HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Packet 04-22-2014 SpecialCITY OF PLYMOUTH
AGENDA
SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING
APRIL 22, 20147 5:00 p.m.
MEDICINE LAKE CONFERENCE ROOM
1. CALL TO ORDER
2. TOPICS
A. Emerald Ash Borer program update
B. Met Council Thrive 2040
C. Set Future Study Sessions
3. ADJOURN
Special Council Meeting 1 of 1 April 22, 2014
To:
rp) City of
Nymouth From:
Adding Quality to Life
Date:
Memorandum
Item:
Introduction
2A
Dave Callister, City Manager
Barb Northway, Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation
April 16, 2014
Emerald Ash Borer Management Plan
In 2014, treatment will begin on ash trees in anticipation of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) infestation.
Currently, EAB has been found within 10 miles of the eastern Plymouth border. In May and June the
Parks and Forestry Division will be injecting 338 ash trees, greater than 15" in diameter, within the
maintained areas of parks. The City Council has provided $17,000 in the budget to accomplish this task.
The work will be completed in-house by Parks and Forestry staff on a biennial basis using an injection
mode of application. Based on current research the City will need to treat ash trees for the next 10 years
to combat EAB. We consider the treatment of trees to be a two prong approach, treatment and
education. Parks and Forestry will be providing an education component to residents regarding EAB and
treatment.
Going forward, the City will need to determine what our practice will be concerning boulevard ash trees
and the potential treatment for EAB. For definition purposes, "boulevard trees" are considered to be
within the right-of-way (ROW) on City property. Presently all trees within the right-of-way are
maintained by Parks and Forestry staff; to date this has included trimming and removal of trees.
Currently there are 542 ash trees greater than 15" in diameter in the boulevards. These trees benefit the
City by providing energy conservation, improved air quality, storm water filtration and aesthetics.
Boulevard Treatment versus Removal
The cost of future treatment versus removal is significant when considering boulevard ash trees. Below
illustrates the cost of biennial treatment versus the removal for one 15" ash tree. This illustration is
based on current pricing for both the treatment and removal. Based on these costs, the treatment
would be less expensive ($163 cost savings per tree).
One 15 Inch Ash Tree
Biennial Injection (10 Year Treatment) Removal
Labor $15.00 Contracted Removal $292.50
Chemical $30.90 Stump Removal $75.00
Total $40.90
1
Page 1
5 treatments $204.50 1Total $367.50
Options
Going forward, there are multiple possibilities on how the City can proceed with boulevard ash trees.
Below we have provided three different options for consideration by the City Council.
OPTION A — City Treatment of Boulevard Trees
The City will fully pay for the injection treatment in all of the boulevard ash trees greater than 15" in
diameter. The cost of treatment for 542 ash trees is $35,988 every two years, with a 10 year total cost
of $179,940. Just as Parks and Forestry notifies property owners of trimming to boulevard trees,
notification to property owners regarding treatment of the boulevard trees would also take place.
OPTION B — 50/50 Cost Share between City and Abutting Property Owners
The cost of the injection treatment would be split between the City and the abutting property owner.
The abutting property owner would be asked to pay 50% of the cost of treatment to the boulevard ash
trees greater than 15" in diameter and the City would pay the other 50% of treatment. For example, the
cost of one treatment to a 15" ash tree would be $40.90. For this one tree, the abutting property owner
would pay $20.45 and the City would pay $20.45. Over the anticipated 10 years of treatment the total
cost of treatment would be $204.50, or $102.25 each. The abutting property owner would have the
option to opt out of the program. In that case, the tree would not be treated. Consideration of this
option includes city monitoring of treated and untreated trees, administrative costs of receiving
payments and applying to trees, property ownership changes and cost of removals for untreated trees.
OPTION C — No Treatment/Wait for EAB infestation and a subsequent tree removal
The abutting property owner makes the decision whether to treat, and if they do so, the cost of the
treatment is the property owners to bear. The City will continue to monitor ash trees on boulevards and
remove any dead trees. There is a sense of urgency when an EAB infested ash trees dies, it quickly
become brittle and slough its bark. The City will be responsible for removal and the associated costs.
Recommendation
Staff recommends that we proceed with Option A for ash trees larger than 15" in diameter. If the
Council approves this option, staff would suggest, for efficiency purposes, using the treatment strategy
outlined below.
Ash trees on the boulevard which are less than 15" in diameter provide fewer benefits and can be
removed economically. We would recommend removal of these smaller ash trees once they are found
infested or showing signs of decline.
Page 2
Treatment Strategy Change
If it is the direction of the City Council to treat ash trees in the boulevard, the Parks and Forestry Division
would like to request a change in management strategy. Our best estimation is that infestation will
move across the City from east to west. Dividing the City into an east and west side and treating both
park and boulevard trees on each side would be the preferred strategy. In 2014, and subsequent even
years, 440 ash trees on the east side would be treated. In 2015, and subsequent odd years, 440 ash
trees on the west side would be treated. This change in strategy would require a change in funding.
Considering $17,000 is already budgeted for EAB in 2014, an additional $9,529 would need to be added
to the budget to treat the east side trees. Beginning in 2015, $26,529 would need to be budgeted for
treatment of ash trees annually.
Yearly Costs for all 880 Ash trees
Labor Chemical TOTAL
Park Trees (338) $5,070 12,000 $17,070
Boulevard Trees (542) $8,130 27,858 $35,988
Biennial Cost 53,058
Yearly Cost 26,529
2014 Additional Request 9,529
Private Ash Trees
In regards to private ash trees, efforts will be made to educate property owners on the evaluation and
treatment options for their ash trees.
Conclusion
At the study session there will be a PowerPoint presentation and any additional questions will be
answered.
Page 3
rp) City of
Plymouth
Adding Quality to Life
COUNCIL STUDY
SESSION
April 22, 2014
1. ACTION REQUESTED:
Agenda 2BNumber: v
To: Dave Callister, City Manager
Prepared by: Steve Juetten, Community Development Director and Barb
Thomson, Planning Manager
Reviewed by:
Item: Review and Discuss the Metropolitan Council Thrive MSP 2040
Draft Document.
Review and discuss the Metropolitan Council Thrive MSP 2040 draft document.
2. BACKGROUND:
In accordance with the Metropolitan Land Planning Act, every ten years communities within the
seven county metropolitan area (Hennepin, Ramsey, Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Scott and Washington)
are required to update their comprehensive plans. The act gives the Metropolitan Council
coordinating responsibility for the updates. In addition, the act gives the Council limited authority to
require communities to revise their plans if the plans have a substantial impact on or are a
substantial from the metropolitan systems—transportation, wastewater and regional parks.
As part of the update process, the Land Planning Act specifies that the Metropolitan Council provide
each community with a metropolitan system statement detailing how regional plans may affect the
local planning effort. Specifically, the system statement includes 1) information about the timing,
location, function, projected capacity and conditions on use for existing and planned metropolitan
public facilities as specified in metropolitan system plans for transportation, water resources and
regional parks and 2) the population, household and employment projections that the Metropolitan
Council used as the basis for the metropolitan system plans.
State law also authorizes the Metropolitan Council to prepare and adopt a comprehensive
development guide, which serves as the base document for the individual system plans as well as
other non -system policy plans such as housing. This document is Thrive MSP 2040, which the
Metropolitan Council has distributed for local comment. Once they adopt the Thrive document, they
will update the system plans for water resources, transportation and regional parks and the policy
plan for housing. The schedule for these updates is as follows:
1) Water Resources - Late 2014
2) Housing - Fall 2014
3) Transportation - Late 2014
4) Regional Parks - Early 2015
Page 1
The draft Thrive MSP 2040 plan includes background information on what the Metropolitan Council
expects the metro area to be like demographically in 2040, and it states that the region will face
many challenges and changes over the next 25+ years that provide opportunities to plan for a
prosperous, equitable and livable region for today and generations to come." Based on this
premise, the draft plan develops five outcomes and three principles that will be used to develop the
updates to the metropolitan system plans and policy plans that the Metropolitan Council will use to
review local comprehensive plan updates. The draft plan presents new community designations,
including land use policies and strategies for each community designation. The draft plan concludes
with a brief outline of the next steps and the draft local forecasts for population, household and
employment.
The five outcomes included in the draft plan are stated to "define our shared regional vision" and
the "why" the Thrive MSP 2040 document was created. The five outcomes are:
1) Stewardship - "Stewardship advances the Metropolitan Council's longstanding mission of orderly
and economical development by responsibly managing the region's natural and financial resources
and making strategic investments in our region's future. Several of the major challenges that the
Council was established to address - such as an aging bus fleet and inadequately treated wastewater
polluting the region's lakes, rivers, and streams - demonstrate the need for effective regional
stewardship. Stewardship means:
Responsibly managing of our region's finite resources, including natural resources - such as
lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands, groundwater, high quality natural habitats, and agricultural soils
financial resources, and our existing investments in infrastructure;
Pivoting from expanding to maintaining our region's wastewater and highway infrastructure;
and
Leveraging our infrastructure investments with higher expectations of land use."
2) Prosperity - "Prosperity is fostered by investments in infrastructure and amenities that create
regional economic competitiveness, thereby attracting and retaining successful businesses, a
talented workforce, and consequently, wealth. Regional economic competitiveness results from
strategic, long-term public and private decisions that build on and grow our region's economic
strengths relative to other regions. Collectively, the region must provide great locations for
businesses to succeed - particularly the industries that export products or services beyond the
metropolitan area and bring revenue into the region. Advancing prosperity involves:
Fostering the conditions for shared economic vitality by balancing major investments across the
region;
Protecting natural resources that are the foundation of prosperity;
Planning for and investing in infrastructure, amenities and quality of life needed for economic
competitiveness; and
Encouraging redevelopment and infill development across the region."
3) Equity - "Equity connects all residents to opportunity and creates viable housing and
transportation options for people of all races, ethnicities, incomes and abilities so that all
communities share the opportunities and challenges of growth and change. For our region to reach
its full economic potential, all of our residents must be able to access opportunity. Our region is
Page 2
stronger when all people live in communities that provide them access to opportunities for success,
prosperity, and quality of life. Promoting equity means:
Using our influence and investments to build a more equitable region;
Creating real choices in where people live and how people travel for all our residents, across
age, race and ethnicity, economic means and ability;
Investing in a mix of housing affordability along the region's transitways; and
Engaging a full cross-section of the community in decision-making."
4) Livability - "Liability focuses on the quality of our residents' lives and experiences in our region
and how place and infrastructure create and enhance the quality of life that makes our region a
great place to live. With abundant and beautiful open space, an active arts community, a range of
housing options, and a reasonable cost of living, the Twin Cities region is widely recognized for its
high quality of life."
The Metropolitan Council's focus on livability is on creating and renewing vibrant places and
underlying infrastructure, investing in regional parks and affordable housing, and collaborating with
partners to achieve the full range of possibilities that make our region a great place to live. Livability
adds value to our region by helping to retain and attract a talented workforce, increasing living
choices, building community identity, highlighting the unique qualities of local places, and
supporting individual decisions that reinforce those qualities. The Council is committed to
increasing livability in the region through its authorities, its investments in infrastructure, and its
collaboration with others to sustain and increase a high quality of life. Enhancing livability means:
Promoting healthy communities and active living through planning and investments;
Increasing access to nature and outdoor recreation through regional parks and trails;
Supporting regional bicycle facilities to promote bicycling for transportation, recreation and
healthy lifestyles;
Providing housing and transportation choices for a range of demographic characteristics and
economic means; and
Aligning resources to support transit -oriented development and walkable places."
5) Sustainability - "Sustainability means protecting our regional vitality for generations to come by
preserving our capacity to maintain and support our region's well-being and productivity over the
long-term. The region's investments in prosperity, equity and livability will fall short over the long
term if the region exhausts its resources without investing in the future. Planning for sustainability
means:
Promoting the wise use of water through expanding water conservation and reuse, increasing
groundwater recharge, and optimizing surface water and groundwater use;
Providing leadership, information and technical assistance to support local governments'
consideration of climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience; and
Operating the region's wastewater treatment and transit systems sustainably."
Page 3
As stated earlier, the five outcomes are the "why" the Thrive MSP 2040 plan has been created.
Based on the draft document, the "how" is in the three principles included in the plan: Integration,
Collaboration and Accountability.
1) Integration - "Integration is the intentional combining of related activities to achieve more
effective, greater results, leveraging multiple policy tools and address complex regional challenges
and opportunities. The Metropolitan Council is committed to integrating its activities to pursue its
outcomes, achieve greater efficiencies and address problems that are too complex for singular
approaches. The Thrive outcomes are lofty ideals that cut across the Council's functions and
responsibilities. Pursuing them demands that the Council use its full range of authorities and
activities in ever -more coordinated ways. Achieving integration means:
Moving beyond organizational silos to leverage all of the Council's divisions, roles and
authorities in addressing regional issues; and
Coordinating effectively with partners and stakeholders across and through the region."
2) Collaboration - "Collaboration recognizes that shared efforts advance our region most effectively
toward shared outcomes. Addressing the region's issues - particularly the emerging challenges of
climate change, economic competitiveness, racial disparities, and water sustainability - requires
collaboration because no single entity has the capacity or the authority to do the work alone."
Even when one entity is the primary funder or investor in a project, success requires the
coordinated collaboration of a range of public and private entities to fully realize the development
potential. For the Council, acting collaboratively means:
Being open to shared strategies, supportive partnerships and reciprocal relationships;
Convening the region's best thinkers, experts, and stakeholders to address complex regional
issues beyond the capacity or authority of any single jurisdiction or institution; and
Providing additional technical assistance and enhanced information to support local planning
and decision-making."
3) Accountability - "For the Council, accountability represents a commitment to monitor and
evaluate the effectiveness of our policies and practices toward achieving shared outcomes and a
willingness to adjust course to improve performance. Thrive MSP 2040 aspires to be the foundation
for regional policy that is accountable to the hopes, dreams, and vision expressed by the region's
residents, local governments, and the Council's regional partners throughout the development of
this document. Acting accountably means:
Adopting a data -driven approach to measure progress toward the outcomes;
Learning from the results of measures and indicators to guide future refinements of our policies;
Providing clear, easily accessible information about our progress; and
Deploying the Council's authority when necessary."
Thrive 240 is in essence a high level policy document that the Metropolitan Council will use to
review and coordinate plans. On page 50 of the 122 page document, the Metropolitan Council
starts to get specific on expectations. They start by redefining the differences in communities and
Page 4
creating new community designations. The draft plan designates Plymouth as a "Suburban Edge"
community that will be required to develop at a density of 3 - 5 units / acre. The other Suburban
Edge communities are: Maple Grove, Chaska, Shakopee, Savage, Cottage Grove, Woodbury, Inver
Grove Heights and Blaine. The draft plan provides a one page description of what a Suburban Edge
community is - primarily a community that has experienced significant growth in the 1990s through
today, has additional land for future growth, includes regional job centers, is more auto -oriented,
with self contained neighborhoods, access to regional trails, an increasing demand for transit,
potential water supply issues and natural resources.
The draft Thrive MSP 2040 plan continues by detailing proposed Land Use Policies. The policies
include an initial defining statement followed by a more detailed discussion on what is involved in
each policy and a listing of general Metropolitan Council and Community roles (the discussion on
land use polices starts on page 63). The draft plan further discusses specific goals for each
community designation (the Suburban Edge discussion is on pages 96 — 99). Following are the seven
land use policies, each defining statement and the expected roles of communities (both general
roles and Suburban Edge roles):
1) Orderly and Efficient Land Use - "Align land use, development patterns, and infrastructure to
make the best use of public and private investment."
Plan and stage development for forecasted growth through 2040 and beyond at overall
average net densities of at least 3 — 5 dwelling units per acre in the community. Target higher
intensity developments in areas with better access to regional sewer and transportation
infrastructure, connections to local commercial activity centers, transit facilities, and
recreational amenities.
Plan and develop interconnected local streets, adequate stormwater infrastructure, adequate
water supply, and properly managed subsurface sewage treatment systems to support local
growth forecasts.
Maintain, replace, or expand local facilities and infrastructure to meet growth and development
needs.
Prepare local water supply, wellhead protection, wastewater, and local surface water plans as
required by the Metropolitan Land Planning Act.
Plan land use patterns that facilitate groundwater recharge areas to promote development in
accordance with natural resources protection and efficient use of land."
2) Natural Resources Protection - "Conserve, restore, and protect the region's natural resources to
ensure availability, to support public health, and to maintain a high quality of life."
Include goals, priorities, and natural resource conservation strategies in the local
comprehensive plan to protect and enhance natural resources identified in regional and local
natural resource inventories.
Adopt and enforce ordinances for the conservation and restoration of natural resources within
the community.
Work with regional partners and regional park implementing agencies to identify, plan for, and
acquire natural areas and resources prime for preservation and protection.
Encourage site planning that incorporates natural areas as part of site development and
redevelopment.
Page 5
Integrate water sustainability and protection of groundwater recharge areas into local plans.
Consider how development, irrigation, reductions in infiltration and inflow, and increased
surface runoff impact recharge and consider conservation strategies and best management
practices to mitigate these impacts.
Implement best management practices to control and treat stormwater as redevelopment
opportunities arise."
3) Water Sustainability - "Conserve, restore, and protect the quality and quantity of the region's
water resources to ensure ongoing availability, to support public health, and to maintain a high
quality of life."
Collaborate and convene with state, regional and local partners to protect, maintain, and
enhance natural resource protection and the protection of the quality and quantity of the
region's water resources and water supply.
Prepare and implement local water supply plans and source water (wellhead) protection
ordinances, consistent with Minnesota Rules part 4720, in all communities with municipal water
supply.
Prepare and implement local surface water plans as required by Minnesota rules Chapter 8410,
the Metropolitan Land Planning Act, and the 2040 Water Resources Policy Plan.
Reduce infiltration and inflow (1/1) into the local wastewater collection system. Participate in 1/1
grant programs as available.
Incorporate current MPCA regulations (Minn. Rules Chapters 7080-7082) as part of a program
for managing subsurface sewage treatment systems (SSTS) in the comprehensive plan and local
ordinances, and implement the standards in issuing permits. Describe the conditions under
which the installation of SSTS will be permitted and the areas not suitable for public or private
systems.
Adopt and enforce ordinances related to stormwater management and erosion control.
Adopt and implement best management practices for abating, preventing, and reducing point
and nonpoint source pollution.
Integrate drinking water source protection into local land use decisions, particularly in Drinking
Water Supply Management Areas.
Develop programs that encourage stormwater management, treatment, and infiltration.
Explore alternative water supply sources to ensure adequate water resources beyond 2040."
4) Housing Affordability and Choice - "Promote housing options to give people in all life stages and
of all economic means viable choices for safe, stable, and affordable homes."
Prepare a local comprehensive plan that addresses the affordable housing planning
requirements of the Metropolitan Land Planning Act, including guiding sufficient land to support
a community's share of the regional affordable housing need and an implementation section
that identifies the programs, fiscal devices, and official controls to be employed to address a
community's share of the regional need for affordable housing.
Review local ordinances, policies, and partnerships to ensure they encourage and facilitate the
opportunity for the development or preservation of affordable and lifecycle housing.
Identify and analyze local markets, location, condition and availability of affordable units, both
publicly -subsidized and naturally -occurring, to inform the local Housing Action Plan as part of
the local comprehensive plan.
Page 6
Participate in the Livable Communities Act (LCA) Programs by negotiating affordable and
lifecycle housing goals that support regional and local housing needs, and prepare a Housing
Action Plan to address those goals and become eligible to access grant funding to address local
development and redevelopment objectives.
Address the relationship of local industries to the affordability of housing in the community.
Use state, regional, and federal sources of funding and/or financing and development tools
allowed by state law to assist the feasibility of the development of new lifecycle and affordable
housing.
Develop or use programs to preserve the existing stock of naturally -occurring affordable
housing."
S) Access, Mobility, and Transportation Choice - "Sustain and improve a multi -modal transportation
system to support regional growth, maintain regional economic competitiveness, and provide
choices and reliability for the system's users."
Consider travel modes other than the car at all levels of development (site plan, subdivision,
comprehensive planning) to better connect and integrate choices throughout all stages of
planning.
Plan for and construct an interconnected system of local streets, pedestrian, and bicycle
facilities that are integrated with the regional system.
Adopt access management standards that support state and county highway access and
mobility needs.
Plan local roadway systems to minimize short trips on the regional highway system.
Participate on the Transportation Advisory Board and other forums to ensure that the
metropolitan planning process and regional transportation system reflect local needs.
Work with partners in communities, counties, and the region at large to coordinate
transportation, pedestrian, bicycle, and trail connections within and between jurisdictional
boundaries.
Target opportunities for intensive development in corridors or nodes along corridors, consistent
with the 2040 Transportation Policy Plan."
6) Economic Competitiveness - "Foster connected land use options to provide businesses and
industries with access to materials, markets, and talent."
Plan for the further development of existing job and activity centers, and for further
development of centers consistent with the overall regional economy.
Consider completing a community-based market analysis to better understand the market
conditions.
Consider addressing economic competitiveness in the comprehensive plan, acknowledging both
locally and regionally significant economic places.
Preserve sites for river and rail -dependent manufacturing and freight transportation.
Engage with businesses and other employers to ensure their input is provided to the
community's comprehensive plan.
Identify important multi -modal intersections, alternative freight routes, key intersections, and
other existing opportunities that may contribute to local and regional economic
competitiveness.
Page 7
Consider best practices for workforce housing to retain employees of local employment
centers."
7) Building in Resilience - "Promote sensitive land use and development patterns to achieve
Minnesota's adopted greenhouse gas emissions goals at the regional scale, and to develop local
resiliency to the impacts of climate change."
Address climate change mitigation and adaptation through the local comprehensive plan.
Identify local measures that would result in reductions in water use, energy consumption, and
emissions of greenhouse gases.
Ensure access to solar energy by addressing it in local comprehensive plans and ordinances, as
required by the Metropolitan Land Planning Act, and consider the use of other alternative
energy sources as part of the planning process.
Identifying local measures to address impacts to local economies, local resources, and
infrastructure systems as a result of more frequent or severe weather events.
Identify local initiatives as cost saving measures that may, as a result, lower energy
consumption, reduce the generation of greenhouse gas emissions, preserve water supply,
reduce municipal waste, and increase participation in recycling programs, for example.
Participate in programs that evaluate and share city practices and provide technical support,
such as GreenSteps program and the Regional Indicators Initiative.
Implement compact development patterns and create more connected places to reduce auto -
dependency and related generation of green house gas emissions."
The final section of the draft plan lists the updated 2040 population, household and employment
projections. Staff transmitted the updated numbers to the City Council shortly after the
Metropolitan Council released them. They are repeated below:
Population - 87,800 (down from the 101,800 original projection and up from staff's estimate of
82,085)
Households - 35,500 (down from the 42,200 original projection and up slightly from staff's estimate
of 35,192).
