November 3, 2005 at 5:51 a.m.
More questions than answers after review of developer request to cross county parkland
More questions than answers after review of developer request to cross county parkland
The meeting was an opportunity for the county parks director, zoning administrator and others to share information and determine hurdles and benefits to the proposal.
The outcome of the session was there are more questions than answers. One of the big questions the Lindstrom mayor was asked to bring back to city council is if the city would be interested in buying Ki-Chi-Saga Park.
Everybody was treading lightly on the feasibility of even building a road section because of questions about the original contract appropriating the state monies that went into creating Ki-Chi-Saga Park.
Being awarded the funding may have precluded use of parkland for other than open space.
Mary Darragh-Schmitz, county zoning director, said even if the state agrees to enter into a process for altering the land use, state review of the road proposal is going to require there is no alternative for access to the development.
She said a “stringent” test prior to new use of dedicated parkland is that no alternative locations or suitable access into the development exist.
County Parks Director Laird Mork explained that even if the road plan does proceed, the Department of Natural Resources gets to determine “area of impact” and that it won’t be a simple exchange of square feet of parkland for square feet elsewhere.
Mork said the DNR will take the degradation of the lake view into account, the loss of habitat, road noise and pollution, and other factors into account in determining “area of impact.”
He added he hoped this offer gets serious scrutiny because allowing a road into a conservation area could be a precedent. The future integrity of other county parks is a concern, said Mork.
According to information presented Monday, Ki-Chi-Saga County Park would lose 22,521 square feet and the proposed land swap would result in 22,650 square feet being turned over to the city of Lindstrom as open space-lakeshore access.
In gesturing to the aerial maps brought in for the meeting, Commissioner Bob Gustafson said the area where the road is proposed, “...isn’t used for anything, for some reason it’s part of the park and I don’t know why.”
Ki-Chi-Saga Park terrain is basically a central plateau-like area with ballfields, soccer fields and the Karl Oskar farmhouse Swedish heritage site atop the butte. To the south side is Linn Lake and a marshy area-- and the north side drops to Glader Boulevard. The historic Glader Cemetery is across the road on the north side.
The new road is proposed to run along the low part of parkland at the south and west edge of the park. (See map.)
Schmitz said there will be many questions in an Environmental Assessment Worksheet phase if this road proceeds, due to a large heron rookery there, special moss types identified growing there, a bald eagle nest and other environmental issues.
The plat, “The Shire on Linn Lake” is proposed to use a 66 foot easement from Glader (now a driveway) into a homesite beside the park, continue the easement as the road around the corner of the park and service the Shire subdivision. The Shire plat has access off Olympic Trail, but a long cul-de-sac would be required to access the plat.
Developers and the city of Lindstrom contend a road needs to connect the Olympic Trail area to Glader, through where park is now located, for a variety of reasons.
~ The goal is to avoid the dead end and to make the Shire, and two other new subdivisions interconnected.
~ Lindstrom Mayor Roger Lindgren said by allowing the park access road the number of car trips traveling right past the Ki-Chi-Saga park entrance on Glader Blvd. will be reduced. Lindgren said it is a safety issue.
~ Bill Becklin, Lindstrom City Building Official, said the city’s comprehensive plan expects that the township territory all around the park will be coming into the city and this road will enhance the transportation pattern. “Obviously the city wants to see this (road) happen,” Becklin remarked.
Still, Becklin acknowledged that the city engineer had not reviewed the new road coming out just to the west of the current Ki-Chi-Saga Park entrance.
Commissioner Lynn Schultz and Commissioner Gustafson both said they have grave concerns about safety along Glader.
Gustafson noted the new road access point would be in a very hazardous spot, with poor sight distance due to hills and narrowness of Glader..
Schultz told Lindstrom officials there needs to be better planning for that entire area.
She said when the city looked at annexing in township lands (some parcels are already annexed) there should have been more consideration for the overall traffic needs.
Chisago Lake Town Board Chair Jim Froberg also noted there should be a Glader Blvd. turn lane included in the plan, if a road ever does happen. (There was no Franconia Town representative there Monday.)
That discussion about intensive land use surrounding and involving the actual park led County Administrator John Moosey to mention that the city ought to consider taking over Ki-Chi-Saga Park.
“I don’t know that the county can give you the flexibility the city needs,” said Moosey.
The idea was that Lindstrom could buy Ki-Chi-Saga Park and the county would use the funds to create a new county park in the same general region.
The meeting broke-up with Lindstrom Mayor Lindgren agreeing to see what council thinks of the discussion. There will be additional research into the state’s role in this possible project.
The Chisago Lake School District was also mentioned to be brought into the debate because the district utilizes Ki-Chi-Saga for cross country and soccer, among other activities.
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