Conserve natural, cultural, historic resources by adopting or amending city codes and ordinances to support sustainable sites, including roadsides, and environmentally protective land use development.

Assessments & Ratings:  

• The Sustainable Sites and Responsible Land Use Development Assessment Tool of the Sustainable Design and Green Building Toolkit for Local Governments (EPA, 2013) provides guidance to assess local regulations for barriers to sustainable development and develop a plan of action to address them.
• Like the food pyramid, the 3Rs of sustainable site design lists in a hierarchy various practices builders can use to achieve their sustainability goals.
• The national SITES Rating System is for development projects located on sites with or without buildings.

Roadside maintenance: 

• While Minnesota's current roadside mowing statute, 160.232 (1985), says, among other things, that roadside mowing cannot be done before July 31, the MN Dept. of Natural Resources, MnDOT, the MN Dept. of Agriculture and the Monarch Joint Venture (coordinated by the MN Monarch Lab at the University of Minnesota) all recommend not mowing (except for safety and weed control) before October 1 in southern MN and not before September 20 in northern MN in order to maximize habitat for birds, monarch butterflies, other pollinators, and other fauna and flora.

Policies: 

• As of July 1, 2023, municipalities are required to allow property owners and occupants to install and maintain managed natural landscapes. 
• The MN Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) has developed a Landscape Resiliency Toolbox with strategies and resources to address a wide range of landscape stressors including climate change, in order to maintain long-term ecological, economic and social benefits.
• In 2002 Minnesota became the first state in the nation to regulate phosphorus fertilizer use on lawns and turf. Phosphorus is a nutrient that can cause over-enrichment of lakes, rivers, and wetlands. Phosphorus fertilizer cannot be used on lawns and turf in Minnesota unless specific conditions exist. Leftover phosphorus lawn fertilizer must be handled properly.
• See Vegetation Establishment and Management resources from BWSR and Best Management Practices for Pollinators and their Habitat from MDA. 
• See the City of Rosemount’s Water Supply Chapter of their 2040Comprehensive Plan as a model resource. 
• Preserve the ecological functions of the corridor by including lighting considerations in the design standards. Use the International Dark-Sky Association Light Pollution Effects on Wildlife and Ecosystems guide to promote reduced/smarter outdoor lighting. See the GreenStep Dark Skies best practices for more.