CoPar update

by Bob Spaulding

Adjacent to Fish Creek, the CoPar site sits atop a bluff that winds down to the Mississippi River near the intersection of I-494 and US 61.

Photo: Bob Spaulding/FMR

Fish Creek has been at the center of once-hot debate about how to develop one of the last undeveloped areas in Maplewood. The Creek itself starts at Carver Lake in Woodbury and wanders about two miles westward through Woodbury, Maplewood and St. Paul, meandering down the Mississippi River bluffs and emptying into the Mississippi River just north of the Wakota Bridge.

Two years ago, CoPar Companies owned 73 acres of property in the area south of Carver Avenue, and they intended to develop the land. After sometimes contentious debate and a lawsuit, the City and CoPar signed a development agreement for the land in early 2008. The development was to include over 100 homes, but was also to set aside land that could be acquired if Maplewood could come up with the money in sufficient time.

The deadline, at least theoretically, was June 30th, 2009. But in the time since the development agreement was reached, the housing market tanked, and CoPar, as well as CoPars principal lender, have both filed for bankruptcy. That bought the City some time to assess its options.

In June, recognizing an opportune moment, the Maplewood City Council created a new commission to investigate priorities and strategies for acquiring land for park and open space in the Fish Creek area. FMR and the National Park Service serve as ex-officio advisors to the commission.

"Lots of wheels are spinning," City Manager Jim Antonen told the Star Tribune. "We're coming up with a plan for how to utilize the land. We want to make sure we're on the right path."

About twenty years ago, Ramsey County acquired 130 acres of land adjacent to the creek and the property that surrounds it, aiming to conserve land that held particular natural significance. John Moriarity of Ramsey County Parks said the county owns all but one parcel along Fish Creek. The CoPar site in particular is surrounded by much of the county-owned land. That site, perched on the bluffs above the Mississippi River, contains prime views, some sensitive bluffland, and might help connect some of the Countys other holdings.

Some land may be ripe for purchase; the commission is charged with matching acquisition priorities with potential funding sources. The commission has also been working with the Minnesota Land Trust to identify opportunities for conservation easements to be used to protect portions of other parcels. Finally, the commission is to determine what sorts of passive recreation uses are most appropriate along the corridor.

"I think that this is a once-in-the-rest-of-time opportunity for us to increase the protection along some of the slopes and the bluffs there," Maplewood City Council member John Nephew told the Pioneer Press. "I'm very hopeful that we will be able to put something together to put some of that land into conservation."

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