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CMP Part 3A. Environmental Protection Plan <br /> ORONO AS A "R URAL OASIS': <br /> Incorporated herein by reference and attached to this Chapter as Appendix 1 is <br /> documentation of the Orono Rural Oasis Pro�ect completed with the assistance <br /> of DSU, Inc. in 2005. The concept of defining Orono as a "Rural Oasis" stems <br /> from the combination of Orono's unique location on the shores of Lake <br /> Minnetonka just minutes from the bustling metropolis of Minneapolis, and its <br /> historic �oals of protecting the Lake from the ne�ative environmental impacts <br /> associated with urban development. As second and third-rin� communities to <br /> the immediate east of Orono have developed with urban amenities and at typical <br /> urban densities, Orono has remained steadfast in its low-density approach to <br /> environmental management and maintaining the City s rural character. This <br /> contrast in development philosophy is visibl�pparent as one enters Orono from <br /> the east; the rural character resulting from this ap�roach to managin� land use <br /> has become as highly valued by Orono residents as is the �rotection of Lake <br /> Minnetonka's water qualit� <br /> Protecting its rural communit�aesthetics while maintaining and enhancin� <br /> ecolo�ical health has come to the forefront of Orono's plannin� efforts in recent <br /> years. While the City has reacted to the needs of a chan i�_�opulation by <br /> providin� for a wider ran�e of housin�ptions, maintainin�the rural character as <br /> that development occurs has presented difficult challenges. In 2004 the City <br /> Council placed a moratorium on urban-density development and proceeded with <br /> a study to define the values that make u�p Orono's rural character. . The goal was <br /> to identi and implement methods to preserve and enhance those values while at <br /> the same time allowing for continued residential development. The resulting <br /> development parameters embraced by the Citv have been found to have equal <br /> applicability to rural density development. <br /> The Rural Oasis Project was accomplished through a 4_phase process that <br /> included: <br /> - Phase L• Identifvin�y Issues. Identification of key attributes of the Orono <br /> landscape that are affiliated with the community's rural character and <br /> potentially affected b�growth; <br /> - Phase IL• Analysis. An aesthetic and ecological analvsis of si�nificant <br /> undeveloped parcels in the City. focusin� on 3 potential development sites <br /> and 10 important roadwav corridors as examples; <br /> - Phase IIL• Development Concepts. A�plication of Conservation Desi�n <br /> strategies to the candidate development sites in order to propose new and <br /> infill development that would protect the resources assessed in Phase II; <br /> - Phase IV: Implementation and Desian Standards. Incorporation of the <br /> project's objectives in the Comprehensive Plan as adopted City polic� and <br /> implementation via the adoption and enforcement of appropriate ordinances. <br /> City of Orono Community Management Plan 2008-2030 Page 3A-13 <br />