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Home My WebLink AboutRe: wetland buffer Memorandum Bonestroo To: Melanie Curtis _ Project: Ebertz-1220Tonkawa Road Date: 9/7/2007 2335 Highway 36W St.Paul,MN 55113 From: John Smyth Client: City or Orono Tel 651-636-4600 —- - —- -------- -- _ ------ Fax 651-636-1311 Re: Wetland Buffer Ordinance File No: 139-07000-1 www.bonestroo.com Remarks: According to the submitted building plan two wetlands have been delineated within the property boundaries at 1220 Tonkawa Road. The following is a summary regarding information on each of the wetlands and the associated requirements to be in compliance with the wetland protection ordinance. Maxwell Bay Wetland#1 (Located adjacent to Maxwell Bay) According to the city's wetland classification system,wetland#1 has been classified as a preserve wetland which requires a 50'upland buffer. Review of the submitted building plans has indicated that wetland#1 and its upland buffer should not be disturbed due to the construction that will occur on the property. Currently the patio slab is located within the setback but not in the buffer.According to the city's wetland protection ordinance,Div.5 Sec 78-1608 2a—patio slabs may be placed in the setback area so the patio slab location is acceptable. The existing shed may need to be moved outside of the buffer,however we may need to discuss the language within the ordinance to determine if it is required to be moved. A site evaluation was completed on September 4,2007 to determine the condition of the vegetation in the existing upland buffer.A large amount of buckthorn(includes mature plants .as well as seedlings)was documented in the buffer of the wetland during this site evaluation (see photo last page). According to Division 3 sec.78-1605(2)buckthorn is considered to be an undesirable plant species and should be removed from the upland buffer area. After buckthorn is removed,bare or disturbed areas in the understory should be seeded with a shade tolerant, approved native seed mix(see general comments bottom of memo).There is also a portion of the buffer that is currently turf(see photos last page). This area will need to be converted to native plantings through seed or plants. Wetland#2:(Located adjacent to Tonkawa Road) Wetland#2 has also been classified as a preserve wetland and will require a 50'buffer. There is a narrow finger of wetland that parallels County Road No.135 and extends from the main portion of the wetland to the northwest. I recommend that we waive the buffer and setback requirement from this portion of the wetland,as stated on the plan,because it appears to have formed due to excavation that has occurred for a ditch. Future submittals should reflect the buffer and setback without this finger of wetland. Any proposed fill in this finger of wetland may still require a permit from the Watershed District. A site evaluation of wetland#2's buffer was also conducted on September 4,2007 to determine the condition of the vegetation in the existing upland buffer. Common buckthorn was again found to be a dominate species in wetland#2's buffer. As is stated above buckthorn is considered to be an undesirable plant species and should be removed from the upland buffer area. After buckthorn is removed,bare or disturbed areas in the understory should be seeded with a shade tolerant,approved native seed mix(see general comments below). General Comments: A management/landscape plan to remove the buckthorn and reseed or plant the bare areas as well as the turf area within the buffer should be provided. At a minimum it should include species to be seeded or planted and method,method of removal of buckthorn and schedule of activities. According to the ordinance Div.3 Sec.78-1605(3)the seed mix must contain at least 12 pounds (PLS)per acre of native prairie grass seed and 5 pounds(PLS)per acre of native wildflower seed. The grass mixture must contain a minimum of four species while the wildflower mixture must contain a minimum of five species. The seed mix used must be submitted to the city prior to planting for approval. Planting of native species is also an option to substitute for seed but planting should be space no more then 3-feet apart. Silt fences should be placed upslope of both wetlands upland buffers prior to construction. These fences should stay in place until all construction activities have been completed. Silt fences will make the upland buffer boundaries more obvious and help protect the wetland from moving sediment during construction. We recommend that the city take an escrow in the amount of$3,000 to ensure buckthorn and turfwithin the buffer are removed,bare areas are seeded,and for future compliance checks. Page 2 ovL PHOTO DOPROPERTY ILA Turf and shed within buffer J F+ .i i ytJj� j� .jam `l -� • �� V�+`4 '�+�:\ .!