Loading...
5. Scandia_Greenways_Presentation 2021.10.06_ GREENWAY VISIONING Welcome everyone and thank the City for giving CLFLWD the opportunity to come and share this Greenway Visioning initiative with them. 1 introduction Meeting Purpose: Discovery  Share ideas, understandings, and gauge level of interest Greenways Vision  Create collaborative stakeholder concept for local Greenway development and implementation Engagement & Coordination  Understand how stakeholders want to be involved going forward in planning and development process. 2 introduction 3 District is relatively small (49 sq. miles) but 61% of the total district area falls with city boundaries (~30 sq. miles) introduction The District has been actively working over the past 20 years to improve the water resources of the area Trends are positive, water quality is improving  All but 1 of the 23 District monitored lakes showed better water quality than the most recent 10 year average  District is 89% of the way towards meeting State standards for Phosphorus load reductions Continuing to use diagnostic and effectiveness monitoring to best target and prioritize water quality improvement projects 4 regional approach WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AS A CATALYST FOR CONNECTING COMMUNITIES + NATURAL LANDSCAPES FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE 5 Water quality is improving across many parts of the District but as we start to reach state/district water quality standards and goals now is the time to think about how to sustain our water resources long term. How can we increase the resilience of our natural systems and maintain protection of water resources? regional approach Opportunities to further CLFLWD’s mission to protect and improve waters: Additional & higher quality community benefits Lower overall cost to taxpayers Forward thinking Creating desired future spaces Credit – Upstate Greenways & Trails Alliance 6 The concept of a greenway offers up opportunities to realize not only water quality improvements protection, but also possibility to realize multiple benefits including habitat preservation, recreational & economic opportunities, and social and community benefits It seems like an opportune time to consider the possibility of creating a greenway space given recent planning efforts with Downtown Forest Lake  one of the themes mentioned at the last EDA DT workshop was to “utilize natural amenities to the city’s advantage” and evoked images of “ribbons of green” drawing people into the downtown and as a regional destination What and where would a Greenway Corridor for Scandia look like? Could we build from the Bone Lake habitat complex? 7 discovery CLFLWD has started some preliminary spatial analysis to look at areas across the watershed that might be potential locations for these greenway corridors This initial analysis has primarily considered two factors: 1) water quality improvement potential AND 2) wildlife & natural habitat preservation This spatial analysis has currently been limited to the western portion of the watershed but we plan to expand the analysis to entire watershed 8 WATER RESOURCE PROJECTS Water Quality & Flood Reduction CIP discovery Consideration of water quality improvement potential was the first filter used in the spatial analysis 9 discovery COMPLEMENTARY PROJECTS Resource restoration Water quality + flood control Stormwater management CLFLWD looked at areas where water quality improvements could be significantly achieved in terms of: 1) reducing pollutant loading to important waterbodies AND also areas where 2) water storage would be possible to mitigate increases in precipitation and attenuate flooding. In one sense you could look at this as risk assessment and management: where are the areas where we can reduce the greatest amounts of loading and water into our systems and have these areas act as buffers so our water resources are protected and preserved 10 CONSERVATION Biological Preservation & Enhancement discovery The second filter of our spatial analysis was to look at areas of biological significance overlaid on the first filter of water quality improvement potential 11 CONSERVATION PRIORITIZATION discovery ACQUISTION NECESSARY TO FACILITITATE Why not connect and garner additional benefits? Here we considered several biological factors which included presence of native plant communities, rare species, in conjunction with landscape context, meaning what portions of the landscape are already protected, either through public ownership (e.g. WMAs) or by conservation easement These factors of habitat quality and landscape context were then applied to individual parcels, along with two additional criteria, parcel size and wetland restoration potential to assign a conservation ranking for each individual parcel We’ve begun to look at two aspects of a greenway corridor (habitat preservation and water quality benefits) but recognize there is an opportunity connect spaces and create recreational opportunities which is a benefit in of itself, but also can help to realize social and economic benefits. 12 discovery As we’re looking potential greenway corridor siting we taking in consideration recreational components: what would a connected natural corridor that offers up recreational opportunities look like? what makes sense given existing land use planning & zoning as well as future land use plans? where are existing trails already in place or proposed? 13 collaboration PARTNERSHIPS Requires extensive buy-in and collaboration  shared vision but with different partners taking lead on different aspects Requires long-term commitment Consideration of any recreational use component will impact cost, approach & players, environmental impacts Incorporation in Comprehensive Planning Any successful realization of a greenways vision will take many partners working together to do many different things It will take a coordinated approach around a shared vision with a commitment to the long-term Some of the greenway components, like trail or park development, could alter timelines, cost, and who is involved Incorporation of protection of Natural Areas and Greenways and alignment with Comprehensive Planning would provide critical support. 14 collaboration ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES Regional governance structure Funding Trail implementation across wetland dominate landscape Perceived loss of value from tax roles in short-term; long-term gains Multi-decade timeline Acquisition of Land and Private Property Rights We also have to acknowledge the challenges associated with taking on any endeavor of this magnitude But with these challenges there are factors in our favor: Areas of potential greenway siting are still largely undeveloped or in larger parcel configurations Areas that are shared priorities by multiple entities Funding available to realize vision (i.e. Legacy amendment with separate OHF and Parks & Trails Fund) This is an opportunity for an integrated planning effort that incorporates economics & development with open space and natural resource conservation, And there are precedents for greenway development that we can turn to, and they’re nearby 15 1st LOOK (DISCOVERY) Exploring pilot to determine interest Identification of study areas Explore typologies Identify synergies Stakeholder discussions & survey status NEXT STEP Synthesize survey, stakeholder discussions, share with Board & reconvene with stakeholders Where CLFLWD is now with this is the information-gathering stage. We’re sharing the greenways concept and origins with stakeholders. We’re seeking to understand the level of interest across the watershed for this type of initiative and trying to get a sense of how stakeholders might want to be involved going forward 16 status PLANNING TIMELINE This is a rough timeline of the process and crucial steps along the way These initial stakeholder engagement meetings will most likely wrap up by early fall The rest of the timeline is dependent on what we discover coming out the engagement meetings 17 GREENWAY VISIONING - a beginning - “Look forward for a century, to the time when the city has a population of a million and think what will be their wants. They will have wealth enough to purchase all that money can buy, but all their wealth cannot purchase a lost opportunity, or restore natural features of grandeur and beauty, which would then possess priceless value . . .” — Horace Cleveland Minneapolis Park System Landscape Architect, 1883 18