Laserfiche WebLink
• <br />Memo <br />To: Lino Lakes Environmental Board <br />From: Marty Asleson <br />Date: 07/20/00 <br />Re: Landscape Design in Commercial Development <br />Environmental <br />Division <br />The Environmental Board has reviewed several landscape designs for new commercial <br />development areas coming into the City of Lino Lakes. Recommendations have been made to <br />integrate native plantings into the landscape design of the projects reviewed. There are sound <br />ecological reasons behind these recommendations. There is however, the "cultural" part of the <br />three -ring modal adopted for Conservation Development that needs to be looked at more <br />closely in the commercial development areas. Recently, we have experienced a business <br />community that reflects a different cultural view of landscape design. We need to look more <br />closely at this and address the concerns of the business community. We also need to look at <br />the ecological concerns in relationship to these cultural views. <br />Certainly, we need to look at our site resources and sometimes go beyond the boarders with <br />historical vegetation types. It seems to me that the important ecological principals to look at <br />are preserving remnant historic vegetation types, protecting and minimizing or eliminating <br />resource impacts, and restoring ecological systems where the opportunity exists. The <br />principals of "Surface Water Treatment Train" and water retention/hydro - restoration in <br />conjunction with soil management are very important issues to look at for the <br />restoration/buffering / and or preservation of development sites. Water resources are looked at <br />from a flow rate - control standard, yet tremendous additional volumes of water are leaving <br />development sites. Plant communities that have developed over time are adapted to certain <br />historic water requirements. Our lake ecosystems are adapted to certain natural water <br />schedules. The question of how we can address the cultural landscape design issues of the <br />business community and at the same time addressee ecological concerns is now on the table. <br />• Page 1 <br />