2003 October Newsletter - Laserfiche WebLink

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E I Tri=Cities Coalition Continues Study Of Transportation And land Use Issues The Cities of Hugo,Lino Lakes,and Centerville out a lot of specific development and transporta- FREEWAY have formed a coalition to address important tion concerns that not every other community or ENTRANCE transportation and land use issues affecting the agency may have been aware of,"Van Wormer area around I-35E. The Tri-Cities Coalition has notes. Hugo Mayor Fran Miron agrees, calling grown to include the City of Forest Lake, the bus tour an "eye-opener,"revealing the extent AMISMA Columbus Township,Washington and Anoka of development occurring within all of the com- Counties,the Minnesota Department of munities,as well as the need for improvements Transportation, and the Metropolitan Council. in the public transportation infrastructure. Glen Van Wormer, Senior Transportation Engineer with the engineering firm of SEH, Kate Garwood,Multimodal Transportation worked on a transportation corridor study for Manager with Anoka County,has been active I-35E in Ramsey county several years ago,and with the Coalition and organized the August bus has been using his expertise in this area to help tour. "I think one of the most powerful things the Coalition members communicate and plan about the Coalition is that we recognize that the cooperatively. He sees three primary purposes boundaries between communities are just imagi- for the group: nary lines," she states. "There is an interdepend- ence,and it's only responsible of us to plan 1) Develop a cohesive transportation system in together to coordinate our transportation needs." the area. Garwood gives credit to Hugo City officials for 2) Balance land use and the transportation sys- taking the lead in building this Coalition,and tem. encourages Hugo citizens to make their opinions 3) Identify, develop,and support regional known. She adds, "Our residents drive these transportation system improvements. roads every day and observe things about the road system that we, even as professionals, Coalition representatives participated in a bus might not. They could help a lot by talking to tour of the area in August to get a close-up look their Council member about any transportation at each of the communities. "The tour pointed ideas or concerns they might have." City looking to Acquire Rural and Open Space Committee Land for Parks Preservation Criteria The City of Hugo would like to acquire land for neighborhood parks,active recreational The Rural and Open Space Committee continues areas,and open spaces. "We are primarily to meet on a regular basis to fulfill its mission to interested in land located in the central por- develop methods to preserve open space and the tion of the City," explains Community rural heritage of Hugo. They are currently at Development Director John Rask, "but we wouldn't rule out any parcel of 20 to 100 work on a preservation criteria which would be acres suitable for active recreation purposes." used to evaluate the preservation value of a given Funds for purchasing this land come from the parcel of land. Committee member Chuck Haas City's park dedication fund,which is obtained notes that the committee has also begun to look at from new development in the City. A$1,800 fee is collected and deposited into this fund other land planning tools,in addition to transfer when new residential lots are created. of development rights, including revisiting Hugo's Anyone who is interested in selling land to the cluster housing ordinance to see if modifications City of Hugo is asked to contact City Administrator Mike Ericson at City Hall or might be necessary. The public is welcome to Parks Commission member Pete Pedersen at attend all meetings of the committee, which are 651-426-4126 held on the third Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the Hugo City Hall.