Employment - 68,600 (up slightly from the 68,500 original projection and up from staff's estimate of
59,986).
CONCLUSION
Much of the Thrive 2040 draft document consists of high level policy statements that are open to
interpretation and will be further defined in the system and policy plans that will be distributed
starting later this year. Although some of the statements may cause challenges when developing
the 2018 comprehensive plan update, staff finds that none would prevent the city from developing a
plan that outlines Plymouth's desired future. Although comment may be necessary after the
Metropolitan Council completes and distributes its more detailed plans and transmits the city's
system statement, staff has not identified a need to submit comments at this time.
Page 8
3. BUDGET IMPACT:
Each year $20,000 is included in the Community Development Planning Budget and then
transferred to the long range planning fund to cover the next comprehensive plan update. A
total of $200,000 will be available for the 2018 comprehensive plan update.
4. ATTACHMENTS:
Draft Metropolitan Council Thrive MSP 2040 Document
Page 9
204C
Thrive Anse
ONE VISION, ONE METROPOLITAN REGION
DRAFT
FOR
PUBLIC REVIEW
AND COMMENT
IN
L
The Metropolitan Council has released the comprehensive development guide for the Twin
Cities metropolitan area, Thrive MSP 2040, for public comment.
The public is encouraged to view the plan and provide public comment, through Monday, April
28, as follows (comments must be received by 5 p.m.):
Written comments: Metropolitan Council
390 N. Robert St., St. Paul, 55101
Fax comments to: 651-602-1464
Send TTY comments to: 651-291-0904
Email: public.info(@metc.state.mn.us
Record comments on Council's Public Comment Line at 651-602-1500
Submit comments through the Council's online Your Ideas site, at
http://yourideas. metrocouncil. orcj/.
The Metropolitan Council will hold two public hearings on the Thrive MSP 2040 plan:
Thursday, April 10, 5 p.m.
F.T Heywood Office Building, Chambers
560 Sixth Avenue North, Minneapolis
Served by regional transit routes 5, 19, 22, and METRO Blue Line
Wednesday, April 16, 5 p.m.
Metropolitan Council Chambers
390 Robert Street North, St. Paul
Served by many regional transit routes
All interested persons are encouraged to attend the public hearings and offer comments. Those
attending may register in advance to speak by calling the Council at 651-602-1140. Upon
request, the Metropolitan Council will provide reasonable accommodations to persons with
disabilities. Advance notice, indicating the specific accommodation needed, is appreciated.
Staff will review public comment and evaluate changes to the document to address the
comments submitted by the public. A recommendation for final adoption of the Thrive MSP 2040
plan will be considered by the Metropolitan Council in May 2014.
Page 11
Contents: Preliminary Draft
AThriving Region...................................................................................................................... 1
Continued population and job growth through 2040................................................................ 1
Changes and challenges that lie ahead for our region............................................................ 2
The opportunity of a regional approach.................................................................................. 4
Thrive MSP 2040: Planning a prosperous, equitable, and livable region for today and
generationsto come............................................................................................................... 5
Thrive: Outcomes...................................................................................................................... 7
Stewardship............................................................................................................................ 9
Responsibly managing finite natural resources................................................................... 9
Pivoting from expanding to maintaining our region's wastewater and highway infrastructure
10
Leveraging transit infrastructure investments with higher expectations of land use ............ 12
Prosperity..............................................................................................................................13
Fostering the conditions for shared economic vitality by balancing major investments across
theregion...........................................................................................................................14
Protecting natural resources that are the foundation of prosperity......................................14
Planning for and investing in infrastructure, amenities and quality of life needed for
economic competitiveness.................................................................................................15
Encouraging redevelopment and infill development across the region...............................18
Equity....................................................................................................................................19
Using our influence and investments to build a more equitable region...............................20
Expanding choices in where we live and how we travel for all our residents, across age,
race and ethnicity, economic means, and ability................................................................22
Investing in a mix of housing affordability along the region's transit corridors ..................... 23
Engaging a full cross-section of the community in decision-making...................................23
Livability................................................................................................................................24
Increasing access to nature and outdoor recreation through regional parks and trails .......25
Providing housing and transportation choices for a range of demographic characteristics
and economic means.........................................................................................................26
Supporting the region's bicycle and pedestrian facilities to promote bicycling for
transportation, recreation and healthy lifestyles..................................................................27
Aligning resources to support transit -oriented development and walkable places ..............28
Sustainability.........................................................................................................................29
Promoting the wise use of water........................................................................................29
Providing leadership to support climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience ........ 30
Operating wastewater treatment and transit systems sustainably......................................32
Thrive: Principles.....................................................................................................................34
Integration.............................................................................................................................35
Moving beyond organizational silos....................................................................................35
Coordinating effectively with partners and stakeholders.....................................................36
Collaboration.........................................................................................................................37
Being open to shared strategies, supportive partnerships and reciprocal relationships ......37
Convening to address complex regional issues.................................................................37
Providing additional technical assistance and enhanced information to support local
planning.............................................................................................................................38
Accountability........................................................................................................................41
Adopting a data -driven approach to measure progress......................................................41
Learning from indicators.....................................................................................................41
Page 12
Providing clear, easily accessible information....................................................................42
Deploying the Council's authority.......................................................................................42
SpecialFeatures.......................................................................................................................43
Applying policies to specific places: Moving beyond one size fits all.....................................43
Racially Concentrated Areas of Poverty and Areas of Concentrated Poverty ........................44
Station Areas on Existing and Planned Transitways..............................................................45
Water Supply Considerations................................................................................................46
Joband Activity Centers........................................................................................................47
Wastewater Service Areas....................................................................................................48
Regionally Significant Ecological Resources.........................................................................49
Community Designations..........................................................................................................50
Urban and Rural Service Areas.............................................................................................50
Urban Center: Growing vitality in the region's core................................................................53
Urban: Redeveloping to meet the needs of new generations.................................................54
Suburban: Cultivating places where people can gather.........................................................55
Suburban Edge: Managing rapid growth and change............................................................56
Emerging Suburban Edge: Transitioning from rural to developed.........................................57
Rural Centers: Serving the rural area as small town centers of commerce ............................58
Diversified Rural: Protecting land for rural lifestyles and long-term urbanization ....................59
Rural Residential: Limiting unsustainable growth patterns.....................................................60
Agricultural: Preserving large swaths of farmland..................................................................61
LandUse Policies.....................................................................................................................62
Settingthe Stage...................................................................................................................62
LandUse Policies..................................................................................................................63
Orderly and Efficient Land Use..............................................................................................64
Natural Resources Protection................................................................................................66
WaterSustainability...............................................................................................................69
Housing Affordability and Choice...........................................................................................72
Access, Mobility, and Transportation Choice.........................................................................74
Economic Competitiveness...................................................................................................77
Buildingin Resilience............................................................................................................78
Strategies for Community Designations....................................................................................82
Urban Center: Growing vitality in the region's core...............................................................82
Urban: Redeveloping to meet the needs of new generations................................................87
Suburban: Cultivating places where people can gather........................................................92
Suburban Edge: Managing rapid growth and change...........................................................96
Emerging Suburban Edge: Transitioning from rural to developed .......................................100
Rural Centers: Serving the rural areas as small town centers of commerce .......................104
Diversified Rural: Protecting land for rural lifestyles and long-term urbanization .................107
Rural Residential: Limiting unsustainable growth patterns..................................................111
Agricultural: Preserving large swaths of farmland...............................................................114
ImplementingThrive................................................................................................................117
Nextsteps...........................................................................................................................117
Local Planning Process.......................................................................................................117
Technical Assistance...........................................................................................................118
Sector Representative Program.......................................................................................118
Tools and Resources.......................................................................................................118
Workshops.......................................................................................................................118
Planning Grants and Loans..............................................................................................118
DraftLocal Forecasts.............................................................................................................119
Page 13
A Thriving Region
Our region is anchored by three great rivers, dotted by hundreds of lakes, and
endowed with wide expanses of green space, giving our residents beautiful
landscapes that inspire and renew. Its largest river—the Mississippi—gave birth
to two frontier settlements—Minneapolis and Saint Paul. From this base, our
region has grown and prospered, and is now well-known for its high quality of
life, strong economy and many assets:
A resilient economy,
Vibrant arts, music and theatre communities and professional sports
teams;
Rich cultural diversity;
Abundant parks, recreational trails, conserved open space, and natural
resources; and
A civic tradition of shared action.
Today, the Twin Cities metropolitan area—the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan
Council—is a thriving region of nearly three million people living in 186
communities across the seven counties of Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin,
Ramsey, Scott and Washington. The region has emerged as a world-class
metropolitan area—a great place to live, work, raise a family and do business.
Our region's economy nimbly weathers the ups and downs of national trends. A diverse mix of
high-tech and high -value-added industries call the Twin Cities home—including the
headquarters of 18 Fortune 500 companies—and benefit from our highly -educated workforce
and numerous educational institutions. Efficient transportation systems smoothly move people
and goods to their destinations, and our residents enjoy a reasonable cost of living, benefitting
from lower-priced public services.
The region offers residents a wide range of communities to call home—active urban districts,
city and suburban neighborhoods, small towns, and rural areas. Healthy residents enjoy active
lifestyles and year-round outdoor activities. Sperling's BestP/aces has ranked the Twin Cities
as "the most playful metro in America" for the health, happiness and low stress of its residents.
In survey after survey, residents have declared our metropolitan area better or much better than
other regions around the country.
Above all, our region has embraced a civic tradition of shared action by government, nonprofit
and philanthropic organizations, community groups and business leaders to enhance our
communities and the region as a whole. The strengths that have made our region a success will
help us meet the changes and challenges of today and tomorrow.
Continued population and job growth through 2040
More people. Over the next thirty years, our region is projected to grow by 824,000 residents,
29% more than in 2010. Two-thirds of this population growth is likely to result from natural
growth—more births than deaths and longer life expectancies. The remaining one-third will
Page 14
come from migration as our region's economic opportunities attract migrants from the rest of the
nation and world.
More jobs and economic growth. With 1.6 million
jobs, the Minneapolis -Saint Paul region is the
predominant economic center for Minnesota, western
Wisconsin, the Dakotas and Montana and is the
nation's 13th largest metropolitan economy. Between
2010 and 2040, our region is projected to add 550,000
new jobs, an increase of 36%. Having surpassed one
million jobs by 1980, our region is projected to surpass
two million jobs by 2040. The total value added by all
industry sectors in the region—the Gross Metropolitan
Product—will rise to $400 billion in 2040. That $400
billion represents 1.5% of the U.S. Gross Domestic
Product, a major achievement considering that the
region has less than 1.0% of the nation's population.
Twin Cities Population
in millions)
O 9O O
OHO
ON
OHO Or§
5
ONO
Ip ti I ti
Over the next three decades, our region will see more infill development, investment and
intensification in the older, urbanized, and most accessible parts of the region. Driving this
change are our aging population, new residential preferences among younger households, and
increasing interest in sustainable lifestyles. Suburban edge communities will continue to grow
and fill in though more slowly than in decades past.
Changes and challenges that lie ahead for our region
As we plan for our next 30 years, key challenges lie ahead—constrained fiscal resources, new
demands stemming from demographic shifts, emerging environmental challenges, new regional
planning priorities, and the increasing necessity of regional economic cooperation.
The growing need to preserve and maintain our aging infrastructure is an increasing burden
on limited fiscal resources. For example:
Seventy-five years after the construction of the Metro Plant on the Mississippi River, our
region's aging wastewater infrastructure requires ongoing investments to remain
effective.
Similarly, crumbling roads and bridges demonstrate the necessity for higher levels of
investment to maintain our highway system.
The 2013 Minnesota State Highway Investment Plan, prepared by the Minnesota
Department of Transportation, shows that the region will have only $52 million available
annually from 2014 to 2022 for highway mobility improvements, meeting only one-
quarter of the projected need. From 2023 onward, all state transportation funding will be
devoted to preservation of the existing system.
Page 15
Our population is changing in ways that will influence the shape of our future growth and
development:
Our region is aging
rapidly. More than Twin Cities Population by Age
one in five residents
will be age 65 and
older in 2040, Ages 65+
307,000 /475,000. 681,000 781,000
i
compared to one in Ages 25-64ninein2010. 1,579,000 1,624,000 1,644,000 1,750,000
By 2040, 40% of the Ages 15-24
population will bees 0-14 Ag . -I I1 off
people of color, 1 11 V • -11 I M • : •
compared to 24% in
2010. 2010 2020 2030 2040
The region will gain 391,000 new households by 2040, requiring, on average, over
13,000 new housing units a year. With the changing demographics, these new
households are likely to have different housing needs than today's households:
Only one in five net new households will be households with children.
Seniors will want housing to fit post-retirement lifestyles, often in walkable and
transit -served areas accessible to services and amenities.
Significant racial disparities—in income, employment, poverty, homeownership,
education—persist just as our region is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. If
today's disparities by race and ethnicity continue, our region would likely have 124,000
fewer people with jobs, 186,000 fewer homeowners, 274,000 more people in poverty
and $31.8 billion less income compared to the outcomes if residents of color had the
same socioeconomic characteristics as today's white residents. Unchallenged, these
disparities jeopardize the future economic vitality of our region.
Emerging environmental challenges threaten the continued livability of our region:
We have long assumed that our region has plenty of water, but we now recognize that
our reliance on groundwater is unsustainable. Increased pumping of groundwater to
support development is depleting aquifers, affecting lakes, streams and wetlands. In
some areas, groundwater levels have been dropping a foot a year since the 1970s.
Our region is already feeling the effects of climate change as we experience more
severe weather events and temperature extremes. Severe heat waves have stressed
people, agriculture and energy supplies. Increased frequency of severe weather is
already increasing homeowner insurance premiums and repair costs of public facilities,
as the City of Duluth experienced in the aftermath of torrential rains in 2012.
As we approach a half -century of coordinated planning across the region, new planning
challenges and opportunities are emerging:
Growth is occurring in not only new suburban subdivisions connected to the regional
wastewater treatment system, but also redeveloping parts of the region. This
redevelopment more efficiently uses existing regional infrastructure, but the challenges
Page 16
and opportunities of infill, higher densities, and redevelopment can be complex and
costly for local units of government.
An aging multifamily housing stock, including the large number of rental apartments built
in the 1960s and 1970s, is ready for reinvestment to both retain structural integrity and
meet the housing preferences of today's households. Many of these units have aged
into affordability but are at risk of functional obsolescence.
Light rail, commuter rail and bus rapid transit lines are changing the landscape by
attracting new real estate development in station areas and creating more choices for
how people move about the region.
In today's economy, regions are the primary drivers of economic growth. Our region competes
economically with other regions across the nation and the globe. To thrive in this competitive
environment, our region's public jurisdictions and private interests must work together.
From 2000 to 2010, the region saw its first decade with net job loss since the Great
Depression, losing 63,000 jobs over the decade. While our region was not alone losing
jobs, regional leaders responded by strengthening our focus on a shared economic
competitiveness strategy and creating the regional economic development partnership
GREATER MSP.
In the next 20 years, employers will face a retirement boom. Workforce turnover, skilled
workforce preparedness and succession planning will be major challenges for employers
not just for the Twin Cities, but for the nation as a whole. While the Council does not
play a role in education, it recognizes that a skilled, educated workforce is a key factor in
maintaining a competitive region.
The opportunity of a regional approach
As a region, we can react to these challenges, or we can plan for these challenges. The
coordinated regional planning approach underlying the Metropolitan Council and
institutionalized in the Metropolitan Land Planning Act uniquely equips our region to transform
challenges into opportunities to thrive.
In the late 1960s when the Metropolitan Council was created, community leaders saw
value in collaborating to solve regional issues. At that time, the Minneapolis -Saint Paul
region was facing tough challenges resulting from rapid population growth and unimpeded
urban sprawl:
Rapid growth was threatening ecosystems and natural areas better suited for
preservation as parks and open space.
Inadequately treated wastewater was emptying into lakes, rivers and waterways.
The Twin Cities' privately -owned bus company was rapidly deteriorating, a victim of
rising fares, declining ridership and an aging bus fleet.
Growing fiscal disparities were making it difficult for communities with inadequate tax
capacity to fund essential services.
The Minnesota Legislature took unprecedented action to address these challenges. In 1967, the
Legislature created the Metropolitan Council and gave it responsibilities for planning and
coordinating the region's growth and setting policies to deal with regional issues. On signing the
Page 17
bill, then Governor Harold LeVander observed that the Council "was conceived with the idea
that we will be faced with more and more problems that will pay no heed to the boundary lines
which mark the end of one community and the beginning of another." A region -wide perspective
provides the opportunity to address issues that:
are bigger than any one community can address alone;
cross community boundaries to affect multiple communities;
could benefit from an opportunity to share best practices; or
require resources that are most effectively used at a regional scale.
Four additional actions created today's regional organizational structure:
1969: The Legislature created the Metropolitan Sewer Board to consolidate sewer
systems, reduce costs, and modernize the system.
1969: The Legislature created the Metropolitan Transit Commission to acquire the
privately held transit system with the charge to overhaul the system, buy new buses, and
improve signage, shelters, and bus stops.
1974: The Legislature designated more than 31,000 acres of existing city and county
parks to be a new regional parks and open space system.
1994: The Legislature gave the Council operational control over transit and regional
wastewater systems—consolidating planning, services, and operations into a single
agency.
For nearly 50 years the Metropolitan Council has played a key role in coordinating regional
growth and planning—providing essential services such as transportation and wastewater
treatment, and convening partners to accomplish ambitious goals unrealistic for a single
community but possible as a region. Thinking ahead—and working together—helps the region
achieve a high quality of life, economies of scale, high-quality regional services, and a
competitive edge envied by other metropolitan areas.
Thrive MSP 2040: Planning a prosperous, equitable, and
livable region for today and generations to come
Under state law, the Council is responsible for preparing a comprehensive development guide
for the seven -county metropolitan area. Thrive MSP 2040 provides a framework for a shared
vision for the future of our region over the next 30 years. While the Council is responsible for
developing Thrive and the plans for the three statutory regional systems—wastewater,
transportation, and regional parks—the vision within Thrive can only succeed through
partnerships with local governments, residents, businesses, philanthropy and the non-profit
sector.
As a regional plan, Thrive addresses issues greater than any one neighborhood, city or single
county can tackle alone to build and maintain a thriving metropolitan region. At the same time,
the future's increasingly complex challenges demand innovative strategies and greater
collaboration. Building on our region's past planning successes, the Council will adopt more
collaborative, integrative approaches to allocating limited funds and addressing the demanding
challenges that lie ahead. Protecting our resources and investments, Thrive provides the
foundation for a prosperous, equitable, and livable region for today and generations to come.
Page 18
Page 19
Thrive: Outcomes
The Metropolitan Council has listened to the aspirations voiced by the region's
residents, civic, nonprofit and business leaders, and government officials and
woven their thoughts and hopes into five desired outcomes that define our
shared regional vision:
Stewardship f,) Prosperity ,) Equity cR Livability cR Sustainability
These five outcomes reinforce and support one another to produce greater benefits than any
single outcome alone. Stewardship leads to decisions that advance prosperity, equity, livability,
and sustainability. Prosperity provides more resources to support stewardship, equity, livability
and sustainability. Equity is crucial to creating greater prosperity and livability in the region. And
so on.
Plans, policies and projects that balance all five of these outcomes will create positive change,
while efforts that advance only one or two at the expense of the others may fall short over the
long term. Policymakers make tough decisions at the intersections of these five outcomes,
weighing the benefits and costs of their options against these five outcomes. Focusing on
outcomes allows for flexibility in implementation—both for the Council's systems and policy
plans and for local comprehensive plans—while prioritizing a shared strategic vision.
With Thrive MSP 2040, the Metropolitan Council is adopting an outcomes -orientation to its
regional policy, focusing on policies that demonstrably improve our region. The Council is
challenging itself, local governments and its regional partners and stakeholders to describe how
their work advances the five Thrive outcomes. Outcomes describe how our investments and
our policies are enriching our region for our residents and businesses, not how much money we
are investing or how many miles of highway, interceptor pipe or rail we are building.
Living out the Council's first principle of integration, the following narrative weaves together all of
the Council's core policy authorities – from affordable housing and aviation to wastewater
treatment and water supply – in the framework of the five outcomes. The Thrive outcomes—
Stewardship, Prosperity, Equity, Livability and Sustainability—are lofty ideals that defy simple
categorization into the Council's authorities. Instead, progress toward these outcomes demands
that the Council use its full range of authorities and activities in a new, coordinated way.
Integrated approaches will advance the Thrive vision of a prosperous, equitable, and livable
region for today and generations to come.
Page 20
Page 21
Stewardship
Stewardship advances the Metropolitan Council's longstanding mission of
orderly and economical development by responsibly managing the region's
natural and financial resources and making strategic investments in our region's
future. Several of the major challenges that the Council was established to
address—such as an aging bus fleet and inadequately treated wastewater
polluting the region's lakes, rivers, and streams—demonstrate the need for
effective regional stewardship. Stewardship means:
Responsibly managing of our region's finite resources, including natural
resources—such as lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands, groundwater, high
quality natural habitats, and agricultural soils—financial resources, and our
existing investments in infrastructure;
Pivoting from expanding to maintaining our region's wastewater and
highway infrastructure;
Leveraging our infrastructure investments with higher expectations of land
use.
Responsibly managing finite natural resources
The region enjoys a bounty of natural resources including three major rivers, over 900 lakes,
extensive wetlands, native prairie, woodland habitats, and an abundant groundwater system.
These rich natural assets are part of our regional identity, enhancing our quality of life and
supporting a strong economy. Natural areas recharge our aquifers and clean stormwater runoff
and slow its flow, reducing flood damage and improving the quality of rivers, lakes, streams,
wetlands and groundwater.
Natural resources also provide a variety of benefits that would be costly to replace. Tree
canopies shade our buildings and absorb carbon dioxide and pollutants. Wetlands and upland
woods and prairies provide wildlife habitat and offer access to nature. Local research "confirms
that many types of open spaces, from parks and nature preserves to greenways, wetlands and
lakes, have a positive effect on nearby property values."I
Nonetheless, challenges to the quality and extent of natural resources abound. Making natural
resources a key part of the planning and development process will help protect highly prized
natural features for current and future generations. Protecting and preserving the region's
natural resources for future generations have long been an important part of the Council's work.
The Council works to preserve natural resources by partnering with local governments on land
use planning, incorporating natural resources as a consideration in the Council's own planning
and infrastructure investment decisions, and planning and funding regional parks. The Council
uses its investments in the Regional Parks and Open Space System to conserve scarce natural
Wilder Research, The Economic Value of Open Space, 2005
Page 22
resources, such as habitats for endangered species, fens, unique habitats, conserved prairie,
wetlands, and water resources. For example, regional park resources such as the Minneapolis
Chain of Lakes and Lebanon Hills in Dakota County help preserve important ecological and
natural features. Since its founding in 1974, the regional parks and open space system has
protected natural resources, including 30,700 acres of land designated as Regionally Significant
Ecological Areas. In addition, the Council partners with the Minnesota Department of Natural
Resources, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and other state and local organizations to
manage natural resources, especially water.
