#16 - Highpointe Crossing Preliminary Plat and OP PUD

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Highpointe Crossing - 2298 Inwood Ave N – Lake Elmo – Preliminary Plat Narrative June 7, 2024 Page 17 17 typically be required by the OP-PUD (OP Code requires a paved trail equivalent in length to the length of roadway within the neighborhood). The trail system will include themed bird feeders, pedestrian nodes with informal boulder seating, an overlook, and interpretive signage identifying the flora and fauna that the residents are experiencing. We are currently identifying the grass trails as private unless the City is interested in them being public. There is a shoulder trail along CR 13. We are keeping or constructing the same or similar shoulder trail along the county road. The County and City have both told us they have no other trail plans along CR 13 other than what is currently being provided by the shoulder trail. o Streetlights – A photometric street light plan has been included within the plan included with the Preliminary Plat submittal. o Homeowner’s Association – The intention for this neighborhood is that the HOA maintain the lawns and landscaping and remove snow among the other items such as maintain the community septic, restoration areas and water reuse system. • Declarations and Architectural Controls o Draft declarations and architectural guidelines have been included with our submittal. This will help ensure that the homes built in this neighborhood are high quality homes with a focus on architectural detailing. Examples of these homes are provided later in this narrative. • Conservation Easement o For an open space development, we have been told that the City ideally prefers that a 501 C3 organization holds the easement. We have spoken with the Mn Land Trust. They are not interested in holding an easement in this development. The OP code does indicate that the City could hold the easement. We have been told that the City would also prefer not to hold the easement. We are suggesting an alternative to the City holding the easement. That alternative is to place conservation and open space requirements in the homeowners associations declarations of covenants. Your OP code requires that the declarations in each OP neighborhood include a provision allowing the City to assess the HOA in the case that the HOA is not maintaining the open space. This appears to give the City a way to enforce open space principles in a declaration the same as if it were in a conservation easement. So as mentioned above we are proposing that with our PUD the Homeowner’s Association (HOA) includes similar restrictions of a conservation easement in the declarations of covenants. To help monitor the ongoing health of the open space a