Recent development interest and pressures to the north and east of the City of Mankato warranted the City to proactively plan for the future and hire I&S to complete land use planning and environmental review on approximately 2,800 acres between TH-22 and the City of Eagle Lake in two separate Alternative Urban Area-wide Reviews (AUAR).
Major public improvements and initiatives have been forecasted for the area including an interchange on Hwy 14, and other major road extensions, but also includes the addition of a community park, neighborhood parks, trail connections, and the preservation of significant natural resources and open space. The area proposes traditional neighborhood design with mixed uses that include residential, commercial, and public use utilizing strategic and innovative techniques for urban service nodes, open space interconnections, walkability, stormwater management, and natural resources preservation opportunities.
I&S met with local, county, and state agencies to develop land use concepts and assumptions for the area. Interviews were also complete with local citizens, landowners, and stakeholders to collect insight and information on the area and to discuss potential environmental impacts to be addressed in the planning process to include in the AUAR.
Through the AUAR process, I&S has provided land use planning, infrastructure review, environmental review, wetland inventory, land cover classification, and sanitary, water and stormwater planning.