Although the region is a water -rich area, the quality of its rivers, lakes, and streams suffers from
stormwater runoff that carries sediment, phosphorus, nitrates, oils, road salt, and other
pollutants. Loss of natural areas contributes to increased runoff and lowered water quality. Best
management practices minimize pollutants in the region's surface- and groundwater. Proper
management of subsurface sewage treatment systems is needed to minimize impacts on
surface water, groundwater and public health. The Council and its partners will work to maintain
and improve the quality and availability of the region's water resources (rivers, streams, lakes,
aquifers, and wetlands) to support healthy habitats and ecosystem while providing for
recreational opportunities. To protect natural resources, the Council will:
Fund ongoing acquisition of priority natural resources and the last best places into the
Regional Parks and Open Space System.
Encourage local governments to locate and design new developments in a way that
preserves and benefits from the natural environment to reduce development pressures
that endanger natural resources by promoting growth in already -urbanized areas.
Assess the quality of the regional groundwater system and its vulnerability to land use
changes as well as identifying high potential areas for recharge.
Monitor and assess the condition of the region's lakes, rivers and streams.
Partner to conserve, maintain, and restore natural resources identified in local natural
resource inventories.
Provide direction, guidance and technical assistance on best management practices for
effective stormwater management and land use strategies that preserve and protect
natural resources.
Continue to ask local governments that their local comprehensive plans to include local
natural resources inventories, identify the tension points between natural resource
protections and development pressures; and adopt local land uses and planning
strategies for protecting natural resources and minimizing development impacts.
Pivoting from expanding to maintaining our region's wastewater and highway
infrastructure
As with preserving natural resources, the Council is expected to be a wise steward of public
financial resources and to strategically, effectively and efficiently guide those dollars to the
greatest benefit to our region. The combination of structural and demographic changes has
made public resources for infrastructure expansion and preservation much more limited than in
the last half of the 201" century. Consequently, it becomes more critical that we make smart
investments and wise financial decisions to maximize the benefit from the resources we have.
The deterioration of roadway pavement and the aging condition of the regional sewers
demonstrate the urgency of investing significantly more in their preservation and maintenance. It
Page 23
is time to strike a new balance between being good stewards of the infrastructure we have and
building more. As a result, the Council is pivoting from an emphasis on expanding our
systems—especially wastewater and highways—to maintaining the infrastructure we have and
maximizing the impact of limited dollars.
The Council's effective planning, combined with slowed population growth and reduced per
capita water use over the last decade, has created a regional wastewater treatment system with
adequate capacity and service coverage planned through at least 2040. Prudent planning and
system improvements at the regional and local levels have helped maintain and extend the
capacity and life of the existing wastewater treatment system. Working with local governments,
the Council has planned out the region's wastewater system through 2030, and forecasted
population growth to 2040 suggests minimal need to expand the wastewater system's
geographic footprint. As a result, the Council's attention will increasingly turn from managing
the edge of the system to ensuring adequate maintenance and capacity in the redeveloping
areas of the region in order to efficiently use existing wastewater investments.
Our region's highway investment strategy exemplifies the need and the opportunity for
thoughtful and strategic stewardship of resources. While some gaps remain, the region's
highway network is essentially complete and must now be rebuilt. The highway preservation
and maintenance needs are increasing as federal, state, and local resources for roads and
bridges continue to decline. For example, gas tax revenues are declining due to improved fuel
efficiency, changing travel patterns, and lost purchasing power as costs rise over time. The
2013 Minnesota State Highway Investment Plan shows that the region will have only $52 million
available annually from 2014 to 2022 for highway mobility improvements, a reduction from 2030
Transportation Policy Plan projections and meeting one-fourth of the anticipated need. From
2023 onward, all state highway funding will be devoted to preservation of the existing system.
While the region must operate, maintain, and rebuild the existing highway system, these
investments alone cannot accommodate the growing region. Regional roadway congestion is a
sign of economic activity and occurs primarily during peak commuting hours. As a result,
moving more people during these times requires different solutions than just addressing the
congestion. With limited fiscal resources, smart highway capacity investments across the region
must take a system -wide approach and create alternatives to driving alone in congestion, rather
than project -by -project expansions that often simply move the congestion "down the road".
Managed and priced lanes optimize overall highway capacity both for those who use the lanes
and those who do not. Strategic capacity improvements, such as converting signaled
intersections into interchanges and providing Interstate lane continuity, produce a smoother
overall traffic flow from the existing system. The Council's policies will emphasize preserving
existing highway assets and optimizing capacity through strategic investments that will be
further defined in the 2040 Transportation Policy Plan:
Preserve, manage, and optimize the capacity of the existing highway system to move
more people and vehicles;
Construct lower-cost/high-benefit safety and capacity improvement projects on highways
across the region;
Leverage preservation projects with lower-cost/high-benefit investments, such as the 1-
35E Cayuga bridge replacement project which is also adding capacity for managed
lanes;
Expand the regional system of managed lanes to provide a congestion -free option for
those using transit, sharing rides, or willing to pay;
Page 24
Strategically enhance capacity such as converting signaled intersections into highway
interchanges and providing Interstate lane continuity;
Enhance transit projects;
Offer transportation choices that do not involve single -occupant vehicles.
The intersection of land use, urban form and the transportation system shapes the effectiveness
of stewardship of transportation investments. The Council will work with municipalities to align
development patterns and highway investments by focusing growth and investment along
corridors with strong potential for future transit or managed lanes. Areas outside these
corridors may continue to develop but will receive only limited investments from federal or state
sources for new or expanded highways.
Leveraging transit infrastructure investments with higher expectations of land
use
The region has been building its highway system for more than 50 years, but we have only
started to build new fixed -route transitways in the last decade to supplement our extensive bus
network. Our transitway network is largely still in development with opportunities to invest in
transit across the urbanized parts of our region. We have learned that effective stewardship of
public transit dollars requires a more strategic coordination of regional transit investments with
more -intensive surrounding land uses, connected development patterns and urban form. Since
much of our region developed around roads and private automobiles, the changes in land use
and urban form required to make transit successful will be significant. To effectively leverage
our regional transit investments, the Council will need strong local partners who are willing to
plan and invest in their communities and coordinate with neighboring communities to develop
around transit. The Council will:
Prioritize transit investments in areas where infrastructure and development patterns to
support a successful transit system are either in place or committed to in the planning or
development process, balancing transit ridership with added connectivity;
Expand the geographic coverage of transit service in areas with a local commitment to
transit -supportive development patterns and the market for future development;
Stage transit modes, coverage, and service levels to match the intensity of development
to both minimize the risk to public resources and maximize return on public investments;
Define the Council's expectations for transit -supportive land use planning—including
expectations for connectivity, density and intensity, environmental considerations, and
zoning near major transit investments (policy will be refined in the 2040 Transportation
Policy Plan);
Collaborate with municipalities to coordinate land use and development patterns with
frequent, all -day transit service and transitways to increase transit ridership, increase the
likelihood of successful transit investment, and respond to new market opportunities
around transit investment.
In addition to being a responsible steward of its existing resources, we must also focus on our
economic prosperity to expand our pool of resources for future investments.
Page 25
Prosperity
Prosperity is fostered by investments in infrastructure and amenities that create
regional economic competitiveness, thereby attracting and retaining successful
businesses, a talented workforce, and, consequently, wealth. Regional economic
competitiveness results from strategic, long-term public and private decisions
that build on and grow our region's economic strengths relative to other regions.
Collectively, the region must provide great locations for businesses to succeed —
particularly the industries that export products or services beyond the
metropolitan area and bring revenue into the region. Advancing prosperity
involves:
Fostering the conditions for shared economic vitality by balancing major
investments across the region;
Protecting natural resources that are the foundation of prosperity;
Planning for and investing in infrastructure, amenities and quality of life
needed for economic competitiveness;
Encouraging redevelopment and infill development across the region.
Minneapolis and Saint Paul developed as cities because of their favorable locations. Saint Paul
was considered the navigable head of the Mississippi River, while Minneapolis found its origins
alongside the hydropower provided by Saint Anthony Falls where milling blossomed. James J.
Hill's Great Northern Railway brought the agricultural wealth of the entire northwestern United
States through Minneapolis and Saint Paul, creating and reinforcing the region as a financial
hub.
Though the economy has evolved over the last 150 years, businesses seek locational
advantages, particularly access to a skilled workforce, access to markets and an overall
environment that allows them to compete in the global market. Some businesses rely more
heavily on freight and the movement of goods, while knowledge -intensive services concentrate
on moving people to jobs and on the quality of life that attracts and maintains a highly -skilled
workforce.
The Metropolitan Council's regional planning and infrastructure set the stage for our region's
economic competitiveness and prosperity. While local economic development authorities and
others work directly with businesses, the work of creating, attracting and retaining businesses to
the region requires coordinated efforts. The Council's contributions to regional economic
competitiveness lie in the arena of community development—that is, supporting the
infrastructure, amenities and quality of life that are essential to attracting and retaining
businesses and talent. The Council will use its authority and capacity to plan and invest in
community development and consider prosperity and economic competitiveness as a lens
through which to evaluate its planning, operations and investment decisions.
Page 26
Fostering the conditions for shared economic vitality by balancing major
investments across the region
To advance prosperity across the Twin Cities area, the Council will intentionally consider
regional balance – that is, balancing its investments and activities across the region—in its
planning, operations, and investment decisions. The Council's intent is that no part of the
region is consistently favored or consistently ignored. The issue of regional balance has several
multiple dimensions; sometimes the issue is north and east vs. southwest, other times the issue
is suburban edge vs. suburban vs. urban center. Because development patterns vary across
the region, advancing regional balance does not guarantee that all parts of the region will
receive the same level or intensity of investments, activity or attention. Rather, advancing
regional balance will be a consideration that helps all parts of the region receive investments
that promote prosperity at their stage and level of development.
Protecting natural resources that are the foundation of prosperity
Location is only one of the Twin Cities region's attributes that create economic prosperity; our
metropolitan area is also endowed with rich natural resources, such as soil, water and
aggregate that help make our region prosperous.
Prime agricultural soils support the region's farm economy and sustain local food production.
Agricultural land creates economic opportunity for a variety of residents, ranging from farmers
growing crops on century -old family farms to new Americans bringing their farming experience
into small-scale local food production serving farmers' markets. About a half -million acres in the
region, one-quarter of the region's land, are planned, guided and zoned to maintain agriculture
as the primary long-term land use—mainly in a crescent-shaped area through Dakota, Scott and
Carver Counties. The Council supports preserving agricultural land to protect the agricultural
economy in the region, to provide economic opportunities for farmers, and to promote local food
production.
The Council limits urbanization in rural areas to reduce development pressure on farmland and
to avoid the premature extension of roads and sewers. Some of the region's agricultural lands
are identified as part of the Council's long-term service area for sewered development only after
2040. This designation gives the Council greater authority to enable long-term agricultural uses
and avoid premature development until urban densities are needed to accommodate regional
growth. The Council acknowledges that local jurisdictions are best -positioned to determine how
best to guide agricultural land within their borders.
From its role in the early historical development of our region, water is a critical prerequisite of
regional growth and prosperity. Access to clean water through both groundwater and the
Mississippi River will be a competitive advantage for our metropolitan area during the next
century when many other regions around the globe will struggle to provide clean water at a
reasonable cost. Illustrating the economic importance of water supply, the City of Minneapolis
has calculated that a shutdown of its water supply system would cost businesses over
65,000,000 a day. (2013 analysis)
The Council's long-term approach to planning water sustainability gives our region a competitive
edge —particularly considering that other regions across the country are planning for water
supplies in days or weeks, not decades and generations. The Council's regional vision and
approach to managing our regional water resources consider the interrelationships of land use,
development patterns, transportation and other regional services, and water resource
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protection. Managing and using our water resources wisely will sustain the region now and into
the future.
Aggregate—i.e., gravel and crushed rock—is another resource vital to our area. Regional
transportation systems and the building industry need large volumes of aggregate for
construction and maintenance. The local availability of aggregate helps reduce construction
costs for roads, bridges and housing. Because aggregate is a limited resource critical to the
construction industry, it is critical to avoid building over aggregate until aggregate has been
removed. Analysis that was published in 2000 found that as of 1997, 45% of the region's
aggregate deposits had either been built over by development or already mined.2
To protect soils, water and aggregate, the natural resources that are the foundation of economic
prosperity, the Council will:
Encourage local governments to promote and preserve agricultural land.
Maintain and update the regional water supply plan to promote a sustainable water
supply for the long-term.
Incorporate water sustainability considerations in all areas of Council policy and actions,
including overall development patterns, water management, transportation, and housing
and regional parks.
Require local governments to address water sustainability in their local comprehensive
plans.
Work with regional and local partners to identify subregional and local solutions to water
sustainability that balance regional needs and local objectives.
Implement the statutory requirement that local jurisdictions with aggregate resources
within their borders address their goals, intentions, and priorities concerning aggregate
in their local comprehensive plans.
Planning for and investing in infrastructure, amenities and quality of life needed
for economic competitiveness
While Thrive MSP 2040 identifies economic competitiveness as a new emphasis, the Council's
long-range planning and infrastructure investments already advance regional economic
prosperity. The benefits of the Council's regional approach include planning for the efficient
movement of people and freight, providing cost-effective and efficient wastewater treatment and
contributing to a quality of life and cost structure that attract and retain businesses and talent. In
fact, today the Council's wholesale wastewater treatment rates are as much as 40% lower than
comparable regions. Regional transportation systems provide efficient, effective and reliable
access to materials and regional, national and international markets. Time spent in
transportation—for raw materials or finished goods—does not add value to businesses, so
strategic locations require access to efficient transportation. The region's bustling international
airport, rail and river freight systems, regional highways, and growing transit system all work
together to support our vibrant regional economy.
2 Minnesota Geological Survey Information Circular 46, "Aggregate Resources Inventory of the Seven -
County Metropolitan Area, Minnesota", 2000.
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A thriving regional aviation system is an economic asset to the region, providing businesses and
people with competitive access to the global economy. Airport access is particularly important
for our region's corporate headquarters and industries dependent on travel and shipping high-
value goods. Our system of reliever airports provides alternatives for general aviation that are
dispersed across the region and creates options to using the Minneapolis -Saint Paul
International Airport, the region's only commercial service airport. The Council reviews major
capital projects of the Metropolitan Airports Commission and supports investment in airport
facilities to keep pace with market needs and maintain the region's economic vitality.
Our region has a competitive advantage over many regions in its multimodal freight system.
With four Class I railroads (large railroads with a nationwide or continental network) and several
short line railroads, barge shipping on the Mississippi River, and an extensive highway system
anchored by two interstate highways, the freight movement system ensures the accessibility of
the region to markets and raw materials. The region's freight system has four components:
Trucks, the workhorses of the local freight system, carry 75% of all freight in the region.
They are the most flexible mode of the system but need nearby highway access,
appropriate development patterns and predictable mobility to work efficiently.
Freight rail is used for longer -distance (500 miles or more) trips, moving materials,
liquids, commodities or containerized goods, often in specialized cars, at low cost and
with low carbon impact. Industries that ship these bulk products require direct access to
freight rail.
Barges on the Mississippi River move bulk commodities such as aggregate, fertilizer, or
grain long distances at very low cost and with low carbon impact. Barge traffic needs
continued access to ports to succeed.
The final component of the freight system is the intermodal transfer facilities where
freight can be moved between trucks, trains and barges. In addition to river ports, the
region has two well -used major intermodal terminals—the BNSF Midway Hub in Saint
Paul and the CP Shoreham Yard in Northeast Minneapolis—that serve the transition
from rail to truck. In recent years, the rise of containerized shipping has made the
transfer facilities even more critical to our freight system's efficiency. These transfer
facilities have great value to regional economic competitiveness and should be
recognized and protected.
This interconnected freight system contributes to economic competitiveness by offering optimal
shipping options for a variety of industries.
Industrial land provides locations for exporting industries and good -paying jobs; the Council
discourages redevelopment of industrial land in strategically important locations along rivers and
railroads in the region into other uses. Local government plans should also consider the
potential conflicts and impacts resulting from residential communities, commercial districts, and
parklands encroaching upon existing industrial land uses.
Some locations possess unique characteristics or assets that are significant to the regional
economy—for example, airports, intermodal freight terminals, barge terminals, highways, freight
railroads, and major manufacturers. Many of these locations serve region -wide needs despite a
cost to the neighboring area—whether noise, nuisance or a loss of tax base. The Council will
work with local communities to monitor and manage these land use conflicts and recommend
solutions that balance the overall region's needs with local needs.
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The region's highway investments are part of a coordinated, interconnected, and multimodal
regional transportation network that safely, reliably and affordably connects people and freight
with destinations in the region and beyond. In fact, the vast majority of the region's freight
moves by truck. The Council works with the Minnesota Department of Transportation, counties
and local units of government to preserve and improve these roadways. To make the regional
highway system more efficient, the Council and the Minnesota Department of Transportation are
building managed lanes—MnPass lanes—which provide a congestion -free alternative for transit
users, carpools, and those willing to pay. This market-based solution allows auto drivers and
small trucks to price the value of their time spent in congestion and pay for a faster alternative.
These managed lanes also create more capacity for larger trucks in the general highway lanes
during peak traffic periods.
Employers locate worksites to maximize their accessibility and proximity to the workforce they
need. We must compete with regions around the globe for attracting talented young workers
who are necessary to meet the needs of the region's growing economy and replace retiring
baby boomers. To compete successfully for this generation, our region must provide the
housing, transit, transportation and quality of life amenities that will continue to attract the talent
needed by employers in our region—including an exceptionally high concentration of corporate
headquarters and business service firms. The region's transportation system, including
highways, transit and the emerging bicycle network, provides our residents options for
commuting to their workplaces. Accessibility to transit is of particular interest to office -based
employers because transit reduces both employer costs of providing parking and employee
transportation costs. Employers are also interested in locations that are proximate to housing
options affordable to their employees.
To plan for and invest in the infrastructure, amenities, and quality of life the region needs to be
economically competitive, the Council will:
Plan for the efficient and multimodal movement of freight globally, nationally and
regionally to support the region's industries;
Continue to provide cost-effective and efficient wastewater treatment at wholesale rates
that are as much as 40% lower today than in comparable regions;
Contribute to a quality of life and cost of living that attract and retain a talented
workforce;
Focus expansion of transit service to and within existing and emerging high-density job
and activity centers;
Construct and support park and rides to provide access to transit in less dense
residential areas;
Encourage workforce housing that is affordable to a variety of income levels across the
region, especially in proximity to job centers and transit;
Plan for adequate capacity at Minneapolis -Saint Paul International Airport, and maintain,
improve and preserve our system of reliever airports;
Use its authority and provide technical assistance to protect and preserve compatible
land uses around resources such as airports, railroads and industrial land;
Conduct a metrowide inventory and analysis of industrial land to assess the supply of
and demand for industrial land with freight access;
Investigate and assess cost-effective options for regional water supply infrastructure.
Page 30
Encouraging redevelopment and infill development across the region
Development on undeveloped or agricultural land—greenfield development—traditionally costs
developers or builders less because the costs of demolition or pollution remediation are
minimal. However, development on greenfields often has higher long-term public costs
because it requires extending regional infrastructure to new areas. On the other hand, infill
development and redevelopment require less new regional infrastructure but can cost more for
the developer upfront, both in the direct costs of demolition and pollution remediation as well as
the increased complexity of integrating a project into existing neighborhoods. Over the long-
term, proportionately more infill development and redevelopment compared to greenfield
development will result in a denser, more compact region, minimizing the loss of agricultural
land, reducing travel distances and enhancing the ability of the region to support transit.
Redevelopment projects may require direct public subsidy or indirect support through specific
infrastructure investments. Because healthy, thriving regions need both a strong periphery and
a strong core, the Council will work to encourage redevelopment and infill development across
the region by:
Compiling locally -identified priority sites for development and redevelopment, as
included in local comprehensive plans, into a regional inventory of development
priorities;
Analyzing the market readiness of these sites and work with local and regional partners
to develop investment and redevelopment strategies customized to the needs of
different types of strong and weak markets, including concentrated and racially -
concentrated areas of poverty;
Using its role and authorities to streamline redevelopment processes and help equalize
the playing field, including differences in cost, between redevelopment, infill
development and greenfield development sites.
To leverage the full power of our region's economic assets, we must help all of the region's
residents access opportunity and participate in regional economic competitiveness.
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Equity
Equity connects all residents to opportunity and creates viable housing and
transportation options for people of all races, ethnicities, incomes and abilities so
that all communities share the opportunities and challenges of growth and
change. For our region to reach its full economic potential, all of our residents
must be able to access opportunity. Our region is stronger when all people live
in communities that provide them access to opportunities for success,
prosperity, and quality of life. Promoting equity means:
Using our influence and investments to build a more equitable region;
Creating real choices in where people live and how people travel for all our
residents, across age, race and ethnicity, economic means, and ability;
Investing in a mix of housing affordability along the region's transitways;
Engaging a full cross-section of the community in decision-making.
Our region has some of the largest disparities by race and ethnicity of any large metropolitan
area in the nation. The region will not be able to realize its full economic potential of these
disparities persist:
In the Minneapolis -St. Paul metropolitan area, 25.7% of all people of color are poor,
compared with 6.4% of white non -Latino people.3 This is the largest such disparity
among the 25 largest metropolitan areas. The poverty rate for African Americans is 5.7
times greater than the poverty rate for white, non -Latino people—by far the largest such
disparity among the 25 largest metropolitan areas.
The per capita personal income for Black and African American people ($15,336) is just
40% of the per capita personal income for white, non -Latino people ($37,943).
The percentage of adults of color who lack a high school diploma is nearly six times that
of white, non -Latino adults.
The unemployment rate for people of color is more than twice that of white, non -Latino
persons. The unemployment rate for Blacks and African Americans is 2.9 times the
unemployment rate for white, non -Latino people—the biggest such disparity among the
25 largest metropolitan areas.
The homeownership rate among households of color is 49% of the homeownership rate
among white, non -Latino households. Just 22% of Black or African American
households own their homes.
3 Data from the 2012 American Community Survey. To enable comparisons with other regions, numbers
describe the 13 -county Minneapolis -St. Paul metropolitan statistical area.
