Whose view? From where? July 2009
When FMR advocates for bluff setbacks, its not just to protect the scenery of the river corridor.
The building in this photo was pictured in the Whose View from Where from January, just from a different point of view. Januarys view shows clearly why bluff setbacks are important for visual reasons.
This months photo was taken of a condominium development in the City of Lilydale. The top photo showing the river is taken looking downstream toward downtown St. Paul. This building was built much closer to the edge of the bluff than current guidelines would allow. No doubt this is a great view but it turns out it will come at a pretty steep cost.
The bottom photo is taken looking up at the condominium development from the Great Rivers Trail just below note the pipe which sticks out of the bluff, which used to rest close to the face of the bluff.
Indeed, whats particularly notable in these photos is what isnt there. Last year, a portion of the bluff on which this building site washed away. That left the building just a handful of feet away from the edge of the bluff. And the bluff is always in some danger of eroding further.
As a result, this small condo association with fewer than twenty members will have to share an assessment of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stabilization to the bluff. A great view, but at what price?
FMR is working to update the rules governing zoning for the river corridor.
About Whose view? From where?
Each month in this section, we feature a photo somewhere along the river corridor in the Twin Cities that is in some way significant or important or just plain scenic. Individuals may then e-mail us and identify the view and explain why they believe it is significant to the community or important to them personally. Well publish some of your responses in the next issue of Mississippi Messages, where we will also reveal the correct answer.
To submit your guess and response, e-mail Bob Spaulding, River Advocate, through our contact form. The respondent to provide the first correct identification of the view and hopefully some interesting thoughts about its significance will receive a valuable prize for their effort. All entries must be received by the first day of the following month for consideration.