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Executive Summary <br /> Overview <br /> Throughout its history, the City of Orono has identified the protection and enhancement of the <br /> environmental health of Lake Minnetonka as its primary goal. Secondary, but closely related <br /> goals supported pioneering efforts to manage hard cover and maintain the rural character of the <br /> community. As the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area continues to grow, Orono has recognized the <br /> need to strategically intensify its efforts to protect these values. Beginning in August 2004, the <br /> city initiated the "Rural Oasis Project." This project represents the city's innovative approach to <br /> maintain and enhance both its ecological health and rural aesthetic, while accommodating <br /> development. <br /> There are many good examples of communities who have successfully pursued studies to <br /> promote community aesthetics. There are a growing number of communities that have embraced <br /> conservation design principles and both of these important community objectives have been <br /> implemented through ordinances, guidelines and other tools. The Orono approach is unique first <br /> in its recognition of the fact that these two objectives are inextricably linked, and second in the <br /> manner in which the implementation of its plan coordinates ecological and aesthetic <br /> requirements. <br /> These guidelines encourage the use of Conservation Design to conserve and enhance aesthetic <br /> and ecological elements of the landscape. At the beginning of the project, a visual preference <br /> survey was conducted to identify the positive and negative effects of development in Orono. <br /> Simultaneously, Minnesota Land Cover Classification System (MLCCS) data and ecological <br /> fieldwork were compiled to produce a natural resources inventory for potential development <br /> sites within Orono. These aesthetic and ecological components were then combined to ensure <br /> that the resulting development guidelines would address both natural resource conservation and <br /> scenic value protection. <br /> At the end of the Rural Oasis process, the City of Orono determined that the approach used in <br /> the project would mi�igate the impacts of growth, while improving the rural character and <br /> environmental health of the community and its environs. The purpose of this Comprehensive <br /> Plan Amendment (CPA) is to: <br /> (1) describe the Rural Oasis process and findings, <br /> (2) establish Goals and Guiding Principles, as official city policy to guide future <br /> development, <br /> (3) explain and illustrate the desired results of suggested design standards when applied to <br /> potential development sites, <br /> (4) provide procedures and ordinances to implement the Guiding Principles in the City of <br /> Orono. <br /> The adoption of this amendment will be the first step in establishing a set of Community Design <br /> Standards to achieve the desired outcomes of Orono's Rural Oasis initiative. <br /> City of Orono DSU Inc <br /> � <br /> Draft CPA 1 August, 2005 <br />