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Disparities by Race and Ethnicity in the Twin Cities, 2012
Percentage of population age 25+ with a high school 96.3% 78.3% 3diploma
Percentage of civilian working -age population that is 79.4% 64.8% 1
employed
Percentage above poverty threshold 93.6% 74.3% 1
Per capita income $37,943 $18,078 4
Percentage of householders who own their homes 75.8% 37.0% 1
These disparities are growing at the same time the share of our region's population of color is
growing. In 2010, 24% of our region's population was people of color; by 2040, 40% of our
region's residents are expected to be people of color. The share of people of color increases
among younger age groups; 54 percent of residents under age 18 will be people of color in
2040. Eliminating these disparities, on the other hand, can have dramatic benefits. If everyone
in the Twin Cities in 2040 enjoyed the same socioeconomic profile as white non -Latino people
do today, the social and economic impact would be significant. Compared to the disparities
continuing unabated, there would be:
171,000 more people with a high school diploma;
124,000 more people with jobs;
274,000 fewer people in poverty;
an additional $31.8 billion in income; and
186,000 more homeowners.5
The combined impact of increased employment, income and homeownership would go far to
close today's disparities in wealth by race and ethnicity. Nearly all of our region's net workforce
growth over the next three decades will come from residents of color. In short, all residents of
the Twin Cities region need access to opportunity if the region is to have a healthy and
prosperous future.
Using our influence and investments to build a more equitable region
The Metropolitan Council will use equity as a lens to evaluate its operations, planning, and
investments, and explore its authority to use its resources and roles to mitigate the place -based
dimension of racial, ethnic and income -based disparities.
4 The ranks account for certain differences across metropolitan areas to make them more comparable.
5 These figures are Metropolitan Council staff calculations based on 2007-2011 American Community
Survey data for the 7 -county Twin Cities region and the Metropolitan Council's Revised Regional
Forecast to 2040 (February 2014).
Page 33
To meet the expectations of the federal Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant, the
Council has been developing Choice, Place and Opportunity. An Equity Assessment of the
Twin Cities Region. The process of developing this assessment has to deeper understandings
of the historical and current geography of race, poverty, and opportunity in the region. The
Council is asking itself and its partners whether and how public investments can effectively
address a legacy of private disinvestment in select neighborhoods.
This process also introduced a focus on racially -concentrated areas of poverty, defined for our
region as census tracts where at least half of the residents are people of color and at least 40%
of the residents live below 185% of the federal poverty line.6 By 2010, nearly one in ten of our
region's residents lived in racially -concentrated areas of poverty. Because racially -concentrated
areas of poverty can both limit the economic mobility of their residents and discourage private
investment, our region simply cannot afford to allow racially -concentrated areas of poverty to
either persist or grow. The Council will:
Work to mitigate concentrated and racially -concentrated areas of poverty by better
connecting their residents to opportunity and catalyzing neighborhood revitalization;
Work with communities to create more income -diverse neighborhoods, including
strategically targeted subsidies to develop market -rate housing in select areas;
Use Livable Communities Act resources to catalyze private investment in concentrated
and racially -concentrated areas of poverty;
Actively partner in neighborhood revitalization efforts such as Penn Avenue Community
Works;
Conduct a regional inventory of industrial land that considers the location of industrial
land relative to the potential workforce eager to access nearby higher -wage job
opportunities;
Ask grant applicants to explain how their projects would advance equity, including
helping residents of concentrated and racially -concentrated areas of poverty and/or
lower-income households.
By using public resources to catalyze investment in areas that have seen chronic private
disinvestment—specifically including the concentrated and racially -concentrated areas of
poverty identified through Choice, Place and Opportunity. An Equity Assessment of the Twin
Cities Region —the Council will seek to help the region grow and prosper more equitably.
Because the challenges of racial and economic equity require aligning efforts across multiple
entities, the Council will convene multiple partners, including cities, counties, school districts,
non -profits and philanthropy, to develop shared plans and investment strategies to address the
issues of concentrated and racially -concentrated areas of poverty. The Council will play a
leadership role in this strategy, bringing data to the table and co -convening discussions with
partner institutions to address both effects and underlying causes. Based on these
conversations, the Council may explore funding set -asides or special investment resources to
help create opportunities in concentrated and racially -concentrated areas of poverty.
6 $42,589 in annual income for a four -person household in 2011
Page 34
Expanding choices in where we live and how we travel for all our residents,
across age, race and ethnicity, economic means, and ability
To advance racial and economic equity across the metropolitan area, the Council will work to
create and protect viable housing and transportation options for the region's residents,
regardless of race, ethnicity, income, immigrant status or disability. While different people will
make different choices reflecting their own needs and preferences, the Council's priority will be
expanding real choices for housing and transportation.
The region needs to offer housing options that give people in all life stages and of all economic
means viable choices for safe, stable and affordable homes. To help more households have
real housing choices, the Council will:
Use its resources, including investments in transit, infrastructure and redevelopment, to
help create and preserve racially -integrated, mixed -income neighborhoods across the
region;
Encourage preserving existing affordable housing across the region and encourage new
additions to the affordable housing stock in areas that have an inadequate supply of
existing affordable housing and are experiencing new housing construction—particularly
in areas that are well-connected to jobs and transit;
Invest in affordable housing construction and preservation in higher -income areas of the
region;
Provide competitive rent limits to enable Housing Choice Voucher holders to choose the
location that best meets their needs, including those opportunities in higher -cost
communities;
Encourage increased resources for preserving existing and producing more affordable
housing opportunities at the federal, state, regional and local level to help close the gap
between the region's affordable housing need and the supply;
Support research and testing related to fair housing, discriminatory lending practices,
and real estate steering to determine if these discriminatory practices are occurring and
limiting housing choices.
Transportation choices are as important to lower-income households as housing choices. The
Council will continue to strengthen transit connections between lower-income residents and
opportunities such as jobs and education. To expand the transportation choices available to all
households, including in some neighborhoods the choice to live without a car, the Council will:
Include a measure of households who do not own private automobiles—also known as
transit dependency" —as one of the elements driving the Council's Transit Market
Areas and defining the level of transit service neighborhoods expect to receive;
Conduct Title VI service equity analyses—a federally prescribed process—to ensure that
major changes in transit service do not lead to disparate impacts on low-income
residents and communities of color;
Prioritize transportation investments that connect lower-income areas to job
opportunities;
Engage neighborhood residents in transit planning to understand how to most effectively
use transit service and investments to promote access to opportunity.
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Investing in a mix of housing affordability along the region's transit corridors
As our region makes significant investments in transit, particularly transitways, we must also
ensure that the inevitable changes in neighborhoods along transit do not displace existing low-
income residents. To promote a mix of housing affordability along the region's transit corridors,
the Council will:
Align its resources and work with other partners to help preserve a mix of housing
affordability along the region's transit routes and corridors to help low-income
households benefit from transit investments;
Require that local jurisdictions applying for Livable Communities transit -oriented
development grants adopt local policies reflecting equity in the proposed grant area;
Promote transit -oriented development that expands affordable housing in transit station
areas.
Engaging a full cross-section of the community in decision-making
To move toward equity, our region needs the full range of voices at the table so all affected
parties understand the issues, explore alternative approaches and proceed with action. This will
require new approaches for the Council. Beyond convening regional stakeholders, the Council
is strengthening its approach to outreach, public participation, and community engagement by
developing a Council -wide Public Engagement Plan. In the development of this Public
Engagement Plan, the Council will:
Define consistent expectations of how the Council will engage;
Evaluate what types of policy, planning and operational decisions need what levels of
engagement, recognizing that not all decisions need and merit the same intensity of
engagement;
Consult with members of the community, especially historically under -represented
populations;
Focus on developing lasting relationships;
Work toward making decisions with people, not for people.
The commitment to address racial and economic disparities across neighborhoods
demonstrates the necessity of ensuring that all residents live in a healthy, vibrant and livable
region.
Page 36
Livability
Livability focuses on the quality of our residents' lives and experiences in our
region and how places and infrastructure create and enhance the quality of life
that makes our region a great place to live. With abundant and beautiful open
space, an active arts community, a range of housing options, and a reasonable
cost of living, the Twin Cities region is widely recognized for its high quality of
life.
The Metropolitan Council's focus on livability is on creating and renewing vibrant
places and underlying infrastructure, investing in regional parks and affordable
housing, and collaborating with partners to achieve the full range ofpossibilities
that make our region a great place to live. Livability adds value to our region by
helping to retain and attract a talented workforce, increasing living choices,
building community identity, highlighting the unique qualities of local places, and
supporting individual decisions that reinforce those qualities. The Council is
committed to increasing livability in the region through its authorities, its
investments in infrastructure, and its collaboration with others to sustain and
increase a high quality of life. Enhancing livability means:
Promoting healthy communities and active living through planning and
investments;
Increasing access to nature and outdoor recreation through regional parks
and trails;
Supporting regional bicycle facilities to promote bicycling for
transportation, recreation and healthy lifestyles;
Providing housing and transportation choices for a range of demographic
characteristics and economic means;
Aligning resources to support transit -oriented development and walkable
places.
Livability helps attract and retain the people and businesses that our region needs to thrive and
compete economically. People are increasingly choosing where they want to live, especially
metro areas that offer attractive amenities and lifestyles, and then looking for jobs there. Young,
creative professionals today are highly mobile and can live anywhere they want. They are
choosing high -amenity places that have a diverse population, a rich arts and entertainment
culture, natural beauty, abundant recreation, and sufficient walkability and transit systems that
allow them to travel without a car.
Attracting younger talent through high-quality communities is also an investment in the future
market for our housing stock. Many young urbanites look for more space as they have children
and their lifestyle preferences change. As existing residents age out of their homes, these
Page 37
younger residents will be ready to move in. Businesses also place a high value on livability.
Whether it is a large company seeking a location for an office or a talented entrepreneur looking
to grow an innovative business, decision -makers want to know their employees can get to work
and are happy living here.
Promoting healthy communities and active living through planning and
investments
Land use and planning decisions can promote active living and healthy communities.
Populations living in walkable places are more active and therefore healthier than populations
living in car -dependent areas. Considering the immense costs of obesity and sedentary
lifestyles to our health care system, promoting active living through planning decisions provides
a key opportunity to improve both livability and our region's health outcomes. Land use
decisions can create opportunities for people to walk or bike to their destinations rather than
drive door-to-door, provide active outdoor recreational options, and offer access to open space.
To promote healthy communities and active living through planning and public investments, the
Council will work with its partners to:
Incorporate active living considerations when evaluating competitive funding proposals,
infrastructure investments and operations;
Encourage access to safe and healthy food.
Increasing access to nature and outdoor recreation through regional parks and
trails
Our regional parks are essential in keeping our region at the top of national livability rankings.
The Twin Cities area's 59 regional parks, park reserves and special recreation features plus
over 300 miles of regional trails showcase the unique landscapes of the region and provide
year-round recreation. Our residents have consistently singled out the region's parks, trails and
natural environment as the most attractive feature of the region.' Drawing 45.8 million annual
visits, the Regional Parks System provides access to natural space that contributes to physical
and emotional well-being. Many of our region's most well-known and iconic sites— the
Minneapolis Chain of Lakes, Como Zoo and Conservatory, Lebanon Hills Regional Park,
Bunker Hills Regional Park, Elm Creek Park Reserve, and Lake Elmo Park Reserve—are part
of the regional parks system. The Council will collaborate with the Metropolitan Parks and Open
Space Commission, regional park agencies and State partners to:
Expand the regional park system to conserve, maintain and connect natural resources
identified as being of high quality or having regional importance;
Provide a comprehensive regional park and trail system that preserves high-quality
natural resources, increases climate resiliency, fosters healthy communities, and
enhances quality of life in the region;
Promote expanded multimodal access to regional parks, regional trails and the transit
network, where appropriate.
For more information, see the Metro Residents Survey.
Page 38
Strengthen equitable usage of regional parks and trails by all our region's residents,
such as across race, ethnicity, class, age, ability and immigrant status.
Providing housing and transportation choices for a range of demographic
characteristics and economic means
Over time, our region has grown into a variety of communities and neighborhoods with a wide
range of housing. Single-family homes comprise 58% of our region's current housing stock.
Demand for this housing stock is projected to continue, but the segments of our population that
are growing will consist of households that may increasingly prefer alternative forms of
neighborhoods. Recent trends support this shift. Since 2000, only 43% of our region's building
permits have been for single-family detached homes; in 2012, the region issued building permits
for more multifamily units than all housing units in any of the previous three years. The livability
challenge around these shifts is to create communities that offer satisfying experiences and
meet the daily needs for living, shopping, working, and recreation for each group, not simply
housing developments that offer a place to own or rent.
As residents age, their needs, preferences and travel behavior shift; some communities are
poorly designed to accommodate their residents' future needs. Growing cohorts of residents,
including international immigrants and young professionals living alone, may need housing and
transportation choices beyond what our region now offers. As infrastructure ages, rebuilding will
be necessary. Going forward, each jurisdiction will have to examine whether it offers satisfying
living options for its current and future residents.
Some of the larger groups and the experiences they may value include:
Seniors—the "Silver Tsunami" —will be the fastest growing segment of our population,
doubling in absolute numbers by 2030 and reaching one in five of our region's residents
by 2040. As people age, their housing preferences tend to change. While some choose
to move to a downtown condo and others want to stay close to their places of worship,
friends or family members (especially the grandchildren), most seniors share common
interests in less household maintenance, smaller housing units, and easy access to
nearby goods and services, especially health care. Are there adequate housing choices
available for seniors to stay active, conveniently access goods and services, and/or be
near friends and family?
The Millennial generation, already the largest generation demographically, seems to
have different lifestyle preferences. Millennials tend to favor urban amenities, access to
transit and bicycling options, and more dense and active neighborhoods rather than the
auto -oriented subdivisions of their youth. Between stagnant entry-level wages, higher
student loan debt, and delayed marriage and child-rearing, Millennials are less likely to
move into homeownership at the same ages at their predecessors. Critical to the
region's future prosperity, will we have places that retain and attract these young
individuals and households? If their living preferences continue to diverge from their
parents' generation, will our region's communities continue to offer them satisfying living
situations?
New Americans move to our region from across the globe, bringing with them unique
cultural histories that build the richness of our region. As these residents come to the
region, will they find places that facilitate their settlement, provide affordability,
community and employment, and offer opportunities to prosper?
To support the livability of our region for our changing demographics, the Council will:
Page 39
Continue to provide regional wastewater treatment services at rates that today are
among the lowest in the country; Encourage and invest in a wide variety of housing
options throughout the region to serve the increasingly diverse population, including
viable housing choices for households with low and moderate incomes;
Invest in transit to expand transportation options, particularly to connect workers to jobs
throughout the region;
Construct and support park and rides to expand access to transit as a transportation
alternative in less dense residential areas;
Support complete streets approaches to enhance transportation choices;
Promote the preservation of existing housing, especially affordable housing, to cost-
effectively maintain affordability and preserve the unique historical characteristics of the
region's housing stock.
Supporting the region's bicycle and pedestrian facilities to promote bicycling for
transportation, recreation and healthy lifestyles
Over the last ten years, bicycling as a mode of transportation has increased as a result of
growing interest in physically -active lifestyles, concern about climate change, improved
connections to transit, and the preferences of the Millennial generation. Our region has earned a
national reputation for bike -friendliness, in large part due to the infrastructure investments made
by local governments. Data from the 2010 Travel Behavior Inventory show that bicycling's
share of work commute trips has grown by 70% percent over the past decade and now
represents one in 11 work commutes in the central cities. Facilities for walking—which makes
up 6% of all trips—are also important for transit ridership, healthy active lifestyles, and safety.
The Council will collaborate with local communities, MnDOT, the Transportation Advisory Board,
non-profit organizations and other partners to connect and improve bicycle and pedestrian
facilities. Specifically, the Council will:
Focus its bicycle and pedestrian efforts on regional -scale issues and coordination
among jurisdictions in the region, including:
Aggregating local bike plans into a shared regional format;
Identifying regionally important bicycle corridors in the 2040 Transportation
Policy Plan;
Reducing gaps and barriers and improving links across jurisdictional borders.
Work with its partners, including MnDOT, the Transportation Advisory Board and local
jurisdictions, to expand the region's bicycle and pedestrian system and increase these
modes' share of the regional trips over the coming decades by:
Encouraging local jurisdictions to recognize planning and building of bicycle and
pedestrian facilities as a component of new development;
Encouraging adoption of Complete Streets solutions by local communities where
appropriate;
Encouraging local communities to include bicycle plans and pedestrian plans in
their comprehensive plans;
Work with partners to plan, construct and maintain bicycle and pedestrian connections to
regional systems (such as transit stations, highways or regional parks).
Page 40
Aligning resources to support transit -oriented development and walkable places
Every community can strive for better livability, but the needs and challenges for infrastructure
and place -making vary widely by location. A neighborhood in the urban core may need wider
sidewalks, shared open spaces, careful building detailing and a mix of activities to be livable. A
suburban neighborhood may need increased housing options and more bike trails to access
parks and transit stops. A rural center may need a traffic -calmed main street that allows
pedestrians to cross more safely or the small businesses that would attract those pedestrians.
Livability for all areas also requires a network of businesses—whether an ethnic restaurant
owned by new immigrants or the small-town bar owned by the same family for generations—
that makes our communities unique, both supporting local residents and attracting visitors from
across the world. Each jurisdiction has a unique combination of natural landscape, built
environment, and local culture; communities that recognize and value their particular character,
needs and opportunities can more effectively invest in their future. The Council will:
In areas with density suitable for transit, support transit -oriented development that
creates vibrant, mixed -income, places where people can live without an automobile;
In areas where density is not yet suitable for transit, encourage transit -friendly
development patterns and coordination across jurisdictional boundaries to lay the
groundwork for future transit -readiness and improve livability in the interim;
In areas where low density or low connectivity does not support transit, promote
walkable neighborhoods and town centers to enhance livability.
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Sustainability
Our greatest responsibility is to be good ancestors," Dr. Jonas Salk once said.
And that responsibility calls us to live and act sustainably. Sustainability means
protecting our regional vitality for generations to come by preserving our
capacity to maintain and support our region's well-being and productivity over
the long-term. The region's investments in prosperity, equity and livability will
fall short over the long term if the region exhausts its resources without investing
in the future. Planning for sustainability means:
Promoting the wise use of water through expanding water conservation
and reuse, increasing groundwater recharge, and optimizing surface water
and groundwater use;
Providing leadership, information and technical assistance to support local
governments' consideration of climate change mitigation, adaptation and
resilience;
Operating the region's wastewater treatment and transit systems
sustainably.
Promoting the wise use of water
The Twin Cities metropolitan area is endowed with a relative abundance of high quality ground
and surface water. Three major rivers, vast underground aquifers, and over 900 lakes make us
the envy of urban areas the world over. Aside from the beauty and recreational value of the
region's lakes and rivers, water is necessary to sustain our residents and our economic
prosperity. The area's plentiful water supplies and the proximity of navigable rivers sustained
indigenous communities and supported the development of the region's growing cities. The
Mississippi River and the region's prolific aquifers continue to provide residents with a reliable
water supply; our rivers are natural highways that serve commerce; our region's lakes, rivers,
and streams nurture wildlife and offer people a variety of recreational opportunities.
Yet our water supplies are not limitless. Population growth, development, localized water
shortages, the impact of groundwater withdrawal on surface waters, contamination, and drought
are affecting our future water supply. Increasing reliance on groundwater as our main source of
drinking water has become a significant issue. In parts of the region, groundwater levels are
declining. In some cases, it is affecting, or has the potential to affect, lake and wetland levels. A
pressing concern is the impact that future development might have on the reliability of
groundwater as a drinking water source.
In 2010, 70% of our region's drinking water came from groundwater with the remainder coming
from surface water sources. Groundwater analysis indicates that our aquifers are showing
signs of depletion — water levels in some locations have declined by 40 feet in the last 40 years
which in turn has begun to have impacts on our lakes and wetlands in the region. Forecasts
indicate that the region will add over 800,000 residents over the lifetime of this plan. Continuing
current practices of using groundwater as a primary drinking water source will lead to continued
depletion of groundwater supplies across the region. Conservation measures alone are
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inadequate to protect the region's water supply. Rather, the region needs to restore balance
among water sources, maintain and enhance groundwater recharge and expand the use of
conservation measures. To achieve our long-term vision of the region's prosperity and livability,
our region's water resources must be sustainable, supported by a regional strategy that
balances growth and protection to improve and maintain the quality and quantity of our water in
our lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands and aquifers.
The Minnesota State Legislature defines water sustainability as, "Water is sustainable when the
use does not harm ecosystems, degrade water quality or compromise the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs." The Metropolitan Council is committed to collaborating
with its partners to promote the long-term sustainability of the region's water resources and
water supply. This regional strategy will balance growth and protection to improve and maintain
the quality and quantity of our lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands and groundwater supplies. The
Council will work with state, local and regional partners to provide for sustainable water
resources through effective planning and management of water supply, surface water, and
wastewater. To promote adequate and high quality ground and surface water supplies, the
Council will:
Promote water sustainability in communities through the 2040 Water Resources Policy
Plan and the Water Supply Master Plan, and through the review of local water supply
plans, surface water management plans, comprehensive plans and comprehensive
sewer plans.
Promote the wise use of water through optimizing surface water and groundwater use,
conservation, reuse, aquifer recharge, and other practices.
Collaborate with partners, including providing technical assistance to local governments
about wastewater, water supply and surface water management.
Address the reliability, resiliency, security, and cost-effectiveness of the region's water
supplies.
Incorporate water sustainability considerations in all areas of Council policy and actions,
including overall development patterns, water management, transportation, housing, and
regional parks.
Identify subregional and local water sustainability solutions that balance regional needs
and local objectives.
The Council's 2040 Water Resources Policy Plan will advance water sustainability through
specific policies for water supply, surface water management and wastewater.
Providing leadership to support climate change mitigation, adaptation and
resilience
Over the long term, climate change will be one of the greatest threats to our region's ongoing
prosperity and livability. Climate change threatens our continued orderly and economical
development. Our region is already seeing rising temperatures and increased severe weather
events. Climate change looms large as an issue with the potential to adversely affect the region
in the absence of intentional and proactive planning. Responding to climate change takes three
approaches: mitigation, adaptation, and resilience. Mitigation strategies focus on minimizing
contributions to climate change — for example, reducing energy use that leads to greenhouse
gas emissions. Adaptation strategies start from the premise that, despite mitigation strategies,
climate change is already occurring and focus on how to change policies and practices to
adjust. Resilience strategies recognize the difficulty of predicting what the impacts of climate
Page 43
change will be and emphasize increasing our flexibility to survive and thrive regardless of how
climate change develops.
The nation has seen the risks and costs of not preparing for significant climatic events through
the experiences of Duluth after its summer 2012 flooding, New York City after Superstorm
Sandy, and, most recently, Colorado after the September 2013 rains. Hitting the most densely -
developed parts of the nation, Superstorm Sandy may cost the federal government $60 billion.
The total cost to the city of Duluth in infrastructure repair and replacement ran to $80 million or
2,000 for each city household. While each event individually was impossible to predict, the
growing frequency and large-scale impact of severe weather events demonstrate the necessity
of planning for resilience.