� ,A ��". John Smyth Associate Tel 651-604-4708 Cell 651-775-5104 john.smyth@bonestroo.com 0 From: Lincoln Danforth [mailto:lincoln@yardscapesinc.com] Sent: Wednesday, June 10, 2009 8:33 AM To: Smyth, John R Subject: RE: Ebertz Property Buffer Modification Thanks John— I will take a look &get a plan in for review. -----Original Message----- From: Smyth, John R [mailto:John.Smyth@bonestroo.com] Sent: Friday, June 05, 2009 12:05 PM To: 'Lincoln@yardscapesinc.com' Cc: 'Melanie Curtis' Subject: Ebertz Property Buffer Modification Lincoln, I have discussed the buffer modifications with the City and per the ordinance we are allowed to provide some buffer flexibility if we feel we can get adequate replacement functions with the modification. In this situation I would encourage a modification that has a buffer layout similar to the"hour glass"design as presented on the attached exhibit. The benefits to the owner is access and some turf grass space directly adjacent to the lake. The benefit to the water resources is filtering of the nutrients of most of the lawn due the shape of the buffer. This would require you to make up the buffer area lost due to this design modification somewhere else on the property. As we discussed on site - the most benefit would come from the northeast side of the property directly adjacent to the lake, where there is currently not a buffer. If you would like to proceed with a buffer modification please present a plan. The revised plan would need to provide the proposed location of the buffer and a comparison of existing square footage of buffer with the current plan to the modified plan. The plan should include proposed species to be seeded and/or planted with quantities and a vegetative maintenance plan for the first three years of native vegetation development. The plan should be provided to Melanie Curtis and myself for consideration. Please contact me if you have questions. John Smyth Associate Tel 651-604-4708 Cell 651-775-5104 john.smyth@bonestroo.com *Bonestroo From: 8227@bonestroo.com [mailto:B227@bonestroo.com] Sent: Friday, June 05, 2009 10:46 AM To: Smyth, John R Subject: Message from KMBT C550 WETLAND BUFFER MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE FOR 3.22o Tonkawa Road The maintenance for the wetland buffer includes using compost when initially seeded and straw mulch on top. Mowing will be done 1-2 times in the first year and an additionall-2 times in the second year. Between mowing, regular maintenance will be done with watering, if it becomes very dry and pruning of trees and shrubs when needed.There will also be spot weed treatment done manually and a limited amount of treatment with an herbicide n v G y ` N y r ..y J 1 �Vt 1 P 00 �� II F z z CC a A ag �c N tilt P � v � `� �Ifo N �.' • ► •�t,i �� .pry{ F r � TfP'y 7� ✓s r MEMORANDUM Date: June 23, 2009 To: Darren Amundsen From: Christine Mattson, Planning Assistant RE: File # 07-3315 / 1220 Tonkawa Road Please review the enclosedinformation fo mation for the buffer modification and provide comments by June 30th or sooner if possible. Please call Melanie at 952.249.4627 if you need additional information or ifY ou have any questions on the attached information. Thank you, i Christine Mattson From: Smyth, John R [John.Smyth@bonestroo.com] Sent: Monday, July 19, 2010 3:26 PM To: Christine Mattson Cc: Amundsen, Darren T Subject: RE: Question Attachments: Before Picture 072.jpg; After photo (1).JPG Christine, I did make it out to 1220 Tonkawa Road last week. Work on the buffer has been completed per the approved plan (rainwater garden installed, buckthorn removed, seeding and planting completed). See attached before and after picture with the buckthorn removed from the buffer and herbaceous vegetation starting to grow from seed mix. John John Smyth Associate Direct 651-604-4708 Cell 651-775-5104 john.smyth@bonestroo.com *Bonestroo Visit the new Bonestroo.com to sign-up for SourceONE, our upcoming newsletter. From: Christine Mattson [mailto:CMattson@ci.orono.mn.us] Sent: Monday, July 19, 2010 10:40 AM To: Smyth, John R Cc: Amundsen, Darren T Subject: RE: Question Hi John, Did you have a chance to visit 1220 Tonkawa Road last week? Thanks! Chris— From: Smyth, John R [maiIto:lohn.Smyth@bonestroo.com] Sent: Wednesday, July 14, 2010 11:37 AM To: Christine Mattson Cc: Amundsen, Darren T Subject: RE: Question Hi Christine, Attached is the documentation you are looking for regarding 1220 Tonkawa Road. I will stop by and check to see if they have completed the work as discussed in the attachments and let you know before the end of the week. Let me know if you were looking for something different or have questions. John John Smyth Associate Direct 651-604-4708 Cell 651-775-5104 i o h n.s m yt h@ bo n estroo.co m Bonestroo Visit the new Bonestroo.com to sign-up for SourceONE, our upcoming newsletter. From: Christine Mattson [mailto:CMattson@ci.orono.mn.us] Sent: Wednesday, July 14, 2010 10:25 AM To: Amundsen, Darren T; Smyth, John R Subject: Question Hello, I'm trying to close out an old zoning file, #07-3414 for 1220 Tonkawa Road. I see that we sent a memo to you, Darren, on June 23, 2009 regarding having the buffer modification reviewed. I am unable to locate Bonestroo's comment letter. Could one of you forward me another copy? Thanks! akrlstuv,t Mnttsow Planning Assistant City of Orono 2750 Kelly Parkway Orono MN 55356 (physical address) PO Box 66 Crystal Bay MN 55323-0066 (mailing address) W 952.249.4620 g 952.249.4616 ®cmattson@ci.orono.mn.us www.ci.orono.mn.us Regular Office Hours: Monday- Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Summer Hours: (Monday, May 24th to Friday, September 3rd) M -Th 7:30 am to 5:00 pm and Fri 7:30 am to 11:30 am OUR OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED: Monday,September 6,2010(Labor Day) CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE:This e-mail is confidential and may contain legally privileged information. 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V\ ux C-,.�N <, m N 1) j � 0 PTN .. ........ - L.A1\1.1 � ,�.7 \ \--,) NOW OT c>T- \-Z-dV\z-TC- A zz;-r �A"T\VL �7 7T 710 71 J Ii �4 IC I.A a MIAP 102 'Zk"v it tV 0 8609 harriet avenue south ebloo7*gtcll 952/887-2794* fax 952/887-2796 oyardscapes ' @ plans not for constuction unless under contraco (D copyright yardscapes, inc page 2- of RECEIVEi IUIV 2009