09-28-1988 - Agenda Packet City Council - regular meeting

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-4- Two parcels, lying east of existing County Road 44 and totaling 72 acres front on Smithtown Bay. Lake frontage for the two parcels totals 1,100 linei.l feet. The third parcel, lying west of existing County Road 44, north of Highway 7, fronts on Halsted's Bay. Frontage on Halsted's Bay totals 1,400 lineal feet. This parcel also includes approximately one mile of frontage on State Highway 7. Hennepin County DOT proposes to realign County Road 44 through the site (see the attached map). This -realignment equals approximately .8 miles and will allow for a better, safer intersection with Highway 7 and improved access into the proposed regional park. The proposed 292-acre acquisition includes land which is generally rolling, wooded, and has a number of low wetland areas throughout the site. The lake bottom on the Smithtown Bay side 1s generally silty, sandy conditions with a depth of 5± feet, 150 feet from the shore. The shore itself is somewhat rocky with variable slopes. The lake bottom on the Halsted's Bay side is generally sandy clay with some weed growth and a depth of 6t feet, 150 feet from the shore. The shoreline is generally sandy, then becoming rocky with steep slopes 400 feet from the east boundary. These three parcels together with a fourth, which was considered for acquisition and is identified as a desirable future acquisition to the park, are the last remaining large tracts of open land on Lake Minnetonka that have the potential to meet the standards for a regional park. Sale and development i> somewhat imminent. In fact, during the process of analyzing this site for park purposes, one of the properties was sold from Hagen -Mason to Mr. Ed Pauls. In addition, Mr. Gagne has indicated that he desires to sell his property for development. If this land is developed for residential use, the opportunity for a major regional park on Lake Minnetonka is lost. Acauisition Cos Apprai!als have not yet been made on the property, thus the final acquisition cost is unknown. The preliminary estimate places the acquisition cost from $7 to $8 million. 2. STEWARDSHIP As the Park District acquires this be put into effect. These include boundary signing and security. 3. NEEDS ANALYSIS property, normal stewardship practices will shade tree disease control, weed control, The need for the proposed regional park facility on Lake Minnetonka has been identified in the Metropolitan Parks and Open Space Policy Plan. The following three comments are excerpts from different documents prepared by the Metropolitan Parks and Open Space Commission to identify and then prioritize regional outdoor recreation needs. The following summarized the need identified by the Metropolitan Parks and Open Space Commission: a) Recreation Open Space Development Guide/policy Plan - Recreation Facility Analysis; February, 1981; Pub. No. 11-81-0054