The Council is committed to building a resilient region that minimizes its adverse contributions to
climate and air quality and is prepared for the challenges and opportunities of a changing
climate. Recognizing the importance of climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience, the
Council will use climate impacts as a lens through which to examine all of its work. The Council
will look for opportunities to use both its operational and planning authorities to plan for and
respond to the effects of climate change, both challenges and opportunities. In addition to
climate change, regional air quality factors (criteria pollutants) threaten both the quality of life
and our economy as we may face severe additional regulations from the federal government.
The Council recognizes the State of Minnesota's goals for greenhouse gas reduction adopted in
2007's Next Generation Energy Act. By tracking regional greenhouse gas emissions, we will
identify opportunities to reduce emissions in the region. Broadly, the Council's work supports
the region's collective efforts to minimize greenhouse gas emissions by:
Providing and promoting alternatives to single -occupant vehicle travel, including transit,
carpooling, bicycling and walking;
Promoting compact, pedestrian -friendly development patterns and funding their
development through the Livable Communities Act funds;
Protecting industrial land with access to ports and rail to encourage carbon -efficient
means of transporting freight;
Supporting the Regional Parks System to protect open spaces and vegetative cover that
mitigate the impact of the urban heat island and improve local wind circulation;
Investing in and pursuing local renewable energy generation for operations, including
large scale solar facilities;
Promoting more efficient water use and water conservation, which reduces the amount
of energy used to pump and treat water, often one of a community's highest energy
requirements;
Protecting agricultural land for local food production to reduce distance -to -market travel
emissions.
The Council intends to expand its role supporting local governments in climate change planning
to assist their efforts toward mitigation, adaptation and resilience. The Council will:
Expand the information and technical assistance it provides to local governments to
support regional and local climate change planning;
Work with partners to collaboratively identify and examine the feasibility of energy
improvement opportunities and pursue group purchasing to facilitate energy
improvements where this might provide synergy and/or an improved economy of scale;
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Develop, collect and disseminate information about climate change, including energy
and climate data, the next generation of the Regional Indicators data, and a regional
greenhouse gas emissions inventory;
Provide technical assistance to the region's local governments, including identifying
risks, best practices and model ordinances for climate change mitigation and adaptation
and working in partnership with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Minnesota
GreenStep Cities program;
Assess the risks and opportunities presented to the region from a changing climate and
the potential rewards from addressing those risks and opportunities.
Provide information to local jurisdictions about the risks of not responding to or preparing
for climate change and encourage local governments to plan and prepare for climate
change, including incorporating climate change planning into their local comprehensive
plans;
Create incentives to reward local governments that set and make progress on local
greenhouse gas reduction goals.
The Council's approach to climate change will focus on softer approaches — such as providing
information, technical assistance and incentives — unless and until the lack of action poses a
threat to orderly and economical development or portends a significant collective financial cost.
In this event, the Council will take a stronger approach. Parallel to the potential impact of
greenhouse gas emissions, the region may be approaching the foreseeable yet avoidable risk of
failing to maintain air quality attainment status with the Environmental Protection Agency over
fine particulate matter; the costs of air quality non -attainment would justify a stronger regional
approach.
In addition, the Council will collaborate with regional leadership and convene local governments
and the broader community to address climate change mitigation and adaptation within the
region. These expanded roles in information and technical assistance will help the Council
serve as a resource to both local jurisdictions and the region at large. The Council intends to be
a prominent player in elevating this important issue which affects the long-term viability of the
Minneapolis -Saint Paul region.
Operating wastewater treatment and transit systems sustainably
The Council will mitigate its own contributions to climate change by reducing its own
greenhouse gas emissions. In 2012, the Council adopted a Sustainability Policy for Internal
Operations and Management which states that the Council will conduct its own operations in a
sustainable manner, when economically feasible, specifically to:
Increase energy efficiency and use of renewable energy sources;
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Council operations;
Conserve and protect water resources;
Reduce solid waste generation; and
Reuse and recycle materials.
Furthermore, the Council will monitor and track energy use and, when economically feasible,
pursue opportunities to reduce energy use. The Council also will identify and pursue renewable
energy opportunities, purchase energy star products, manage energy costs — review tariffs and
peak control options, and track, and when feasible, reduce carbon dioxide equivalent emissions.
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Both the Environmental Services Division and Metro Transit have set goals of reducing their
facility energy purchases by 50% from a 2006 baseline by 2020. The Council will continue to
adopt innovative technologies to improve operations and use resources more sustainably. The
Council will:
Invest resources to continually reduce energy use in its building and operations and be
among the efficiency leaders in the region;
Pursue and invest in local generation of renewable energy for operations, including large
scale solar facilities;
Continue its program to reduce inflow and infiltration into the regional sewer system.
Excess flows from wet weather into the system consume capacity that could otherwise
be used to support future growth;
Adopt technological advancements in the Metro Transit fleet to maximize operational
efficiency and reduce fuel consumption through engine improvements, acceleration
management, electrification, and other improvements.
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Thrive: Principles
The five outcomes of stewardship, prosperity, equity, livability, and sustainability describe up the
why" of Thrive MSP 2040. Just as important is the "how" — the principles that guide how the
Council carries out its policies, both internally and externally, to advance those outcomes. The
Council has identified three principles to carry out its work:
Integration Fo Collaboration cR Accountability
These principles reflect the Council's understanding of its roles in integrating policy areas,
supporting local governments and regional partners, and promoting and implementing the
Thrive regional vision. These principles govern how the Council will implement the Thrive
systems and policy plans and how the Council advances these outcomes, both individually and
collectively.
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Integration
Integration is the intentional combining of related activities to achieve more
effective, greater results, leveraging multiple policy tools to address complex
regional challenges and opportunities. The Metropolitan Council is committed to
integrating its activities to pursue its outcomes, achieve greater efficiencies and
address problems that are too complex for singular approaches. The Thrive
outcomes—Stewardship, Prosperity, Equity, Livability and Sustainability—are
lofty ideals that cut across the Council's functions and responsibilities. Pursuing
them demands that the Council use its full range of authorities and activities in
ever -more coordinated ways. Achieving integration means:
Moving beyond organizational silos to leverage all of the Council's
divisions, roles and authorities in addressing regional issues;
Coordinating effectively with partners and stakeholders across and
throughout the region.
Moving beyond organizational silos
A growing challenge faced by the region is diminishing funding. As available funding
decreases even as the region continues to grow, the Council will have to produce more
efficiency with each dollar it invests. That efficiency increasingly lies at the intersections
between different systems.
For example, the Environmental Services Division of the Council provides wastewater service,
surface water quality planning and coordination, and water supply information and planning for
the region. In the past, the Council has conducted each of these activities on its own, but
today's challenges, especially emerging groundwater issues, have prompted the Council to
incorporate all three water topics into a new, integrated approach: water sustainability. By
considering all three as available tools, the Council will be able to do more with the same
amount of water: increase groundwater recharge, provide clean wastewater discharge re -use
options, and decrease demands on groundwater supplies.
The principle extends throughout Council activities. By integrating its activities, the Council can
produce more benefit from each investment. The Council will pursue this approach in its
activities and investments within and among its divisions to advance the five Thrive outcomes,
find greater efficiencies in investments, and address problems that single approaches cannot
address. This will include activities such as:
Including regional trails, where appropriate, in designating regional bicycle transportation
corridors;
Exploring Council -wide activities to address the effects of climate change;
Integrating water supply activities, surface water management and wastewater
management toward increased sustainability of the region's water resourese;
Requiring land use in transit corridors, especially in station areas, to be commensurate
with the level of transit investment;
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Identifying critical relationships between regional systems and local investments, such
as local pedestrian systems to access regional transit.
Coordinating effectively with partners and stakeholders
The Council's Outcomes—Stewardship, Prosperity, Equity, Livability and Sustainability—are
larger than the Council can achieve by itself. By setting out a regional vision, the Thrive
outcomes define the foundation for the Council's coordination with others. Much of this
coordination is discussed in the next section—Collaboration—but the Council intends to more
intentionally integrate its policy authorities and organizational structure. This approach will
emerge through: The Council's work with local cities, counties and townships on comprehensive
planning;
The Council's coordination with local, special-purpose units of government such as
watershed districts, water management organizations, and parks districts;
The Council's partnerships with state agencies and state boards, including:
Department of Agriculture,
Department of Employment and Economic Development,
Department of Health,
Department of Human Rights,
Department of Natural Resources,
Environmental Quality Board,
Minnesota Housing,
Minnesota Department of Transportation, and
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
The Council's funding decisions where one resource may advance multiple policy
objectives.
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Collaboration
Collaboration recognizes that shared efforts advance our region most effectively
toward shared outcomes. Addressing the region's issues - particularly the
emerging challenges of climate change, economic competitiveness, racial
disparities, and water sustainability - requires collaboration because no single
entity has the capacity or the authority to do the work alone.
Even when one entity is the primary funder or investor in a project, success
requires the coordinated collaboration of a range of public and private entities to
fully realize the development potential - witness, for example, the extensive
partnerships supporting development beyond the rails along the METRO Green
Line (Central Corridor). For the Council, acting collaboratively means:
Being open to shared strategies, supportive partnerships and reciprocal
relationships;
Convening the region's best thinkers, experts, and stakeholders to address
complex regional issues beyond the capacity or authority of any single
jurisdiction or institution;
Providing additional technical assistance and enhanced information to
support local planning and decision-making.
Being open to shared strategies, supportive partnerships and reciprocal
relationships
In implementing Thrive via the systems and policy plans and the next round of local
comprehensive plans, the Metropolitan Council intends to be a collaborator first and a legal
enforcer second. Technical or regulatory solutions led by a single entity cannot match the
complex adaptive challenges now facing our region, driving the need for a collaborative stance.
For example, the need for broad collaborative approaches to maximizing the benefit of our
region's transitway investments led the Council to a leading role and active participation in the
Corridors of Opportunity partnership of government, philanthropy, business, community
development and advocacy. The Corridors of Opportunity transitioned in 2014 into the
Partnership for Regional Opportunity, an ongoing effort to grow a prosperous, equitable and
sustainable region. Another example is the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board's Climate
Subcommittee, established in 2013, which includes representation from the Council, the
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota Departments of Commerce and Health;
this effort is developing plans to help Minnesota meet the climate goals of the Next Generation
Energy Act. The Council will continue to seek out opportunities for collaborative partnerships to
address complex challenges in the region.
Convening to address complex regional issues
As a regional entity, the Metropolitan Council was formed to address issues that transcend local
government boundaries and cannot be adequately addressed by any single governmental unit.
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As it developed this plan, the Council heard a desire from stakeholders for the Council to play a
larger role as a regional convener around issues that the Council alone cannot resolve, ranging
from economic competitiveness to regional poverty to water supply. The Council will use its
regional role to be a convener of regional conversations, in both areas where the Council has
statutory authority and issues with regional significance. The Council can make a significant
contribution by bringing the best thinkers, experts, and stakeholders together to collectively
develop regional or subregional solutions. This includes fostering collaboration among cities or
among organizations working on similar issues. For example, in 2013 the Council, working with
the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Minnesota Geological Survey, hosted
regional meetings in the Northeast Metro Area about the issues related to the decline in water
levels in White Bear Lake. This effort is a good example where the Council has joined
interested parties to help analyze problems and ultimately to develop solutions. While the
challenges of the next decade may vary, the Council intends to play a role as a regional
convener to advance conversations around:
Promoting affordable housing within the region;
Addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation within the region and elevating this
important issue, which affects the long-term viability of the Minneapolis -Saint Paul
region;
Developing integrated plans and investment strategies to transform racially -concentrated
areas of poverty into thriving mixed -income, multi -racial neighborhoods;
Promoting the wise use of our region's water through rebalancing surface water and
groundwater use, conservation, reuse, aquifer recharge, and other practices.
As new issues emerge — such as the groundwater and surface water interaction issues in White
Bear Lake — the Council is prepared to play a convening role.
The Council will collaborate with regional partners to develop a shared vision and strategic
priorities to advance regional economic competitiveness. At the regional level, the Council will
continue to grow its partnership with cities, counties, GREATER MSP, and other partners in
economic competitiveness, including possible development of a shared economic
competitiveness strategy that outlines the roles and responsibilities of each partner as well as a
process for identifying select development or redevelopment opportunities whose location, scale
and complexity justify a regional focus. The Council will leverage its research and analysis
function to examine and analyze the land use and infrastructure needs of the region's leading
industry clusters and thereby inform city and county discussions about land use strategies that
support economic development.
Beyond convening regional stakeholders, the Council will strengthen its approach to outreach,
public participation and community engagement by developing a Council -wide Public
Engagement Plan.
Providing additional technical assistance and enhanced information to support
local planning
The Metropolitan Land Planning Act and the Council's review authority give the Council a
unique role with local governments. The Council already provides technical assistance to local
jurisdictions to support the local comprehensive planning process and the effective
implementation of regional policies around issues as diverse as aviation -compatible land uses,
natural resource preservation, and inflow/infiltration mitigation.
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To supplement its traditional role of reviewing local comprehensive plans, the Council intends to
expand this technical assistance and its information resources to support local government in
advancing regional outcomes and addressing today's complex adaptive challenges. In addition,
the Council will provide expanded technical assistance to local units of government around:
Stronger housing elements and/or implementation plans of local comprehensive plans;
Local government support of housing development projects (e.g., site selection, funding
options, or design recommendations);
Identifying risks, best practices and model ordinances for climate change mitigation and
adaptation in partnership with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's statewide
Minnesota GreenStep Cities program;
Providing enhanced information and analysis on economic competitiveness, helping
local jurisdictions better understand their contributions to the regional economy and
therefore focus on leveraging their strengths, including through the local comprehensive
planning process;
Understanding market forces associated with economic development and leveraging
local economic development authority into a broader regional vision for economic
competitiveness;
Transit -supportive land use, urban form and zoning; creating a pedestrian -friendly public
places; understanding and attracting transit -oriented development (TOD) within the
constraints of the market; and cultivating neighborhood support for transit -supportive
development;
Surface water planning and management, including assistance in preparing local surface
water plans, identifying the appropriate tools to use and ordinances needed to
implement those plans with the goal of maintaining and improving the region's valued
water resources.
In addition to technical assistance, the Council also collects, analyzes and disseminates
information, including data and maps, about the region to support local government decision-
making. Key highlights of the Council's existing portfolio of information include forecasting of
future population, households and employment, tracking of regional trends on affordable
housing production, mapping existing land use, and providing water quality data for over 200
lakes and numerous streams and rivers within the region. The Council's regional perspective
allows for data collection and analysis at economies of scale across the region. As new
priorities have emerged through the Thrive planning process, the Council will expand its
information resources in the following areas:
Aggregating local bike plans into a shared format;
Developing, collecting and disseminating information about climate change, including
energy and climate data; the next generation of the Regional Indicators data; and a
regional greenhouse gas emissions inventory;
Analyzing the land use and infrastructure needs of the region's leading industry clusters;
Aggregating local redevelopment priorities into a shared regional map;
Supporting research and testing related to fair housing, discriminatory lending practices,
and real estate steering;
Maintaining an up-to-date regional natural resources inventory and assessment in
partnership with the Department of Natural Resources.
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While the Council will lead with its collaborative role, the Council will continue to exercise its
authority and roles when appropriate to promote the regional outcomes of stewardship,
prosperity, equity, livability and sustainability.
The Council will continue to seek partnerships and relationships with residents, businesses,
and stakeholders to most effectively advance the Thrive outcomes.
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Accountability
Results matter. Milton Friedman remarked, "One of the great mistakes is to judge
policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results." For the
Council, accountability represents a commitment to monitor and evaluate the
effectiveness of our policies and practices toward achieving shared outcomes
and a willingness to adjust course to improve performance. Thrive MSP 2040
aspires to be the foundation for regional policy that is accountable to the hopes,
dreams, and vision expressed by the region's residents, local governments, and
the Council's regional partners throughout the development of this document.
Acting accountably means:
Adopting a data -driven approach to measure progress toward the
outcomes;
Learning from the results of measures and indicators to guide future
refinements of our policies;
Providing clear, easily accessible information about our progress;
Deploying the Council's authority when necessary.
Adopting a data -driven approach to measure progress$
Accountability focuses on managing to outcomes — how our region is better — not tasks or
outputs. An outcome -oriented approach measures how effectively and efficiently our regional
transportation system delivers people to their destinations — not the miles of highway built.
Outputs and tasks are the day-to-day work that moves toward outcomes, but outputs without
outcomes are a waste of public resources. With Thrive, the Council is adopting an outcomes -
orientation to its regional policy and is challenging itself, local governments and its regional
partners and stakeholders to describe how their work advances the five Thrive outcomes.
Outcomes describe how our investments and our policies are improving the region for our
residents and businesses, not how much money we are investing or how many miles of
interceptor pipe we are building. Outcomes create the why and the rationale for tasks and
outputs. Managing to outcomes helps us ask not only, "Are we effectively implementing our
policies?" but also "Are we implementing the most effective policies, the policies that will help
our region and our residents thrive today and tomorrow?"
Learning from indicators
The Council will create a set of indicators, parallel to Thrive but adopted separately to allow for
flexibility in refining the indicators over the lifetime of Thrive. The Council will use the indicators
to assess and monitor regional progress toward the five outcomes. Rather than using the
8 Special thanks to Performance Accountability: The Five Building Blocks and Six Essential Practices by
Shelley H. Metzenbaum, published by the IBM Center for The Business of Government in 2006, available
at http://www.businessofgovernment.org/report/performance-accountability-five-building-blocks-and-six-
essential-practices, for defining some of the key concepts in this section.
Page 54
indicators and accountability structure punitively, the Council will use the indicators as the
foundation for inquiry — what do the indicators tell us about the state of the region and our
policies? How do we leverage what's working well? How do we effectively address areas
where progress towards outcomes is less than our expectations? To borrow from Shelley
Metzenbaum, the Council will use "measurement to motivate, illuminate and communicate."
The Council will use the insights that emerge from these questions to guide future decisions,
including adjusting policies and priorities as needed to more effectively advance the outcomes.
We will actively review our measures and indicators as the basis of continuous improvement for
both ourselves and our policies, striving to be the best region, providing infrastructure in a
coordinated and economically feasible way.
Providing clear, easily accessible information
The Council will share the annual updates of the indicators, providing clear, easily accessible
information about the progress of the region and Council policies. The focus on outcomes
allows us to be transparent with our partners and stakeholders — what does success look like?
What kind of region do we want to create? Most importantly, the focus on outcomes creates the
foundation for collaborative dialogue with partners and stakeholders — what can and will the
Council do to advance these outcomes? What will other organizations do to advance these
outcomes? What role will local governments play? And where are the gaps, overlaps and
opportunities?
The Thrive indicators will focus on the Thrive outcomes and will reflect the intentional integration
of policy areas into the Thrive outcomes. In addition, systems and policy plans will contain
indicators and measures that align with the specific policy areas. Together, these indicators will
build upon the 2004 Regional Development Framework's Benchmarks to create a stronger
foundation for data -driven decision-making.
Deploying the Council's authority
While the Council will lead with its collaborative role, the Council will continue to use its authority
and roles to advance the regional outcomes of stewardship, prosperity, equity, livability and
sustainability. Nonetheless, the Council will continue to seek partnerships and relationships
with residents, businesses, and stakeholders to most effectively advance the Thrive outcomes.
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Special Features
Applying policies to specific places: Moving beyond one
size fits all
The previous sections outlined the outcomes and
principles that describe the Thrive MSP 2040 vision for
the Twin Cities area. Within our region, communities are
growing, developing and redeveloping in different ways.
Recognizing that one size does not fit all, the Council has
identified key places that situate the Council's priorities in
specific geographies and that require specific place -
based policies. While some of the Council's policies apply
throughout each jurisdiction's borders, the policies
outlined in this section recognize both granular variation
within communities and commonalities that transcend
community borders. When local communities begin their
own comprehensive planning process, they will address
the intersection of and integration across these special
features; for simplicity of description, this section
discusses each special feature independently.
Special features provide enhanced granularity for policies
that vary within jurisdictional boundaries; others focus
policy implementation on features that transcend local
borders. Special features allow the Council to apply policy
consistently to land with specific levels of infrastructure or
service, certain demographic traits, similar urban form, or
particular geological or topological characteristics
whether within or across jurisdictional borders. Some
special features are static, describing fixed topographical
characteristics; others are dynamic, reflecting changing
infrastructure or socioeconomic characteristics. The
Council's policies will be stable over the lifetime of this
plan while the geographies that they affect may change.
This section discusses four special features to emphasize the strong roles they play shaping
how the Council wants the region to grow and develop. In addition, several long-standing
Council priorities that strongly shape regional planning are described. When updating their local
comprehensive plans, the region's communities will address both "special features" and
community -wide" policies into its own unique situation.
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Racially Concentrated Areas of Poverty and Areas of
Concentrated Poverty
The Council's Choice, Aeavi ce ra?ed
Place and Opportunity. An
Equity Assessment of the
Twin Cities Region (2014)
identified Racially
Concentrated Areas of
Poverty (RCAPs),
contiguous areas of one or -
more census tracts in
which at least 50 percent
of the residents are people
of color and at least 40
percent of the residents
live in households with
incomes below 185
percent of the federal
poverty line. ($42,589 in
annual income for a four -
person household in 2011)
By 2010, nearly one in ten
of our region's residents
lived in racially
concentrated areas of
poverty. While statistical
sampling means that the
borders of RCAPs and
areas of concentrated poverty are imprecise,
and unwelcome persistence over time.
the cores of these areas demonstrate remarkable
Because both racially concentrated areas of poverty and areas of concentrated poverty limit the
economic mobility of their residents and discourage private investment, our region simply
cannot afford to allow these areas to persist or grow. Using public resources to catalyze
investment these areas, the Council will seek to help the region grow and prosper more
equitably. The Council will work with partners and use its investments and actions to improve
access to opportunity for residents and attract private investment so that all people live in
communities that provide them access to success, prosperity, and quality of life.
Visit the Council's website for the most current delineation of racially concentrated areas of
poverty and areas of concentrated poverty. For specific approaches, policies and additional
analysis related to racially concentrated areas of poverty and areas of concentrated poverty,
see:
the Equity section of the Thrive Outcomes (starting on p. 19);
Choice, Place and Opportunity. An Equity Assessment of the Twin Cities Region.
Page 57
Station Areas on Existing and Planned Transitways
Transitways are major investments that provide
faster service than regular -route buses, better
customer experience, and more certainty to the
city and investors that can attract development.
Transitways can be commuter rail, light-rail
transit, bus rapid transit, arterial bus rapid
transit, or potentially streetcars. The areas
around transitway stations can accommodate
regional growth; offer expanded living, working
and shopping choices; increase the efficiency
of existing infrastructure, and contribute to
climate change mitigation and resiliency.
