03-24-2003 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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C2ff^*rt^A^TrtMgortalion_PI^ lake population, however, the extent of lakeshore available to the public generally and the means ofpublic access to the lake have diminished and therefore become Increasingly valuable from year toyear...we must not forget that the public Includes persons other than those in the Immediate vicinity. The general public has a true concern In the recreationalfacilities offered by the lakes which nature has so freely given us In titls state. Their generous sharing by all will make for a heaJJilerpnd happier people. The many not fortunate enough to be able to acquire the advantages of ownership of lake shore properties should not be deprived of these benefits. This we would do ^ we permitted streets leading to the lakeshore to be vacated... "The toss to the public of 1 50 feet of shoreline out of a total of approximately tOO miles may to the Baldwins seem buonsequentiat or even Infinitesimal and nothing to be disturbed about But, of this 100 miles ofprecious shordine, onfy a small fraction has been -^served for the pubUe; and ^Ike courts should creole a precedent by permitting a single Inroad, however smclf. upon the public’s share of the shoreline, other Inroads will Inevitably follow, until tke aggregate becomes a realthremi-o the p>:bti^’s free acssft to the take. To avoid any possibility of suck a result, tke courts skould with equal vigor repulse tke first, tke second, and every other assault upon the public domain." Less than 1% of Orono’s lake shoreline h<« h^en dedicated as public access corridors. Nearly all the rest is privately owned, and not available to the public for lake access purposes, save for *he DNR Maxwell Bay Access, Hennepin County’s North Arm Access and the City ’s Summit Park on Long Lake. Hennepin County’s Noerenberg Gardens Memorial Park, while abutting Lake Minnetonka, has deed restrictions lliai disallow use for docking or launching boats. With shorciaiid abuttino a dozen separate bays in Lake Minnetonka, Orono has a commitmeni io maintaining access via the dedicated access corridors. Lake Access Policies It is the City ’s intent to permanently retain for puhhc use all existing lake access corridors and ftre lanes, regardless of the current level of use or maintenance. To this end, the City will follow these policies: 1.Requests for vacation of dedicated lake access right-of-ways will be denied in all cases except where equal or better lake access will be granted nearby in return. 2.Tlic City will identify and take necessary action to preserve the public’s right to use of any such accesses which exist but which may not have been formally dedicated. 3.I hc City will endeavor to work with property owners adjacent to lake access conidors to ensure that both uie rights of the public and the rights of the private landowner are upheld. Orono’s lake accesses are enumerated in Table 4A-6. City of Orono Community Minagemrni Plan September 2000 Page 4A-13