Review Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area Ordinance Update

The purpose of this case is to review the draft update to the Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area Ordinance. The original case is attached as background. Council members are encouraged to submit questions ahead of the meeting to help Staff prepare for the presentation. The Planning Commission has been invited to participate in the discussion.

The Critical Area Overlay is a 72-mile stretch of the Mississippi River in the Metro Area of Minnesota and was originally established in the late 1970s by the State of Minnesota. Ramsey has had an ordinance that complied with these rules since the mid-1980s. In 2013, the Minnesota Legislature directed the DNR to update these rules. This first attempt did not result in updated rules. The rulemaking process was re-commenced and ultimately completed in 2017. The City has been an active participant in review of these rules. Please see the attached document for a more detailed analysis. 

According to the minutes for the January 26, 2021 City Council Meeting, the City Council was requesting additional time to review the information before making a decision and asked that a topic be forwarded to a future work session. It does not appear that any specific questions, situations or concerns were raised, so Staff has not provided additional updates at this time. This Work Session is an opportunity to identify any potential concerns with the Ordinance so that Staff can provide additional information as needed for future reviews. 

30 Minutes

This case is being handled as part of normal Staff duties. 

Deputy City Administrator

Provide direction on next steps to comply with updated Minnesota Rules pertaining to the Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area.