9.B.2. PRSR 02-11-2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Park& Rec Commission / P 04-02 Pebmary 11, 2004 Page 2 Analysis Backgratmd As the Commission may recall, the applicant brought several concepts before both the Planning Commission and Park & Recreation Commission for review. The Planning Commission was in favor of a concept that is similar to what is being proposed tonight. On the other hand, it was the Park & Recreation Commission's preference to see an approximately 200-foot buffer strip left along the Great Northern Trail. The proposed plat has an approximate 85-foot wide buffer along the Great Northern Trail at the northeast corner of the plat with another area that widens out to approximately 290-feet at the southeast corner. Two trail connections are being proposed, one of which will need to be designed and built, by the developer, to accommodate heavy vehicle access to the well house adjacent to the property in the southeast corner. It should be noted that Elk River Municipal Utilities did state that they have enough area west of the well house to build a water tower if needed in the future. Park Lcmd The amount of park land that can be dedicated is 4.7-acres, the 10% allowed by the ordinance. As the proposed project will be a Planned Unit Development, the applicant is proposing to dedicate 6.9-acres (15%). Nordic Hills provided Outlot A as a trail connection. Lot-2, Block-4, will need to be eliminated in order to construct a trail connection between the subdivisions. There is very little street frontage to the area in question, a criteria for determining the acceptability of the parcel. In addition, the Commission expressed a desire to locate amenities in the park. In order to do so, additional open space must be created as the detention pond is located in the only flat, open space previously created by the utility installation. Trail Corridors The trail comdor that is proposed in the northeast corner of the plat is 41-feet wide at the narrowest and 58-feet wide at the widest. Staff recommends that the narrowest point be widened to a m;mmum of 50-feet. This corridor shows a 10-foot trial to the Great Northern Trail. The second trail corridor in the southeast portion will follow the easement that was created with the utility installation and will need to support heavy vehicle traffic. As was stated above, a third corridor needs to be provided between the two subdivisions. Recommendation The Commission needs to determine its priorities in regards to a recommendation for dedication, as staff believes there are conflicting desires for the use of this park. The land dedication exceeds the ordinance requirement. However, without additional tree clearing, there does not appear to be a place for neighborhood play equipment. The Commission S:\PLAIVNING\Case Fdes\2004\P 04-02 Woodland Hills\P 04-02 PR.doc