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CMP Part 1. Introduction <br /> <br /> <br /> City of Orono Community Management Plan 2020-2040 Part 1, Page 4 <br /> <br /> <br />existing pockets of development "to solve a pollution problem", inflation, topography and sparse <br />settlement combine to increase costs. Such costs can be paid only by increasing development densities, <br />which in turn cause increasing levels of storm water nutrient pollution. This spiral results in even greater <br />levels of pollution than the original sewage 'problem' might have been. For example, Eugene Hickock's <br />1973 Storm Water Impact Statement for the Metropolitan Council identified up to 10 times more <br />phosphorus alone from urban storm water runoff than from Orono's low-density rural land use. <br /> <br />In response to the above concerns, Orono became a nationally recognized leader in espousing <br />environmental protection. Land use planning since the 1950's has stressed the environmental advantages <br />of low density development. Shorelands, wetlands and natural drainage systems have been preserved by <br />tradition and by ordinance. Comprehensive planning was underway by the mid-1960s. In 1974, the first <br />published Plan, as approved by the Metropolitan Council, established as its foremost guiding principle the <br />protection and preservation of Lake Minnetonka and its associated wetlands. The 1980 Community <br />Management Plan and its subsequent 2000-2020 update reinforced these principles and have served as the <br />basis for management of development in Orono for the past three decades. <br /> <br /> <br />Figure 1-1: The Urbanization Spiral <br /> <br />Illustrates the development paradox that faces Orono if municipal services are extended into rural areas. <br />Orono has consistently made the decision to limit the extension of urban services into rural areas. The <br />combination of low density residential development, establishment of privately owned and maintained <br />roads, and use of septic systems and wells has provided Orono with unique and sustainable <br />neighborhoods that are not only self-sufficient but collectively have a low environmental impact. <br />Enforcement of the policies necessary to create and maintain these rural neighborhoods has been <br />consistent and effective. <br /> <br />Today, Orono still faces the same issues as other outlying communities, although Orono is no longer the <br />'outer ring' that it was 20-30 years ago. Development pressures continue as speculators view our remaining <br />open spaces seeking to put them to a "highest and best use". The Metropolitan Council has recognized an