Title
Approving the Como Regional Park Long-Range Plan.
Body
WHEREAS, the Como Regional Park Long-Range Plan (“Plan”) is a visionary document to guide future development at Como Regional Park; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Parks and Recreation 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; and
WHEREAS, the City Council recognizes the many community voices that have been heard throughout this planning process and appreciates the differences in opinion and life experiences shared regarding Como Regional Park, as well as the desire shared by many to preserve and enhance this unique community asset; and
WHEREAS, the Plan contains information required by the Metropolitan Council’s Regional Parks Policy Plan (“RPPP”) and otherwise conforms to regional policy; and
WHEREAS, the Plan includes a visionary framework for development of a regional park, recognizing that future community engagement, design, and engineering processes will be necessary to achieve site-specific facility designs; and
WHEREAS, future design and engineering processes will include neighborhood and community involvement to consider potential impacts based on existing conditions at the onset of implementation and throughout multiple phases; and
WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Council requires an approved regional plan conforming to the requirements of the RPPP to designate a regional park plan for development; and
WHEREAS, Plan approval will make Como Regional Park eligible for regional capital funding to construct improvements proposed in the Plan, and for regional operations and maintenance funding to operate all areas open to the public; and
WHEREAS, the park is the City’s most-visited regional park and is expected to remain an important part of the Regional Park System; and
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Commission, the Saint Paul Comprehensive and Neighborhood Planning Committee, and the Saint Paul Planning Commission are appointed bodies established to advise the Saint Paul Mayor and the City Council on long-range and city-wide matters related to the Saint Paul Department of Parks and Recreation and the Department of Planning and Economic Development; and
WHEREAS, the Parks and Recreation Commission held a public hearing on May 09, 2024 where it sought recommendations from all concerned citizens concerning the Plan; and
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul Planning Commission received a recommendation for the Plan from the Saint Paul Comprehensive and Neighborhood Planning Committee on May 22, 2024 finding consistency with the 2040 Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan and other adopted plans; and
WHEREAS, the Parks and Recreation Commission received a recommendation from the Saint Paul Planning Commission on June 7, 2024 recommending the Plan for approval and conveying it to the Parks and Recreation Commission and the City Council; and
WHEREAS, on June 13, 2024, the Parks and Recreation Commission passed a resolution recommending that the City Council approve the Plan and conveyed that recommendation and the official record to the City Council; and
WHEREAS, in accordance with the Saint Paul Administrative Code the recommendations of the Comprehensive and Neighborhood Planning Committee, the Planning Commission and the Parks and Recreation Commission, as well as the minutes of the Parks and Recreation Commission public hearing, have become part of the official record of the proposed Plan and have been submitted to the City Council; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the Saint Paul City Council approves and adopts the Como Regional Park Long-Range Plan and hereby authorizes the appropriate City officials to submit said Plan to the Metropolitan Council for review and approval.