinent natural resources information, analyses, and plans in the comprehensive planning process. These data, analysis, and plans will serve as a guide for assessing future development opportunities and constraints within remaining developable lands within the City and to capitalize on natural resources preservation opportunities associated with development and redevelopment. To support this effort the City initiated the following three additional natural resource studies to support the comprehensive plan update. Rice Creek Watershed District/ Lino Lakes Resources Management Plan The City collaborated with Rice Creek Watershed District to develop a unique and unprecedented city-wide watershed based Resource Management Plan (RMP) that identifies opportunities for wetland restoration and management within watersheds (and sub - watersheds) in Lino Lakes. This RMP is fully discussed later in this Chapter. While the RMP is primarily focused on guiding future management and potential restoration and enhancement of wetland and water resources, the plan also identifies selected upland natural resources areas that are important to the preservation of the functions and values of adjacent wetlands. In addition, the RMP includes a watershed based stormwater and hydraulic model, a watershed -scale wetlands functions and 2 -15