However, the investment required to construct
transitways is both significant and long term. As
the region expands its network of transitways in
the coming years, good stewardship requires
that the region maximize their value, cost-
effectiveness and performance. To this end, the
Council will prioritize locations that have city and corridor commitment to transit -supportive
development patterns near stations, including higher levels of density and development. The
Council will provide technical assistance to support transit -oriented development in station
areas.
Transitway corridors are able to provide transportation access to more residents and employers,
especially in higher density areas, and therefore accommodate more of the region's expected
growth and development. In addition to their role attracting growth and development, the
prospect of future transitway corridors also provides an incentive for communities to cooperate
and collaborate across jurisdictional borders.
The map above is intentionally illustrative. See the most recent Transportation Policy Plan for
a formally adopted map of planned transitways and station areas. For specific approaches,
policies and additional analysis related to station areas along transitways, see:
the Stewardship section of the Thrive Outcomes (starting on p. 9)
the Orderly and Efficient Land Use policy (p. 64)
the Access, Mobility and Transportation Choice Land Use policy (p 74)
the Transit Oriented Design Strategic Action Plan
the 2040 Transportation Policy Plan and its supporting technical appendices.
Page 58
Water Supply Considerations
The Mississippi River supplied water to
early development in the region, but
groundwater wells have been used to
accommodate the region's outward
growth. This increasing reliance on
groundwater over time has become a
significant issue. In parts of the region,
groundwater levels are declining. In
some cases, it is affecting, or has the
potential to affect, lake levels. A pressing
concern is the impact that future
development could have on the reliability
of groundwater as a water source.
Figure 1. Sustainable Water Supply
Hgh Recharge Wtential
M. ofRecharge R][eniialExhEG14:
FI.]h & Law
Low RechargePotential
SII
MO(Wate ReCnarge RXeMW
Proximity to Surface Water Sourc L
Lakesand Riveax 4 I
t'
In 2005, the Minnesota State Legislature'
authorized the Metropolitan Council to
take on planning and management of
regional water supply issues. The - r
Council's goal, articulated in the Master
Water Supply Plan, is a sustainable';' Q
water supply for current and future
generations. To achieve this goal, the a
Plan identified two important issues to `
address: the unbalanced use of groundwater versus surface water resources, and the
unplanned modification of important groundwater recharge areas. Figure 1 identifies the
communities that sustainable water use can be re-established through a better balance of
groundwater and surface water supply, and through better management of vulnerable recharge
areas.
Cities are responsible for planning their local water supply and obtaining permits from state
agencies. These agencies, which protect the state's water resources and ensure safe drinking
water, include the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Minnesota
Department of Health. Because of the Metropolitan Council's planning work completed with the
Master Water Supply Plan, the region now has a better understanding of the impact of
development and water use on underground aquifers, as well as potential solutions to long-term
sustainability. As communities plan for the future, they should consider both the implications of
their water supply for future growth and how their land use patterns affect water supply.
The map above is intentionally illustrative. See the Council's website and the Master Water
Supply Plan for up-to-date maps of groundwater recharge potential. For specific approaches,
policies and additional analysis related to groundwater, visit:
the Sustainability section of the Thrive Outcomes (p. 29)
the Orderly and Efficient Land Use policy (p. 64)
the Water Sustainability Land Use policy (p. 69)
the 2040 Water Resources Policy Plan
the metropolitan area Master Water Supply Plan.
Page 59
Job and Activity Centers
Job and Activity Centers are areas of focused economic activity. Job Centers are contiguous
areas that have at least 7,000 jobs at a net
density of at least 10 jobs per acre. In
2010, half of the re( ion's obs were located Employmeel°edActivity war -
in one of 42 Job Centers; one in six of the
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are concentrated nodes of other activity,_ HeAKEPI
such as major educational institutions,
shopping and airports.
7
Job and Activity Centers benefit from F
significant existing regional infrastructure
such as wastewater, highways, and transit,
1 I °. CARRRR
as well as local infrastructure investments
in access and connectivity like sidewalks,
parking, water, water, parks, and trails. Building on^~ M- .; V
these investments to take advantage of
new opportunities to adapt, reuse, or
redevelop properties will maximize the
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economical development of the region.
Job and Activity Centers are significant travel destinations and support higher levels of transit
service and highway infrastructure. Employers that value transit access for their workforce
should locate in Job Centers. Due to the advantages and efficiencies that these locations
provide, the Council will partner with key stakeholders to promote job placement and growth in
Job Centers.
As new job concentrations emerge—whether through new development, redevelopment or job
growth at specific sites—the Council will identify Job Centers that meet the thresholds of job
number and density. The map above reflects 2011 data. See the Council's website for annually -
updated maps of Job and Activity Centers. For specific approaches, policies and additional
analysis related to Job and Activity Centers, visit:
the Prosperity section of the Thrive Outcomes (p. 13)
the Economic Competitiveness Land Use policy (p.77)
the 2040 Transportation Policy Plan and its technical appendices.
Page 60
Wastewater Service Areas
The Council has a long history of
aligning land development with the
staging of new connections to
regional wastewater service. This has
helped the Council to provide efficient
and affordable service; to create
predictability for landowners, cities
and developers; to ensure that future
revenues cover the expense of the
infrastructure; and to protect ground -
and surface -water quality. Many
Council policies relate to a
community's level of wastewater
service:
Wastewater Service Area is
land currently served by the
regional wastewater treatment
system.
Planned Wastewater Service
Area includes land that is not
currently served but is staged to receive regional wastewater treatment service by 2040.
Long-term Wastewater Service Area represents land that is planned to receive
wastewater treatment service sometime after 2040.
To further stewardship of the region's water and financial resources, the Council will continue to
apply established wastewater policies. Additionally, wastewater operations and investments will
be aligned with other activities as part of the Council's new water sustainability approach.
As a long-standing responsibility of the Council, wastewater service polices are woven into the
community designations outlined in the next sections. In order to ensure efficient use of regional
infrastructure, the Council defines minimum residential density levels in areas planned for
regional wastewater service by 2040. In areas planned for post -2040 regional wastewater
service, the Council defines maximum residential densities.
The map above is intentionally illustrative. See the Council's website and adopted amendments
to the Water Resources Policy Plan for up-to-date maps of the long-term wastewater area and
the Metropolitan Urban Services Area. For specific approaches, policies and additional analysis
related to wastewater service policies, visit:
the Stewardship and Sustainability sections of the Thrive Outcomes (p. 9 and 29)
the Water Sustainability Land Use policy (p. 69)
the Orderly and Efficient Land Use policy (p. 64)
the 2040 Water Resources Policy Plan.
Page 61
Regionally Significant Ecological Resources
An abundance of natural resources is
one of the many reasons that our region
is so vibrant and desirable. The region is
home to a wide variety of natural
habitats, ranging from wooded riverine
areas along the Minnesota and St. Croix
Rivers to large wetland complexes like
that in Carlos Avery Wildlife
Management Area to upland prairies and
forests throughout the region.
Ecological resources are important to
the Council because of the many
benefits that come from a healthy natural
environment, including economic
activity, health and psychological
benefits, quality of life and valuable eco -
services.
The health of these natural systems
depends on active protection and
management by a wide variety of agencies, communities and individuals. The Council plays
several roles in this network: collaborating with state and local partners to protect and improve
water availability and quality, preserving and protecting high quality environments in regional
parks in partnership with local parks agencies, and coordination of land use planning by local
units of government.
Integrating natural resources into our development patterns helps to create livable
neighborhoods and desirable places to visit. Incorporating natural areas and trees into
neighborhoods adds to a community's sense of place, as well as providing opportunities to
interact with the natural environment on a daily basis. Some natural areas can also increase
opportunities for outdoor recreation and exercise, especially when integrated into the
neighborhood.
As communities embark on their comprehensive plan updates, the Council will provide technical
assistance and information on natural resources, best practices for protection and integration
into development.
The map above is intentionally illustrative and contain information about the variety of natural
features — including lakes, rivers, creeks, wetlands, and upland areas. The Council will continue
to partner with agencies and stakeholders to compile and distribute such information, and will
assist local communities with finding and incorporating this information in their local planning
processes. For specific approaches, policies and additional analysis related to regionally
significant ecological areas, visit:
the Stewardship and Sustainability sections of the Thrive Outcomes (p. 9 and 29)
the Natural Resources Protection Land Use policy (p. 66).
Page 62
Community Designations
The previous sections of Thrive MSP 2040 set forth Outcomes and Principles to guide regional
policies, investment and activities. This section translates those overall ideas into specific land
use policies and strategies to help local communities incorporate regional needs into local
comprehensive plans.
The seven -county region contains a wide range of communities, from Agricultural areas to the
Urban Center. Development patterns, neighborhoods, and land uses vary across communities.
To advance the Thrive Outcomes, the Council is articulating specific land use and development
strategies and policies tailored for communities with shared development opportunities and
challenges. This approach allows each local jurisdiction the flexibility to determine how to best
work toward achieving both the regional outcomes and their local goals.
The Council assigns a community designation to each city and township based on the overall
state of development and regional issues faced by that community. Although the characteristics
of the community designation may not apply to every neighborhood of a community, the
designation represents the dominant character of the community. The Council uses these
community designations to:
guide regional growth and development to areas that have urban infrastructure in place
and the capacity to accommodate development and redevelopment;
establish land use expectations, including overall densities and development patterns,
for different planning areas;
outline the respective roles of the Council and the individual communities and strategies
for planning for projected levels of growth.
Urban and Rural Service Areas
The Council designates the Metropolitan Urban Service Area (MUSA) to distinguish between
the Urban Service Area and the Rural Service Area. Communities within the Urban Service
Area receive a higher level of regional services such as metropolitan wastewater services,
regional highways, and the regular route transit. In return, the Council expects these
jurisdictions to plan for and build the higher levels of development that economically support
those regional services. Conversely, in the Rural Service Area, the Council discourages higher
development densities to ensure the orderly development of the region, promote the efficient
use of regional investments, and to protect agricultural land, water resources, and the rural
landscape.
While the Urban Service Area constitutes about half of the land in the region, about xx% of the
population lives in this area. The Urban Service Area includes a diverse set of communities
ranging from the urban cores of downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul to suburban edge
communities planning for staged growth and expansion. Developing at different times in the
region's history, these communities include a variety of residential neighborhoods, housing
types, and densities, as well as a varying mix of commercial and industrial areas. The Council
supports the Urban Service Area through investments in transit infrastructure, transit services,
highways, regional sewer systems, the regional parks system, and programs that support
redevelopment. In turn, the Council works with local communities to support growth that best
capitalizes on regional infrastructure and systems. To respond to this variation in development
Page 63
patterns, the Metropolitan Urban Service Area is divided into five community designations:
Urban Center, Urban, Suburban, Suburban Edge, and Emerging Suburban Edge.
About half of the land in the Twin Cities region is in the Rural Service Area. This area includes a
range of uses including cultivated farmland, vineyards, hobby farms, gravel mines, woodlands,
small towns, scattered and clustered housing, open spaces and significant expanses of the
region's natural resources. Aside from the investments in the regional parks system,
investments in regional service are limited in the Rural Area. To protect the vital agricultural
lands and natural amenities and accommodate desires for rural and small-town residential
choices, the Rural Area is divided into four community designations: Rural Center, Rural
Residential, Diversified Rural, and Agricultural.
Page 64
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65
Urban Center: Growing vitality
in the region's core
The Urban Center includes the largest, most
centrally -located and most economically diverse
cities of the region. Anchored by Minneapolis and
St. Paul, the Urban Center also includes adjoining
cities that share similar development
characteristics such as street grids planned
before World War Two.
Downtown Minneapolis is a significant regional
center of finance and business services;
downtown St. Paul is the seat of state
government; and the University of Minnesota
attracts tens of thousands of students, faculty and
staff to its three campuses in the Urban Center.
Centrally -located industrial concentrations in the Urban Center are well-connected to export
markets by river, railroad, highway, and air travel. Investments in transit and amenities have
strengthened the Urban Center as an attractive place to invest, live, and do business.
The Urban Center also includes the most visited regional parks, such as the Minneapolis Chain
of Lakes and Como Regional Park, and is home to the region's premiere cultural resources.
While the Urban Center includes some of the region's wealthy and historically notable areas,
like Summit Avenue, it also includes areas with significant challenges, including many of the
region's racially concentrated areas of poverty.
Neighborhoods throughout the Urban Center grew outward along a system of streetcars.
Because of more limited automobile use during their initial development, neighborhoods are
more conducive to transit use and walking for daily needs. Streets are narrow and
interconnected, sidewalks are common; and buildings are oriented toward pedestrians, with
smaller -scale commercial uses often within a short walking distance. Travel by transit, walking,
and bicycling remains common here. Redevelopment, reinvestment, and intensification are
occurring in areas where people have multiple transportation options and commercial, cultural,
and recreational amenities are nearby.
Urban Center communities are experiencing redevelopment attracted to their vitality and
amenities, often at significant densities. However, they face many challenges including pollution
cleanup costs, land availability for development and infrastructure improvements, congestion,
conflicting or competing land uses, and the costs of retrofitting, replacing, or introducing new
infrastructure.
The Council forecasts that the cities in the Urban Center will add xx,000 residents, xx,000
households and xx,000 jobs between 2010 and 2040. This represents growth of xx percent in
population, xx percent in households and xx percent in employment over the three decades.
Urban Center communities are: [add list here]
Page 66
Urban: Redeveloping to meet
the needs of new generations
Urban communities developed primarily during
the economic prosperity between the end of
World War II and the economic recession of
1973-1975. These cities, adjacent to the Urban
Center communities, experienced rapid
development to house the growing families of the
Baby Boom era.
Highway accessibility led to the development of
Urban communities as centers of office,
commercial, institutional, and industrial uses,
including many of the region's early major indoor
shopping malls. Many Urban Area communities
are served by highways that predate the
interstate system (e.g., Highways 100 and 36).
The development patterns of Urban communities show the growing influence of the automobile
as miles and miles of new limited -access highways accelerated further automobile -oriented
growth. After World War II, the region's two-lane roads that extend out from the Urban Center
were improved, expanded, and new roads and highways were built, making large tracts of land
available for development. Streets are wider and include more curves. Lots are larger, parking is
plentiful, streets no longer have alleys, sidewalks are less common, and residential parking is
accessed via streets instead of alleys. In many cases, local streets do not intersect with higher
volume roadways as more emphasis is placed on traffic movement and circulation.
Over time, transit service has been extended into these communities from local routes
originating in the Urban Center. Some new services were introduced such as circulator services
often centered on the regional malls and express buses serving major park -and -rides that
transport commuters to the downtowns of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Urban communities face the challenge of redeveloping in ways that accommodate a greater mix
of uses, incorporate better facilities for pedestrian and bicyclists, and lay the groundwork for
pedestrian -friendly districts and improved transit services. Examples include the Penn -American
District in Bloomington and the 1-394 Mixed Use District in Golden Valley.
The Council forecasts that the Urban communities will add xx,000 residents, xx,000 households
and xx,000 jobs between 2010 and 2040. This represents growth of xx percent in population, xx
percent in households and xx percent in employment over the three decades.
Urban communities are: [add list here]
Page 67
Suburban: Cultivating places
where people can gather
Suburban communities saw their primary era of
development in the 1980s and into the early
1990s as the Baby Boomers formed families and
entered their prime earning years. Many of these
cities fall along freeway corridors and include
growth along outside the 1-694/494 beltway. This
development pattern also reached and
incorporated places that were once resort
destinations connected from the Twin Cities by
streetcar, such as communities along Lake
Minnetonka, White Bear Lake, and the St. Croix
River.
Many of the region's corporate headquarters are
located in the Suburban Area. These include Thomson Reuters in Eagan, United Health Group
in Minnetonka, and Land O'Lakes in Arden Hills.
Development in Suburban communities occurred at significantly lower densities than in previous
eras. Many residential subdivisions include cul-de-sacs. Retail areas often include big box
stores and multi -tenant retail developments. Because of the automobile -orientation of this area's
development patterns and high automobile ownership, walking or bicycling for daily travel is less
common, but trails are often used for recreation and commuting. Suburban Area cities include
some of the large regional parks such as Bunker Hills Regional Park in Coon Rapids and
Andover, and Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan and Apple Valley. Transit service is
generally less cost-effective in the Suburban communities than in the Urban Center and Urban
communities, but there is demand for express bus service from park -and -rides to regional
destinations.
As the Suburban communities have grown and as market preferences have evolved, many of
these cities are now focusing attention on developing places where people can gather. These
include town centers like downtown Stillwater, Burnsville's Heart of the City, Minnetonka's
Village Center, downtown White Bear Lake, and Apple Valley's downtown. These locations are
intended to be more walkable and include a mix of retail, higher density housing; and civic,
institutional, and open space amenities. They often incorporate suburban transit circulator buses
and park -and -rides for express service to downtown.
The Council forecasts that the Suburban communities will add xx,000 residents, xx,000
households and xx,000 jobs between 2010 and 2040. This represents growth of xx percent in
population, xx percent in households and xx percent in employment over the three decades.
Suburban communities are: [add list here]
Page 68
Suburban Edge: Managing
rapid growth and change
The Suburban Edge includes communities that
have experienced significant residential growth
beginning in the 1990s and continuing to the
2010s. At least 40% of the land in these cities is
developed, but significant amounts of land remain
for future development. These communities
generally do not have large-scale agricultural
areas.
The Suburban Edge includes regional and sub -
regional job and activity centers, like Maple
Grove's The Shoppes at Arbor Lakes, as well as
more local and small scale centers, like
downtown Chaska, that serve the local
population.
The Suburban Edge tends to have auto -oriented development and transportation patterns.
Neighborhoods are often self-contained subdivisions characterized by cul-de-sacs and limited
access to major thoroughfares for traffic movement. Recent development has included both
subdivisions of single-family detached homes as well as townhome developments offering more
options for housing affordability. Most cities in the Suburban Edge have access to regional trails
and include some existing residential neighborhoods with sidewalks and connection to trails.
Suburban Edge cities are seeing increasing demand for transit service from park -and -rides to
regional destinations.
The balance of proximity to more developed areas and a significant supply of developable land
presents an opportunity for the Suburban Edge to develop new workforce housing. Locating
future development close to existing urban services and infrastructure will use regional
investments efficiently. Connections via roadway, transit, and trails to centers in adjacent
Suburban and Urban communities will further integrate the Suburban Edge into regional fabric.
Addressing walkability and expanding local trail networks is important for residential
neighborhoods in order to increase connectivity in existing and new neighborhoods.
With water supply issues facing many Suburban Edge communities, planning efforts should
focus on how to protect water supply resources and identify viable alternative sources of water.
Similarly, with much of their development yet ahead, Suburban Edge communities can protect
and preserve open spaces, natural areas, and water recharge capacity within future
development patterns.
The Council forecasts that the cities in the Suburban Edge will add xx,000 residents, xx,000
households and xx,000 jobs between 2010 and 2040. This represents growth of xx percent in
population, xx percent in households and xx percent in employment over the three decades.
Suburban Edge communities are: [add list here]
Page 69
Emerging Suburban Edge:
Transitioning from rural to
developed
The Emerging Suburban Edge includes cities, townships,
and portions of both that are in the early stages of
transitioning into urbanized levels of development.
Strategically located between Suburban Edge and the
Rural communities, the Emerging Suburban Edge
communities offer both connections to urban amenities
and the proximity to open spaces that characterizes a
rural lifestyle. Often, the cities and townships in the
Emerging Suburban Edge are in more than one
community designation. In the majority of Emerging
Suburban Edge communities, less than 40% of the land
has been developed.
Communities in the Emerging Suburban Edge have a mix of residential, rural, and agricultural
areas, often including lower -density single-family neighborhoods and small downtown service
centers. The growth patterns in these communities demonstrate the challenges of changing
from rural to suburban. New developments are typically built in a traditional suburban pattern,
characterized by large curving streets, limited through roadways, and auto -oriented street
design. Emerging Suburban Edge communities have access to regional wastewater services
either municipally -owned or regional services), access to the Metropolitan Highway System,
and include existing or planned regional parks system facilities.
The Emerging Suburban Edge communities provide a variety of commercial activities along the
main transportation corridors and most encompass historic small downtowns with small town
characteristics. Commercial areas in the Emerging Suburban Edge tend to be individual large
employers and smaller scale activity centers serving the local population. These communities
benefit from the proximity to more developed areas while retaining their local rural character and
protecting natural resources.
Although these communities have some redevelopment potential in older areas such as historic
downtown districts, the focus in the Emerging Suburban Edge is on greenfield development.
Greenfields present opportunities to integrate natural resource preservation into site planning
prior to development. Some of these communities have land available within their jurisdiction
staged for future development, while others are expanding through orderly annexation
agreements with neighboring townships. This mix of uses, availability of undeveloped land, and
rich access to natural resources is a characteristic unique to Emerging Suburban Edge
communities.
The Council forecasts that Emerging Suburban Edge communities will add xx,000 residents,
xx,000 households and xx,000 jobs between 2010 and 2040. This represents growth of xx
percent in population, xx percent in households and xx percent in employment over the three
decades.
Emerging Suburban Edge communities are: [add list here]
Page 70
Rural Centers: Serving the rural
area as small town centers of
TiiTir
Rural Centers are local commercial, employment,
and residential activity centers serving rural areas
in the region. These small towns are surrounded
by agricultural lands and serve as centers of
commerce to those surrounding farm lands and
the accompanying population. Although smaller in
scale than urban communities, Rural Centers
provide similar development patterns and locally
accessible commercial services for the
surrounding area.
Rural Centers have wastewater treatment"`)
services, some municipally -owned and others
connected to the regional system provided by the Metropolitan Council. The availability of either
local or regional wastewater treatment supports denser land uses and development patterns in
these cities and distinguishes them from neighboring rural townships and other small towns.
Rural Centers provide a range of services appropriate to serve a limited population within a
compact geographical area. Rural Centers generally have a mix of housing densities, strong
commercial service districts in a traditional downtown district or along transportation corridors,
and residential neighborhoods surrounded by farmland and agri-businesses. Growth in Rural
Centers should be orderly and economical so as to best utilize existing infrastructure and
investment prior to extension of new services outside of Rural Centers.
At times, Rural Centers can connect travelers and residents to other communities in and outside
the region , particularly those that are well served by existing transportation infrastructure such
as in Scott County along US 169. Largely situated along the edges of the seven -county region,
these Rural Centers are often visited by travelers with a destination in another part of the region.
This spatial connection to other locations in the region supports the commercial and activity
functions of Rural Centers and provides growth opportunities unique to these communities.
The Council forecasts that Rural Center communities will add xx,000 residents, xx,000
households and xx,000 jobs between 2010 and 2040. This represents growth of xx percent in
population, xx percent in households and xx percent in employment over the three decades.
