Title
Approving the Phalen Keller Regional Park Long-Range Plan Amendment.
Body
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Commission (“Commission”) is an appointed body established to advise the Mayor and City Council on long-range and city-wide matters related to the Department of Parks and Recreation (“Department”); and
WHEREAS, Section 105.06 of the Saint Paul Administrative Code outlines the Parks and Recreation Commission’s duty to review and comment on regional park master plans and the process that it must follow; and
WHEREAS, the Plan is a visionary document to guide future development at Phalen-Keller Regional Park; and
WHEREAS, the city is the owner of Phalen Regional Park property encompassing the future location of the daylight Phalen Creek (“Creek”) from Lake Phalen to the Mississippi River, an ecologically and culturally important waterway that has long been pushed underground by development, which project is known as the Daylighting Phalen Creek Project (“Project”); and
WHEREAS, the Commission held a public hearing on the Phalen-Keller Long-Range Plan amendment on July 11, 2024; and
WHEREAS, Lower Phalen Creek Project (d/b/a Wakaŋ Tipi Awanyankapi), is a registered 501(c)(3) Minnesota non-profit corporation (“LPCP”) assembled and facilitated a series of community and key stakeholder meetings, and worked across City departments and partner agencies to develop Guiding Principles for the Plan amendment; and
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Commission endorsement and Saint Paul City Council adoption of the plan is a prerequisite for Metropolitan Council adoption of the Long-Range Plan Addendum; and
WHEREAS, the Comprehensive and Neighborhood Planning Committee of the Saint Paul Planning Commission, having reviewed the proposed Phalen-Keller Regional Park Long-Range Plan Amendment and a memorandum containing analysis provided by Parks and Recreation Department staff, provided a recommendation for consideration by the Saint Paul Planning Commission;
WHEREAS, under the authority of the City’s Administrative Code, the Saint Paul Planning Commission recommend the Phalen-Keller Regional Park Long-Range Plan Amendment for approval on October 11, 2024 (Res# 24-32); and
WHEREAS, the Plan contains information required by the Regional Parks Policy Plan and otherwise conforms to regional policy; and
WHEREAS, that the Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Commission recommended the Phalen-Keller Regional Park Long-Range Plan Amendment for approval by the Saint Paul City Council on November 14, 2024; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the Saint Paul City Council hereby approves the Phalen-Keller Regional Park Long-Range Plan Amendment and is hereby authorized to submit said plan to the Metropolitan Council for review and approval.