05/30/2001 Env Bd Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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A- M E M O R A N D U M DNR Forestry / 1200 Warner Road / St. Paul, MN 55106 (651) 772 -7562 / FAX: (651) 772 -7599 / E -mail: peggy.sand @dnr.state.mn.us May 11, 2001 # of pages: 1 To: Lino Lakes Environmental Board Lino Lakes City Council Marty Asleson, Linda Waite - Smith, and Jeff Smyser From: Peggy Sand Metro Region Forestry Manager Re: Lino Lakes Comprehensive Plan Update - Development Framework At the request of Marty Asleson and the Lino Lakes Environmental Board, the Wildland Urban Interface Project's Local Unit of Government Work Group has reviewed the draft Development Framework for Lino Lakes Comprehensive Plan which we received (without any maps) in late April 2001 and offers to you the following comments on that draft. As you may know, this Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Project is a special project of the Metro Region of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) intended to help DNR provide more integrated natural resource guidance to local communities. This pilot work is being developed in cooperation with two target cities of Lino Lakes and Hugo. The WUI Work Group is an interdisciplinary team of DNR staff with representatives of the City of Lino Lakes and Hugo and the Rice Creek Watershed District. All the following comments are offered as sound advice from natural resource professionals with no official review nor regulatory status intended by these comments. Before making the specific comments on specific text in the draft framework, we would like to offer these general comments: • Lino Lakes is to be strongly applauded for including significant and quite comprehensive natural resource sections throughout your development framework. The intent and scope of natural resources elements in your draft plan could serve as a model for other communities. Thus, the comments we offer are intended to build on the strengths of the document and help refine it in order to improve its effectiveness. • Common understanding of the development framework could be enhanced by consistently using terms and including some agreed upon definitions. For example, have more consistency in whether to use the term "environmental resources ", "environmental amenities" or "environmental features" and whether to modify such terms with the adjective "sensitive" or "significant ". Consider using "native plant communities" instead of "natural vegetation" Specifically, consider developing and getting agreement on definitions for "open space ", "greenways ", "natural areas" , "native plant communities ", etc. In some of these definitions, be careful not to exclude non- native plants (e.g. conifer plantations) to the extent that they are part of the natural resources the community wants to conserve. • Please note that many of the comments below may apply to more than one section of the plan and the care should be taken to check for consistency throughout. ISSUES 4 -5 Environmental Can the map referenced [not available for review by WUI group] also include native