Rural Centers are: [add list here]
Page 71
Diversified Rural: Protecting
land for rural lifestyles and
long-term urbanization
Diversified Rural communities are home to a
variety of farm and non-farm land uses including
very large -lot residential, clustered housing,
hobby farms and agricultural uses. Located
adjacent to the Emerging Suburban Edge of the
Urban Service Area, the Diversified Rural Area
protects rural land for rural lifestyles today and
potential urbanized levels of development
sometime after 2040.
Large areas of high quality natural resources are
located in these communities with some of these
natural areas protected in state lands and
regional parks, like Carlos Avery Wildlife Management Area in Anoka County and Carver Park
Reserve in Carver County.
While these communities contain a mix of uses, large portions of communities in the Diversified
Rural area also contain prime agricultural soils, located primarily in Scott and Washington
counties. Although these communities are not designated Agricultural communities, the Council
supports the preservation of agricultural land. Agricultural uses in Diversified Rural communities
benefit from their proximity to the Urban Service Area and Rural Centers, but face challenges to
their long-term continued use, including incompatible uses developing nearby and increased
development pressures.
The Council discourages urbanized levels of residential development in Diversified Rural
communities to avoid the premature demand for expansion of metropolitan systems and other
urban public services. Regional investments in infrastructure, such as roads, focus on rural
levels of service, while recognizing the need to include transportation infrastructure consistent
with market access and the business needs of the area. Some Diversified Rural communities
are also located within the Long -Term Service Area for the regional wastewater system. These
areas are designated to ensure land availability to accommodate growth post -2040 at the edge
of the urbanizing area. The remaining Diversified Rural communities are considered long-term
rural areas.
There is a portion of the region's population that is interested in rural and small town living. For
communities in the Diversified Rural area, the Council supports the clustering of homes to meet
that demand, but done in a manner that protects high quality and locally -prioritized natural areas
and open spaces, and also preserves lands for potential post -2040 urban development.
The Council forecasts that Diversified Rural communities will add xx,000 residents, xx,000
households and xx,000 jobs between 2010 and 2040. This represents growth of xx percent in
population, xx percent in households and xx percent in employment over the three decades.
Diversified Rural Area communities are: [add list here]
Page 72
Rural Residential: Limiting
unsustainable growth patterns
Rural Residential communities have residential
patterns characterized by large lots and do not
have plans to provide urban infrastructure, such
as centralized wastewater treatment.
Many of these communities in the Rural
Residential Area have topographic development
limitations and an historic development pattern
with lot sizes that generally ranged from 1- 2.5 - -
units/acres. These residential densities do not (03
support economical extension of wastewater
13
services. In Anoka County, the Rural Residential p
Area includes communities which have a large
number of wetlands and existing densities of 2.5
acres of less. These areas are typically portions of a community, while the remaining part of the
community is usually Emerging Suburban Edge, Suburban Edge, or Diversified Rural. Some
communities are split between community designations where wastewater services are
available (typically Suburban Edge and Emerging Suburban Edge) and the Rural Residential
area where neither the Council nor the city plans to provide wastewater services. In most cases,
the Rural Residential area is existing single-family residential housing within a residential portion
of a community. If the Rural Residential area includes the whole community, other uses typically
have developed such agricultural uses, including sod farming and horticulture, as well as
commercial uses to serve local needs, and commercial and light industrial along transportation
corridors.
Rural Residential development precludes providing urbanized infrastructure in an effective,
connected, and efficient manner. Rural Residential development does not advance the
Metropolitan Council mission of ensuring orderly and economical development and in some
cases, increases the potential for damage to the environment. These areas need to
accommodate minimal growth while protecting natural areas and water quality and quantity and
ensuring sufficient public infrastructure. The Council discourages the expansion of the Rural
Residential areas.
The Council forecasts that the cities and townships in the Rural Residential Area will add xx,000
residents, xx,000 households and xx,000 jobs between 2010 and 2040. This represents growth
of xx percent in population, xx percent in households and xx percent in employment over the
three decades.
Rural Residential Area communities are: [add list here]
Page 73
Agricultural: Preserving large
swaths of farmland
Agricultural communities encompass areas with
prime agricultural soils that are planned and
zoned for long-term agricultural use. These
communities are home to the bulk of contiguous
lands enrolled in the Metropolitan Agricultural
Preserves and Green Acres Programs or
cultivated for commercial agricultural purposes.
In the Agricultural area, agriculture IS the
development. The Council supports the
preservation of agricultural land to protect the
region's agricultural economy, provide economic
opportunities for farmers, and to promote local
food production. These long-term uses support
the region's economic competitiveness as they provide opportunities for local agricultural- and
food -based industry clusters and production for local food consumption.
The preservation of long-term agricultural uses and the integration of best management
practices in farm operations also contribute to regional sustainability. The incorporation of best
management practices, such as conservation tillage and carbon sequestration, can improve soil
fertility, reduce soil erosion, and improve overall soil and water quality. Long-term agricultural
uses can also contribute to the region's air quality by reducing local food transportation
distances and related greenhouse gas emissions.
The Council discourages urban levels of development in rural areas to reduce development
pressure on agricultural lands and to avoid the premature demand for expansion of metropolitan
systems and other urban public services. Regional investments in infrastructure such as roads
and wastewater treatment will focus on rural levels of service, while recognizing the need to
include transportation infrastructure consistent with market access and the agricultural needs of
the area.
The Council forecasts that Agricultural communities will add xx,000 residents, xx,000
households and xx,000 jobs between 2010 and 2040. This represents growth of xx percent in
population, xx percent in households and xx percent in employment over the three decades.
Agricultural communities are: [add list here]
Page 74
Land Use Policies
Setting the Stage
The Twin Cities metropolitan area is a thriving region of interconnected places with a shared
future. The Council intends to be a good steward of the region's assets, and to capitalize upon
them in our efforts toward prosperity, equity, livability, and sustainability. Among those assets
are a diversified economy and numerous educational institutions; healthy downtown and
suburban business centers; a vibrant arts and cultural community; abundant open space and
natural resources; and a diversity of urban, suburban, and rural communities.
Over the last 40 years, the region has made significant investments in the regional systems of
parks and trails, transportation, and wastewater collection and treatment that support the built
environment we have today. Today, however, new issues are pressing on our development
choices. Because of fiscal, environmental, and political forces at all levels of government, the
region is moving from a period of infrastructure expansion to one of maintenance, strategic
investments, and getting more out of what we already have.
In 2007, the Legislature passed a law calling for a 15 percent reduction in the state's
greenhouse gas emissions by 2015, and 30 percent reduction by 2025.9 As a part of achieving
these goals, the region will need to address our transportation and land use patterns.
As a result of demographic and market changes, investment and intensification is occurring in
the urbanized area; and though more slowly than in decades past, suburban communities on
the edge are filling in. More communities are taking on the challenges and opportunities related
to reuse, infill, and redevelopment; development along mixed use corridors; and the creation of
walkable districts centered around transit.
The land use policies set forth in this section balance both urban and rural qualities to create the
most viable atmosphere for a successful metropolitan community. The goal is to achieve a
prosperous future for everyone in a region that is equitable, livable, and sustainable. The vision
within Thrive can only succeed through local and regional partnerships. Regional perspective
does not displace local efforts, it depends on them. It is this integrated focus on which Thrive
relies. The land use policies in this chapter are intended to support the Thrive vision, to
maximize opportunities, achieve growth, and strengthen the region's economic competitiveness.
Community
Roles
for each
land use policy
N
Community
Roles
by community
designation
Requirements
from system and
policy plans
Community
responsibility
Policy language that applies to a community is located in several places. System Statements, which will be
issued in late 2015, will provide individualized guidance to help communities update their comprehensive plans.
9 Next Generation Energy Act of 2007.
Page 75
Land Use Policies
To build the foundation for a prosperous, equitable, livable, and sustainable future, the Council
has identified seven policies to guide land use and regional development:
Orderly and Efficient Land Use: Align land use, development patterns, and infrastructure to
make the best use of public and private investment.
Natural Resources Protection: Conserve, restore, and protect the region's natural resources
to ensure availability, to support public health, and to maintain a high quality of life.
Water Sustainability: Conserve, restore, and protect the quality and quantity of the region's
water resources to ensure ongoing availability, to support public health, and to maintain a high
quality of life.
Housing Affordability and Choice: Promote housing options to give people in all life stages
and of all economic means viable choices for safe, stable, and affordable homes.
Access, Mobility, and Transportation Choice: Sustain and improve a multi -modal
transportation system to support regional growth, maintain regional economic competitiveness,
and provide choices and reliability for the system's users.
Economic Competitiveness: Foster connected land use options to provide businesses and
industries with access to materials, markets, and talent.
Building in Resilience: Promote sensitive land use and development patterns to achieve
Minnesota's adopted greenhouse gas emissions goals at the regional scale, and to develop
local resiliency to the impacts of climate change.
To implement these overall policies the Council has identified land use strategies for local
communities and the Council to implement. While each strategy is linked to a specific policy in
this document, in practice strategies can serve multiple purposes. For example, a strategy of
focusing development around centers on transit and transportation corridors supports the policy
of aligning land uses to make the best use of public and private investments, among other
policies. Guiding development to targeted areas can reduce the development pressures in
areas with high quality natural resources. This focus of development along transportation and
transit corridors can also improve the efficiency of our transit system by building housing within
easy access to the existing system. This method of development can also support specialized
housing types to meet the lifestyle needs of a segment of the population seeking more urban
living options.
We cannot focus on one policy alone to attain the outcomes identified in this plan. Instead, it will
take a combination of strategies addressing all of the policies to set the stage for a successful
future. While a policy may appear to directly support some of the Council's desired outcomes
more than others, all of the land use policies are interrelated and implementation must be
integrated to achieve the outcomes. The next section details land use policies for the region,
followed by strategies that are common among all communities. In recognition of the
opportunities and challenges unique to different communities, additional strategies to implement
these policies are tailored to suit the different community types in the region (see Strategies for
Community Designations).
Page 76
Orderly and Efficient Land Use
Align land use, development patterns, and infrastructure to make the best use of public
and private investment.
Orderly and efficient land uses lay the
foundation for a prosperous region. The
Council sets the framework for land use
patterns and guide development in the
region, as directed by the Metropolitan
Land Planning Act.10 This means being
fiscally responsible by guiding land uses
and development patterns that make the
most of the region's investments in
infrastructure. Directing growth where
infrastructure already exists also reduces
the need to add roads and expand the
regional wastewater system to support
the same growth elsewhere.
Table 1. Overall Density Expectations for New Growth,
Development, and Redevelopment
Metropolitan..
AverageMinimum
Urban Center 20 units / acre
Urban 10 units / acre
Suburban 5 units / acre
Suburban Edge 3-5 units/ acre
Emerging Suburban Edge
Rural Service Area
3-5 units/ acre
Maximum Allowed Density,
Rural Center 3-5 units/acre minimum
1 -2.5 -acre lots existing,
Rural Residential 1 unit / 10 acres where
possible
Making efficient use of land and Diversified Rural 4 units / 40 acres
capitalizing upon existing infrastructure Agricultural 1 unit / 40 acres
also reduces outward development pressures in rural and natural resource areas. Planning for
and supporting growth where infrastructure is already in place allows these rural areas to
continue to maintain large tracts of natural resources, agricultural production, and a sparsely
developed rural environment.
Aligning land uses, development patterns, and infrastructure is important at the local level, too.
Orderly and efficient does not just mean wise use of regional infrastructure, it also means
planning livable neighborhoods connected to places to work and play. While traditionally
planning has separated residential neighborhoods from commercial and industrial areas,
residents still need to access these places to meet their daily needs and to get to work.
Communities should continue to consider strategic locations for integrating different uses into
neighborhoods and to make it easier for more people to access parks and provide places to pick
up a bag of groceries without needing to rely on a car. Compact development patterns,
integrating natural resources, and local interconnected street networks all add to the livability of
our communities.
The region is able to provide cost-effective infrastructure and services when it is able to
anticipate where, when, and to what extent regional growth will occur. The region establishes
overall density expectations for communities based on their community designation, as well as
expectations near transit stations. Density thresholds are based on an understanding of future
regional growth, market demand in different parts of the region, existing development patterns
and redevelopment opportunities, and regional policies to support the concentration of higher
density growth around transit stations. Because each community and its values are unique,
precisely how and where density is guided is determined by each community consistent with
10 Minn. Stat. 473.145
Page 77
regional policies. As shown in Table 1, communities in the MUSA and the Rural Center
communities are expected to plan for achieving the overall minimum average density
expectations in their community across areas where new growth, development, and
redevelopment. The Council recognizes that not all new development may meet the minimum
standards, and conversely many other new developments may exceed the minimum standards.
Setting minimum average densities to achieve provides communities with the flexibility to
determine which areas might be most suited for higher and lower density developments, under
the framework of meeting that overall minimum on available developable lands. All other
communities in the Rural Service Area are expected to set maximum allowable densities as
summarized in Table 1. Additional detail regarding density and development patterns is
contained in each of the community designation strategy sections.
Council Role
Advance the Metropolitan Council mission of ensuring orderly and economical
development.
Develop and update regional plans to manage forecasted growth by using regional
systems and land efficiently and effectively.
Coordinate major regional investment projects with local infrastructure and planning for
development and redevelopment.
Promote development patterns that protect natural resources, the quality and quantity of
our water resources, and our water supply.
Promote land use patterns that differentiate between urban and rural uses.
Update regional plans for water supply and pursue environmentally sound and
cooperative water reuse practices, conservation initiatives, joint planning, and
implementation efforts to maximize surface water infiltration to recharge groundwater
supplies.
Support economic growth and development by promoting the wise use of water through a
sustainable balance of surface and ground water use, conservation, reuse, aquifer
recharge and other practices.
Provide efficient and high quality regional wastewater infrastructure and services.
Pursue wastewater reuse where economically feasible as a means to promote
sustainable water resources.
Coordinate wastewater conveyance projects with regional park and trail system
improvements where appropriate.
Community Role
Plan for development to support forecasted growth at appropriate densities, as articulated
in the following community designation sections, focusing growth along nodes on
corridors.
Plan and develop interconnected local streets, adequate stormwater infrastructure,
adequate water supply, and properly managed subsurface sewage treatment systems to
support local growth forecasts.
Adopt and implement the local comprehensive plan following Council review.
Page 78
Maintain, replace, or expand local facilities and infrastructure to meet growth and
development needs.
Prepare local water supply, wellhead protection, wastewater, and local surface water
plans as required by the Metropolitan Land Planning Act.
Plan land use patterns that facilitate groundwater recharge, reuse, and reduce per capita
water use to protect the region's water supply.
Plan for sustainable water supply options and groundwater recharge areas to promote
development in accordance with natural resources protection and efficient use of land.
Partner with other water supply providers to explore options to reduce dependence on
groundwater.
Develop plans to improve conditions for and encourage walking and bicycling where
appropriate.
Natural Resources Protection
Conserve, restore, and protect the region's natural resources to ensure ongoing
availability, to support public health, and to maintain a high quality of life.
An abundance of natural resources has long contributed to the vibrancy of our region. The
region is home to a variety of natural habitats, ranging from wooded riverine habitats along the
Minnesota and St. Croix Rivers to large wetland complexes like that in Carlos Avery Wildlife
Management Area to trout streams like Valley Creek in Washington County. As discussed
earlier in Thrive, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has identified Regionally
Significant Ecological Areas, which designates the high quality natural habitats around the
region. This identification is a useful tool to guide agencies and local governments in
coordinating their conservation and protection efforts.
Integrating natural resources into our development patterns helps to create livable
neighborhoods and desirable places to Figure 2. Prime Agricultural Land
visit. Incorporating natural areas and - x -
trees into neighborhoods adds to a - •. '•
community's sense of place, as well as
providing opportunities to interact with the ,r
a•."3 ;``
natural environment on a daily basis. '
Some of the natural areas can also
increase opportunities for outdoor.
recreation and exercise, especially when 4 - r'
planned as part of the neighborhood 4.
fabric.
This integrated method of development
and redevelopment, or incorporating
green infrastructure, can provide other
benefits, such as assist in the
management of stormwater and reducing
flood damage. Trees in the urban area
not only provide shade for neighborhoods
and pedestrians, but also help to
Page 79
Figure 2. Total Farm Acreage & Number of Farms
900,000
800.000
700A00
600,00a
500,000
4
400,004
300,004
200,004
100.000
7482 1987 1492 1997 2002 2007.
Anoka i Carver -Hennettipr
Dakota Ramwv 5[att
Washington NsanibetofFarnis
6000
5000
4000
3000 e
JS
E
2000 :2
1000
Figure 4. ILLUSTRATIVE MAP: Example of Lands Enrolled in
Agricultural Preserves and Green Acres Programs, 2013
ameliorate the effects of the urban heat
island, slow stormwater runoff, and help
filter the air we breathe.
Soil Resources
Agriculture has been an important shaper
and supporter of the development of the
region. The abundance of rich soils close
to the Mississippi River led to the
development of early food milling
companies like Pillsbury. Many of these
early companies have grown to include
some of the largest food and agricultural
businesses in the world, including Cargill
and General Mills. As shown in Figure 4,
the region is a soil -rich environment, with
prime agricultural soils dominating the
rural landscape, particularly in Carver,
Dakota, and Scott Counties. Prime
agricultural soils are defined by the
Natural Resources Conservation Service,
a division of the United States
Department of Agriculture, in the Land
Capability Classification. The Land
Capability Classification designates soils
as part of one of eight classes based on
their characteristics including soil type,
slope, location, depth, and texture among
others. Classes I, II, and III are
considered prime for cultivation.
Like in other metropolitan regions,
farmland in the Twin Cities has
experienced development pressures as
the region has grown. Both the total
number of farms and the total acreage in
farms in the seven counties has declined
over the last 30 years." There appears to
be some leveling in both the acreage and
number of farms since the late 1990s.
This could be attributed to a number of
reasons, including reduced outward
pressures for development due to the
tt Census of Agriculture. United States Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service.
www.agcensus.usda.govAccessed November 2013.
Page 80
downturn in the economy, enrollment in programs like the Agricultural Preserves Program and
the Green Acres Program, and increase in profitability for farming.
The Agricultural Preserves Program (Minn. Stat. 473H) was enacted by the Legislature in 1980
with the purpose of maintaining "viable productive farm operations in the metropolitan area." 12
This program provides tax benefits for the land owners with properties of at least 40 acres in
size, along with long-range planning protections in the comprehensive plans and ordinances
from local governments to protect farming operations. The Green Acres Program, established in
the late 1960s, provides similar land owner tax benefits, particularly to those with small parcels
at least 10 acres), but does not include the restrictions in local land use plans and ordinances
for properties to be eligible. Enrollment in these programs varies by county (Figure 4), but
otherwise largely mirrors the locations of prime agricultural lands shown in Figure 2.
Aggregate Resources
As development expanded, the region found that a key ingredient for development was under
threat. 13 Access to deposits of aggregate resources — crushed, rock, gravel, and sand — was
being lost due to new development on or near the deposits. Aggregate resources are needed
for construction not just of new roads and buildings, but also for maintenance and repair.
Accessing these resources locally reduces the costs for local construction projects, compared to
shipping resources in from outside of the region. In considering staging areas for new
development, it will be important for local communities to continue to plan for aggregate
resource extraction prior to development where viable deposits remain accessible, as mapped
in Minnesota Geological Survey Information Circular No. 46.14 Where deposits are overlain by
Regionally Significant Ecological Areas, or other locally protected natural resource areas, the
Council prioritizes habitat preservation over aggregate extraction.
Role of Regional Parks
It is difficult to overstate how much the regional park system supports the region's quality of life
and protection of high quality natural resources. In the 2012 annual survey of metropolitan
residents, nearly half identified parks, trails or the natural environment as the most attractive
feature of the region. The regional parks system provides recreational opportunities, and
resources such as the Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Regional Park in Lino Lakes or Lebanon Hills
Regional Park in Dakota County contribute to the preservation of important ecological and
natural features. Increasingly, the regional park system is seen as an amenity to retain and
attract new businesses and residents; and many people are using regional trails for commuting.
The 2040 Regional Parks Policy Plan sets the direction for protection and growth of the
regional parks and trails system. The Metropolitan Council does not own or operate parks and
trails, but through a variety of funds dedicated to regional parks, supports ten regional park
implementing agencies. This collaborative partnership has created a system of regional
12 Laws of Minnesota 1980, chapter 566, sec. 1.
13 In 2001, the Minnesota Legislature amended the Metropolitan Land Planning Act (M.S. 473.859) to
require local comprehensive plans to address aggregate deposits where they remain available. 14 The Council provides this information in digital format for use in GIS for local planning and analysis
purposes.
Page 81
recreational open space has been, and will continue to be, an important tool for the region in
protecting high quality natural areas.
Council Role
Integrate natural resource protection strategies into regional system plans for
infrastructure investments.
Collaborate with local, regional, and state partners to expand the regional parks system,
as appropriate, to conserve, maintain, and connect natural resources identified as high
quality or of regional importance, consistent with the 2040 Regional Parks Policy Plan.
Collaborate and convene with state, regional, and local partners to protect, maintain, and
enhance natural resources protection.
Maintain an up-to-date regional Natural Resources Inventory and Assessment (NRI/A) in
partnership with the Department of Natural Resources.
Provide technical assistance and tools for natural resources protection, conservation, and
restoration.
Promote the implementation of best management practices for habitat restoration and
natural resource conservation.
Community Role
Include goals, priorities, and natural resource conservation strategies in the local
comprehensive plan to protect and enhance natural resources identified in regional and
local natural resource inventories.
Adopt and enforce ordinances for the conservation and restoration of natural resources
within the community.
Work with regional partners and regional park implementing agencies to identify, plan for,
and acquire natural areas and resources prime for preservation and protection.
Plan for aggregate resource extraction where viable deposits remain accessible, as
required by the Metropolitan Land Planning Act.
Water Sustainability
Conserve, restore, and protect the quality and quantity of the region's water resources to
ensure ongoing availability, to support public health, and to maintain a high quality of
life.
The prosperity, quality of life, and continued development of our region all depend on the
sustainability of the quality and quantity of our region's water resources. As discussed earlier,
an abundance of natural resources, particularly water, has long contributed to the vibrancy of
our region. Early in the region's history, the Mississippi River provided an important source of
energy and transportation for the milling industries, and shaping the region's development. The
region is also home to two other major rivers, the Minnesota and the St. Croix, an expansive
network of streams including high-quality trout streams, and over 900 lakes and numerous
wetlands. In addition to the surface waters, the region also boasts access to a multi -layered
aquifer system capable of yielding a large supply of good -quality water. These water resources
Page 82
are the foundation for growth and vitality in the region, and we must care for these resources
wisely and sustainably in order to prosper.
