The city council on Thursday approved zoning and annexation of the Talking Water Addition, which totals 17 acres, 3.5 acres are city owned. As part of the agreement between city and developer, 12.5 acres of river property will be dedicated.
"The city has a plan for parks and trails and it (the dedication) is just one more link in creating a complete river corridor ... the ultimate goal is to have them through all city limits," said senior planner Garry Baker.
|
Advertisement |
Annexations are the city's best opportunity to get any dedication, river or otherwise, said Community Development Director Kerwin Jensen.
The city is gaining some ground on obtaining river property for a corridor, especially with Cerise and Riverbottom Parks, he said.
"There's still lots of opportunities (for dedications) near Ogden Road, for example," Jensen said.
The dedication becomes effective in 2011, three years from the annexation, Baker said. The city will manage the area as open space for the public. Most of what is being dedicated to the city is jurisdictional wetland, which means it's federally regulated for water quality, he said.
Typically the city requires a minimum of 8 percent of a proposed annexation site to be dedicated as open space, Baker explained. Land annexed to the city then falls under its jurisdiction. This addition finalizes the total building site.
"It's a fantastic acquisition of property for the city, and when I say city I mean the residents," said Mayor Erica Lewis Kennedy. "People have said time and again how important it is for us to have parks and trails. This is a great asset."
• Be respectful of others, the writer and the subjects in the story.
• Be relevant. Keep your comments on point.
• See the guidelines for TalkAbout. Perhaps your comment is best for that community forum, available from the home page, instead of commenting on a particular story.
Comment posters are responsible for the opinions they express and the accuracy of the information they provide. We urge comment writers to treat this as a public forum where manners matter. We encourage a collegial, non-insulting tone. All readers comments must be approved by our staff before posting to the Web site. Be aware, in accordance with the Communications Decency Act and provisions upheld in judicial appeal, that you are responsible for comments posted on this Web site. Montrose Press is not liable for messages from third parties.
DO NOT POST:
* Potentially libelous statements or damaging innuendo.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults or threats.
* The use of another person's real name to disguise your identity.
* Comments unrelated to the story.
Opinions, advice and all other information expressed in montrosepress.com's reader comments represent the individual's own views and not necessarily those of the Montrose Press. Montrose Press does not endorse and is not responsible for statements, advice or opinions offered by anyone other than authorized Montrose Press spokespersons.
Thank you for your comments!