March 6, 2006 CCP - Laserfiche WebLink

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NMI M® (February 16, 2006 for the Meeting of February 22, 2006) To: Lake Elmo Park Commission From: Chuck Dillerud Subject: 1990 Park Plan Update The 2030 Lake Elmo Comprehensive Plan has finally been found "complete for formal review" by the Metropolitan Council — staff. The Metropolitan Council has 60 days to complete their formal review of the Plan, but may request an additional 60 days to complete that review — and may. Until that review is completed and the metropolitan Council Board has officially acted to allow Lake Elmo to place the Plan "in effect", I do not intend to publish or distribute the Plan. There still may be modifications required by METC and I don't want any inaccurate plans (pre -modification) in circulation. The 2030 Comprehensive Plan as now submitted includes the 1990-2010 Park Plan as a chapter. Since METC only has legislative authority to review local park plans in terms of Regional Trails and Regional Parks our inclusion of a dated local park plan in the mandatory METC Comp Plan submission should not be a "deal killer" for METC approval of the 2030 Comp Plan. That aspect aside, the City/METC Memorandum of Agreement results in a 2030 Comp Plan with very different quantitative forecasts/targets for forthcoming City growth than were assumed with that 1990 City Park Plan. That also means that the 1990 Park Plan needs an update to assure consistency with the 2030 Comp Plan numbers (households/population/demographic characteristics) and to properly address the resulting/differing park/recreation needs. In addition, much of the now - forecasted (mandated?) growth for Lake Elmo through 2030 will be in a form that differs from what was assumed by the 1990 Park Plan. — more "urban" than the historic "ex - urban" in form (at least in some geographic areas). In recognition of these factors, the 2006 Parks/Trails Capital Improvements Program includes a line item for update of the 1990 City Park Plan, The Commission was already anticipating the task. Even though no additional incentive was likely required to undertake the task, the City Council, at its February 14 Workshop (attended by the Park Commission Chair and two other commissioners), provided some. While no official Council action was (or could be) taken on February 14, it was clear that the Council is hesitant to move further on the Oakdale/Lake Elmo Cormnunity Playfield concept without a current/forecasted "needs assessment" related to that functional classification of park. Surely a needs assessment across the entire continuum of park functional classifications will be an important element of the 1990 Park Plan update. That will be one of the very first sub -tasks of the Plan update project. Once that sub -task is completed, the Commission should be able to provide the City Council some of answers they seek