07/26/2000 Env Bd Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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24 June 2000 In the spring of 1998, the city of Lino Lakes hired Brauer & Associates, Ltd. and Applied Ecological Services, Inc. (AES) to complete a natural resources inventory and management plan. Due to its proximity to Minneapolis and St. Paul, the city was facing increased development pressure, and it was decided that this would be a very useful planning tool as the city developed. 5i Overall, we were pleased with the product, which consists of three parts: a technical report, a planning handbook, and a Geographic Information System (GIS). Of the three components, the IA GIS is the most powerful and most used planning tool. Our city environmental coordinator ( ?) 11 \ has become adept at operating the software, and often uses it when discussing new development ' • projects. The ability to change the database to reflect changes in land use is most valuable. The focus of the planning handbook is conservation development, which is excellent. The entire process from planning to implementation is carefully laid out. There are also strong guidelines for buffering valuable natural areas from neighboring development, as well as for storm water management. The technical report is perhaps the weakest component. The natural resources inventory was done as a "broad brush" rather than a detailed inventory, and the report reflects the general nature of the data. They do, however, use a prototype -based system of rating the health of ecosystems, and for restoration programs, which is a useful tool. Our board was not heavily involved in the process itself, with the exception of the focus group and the design charrettes. (sp ?) The charrettes were excellent, bringing together developers and conservationists in an effort to find some common ground. The charrettes were limited to one type of open -space development; different conservation development techniques may have been interesting. If your city is considering hiring these consultants, we recommend that you have a clear understanding of how much detail to expect in the inventory piece. This will affect the cost of the project. Also, we recommend that you understand whether the inventory will occur on primarily private or public land. We also recommend that your focus group is made up of representatives of different development philosophies. This group should meet regularly and often, and all lines of communication should be kept open during the project. It will ensure that the product meets your expectations when the project is completed. We didn't do this very well, and it resulted in a great deal of discussion and "fixing" at the end of the project. Submitted by the Lino Lakes Environmental Board June, 2000 »Include phone numbers of Board members ?? •