Laserfiche WebLink
tJ <br /> CMP Part 4A. Transportation Plan <br /> 'This court requires no proof that Lake Minnetonka is a priceless heritage of the people of Minnesota,to be preserved <br /> and passed on to posterity. Judicial notice will be taken of the fact that it is one of the most precious jewels in the <br /> string of Ten Thousand Lakes of which Minnesota is so justly proud...Because of its wide expanse and proximity to <br /> our metropolitan areas,it is much frequented and used for boating,fishing,picnicking and bathing-perhaps more <br /> than any other lake in the state. Its shore line of nearly 100 miles is dotted with permanent homes and summer <br /> cottages,not only at its waters edge,but extending far back from the shore. But the use of the lake is not confined to <br /> dwellers on its shore or nearby. During the summer season especially,it is the mecca for thousands upon thousands of <br /> urbanites,not so fortunate as to possess a lake home,who-young and old alike-seek its shores and waters for diverse <br /> recreational purposes. To those who do not indulge in active recreation,it affords the opportunity of communing with <br /> nature at its best. With the increase in the permanent lake population,however,the extent of lakeshore available to the <br /> public generally and the means of public access to the lake have diminished and therefore become increasingly <br /> valuable from year to year...we must not forget that the public includes persons other than those in the immediate <br /> vicinity. The general public has a true concern in the recreational facilities offered by the lakes which nature has so <br /> freely given us in this state. Their generous sharing by all will make for a healthier and happier people. The many not <br /> fortunate enough to be able to acquire the advantages of ownership of lake shore properties should not be deprived of <br /> these benefits. This we would do if we permitted streets leading to the lakeshore to be vacated... <br /> 'The loss to the public of 150 feet of shoreline out of a total of approximately 100 miles may to the Baldwins seem <br /> inconsequential or even infinitesimal and nothing to be disturbed about. But,of this 100 miles of precious shoreline, <br /> only a small fraction has been reserved for the public;and if the courts should create a precedent by permitting a <br /> single inroad,however small,upon the public S share of the shoreline,other inroads will inevitably follow,until the <br /> aggregate becomes a real threat to the public's free access to the lake. To avoid any possibility of such a result,the <br /> courts should with equal vigor repulse the first,the second,and every other assault upon the public domain.' <br /> Less than 1%of Orono's lake shoreline has been dedicated as public access corridors. <br /> Nearly all the rest is privately owned,and not available to the public for lake access <br /> purposes, save for the DNR Maxwell Bay Access, Hennepin County's North Arm <br /> Access and the City's Summit Park on Long Lake. Hennepin County's Noerenberg <br /> Gardens Memorial Park,while abutting Lake Minnetonka, has deed restrictions that <br /> disallow use for docking or launching boats. With shoreland abutting a dozen separate <br /> bays in Lake Minnetonka, Orono has a commitment to maintaining access via the <br /> dedicated access corridors. Orono's lake accesses are enumerated in Table 4A-8. <br /> Lake Access Policies <br /> It is the City's intent to permanently retain for public use all existing lake access <br /> corridors and fire lanes,regardless of the current level of use or maintenance. To this <br /> end, the City will follow these policies: <br /> 1. Requests for vacation of dedicated lake access right-of-ways will be denied in all <br /> cases except where equal or better lake access will be granted nearby in return. <br /> 2. The City will identify and take necessary action to preserve the public's right to <br /> use of any such accesses which exist but which may not have been formally <br /> dedicated. <br /> 3. The City will endeavor to work with property owners adjacent to lake access <br /> corridors to ensure that both the rights of the public and the rights of the private <br /> landowner are upheld. <br /> City of Orono Community Management Plan 2008-2030 Page 4A-32 <br />