Title
Adopting the Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area Chapter of Saint Paul for All: 2040 Comprehensive Plan. (Public hearing held June 5)
Body
WHEREAS, the Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area (MRCCA) is a land corridor along the Mississippi River in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area comprising 72 miles of river and 54,000 acres of surrounding land in 30 jurisdictions; and
WHEREAS, the MRCCA is governed by special land planning requirements and development regulations contained in Minnesota Administrative Rules, Chapter 6106; and
WHEREAS, all municipalities within the Mississippi River Critical Area must adopt, administer and enforce plans and ordinances consistent with Chapter 6106; and
WHEREAS, Saint Paul is part of the Critical Area; and
WHEREAS, Saint Paul’s current Mississippi River Corridor Plan was adopted in 2002; and
WHEREAS, Minnesota Statutes Chapter 473 requires all cities, counties and townships within the 7-county region to prepare a comprehensive plan every 10 years; and
WHEREAS, a new MRCCA chapter has been prepared as part of Saint Paul for All: 2040 Comprehensive Plan, Saint Paul’s decennial update of its Comprehensive Plan; and
WHEREAS, City staff sent a preliminary draft of the MRCCA chapter to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Friends of the Mississippi River, Friends of the Parks and Trails of Saint Paul and Ramsey County, and adjacent and affected jurisdictions in February 2019; and
WHEREAS, City staff incorporated comments from these agencies, cities and organizations into the public hearing draft, which was released by the Saint Paul Planning Commission on March 22, 2019; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission held a public hearing on April 19, 2019 and kept the public record open until April 22, 2019; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission made changes to the MRCCA chapter in response to public comments; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission approved the amended MRCCA chapter of Saint Paul for All: 2040 Comprehensive Plan on May 15, 2019, and forwarded it to the Mayor and City Council for their consideration and approval prior to submittal to the Metropolitan Council; and
WHEREAS, the City Council held a public hearing on the MRCCA chapter on June 5, 2019, at which interested persons were heard; and
WHEREAS, the City Council made the following changes to the MRCCA chapter in response to public comments:
1. Add a new policy on page 231 (and renumber subsequent policies accordingly):
CA-21. Pursue opportunities to clean-up known areas of significant contamination (such as the Pig’s Eye Superfund site) within the Critical Area.
2. Add the following text to the second paragraph on p. 226:
These are areas where Saint Paul will need to a strike a balance between the economic and social benefits of redevelopment and the natural, cultural and recreational resources of the Mississippi River. The City will utilize the criteria provided in the MRCCA Rules to evaluate potential visual impacts of additional height and if/when mitigation is needed. In some cases, the City may pursue flexibility in building height and/or district designation in the MRCCA ordinance.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Saint Paul City Council hereby adopts the amended Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area chapter of Saint Paul for All: 2040 Comprehensive Plan as required by Minnesota Statutes Section 473.864, Subd. 2, and Minnesota Administrative Rules Chapter 6106, and forwards it to the Metropolitan Council for its review.