Sawtooth Bluff Steering Committee Public Input session
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GRAND MARAIS, MINNESOTA – March 10, 2018 (LSN) The Sawtooth Bluff Steering Committee has developed a draft master plan for the 640-acre publicly-owned site, outlining their vision for the site as a park of regional significance and proposing the development of facilities consistent with that vision.
The Steering Committee developed this draft plan after reviewing and considering public input provided in November 2017 on potential amenities and uses for this property.
Written comments on the draft plan will be accepted March 12-23, 2018. A public input session has also been scheduled for:
Monday, March 26, 2018
5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Cook County Courthouse, Commissioner’s Room
411 W. 2nd Street
Grand Marais, MN 55604
The plan will be presented and feedback will be documented and responded to at this session.
Overlooking Grand Marais, Sawtooth Bluff is a unique parcel of property in Cook County. Based upon its location and size, it has the potential to be the center point of a Cook County Trail Hub system and to integrate other types of development. This large parcel of land under local control provides a unique and valuable opportunity for community and regional enhancements.
In 2016, the City of Grand Marais submitted an application to the Greater Minnesota Parks and Trails Commission to have the property designated as regionally significant. In 2017, Cook County sought and received Minnesota’s Lake Superior Coastal Program STAR grant funding to create a vision and develop a master plan for this site. The City of Grand Marais is partnering with Cook County on this project. A Steering Committee was developed to lead this process and the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission has provided planning support and technical assistance. Additional information about the project can be found at: https://ardc.org/sawtoothbluff/
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Background
Overlooking Grand Marais, Sawtooth Bluff is a unique parcel of property in Cook County. This striking section of the Sawtooth Mountains rises over 900' above the Grand Marais harbor and has dramatic terrain features, incredible views of Lake Superior, unique environmental attributes including a rare patterned fen, and proximity to other local recreation systems. Based upon its location and size, it has the potential to be the center point of a Cook County Trail Hub system and to integrate other types of development. The approximately 640-acre site is a combination of lands owned by Cook County and the City of Grand Marais. In a county where approximately 92% of the land is under the control of the State of Minnesota and the U.S. Forest Service, having a large parcel of land under local control provides a unique and valuable opportunity for community and regional enhancements to develop a park of regional significance.
In 2016, the City of Grand Marais submitted an application to the Greater Minnesota Parks and Trails Commission to have the property designated as regional significant. In 2017, Cook County sought and received Minnesota’s Lake Superior Coastal Program STAR grant funding to create a vision and develop a master plan for this site as a park of regional significance. The City of Grand Marais is partnering with the County on this project. A Steering Committee was developed to lead this process and the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission has provided planning support and technical assistance.
In November 2017, the Steering Committee sought public input on potential amenities to include in the Plan (Phase I public input). The Steering Committee established guiding principles for development on the site and created a list of proposed amenities for consideration based upon feedback received through the public input process and review of feedback gathered during a community consensus process in 2000.