HomeMy WebLinkAbout4A Comp Plan Amendment_Park and Trail System Plan
4646 Dakota Street SE
Prior Lake, MN 55372
PLANNING COMMISSION AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: May 13, 2024
AGENDA #: 4A
PREPARED BY: Casey McCabe, Community Development Director
PRESENTED BY: Casey McCabe
Steve Hart, Parks & Recreation Manager
AGENDA ITEM:
Consider an Amendment to the 2040 Comprehensive Plan to replace
Chapter 6, Parks and Trails, with a revised Chapter 6, Park and Trail System
Plan
DISCUSSION: Introduction
The purpose of this public hearing is to consider a request from City staff to
amend the City of Prior Lake 2040 Comprehensive Plan by replacing current
Chapter 6 (Parks and Trails) with a revised Chapter 6 (Park and Trail System
Plan).
Background
Minnesota Statutes section 473.864 requires each local governmental unit to
review and, if necessary, amend its entire comprehensive plan and its fiscal
devices and official controls at least once every ten years to ensure its
comprehensive plan conforms to metropolitan system plans and ensure its fiscal
devices and official controls do not conflict with the comprehensive plan or permit
activities that conflict with metropolitan system plans.
The City Council adopted the 2040 Comprehensive Plan on June 1, 2020. The
Comprehensive Plan includes chapters related to goals & policies; land use;
housing; transportation; parks and trails; surface water; wastewater; water
supply; economic competitiveness; resilience; and implementation.
This update to the Parks and Trails Chapter was anticipated when the 2040
Comprehensive Plan was adopted. The beginning of Chapter 6, Parks and
Trails, currently states, “Following is an update to the Parks and Trails chapter
of the 2040 Comprehensive Plan. In July 2018, the City of Prior Lake entered
into a contract with WSB to complete a park master plan document. WSB will be
reviewing existing documents, evaluating community demographic trends,
updating park inventory, level of service evaluation, park and recreation goals
and strategies, identification of facility improvements, identification of trail gaps,
implementation, final document and stakeholder engagement. Once the Park
Master Plan is completed, it is the intent of the City of Prior Lake to update this
chapter of the Comprehensive Plan with the new Park Master Plan document.”
Current Circumstances
The Parks and Trails System Plan has been finalized and was adopted by the
Prior Lake City Council on March 12, 2024. The next step is to amend the 2040
Comprehensive Plan and replace the existing Chapter 6, Parks and Trails, with
the updated Parks and Trails System Plan.
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The Prior Lake Park and Trail System Plan is a strategic and comprehensive
master planning document that is meant to provide an overall community vision
for the parks, trails, and recreation for the City of Prior Lake for the next 20 years.
The planning process for the Park and Trail System Plan began in August 2018.
An important component of the process was community engagement, which was
used to raise awareness of the project, identify a project vision, and to gain an
understanding of what the community needs and desires. Input was solicted and
received through interactive online engagement, pop-up activties at events,
public meetings, committee meetings, stakeholder interviews, social media and
press.
An inventory was taken across the entire park and trail system to gain
understanding of existing amenities as well as identify possible gaps in service.
Recreational trends were identified and demographic information was collected
to evaluate trends across the community. Assessments were conducted in each
park to determine existing conditions and amenities available. This information
was then compared to recreational standards of similar communities in
Minnesota and across the country.
Based on the information collected through the community engagement, system
inventory, and site assessments, recommendations were developed for future
priorities and projects across the system. The Draft System Plan was completed
in 2020. In the time since, updates have been made based on additional public
engagement, completed projects, and changes in construction costs.
The Parks and Trail System Plan consists of six chapters:
➢ Chapter 1: System Plan Overview - Provides an overview of the
planning process, public engagement opportunities, feedback received,
system assessment findings, recommended priorities and high level cost
estimates.
➢ Chapter 2: Assessment of Need - This chapter provides an overview of
the data collection process, public engagment, demographic information,
and findings based on the site assessments on a system level.
➢ Chapter 3: Community Vision - This chapter highlights the three main
goals that were developed through the public feedback process, as well
as objectives to meet these goals. The goals are:
• Connectivity: Provide an interconnected and accessible park, trail,
and greenway system for recreation and transportation.
• Quality: Create a unique and high-quality park and trail system that
responds to the evolving demands of recreational trends,
populations, demographics, and income levels.
• Sustainability: Create a sustainable park, trail, and recreation
system that adequately meets the needs of the community.
➢ Chapter 4: Park System Plan - This chapter outlines the different
classifications of parks throughout Prior Lake, as well as individual park
profiles and assessments, and recommendations based on these.
➢ Chapter 5: Trail System Plan - This chapter provides an overview of the
city’s current trail system. It focuses on priority recommendations and
identifies gaps, safety concerns, goals, classifications, best practices and
management of trails.
➢ Chapter 6: Implementation Plan - The final chapter provides a
summary of the findings throughout the plan and also provides an
implementation approach which outlines priorities, cost estimates,
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funding options, and ongoing strategies for a sustainable park and trail
system.
Based on community sentiment, the park and trail improvement priorities are as
follows:
➢ Prioritize community park improvements and developments as they
serve the greater community and can generate revenue to be reinvested
into the parks.
➢ Prioritize the improvement of key neighborhood parks in each
neighborhood service area that provide the greatest benefit to those
within a 1/2-mile radius in terms of level of development, ability to
program the park spaces, and having high populations within the service
area.
➢ Reduce redundancies in the system by providing unique,
complementary, and meaningful park experiences.
➢ Identify any regionally significant parks. Lakefront Park may be suited for
regional significance which can improve grant funding opportunities if
successful.
➢ Identify lower priority parks that would have existing development phased
out as amenities reach the end of their useful age and as key
neighborhood parks within the same service areas are improved to
ensure each of the service areas have quality outdoor recreation
opportunities.
➢ Secure future park lands in line with development and redevelopment to
meet the expanding community needs.
➢ Prioritize primary trail connections (fill in gaps) and those that can be
implemented with road improvement projects or with joint partnerships.
➢ Beyond high priority gaps, prioritize trail improvements (resurfacing,
sealcoating and replacement) over new trail development. This includes
boardwalks and pedestrian bridges along the trail routes that are also in
need of replacement.
Conclusion
City staff is recommending the Planning Commission approve a motion
recommending City Council approval of 2040 Comprehensive Plan amendment
to replace the current Chapter 6, Parks and Trails, with the revised Chapter 6,
Park and Trail System Plan.
ALTERNATIVES: 1. Motion and a second to recommend approval of the 2040 Comprehensive
Plan amendment to replace the current Chapter 6, Parks and Trails, with the
revised Chapter 6, Park and Trail System Plan.
2. Motion and a second to recommend denial of the 2040 Comprehensive Plan
amendment.
3. Provide direction to staff and continue discussion at a future meeting.
RECOMMENDED
MOTION:
Alternative No. 1.
ATTACHMENTS: Due to the size of the following documents, the attachments are incorporated by
link for viewing on the City of Prior Lake website.
1. Current 2040 Comprehensive Plan Chapter 6 – Parks and Trails
2. Park and Trail System Plan