FUTURE LAND USE DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK | CHAPTER 9


A sustainable vision for natural resources is a landscape with clean air; clean lakes, streams, and wetlands; healthy forests and plant communities; large expanses of natural habitats; clean and abundant groundwater; parks, trails, and open space used for active and passive recreation; productive working lands; and vibrant urban, suburban, and rural areas in which to live, work and play. The City recognizes the need to balance conserving the natural environment with supporting land devel- opment, agriculture and other human uses. The City wants its decisions to be made strategically and produce the highest quality of life and economic well-being for Cedar Falls residents, workers, and visitors now and in the future.


Cedar Falls’ desire to become sustainable depends on good stewardship of its eco- systems, water resources, plant communities, and wildlife species. Good stewardship protects the functions of ecosystems and the free ecosystems services necessary for a high quality of life. The natural environment includes air, minerals and geology, land and soil, water, plants, and animals. When ecosystems function properly, they deliver ecosystem services supporting life. In one example, oxygen we breathe comes from plants. Without plants, the atmosphere would be poisonous to people and animals. Production of oxygen is a free ecosystem service that benefits people. Many other ecosystem services support the quality of life and economy of Cedar Falls:


• Rainwater infiltrates and is stored in soils and wetlands, regulating runoff and flooding.


• Water levels fluctuate less often and less dramatically, minimizing erosion of shorelines and stream channels.


• Groundwater is recharged, feeding cold, clean water to lakes, streams, and wetlands. • Lakes, streams, and wetlands are clean and regenerate abundant fish and aquatic life.


• Vegetation limits the sediment, phosphorus, nitrogen and contaminants that enter lakes, streams and wetlands.


• Quality forests, savannas, prairies, wetlands, lakes, and streams support a variety of life—fish, birds, other wildlife, native trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and groundcover plants—biodiversity.


• Soils are created, not depleted, eliminating the loss of organic matter and fertility.


• The environment is clean and invites use and recreation—hunting, fishing, swimming boating, walking, biking, nature study.


• Beautiful, natural places exist for anyone to easily see, visit and restore their spirit.


The economy also benefits by treating the natural environment in a sustainable way. Property values are higher near natural areas and open space, but more so in urban than rural areas.1


New development that protects natural resources using conserva-


tion design and low-impact development (LID) techniques can save an average of 24- 27 percent in construction costs per development.2


Investments in public open space


and conservation lands can have significant payback. A recent study of conservation lands acquired by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) found a re-


1 Embrace Open Space study: http://www.embraceopenspace.org/EOSReport/EconomicValueofOpenSpace.pdf.


2 EPA Low Impact Development study: http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/lid/costs07/documents/reducingstormwatercosts.pdf; AES study: http://www.appliedeco.com/Projects/ConDevArticleLayout.pdf.


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