12-09-1985 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Metropolitan Council 300 Metro Square Builriing .. n� Seventh and Robert Streets DEC _ Q 1985 �- `� c�,wr St. Paul, Minnesota 55101 Telephone (G 12) 291 6359 U.,i�, DATE: December 3, 1 TO: Lake Minnetonka Municipal Governments; Hennepin County Department of Transportation And Water Patrol; Department of Natural Resources; Lake Minnetonka Conservation District And Suburban Hennepin Regional Park District RE: Planning Approach to Public Boat Access and Shore Access Improvements for Lake Minnetonka (Meeting Notice) On behalf of the Metropolitan Council's Task Force on Lake Minnetonka, I want to thank those of you who submitted statements in response to our request for data. We paid particular attention to statements regaru ng your critical interests in managing the lake and land uses and what's been clone to implement the recommendations from the "Report of the Lake Minnetonka Task Force" (June 1983) . Two points stand out from your statements: 1) Municipal governments are responsible for land use planr ng within their jurisdiction. Boat access facilities impact adjacent land uses. Municipal governments want to partic pate and plan "from the outset" how public boat access is provided on Lake Minnetonka. 2) The Department of Natural Resources is authorized under Minnesota Statutes 97.48, Subdivision 15, to acquire/develop "state water access sites ... adjacent to public waters to which the pubic theretofore had no access or where the access is inadequate ...." These two points clearly demonstrate the need for an effective, joint access planning process. The "Report of the Lake Minnetonka Task Force" found that: "There is a need and a demand for additional access V.) Lake Minnetonka to serve persons who want to fish and otherwise enjoy the lake in boats and from the shorel,.ie. There is no demonstrated need for additional lake access for boats other than fishing craft and small recreation boats" (page 3 of 1983 report) ." In order to meet the access need for fishing craft and small recreation boats, the 1983 task force split the lake into 5 zones and set a goal that a total of 700 reliable car -boat trailer parking spaces be created and distributed in those zones within 1,500 feet from an access site. However, only 185 were defined as "reliable." (See Table and Map 1 attached to this letter.) Specific recommendations were made to improve existing boat access sites and a set of criteria were developed for public agencies to use in evaluating and selecting new access sites and are Found on pp 3-18 of their report.