The primary purpose of the significant natural environmental areas (SNEA) overlay district is to protect resources and functional values that have been identified by Anoka Conservation District (ACD), Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR), and the metropolitan council as providing benefits to the sustainability of the natural resource communities. This section is intended to protect and rehabilitate areas within the City of East Bethel that contain native vegetation and natural features and/or natural resources that contribute to the health, welfare, and quality of life of the people in the City of East Bethel. The City of East Bethel has the right and responsibility to protect and conserve these areas for a variety of reasons including:

A.

Natural communities and the wildlife habitat they provide;

B.

Contribution to the community's health and safety (i.e., flood control, purification of stormwater runoff, clean and healthy groundwater supplies necessary for the health, safety, and enjoyment of the city's residents and neighboring communities);

C.

Recreational purposes;

D.

Aesthetic and quality of life contributions;

E.

Protection and conservation of natural resources within and adjacent to the natural areas for the community's long-term environmental and economic benefits; and

F.

Contribution to the community's historic and symbolic needs.

To achieve the policies in the comprehensive plan and state and federal policies and statutes, the City of East Bethel intends to determine, control, and guide future development within those land areas in the SNEA. Specifically, this section purports to:

A.

Identify areas of SNEAs. These areas include natural areas that are: 1) preserved and minimally changed, and 2) those needing more management to maintain and enhance their natural integrity and resource value;

B.

Control natural environment areas of ecological value to preserve and/or restore ecological functions to the maximum extent possible;

C.

Regulate the use and subdivision of the land within as it relates to the criteria necessary to provide for the long-term sustainability of areas of SNEAs;

D.

Promote innovative development techniques such as conservation and other development practices that measurably reduce the amount of impervious coverage and minimize impacts of development on SNEAs;

E.

Aid developers in the creation of their development plans;

F.

Aid city staff, the planning commission, and city council in their assessment of development plans in areas of "natural environmental significance"; and

G.

Encourage cost effective site development through innovative development practices that efficiently use land and resources. Cost effective development can reduce infrastructure engineering and construction costs because of improved lot configurations, shortened and/or narrower streets, and reduced utility runs. Long-term public cost savings can also be realized by lowering public maintenance costs.

Electric power and communications transmission lines.

A.

Identification of significant natural environmental areas (SNEAs).

SNEAs contain native vegetation and natural features and/or natural resources prioritized by the City of East Bethel according to the natural resource functions they provide, including vegetation diversity, wildlife habitat, economic value, community open space, water quality, flood protection, aesthetics, and recreation.

SNEAs may contain rare, threatened, or endangered species and/or protect natural resources of concern. Further fragmentation, disturbance, and development will adversely affect and may destroy the natural processes operating within SNEAs, as well as the composition, structure, and functions of the natural communities they contain.

SNEAs include areas that are significant in spite of alteration by human impact. These areas may need management to maintain, enhance, and/or repair its natural resource value to the community including, but not limited to, exotic species control, fire management, and stormwater pond construction for water quality enhancement.

SNEAs are identified by the City of East Bethel to:

1)

Protect, conserve and enhance the City of East Bethel's natural resources including inventoried and identified native prairies, forests, woodlands, sensitive geological and hydrological features, wetlands, riparian (river and stream) corridors, wildlife corridors, and other sensitive natural features,

2)

Promote open space, including an interconnected system of trails and corridors for wildlife where appropriate and feasible;

3)

Provide for the orderly growth and development of the City of East Bethel residential areas;

4)

Promote flexible site planning;

5)

Encourage coordination between local government, county, state, and federal agencies concerned with natural resources;

6)

Encourage early cooperative planning between landowners/developers, the City of East Bethel, and individuals with scientific expertise in natural communities and resources.

B.

Criteria for designating SNEAs. The MNDNR, ACD, and metropolitan council has inventoried natural resources and designated SNEAs as having one or more of the following characteristics:

1)

Contains a high degree of native biodiversity and few exotics;

2)

Is of adequate size, cohesiveness, and shape to be biologically sustainable either as an isolated body or by a continued connection to an existing resource;

3)

Is a remaining example of a pre-European Settlement Natural Community for Minnesota;

4)

Is considered significant because it is rare in the City of East Bethel;

5)

Contains a rare species site, and is critical in preserving the rare plant species or in conserving the rare animal species present, consistent with MN 84.0895, Protection of Threatened and Endangered Species [Minn. Stats. § 84.0895]; and

6)

Contains sensitive geological and hydrological features.

SNEA overlay district is intended to provide for greater flexibility in land use planning. The application procedure and applicable general requirements pertaining to planned unit developments (PUDs) shall apply to SNEAs, subject to any exceptions, modifications, or additions set forth in the ordinance. Amendments to the PUDs can be proposed and implemented upon city council approval.

In order to provide maximum flexibility, no fixed standards shall apply to the SNEA overlay district. In evaluating each individual proposal, city council shall recognize that the primary function of the SNEA overlay district is to encourage development that preserves and enhances the natural characteristics and valuable natural resources of a site.

(Ord. No. 19, Second Series, 5-5-2010)