Sustaining the quality of our region's water bodies is necessary to support the livability of the
region and continued natural habitat function. Effective stewardship of our water resources
cannot be accomplished through parkland protection alone. As a region, we also need to
manage our use of our aquifers for water supply and our region's land use patterns. Land use
patterns can impact the quality of both our surface and ground water bodies, both through the
quantity of stormwater generated from development entering those water bodies, and pollutants
that are contained in that stormwater (non -point source pollution). Land use patterns that
integrate natural areas into development
at the site level add to livability and help Figure 5. Rivers, Lakes, and Wetlands
to avoid costly projects needed to
alleviate environmental impacts of `' 4
Lakes, Riversanddevelopment, such as infrastructure to - Perennial Streams
assist in the management of stormwater. Weiland
Protecting natural areas can help toA
recharge the regions aquifers for water
supply, filter and slow stormwater runoff,`` {
and reduce flood damage. 5.
Surface Waters
Water resources have shaped the
region's growth and development, as
evidenced by the locations of the region's
two major downtowns in Minneapolis and
St. Paul to the cities that developed
around Lake Minnetonka and White Bear
Lake. Our region's waters have also been
recognized not only for their beauty and
recreational value, but also for sustaining
life and economic activities.
Y
Some of our resources are protected as parks and public lands by all levels of government from
federal to local. Vadnais-Snail Lakes Regional Park, Carlos Avery Wildlife Management Area,
and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Louisville Swamp are just a few examples of how various
public entities have protected some of our surface waters. The St. Croix River, considered one
of the most pristine riverways in the nation, is a federally designated National Scenic Riverway
with management coordinated among local governments, the National Park Service, and the
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The Mississippi River is a state designated
Critical Area15 and federally designated National River and Recreation Area, with its protection
and preservation coordinated among the local governments, the Department of Natural
15 Executive Order No. 79-19 designated the Mississippi River Corridor as a Critical Area in 1979. The
Mississippi National River and Recreational Area (MNRRA) was established by Congress as a unit of the
National Park Service in 1988. In 1991, Minn. Stat. 116G.15 designates the MNRRA corridor as a state
critical area in the Critical Areas Act.
Page 83
Resources, the National Park Service, and the Metropolitan Council. State shoreland rules
Minn. Rules 6120.2500-3900) provide statewide standards that local governments must adopt
to manage development along lakeshores to protect lake quality. The Wetland Conservation Act
is implemented through local land use controls with oversight from the Board of Water and Soil
Resources.
Groundwater Resources
While the Mississippi River supported the initial development of the region, plentiful groundwater
accommodated the region's outward growth. Increasing reliance on groundwater over time,
however, has become a significant issue. In parts of the region, groundwater levels are
declining, as described in the Special Features section of this document. In some cases, it is
affecting, or has the potential to affect, lake levels. A pressing concern is the impact that future
development might have on the reliability of groundwater as a water source. Considerations of
impacts to our groundwater resources is important during the planning and development
processes to ensure that we are not negatively impacting our resources and that we are taking
advantage of opportunities to recharge our groundwater where those opportunities exist.
Managing Subsurface Sewage Treatment Systems
There are approximately 75,000 individual subsurface sewage treatment systems (SSTS) as
well as several more private community systems serving clustered developments in use within
the region. Both individual and community systems largely serve portions of the region where
wastewater collection and treatment is not available. The Council's intent is to work with local
governments to ensure that SSTS do not cause surface or groundwater quality problems in
areas where collective sanitary sewer service is not available.
The Council will continue to employ its review authority under the Metropolitan Land Planning
Act to ensure that local governments that permit the construction of individual and private
wastewater treatment systems, demonstrate through the comprehensive planning process that
they have the capability to ensure that these individual and private systems are operated
effectively within the standards required by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Local
communities must incorporate current MPCA regulations (Minn. Rules Chapters 7080-7082)
into their local ordinances and programs for managing subsurface sewage treatment systems.
Council Role
Collaborate and convene with state, regional, and local partners to protect, maintain, and
enhance natural resources protection and the protection of the quality and quantity of the
region's water resources and water supply.
Work to maintain and improve the quality and availability of the region's water resources
to support habitat and ecosystem health while providing for recreational opportunities, all
of which are critical elements of our region's quality of life.
Reduce inflow and infiltration in the regional wastewater collection system.
Require proper management of subsurface treatment systems (SSTS), consistent with
Minn. Rules Chapters 7080-7082, to minimize impacts on surface water, ground water,
and public health.
Assure adequate and high quality ground and surface water supplies to protect public
health and support economic growth and development by promoting the wise use of
Page 84
water through a sustainable balance of surface and ground water use, conservation,
reuse, aquifer recharge, and other practices.
Support implementation of volume reduction techniques such as infiltration or filtration for
stormwater management.
Promote the implementation of best management practices for stormwater management.
Collaborate with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to provide
technical assistance to local governments in implementing the Mississippi River Critical
Area Program, and coordinate with the DNR in review of those plans and ordinances.
Community Role
Collaborate and convene with state, regional, and local partners to protect, maintain, and
enhance natural resources protection and the protection of the quality and quantity of the
region's water resources and water supply.
Prepare and implement local water supply plans and source water (wellhead) protection
ordinances, consistent with Minnesota Rules part 4720, in all communities with municipal
water supply.
Prepare and implement local surface water plans as required by Minnesota Rules
Chapter 8410, the Metropolitan Land Planning Act, and the 2040 Water Resources Policy
Plan.
Reduce infiltration and inflow (1/1) into the local wastewater collection system. Participate
in 1/1 grant programs as available.
Incorporate current MPCA regulations (Minn. Rules Chapters 7080-7082) as part of a
program for managing subsurface sewage treatment systems (SSTS) in the
comprehensive plan and local ordinances, and implement the standards in issuing
permits. Describe the conditions under which the installation of SSTS will be permitted
and the areas not suitable for public or private systems.
Adopt and enforce ordinances related to stormwater management and erosion control.
Adopt and implement best management practices for abating, preventing, and reducing
point and nonpoint source pollution.
Develop and adopt critical area plans and ordinances consistent with Executive Order 79-
19 and Critical Area Program rules, in all communities with affected lands in the
Mississippi River Critical Area Corridor.
Integrate drinking water source protection into local land use decisions, particularly in
Drinking Water Supply Management Areas.
Develop programs that encourage stormwater management, treatment, and infiltration.
Housing Affordability and Choice
Promote housing options to give people in all life stages and of all economic means
viable choices for safe, stable, and affordable homes.
Communities throughout the region recognize the significance of housing quality, choice, and
affordability. The region is expecting 391,000 new households by 2040. In addition to population
growth, other factors influence housing need such as the changing composition of families,
Page 85
household income, and an aging population. Recent years have seen a surge in the demand for
multi -family housing, particularly in the central cities, fueled by demographic changes,
challenges presented by the foreclosure crisis, and market interest in areas well -served by
transit and amenities.
Housing is not only an important issue for individuals and families, but it matters to businesses
as well; a range of housing options with convenient access to jobs helps attract and to retain
workers in the region. Housing in close proximity to job opportunities can not only reduce or
improve commute times, but also serve to reduce carbon emissions because of shorter travel
distances. It can also offer travel choices other than the car to get to work.
One of the most pressing ongoing challenges the region faces, however, is racial concentrations
of poverty in the region's urban areas. In these areas, a history of racial segregation, private
disinvestment, and limited access to quality educational and employment opportunities work
against livability and prosperity for many families. The region needs a trained, productive
workforce in order for the region to remain economically competitive, including workers of all
income levels and backgrounds, which in turn demands a variety of housing options to suit their
family, earnings cycle, and life -stage needs.
Opportunities to address housing needs are not limited to new development and
redevelopment. Maintenance and preservation of existing housing stock addresses many local
housing needs and can offer housing choices closer to many job locations. Selective infill,
historic preservation, live/work units, appropriately designed accessory dwellings, and adaptive
reuse can also play a potential role in protecting and expanding the region's housing stock.
Because housing affordability and diversification is strongly connected to the ability of to
increase residential density, and to the availability of an array of services, unsewered areas of
the region where increased density is discouraged and services are unavailable are
inappropriate places for the development of new affordable housing.
Because housing and residential land use patterns are durable, often lasting generations,
creation of new housing through new construction, redevelopment and other strategies offers
the opportunity not only to address market demands and unmet residential needs, but also to
improve development patterns, generate and reinforce critical linkages between housing and
services, provide opportunity to traditionally underserved populations, increase economic and
social integration, and boost connectivity for walking and bicycling. As further detailed in the
2040 Housing Policy Plan, communities should plan for a range of housing types to meet the
needs of residents at varying income levels and life stages.
Council Role
Provide guidance to communities regarding their share of the regional affordable housing
need in order to implement the Metropolitan Land Planning Act (MLPA).
Negotiate lifecycle and affordable housing goals with communities that participate in the
Livable Communities Act (LCA).
Provide guidance and technical assistance to communities to establish, encourage,
expand, and preserve affordable housing options and expand local knowledge of and
access to funding assistance for housing, whether public, private, or philanthropic.
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Strategically invest Council resources to assist community efforts to increase the variety
of housing types and costs, attract and retain residents, appropriately mix land uses,
increase transportation choices, and leverage private investment.
Encourage sustainability in housing, whether new construction or rehabilitation, to
promote livability and health, create longer lasting and more durable housing, and benefit
the regional environment.
Promote the preservation of existing housing, especially affordable housing, to maintain
the most affordable housing stock.
Convene regional and local housing stakeholders, including practitioners, funders, and
advocates, to refine policies and develop programs to respond to the housing needs of
low- and moderate- income households throughout the region.
Community Role
Prepare a local comprehensive plan that addresses the affordable housing planning
requirements of the Metropolitan Land Planning Act, including guiding sufficient land to
support a community's share of the regional affordable housing need and an
implementation section that identifies the programs, fiscal devices, and official controls to
be employed to address a community's share of the regional need for affordable housing.
Review local ordinances, policies, and partnerships to ensure they encourage and
facilitate the opportunity for the development or preservation of affordable and lifecycle
housing.
Identify and analyze local markets, location, condition and availability of affordable units,
both publicly -subsidized and naturally -occurring, to inform the local Housing Action Plan
as part of the local comprehensive plan.
Participate in the Livable Communities Act (LCA) Programs by negotiating affordable and
lifecycle housing goals that support regional and local housing needs, and prepare a
Housing Action Plan to address those goals and become eligible to access grant funding
to address local development and redevelopment objectives.
Unsewered rural places should not attract or promote new affordable housing
development. Housing rehabilitation and preservation efforts in these places should be
supported by the county -level housing and community development entities.
Access, Mobility, and Transportation Choice
Sustain and improve a multi -modal transportation system to support regional growth,
maintain regional economic competitiveness, and provide choices and reliability for the
system's users.
Transportation is pivotal to the region's economy and quality of life. Thrive MSP 2040
recognizes that a competitive economy, and the economic and social well-being of the region's
residents, requires a multi -modal transportation system that provides choice and reliability. The
Metropolitan Council has a leadership role with regard to investments and services that
enhance the mobility of people and freight, improve multi -modal access to regional destinations,
and support reuse, infill, and redevelopment efforts. Concern about climate change is also
pushing the region to address how we might reduce carbon emissions from transportation.
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The geographic planning areas described in the following section reflect the transportation
system and the land use patterns that developed alongside it. Most of the region's job and
activity centers as described earlier in Thrive are located at the confluence of regional highways,
transit, and/or rail service. In the more urbanized communities, transit use and bicycling
represent significant shares of travel, but communities experience congestion and the economic
and social costs of highway building. In suburban areas, transit use is less common, but plays
an important role in commuting to the downtowns from park-and-ride facilities. In post-war
suburban areas, shopping centers are evolving toward mixed-use concentrations of housing
and jobs, which are easier to serve by transit.
Geographic patterns of development mean that different areas will have different challenges
and opportunities related to each transportation mode. The region has a significant investment
in the regional highway system and the areas that it serves. More recently, the region has been
making significant investments in the development of a system of dedicated transitways
including light rail transit (LRT). To ensure that the region prospers and responds to the
economic needs of households and businesses, the Metropolitan Council will be a good steward
of these regional investments. As described in the 2040 Transportation Policy Plan, this will
include detailing land use development expectations to support transit investments, identifying
cost-effective means of improving multi -modal access to regional destinations, and improving
mobility and reliability on the regional highway system, especially when it benefits movement
and accessibility for freight, transit, carpools, and MnPass users.
Managing regional growth and travel demand requires a partnership between the region and its
communities. Regional highways, transitways, and bikeways are planned and designed to
provide faster travel over longer distances. Local transportation systems, on the other hand,
play an important role at the beginning and end of these trips whether for automobiles, freight
movement, bicycling and/or walking. A critical piece of local transportation planning is the
development of interconnected local street networks. In many cases, the regional highway
system, including county arterial roadways, are serving short trips that should be made on local
roadways. Interconnected local streets with more direct routes also lay the foundation for better
conditions for walking and bicycling. More direct routes, route alternatives, and a wider
distribution of traffic also create opportunities for greater sharing of public right-of-way among
different modes.
In particular, the development of the regional transit system is enhanced by the development of
local bicycle and pedestrian systems. Transit patrons may not own cars, and transit trips
typically end on foot even if they began at a park-and-ride. Local pedestrian and bicycle
planning is also critical for the development of regional job and activity centers, where
intensification and diversification of land uses create economies of scale and an opportunity to
make shorter local trips on foot or by bike. Local bicycle and pedestrian planning is also critical
in more automobile -oriented parts of the region where sidewalk networks are essential to reach
jobs for people who are transit -dependent. Regardless of the development pattern, communities
can identify cost-effective opportunities to make biking and walking a more attractive alternative
over time as redevelopment occurs and as roadways and right-of-way are planned, improved or
reconstructed.
Council Role
Oversee the planning of a multi -modal, interconnected regional transportation system in
cooperation with state agencies, counties, and local governments.
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Invest in and operate transit services commensurate with efficient and effective standards
established by Transit Market Areas defined in the 2040 Transportation Policy Plan.
Coordinate other regional transit services to ensure a consistent and convenient user
experience.
Invest in the regional highway system in ways that improve safety, address bottlenecks,
and better manage peak periods through managed lanes (e.g., HOV/HOT lanes) and
transit service improvements.
Support the management of access points to state and county road systems and
emphasize construction of an interconnected local public street system.
Invest in the development and improvement of regional trails and regional bicycle
corridors as defined in the 2040 Transportation Policy Plan to better connect communities
and provide viable transportation options for commuting via alternative modes.
Work with local, regional, and state partners to coordinate transportation, pedestrian,
bicycle, and trail connections across jurisdictional boundaries.
Use Council investments and policies to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and carbon
per unit of fuel, which are key drivers of the region's generation of greenhouse gas
emissions.
Encourage communities to plan and develop local trail connections to the regional parks
system where appropriate. Ensure that transportation elements of local comprehensive
plans provide for pedestrian and bicycle access to regional transit services, regional
trails, and regional bicycle corridors.
Invest in transportation improvements that support the export and mobility of freight by
truck, rail, air, and barge.
Coordinate with Metropolitan Airports Commission, the Federal Aviation Administration,
MnDOT Aeronautics, and local communities to ensure that land uses and air space
adjacent to the system of regional airports is protected from incompatible uses.
Community Role
Consider travel modes other than the car at all levels of development (site plan,
subdivision, comprehensive planning) to better connect and integrate choices throughout
all stages of planning.
Plan for and construct an interconnected system of local streets, pedestrian, and bicycle
facilities that is integrated with the regional system.
Adopt access management standards that support state and county highway access and
mobility needs.
Plan local roadway systems to minimize short trips on the regional highway system.
Plan for compatible land uses and air space adjacent to the system of regional airports.
Participate on the Transportation Advisory Board and other forums to ensure that the
metropolitan planning process and regional transportation system reflect local needs.
Work with partners in communities, counties, and the region at large to coordinate
transportation, pedestrian, bicycle, and trail connections within and between jurisdictional
boundaries.
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Economic Competitiveness
Foster connected land use options to provide businesses and industries with access to
materials, markets, and talent.
Just as the region's residents need housing, so do the region's businesses and institutions need
land to locate their businesses and jobs. Commercial, industrial and institutional land uses
comprise only 6% of the region's land area compared to 22% for housing. Though a small
portion of the region's overall land supply, these land uses provide the locations for the jobs and
economic activity that lead to prosperity.
The Twin Cities region is expecting 550,000 new jobs between 2010 and 2040, and businesses
want to site those jobs in locations with access to materials, markets and talent. Freight
transportation networks, whether river, rail, air or road, transport raw materials and finished
goods to and from state, national and international markets. Proximity to workers — particularly
via attractive commute modes — increases employers' desirability as place to work and
minimizes the negative impact of travel time delays.
More than half of the region's 1.5 million jobs are located in job and activity centers, which
consume less than 2% of the land area of the region. 16 Job and major activity centers (such as
major shopping) are more concentrated in nodes than other land uses. While half of the region's
jobs are located in these larger job centers, most of the remaining jobs are in community -scale
commercial centers and key industrial sites scattered throughout the region. Community centers
meet local shopping and convenience needs. Many industrial uses are less likely to be
concentrated or located within centers due to their transportation accessibility and space needs.
Businesses seeking to locate or expand in the region want viable location options — whether
defined by accessibility to transportation or talent. To maintain the region's economic
competitiveness, communities should ensure that local land use provides location choices that
can meet business needs. To achieve this, communities should engage business voices early
and often in the local comprehensive planning process.
While housing tends to last for generations, commercial and industrial buildings often have short
lifespans and turn over quickly to meet new locational needs. The cleanup of contaminated land
creates opportunities for new industry in places that have already benefited from prior
infrastructure investment.
Council Role
Prioritize regional investment in places that are drivers of economic innovation and
growth for the region.
Prioritize regional investments that improve access to national and international markets
by regional and state businesses.
16 Analysis using data from Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW, 2012) and the
Metropolitan Council Generalized Land Use, 2010.
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Ensure that regional growth is managed in efficient ways that allow for a variety of
choices in location and transportation for businesses and residents.
Support a variety of freight transport to better connect the region with state, national, and
international markets.
Support the cleanup of contaminated land for new industry, including manufacturing and
other sectors that are export industries for the region.
Promote the intensification of existing job and activity centers and the creation and
growth of regional job clusters.
Provide technical assistance to help local communities better understand their
contributions to the regional economy; provide information, research, and analysis on
economic competitiveness.
Provide technical assistance to communities undertaking planning efforts around job and
activity centers and regional investments.
Support cost-effective sub -regional infrastructure investments in efforts to promote
sustainable water use and protect the region's water supplies.
Support local and regional efforts to develop climate change mitigation and adaptation
strategies to remain economically competitive.
Community Role
Plan for the further development of existing job and activity centers, and for further
development of centers consistent with the overall regional economy.
Consider completing a community-based market analysis to better understand the market
conditions.
Consider addressing economic competitiveness in the comprehensive plan,
acknowledging both locally and regionally significant economic places.
Preserve sites for river and rail -dependent manufacturing and freight transportation.
Engage with businesses and other employers to ensure their input is provided to the
community's comprehensive plan.
Building in Resilience
Promote sensitive land use and development patterns to contribute toward achieving
Minnesota's adopted greenhouse gas emission goals at the regional scale, and to
develop local resiliency to the impacts of climate change.
The effects of climate change transcend community boundaries and are felt throughout our
region, whether it's flooded farmlands, modified growing seasons, rising energy costs, or storm
sewer systems overloaded from a large summer storm. Studies have also shown that the built
environment is a primary contributor to climate change, resulting both from the energy used in
homes and businesses and from our travel behaviors resulting from our pattern of regional land
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use development." As such, the region's response to climate change must include both
measures to reduce emissions and to improve our local systems to make them less vulnerable
to climate change impacts.
The Council's land use direction is rooted in our mission to guide the orderly and economical
growth of the region, but changes to our region's land use patterns can also help drive
emissions reductions. Compact redevelopment near regional job and activity centers or transit
will result in fewer emissions from transportation. Redevelopment or renovation of existing
buildings for new uses is more energy-efficient than new development and takes advantage of
existing infrastructure. Growth at the edge of the region that includes interconnected streets and
walkable/bikeable destinations nearby will also result in fewer emissions from local trips.
Communities in the region are choosing to reduce their contributions to climate change and
attempt to mitigate its impacts through a variety of energy reduction measures, developing in a
more compact land use pattern, and reducing automobile dependency, to name a few.
Integrating natural resources into our development patterns, or green infrastructure, can also
serve to improve the resiliency of the existing built environment, as many plant communities can
help manage stormwater. Improving urban forestry can mitigate emissions and provide co -
benefits, such as an improved pedestrian experience and reduction of urban heat island effects.
Taking these measures ensures that communities are better prepared to deal with more
frequent extreme weather events and other expected climate impacts that can drain limited local
resources and threaten the region's competitiveness and viability.
Because of the related benefits, many communities are responding to climate change by
reducing their energy use. Local government budgets are leaner than ever and addressing
climate change as a means to reduce energy costs is an approach more and more common by
communities faced with fiscal constraints. This can mean many things and some innovative
ideas have surfaced on how and where to reduce costs. For example, the City of Falcon
Heights began with implementing improvements to its solid waste operations, then instituting
lighting retrofits throughout the City, adopting a new recycling program, and exploring solar
power, all implemented or to be implemented as cost saving measures.
Effective land use planning provides a community with the tools needed to better address
climate change locally. Encouraging land use policies that create a more compact land use
pattern can ultimately reduce energy consumption, protect public investments in infrastructure,
reduce development pressures on habitat and open space, provide benefits to public health,
and create a more sustainable community. Innovative land use policies can create a more
compact region resulting in more efficient use of our infrastructure investments, cost-effective
extension of urban services, and preservation of natural and agricultural areas within the region.
The Minnesota Climate Change Advisory Group Final Report, April 2008, found that of the principal
sources of the state's green house gas emissions from 2005 data, transportation made up 24% of the
state's total emissions, and the use of fossil fuels in residential, commercial, and industrial sectors added
another 20% of the state's emissions in 2005.
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Council Role
Substantially reduce energy consumption at Metropolitan Council facilities, improve the
efficiency of the Council's vehicle fleets including Metro Transit buses, and provide
information to the public and partners to lead by example.
With regional infrastructure, planning, and operations, increase efforts to reduce water
use and energy consumption.
Identify and address potential vulnerabilities in regional systems as a result of increased
frequency and severity of storms and heat waves. Maintain dikes, emergency generators,
and response plans for Council facilities facing extreme weather.
Use the Council's investments and planning authorities to contribute toward meeting
statutory goals for reductions in the generation of regional greenhouse gas emissions,
and convene regional discussions about goals for climate change mitigation and
adaptation.
Encourage the preparation of adaptation, mitigation, and resiliency responses to climate
change as part of the comprehensive plan update.
Develop, collect, and disseminate information about climate change, including energy
and climate data, GreenSteps best practices, the next generation of the Regional
Indicators data, and potentially a regional greenhouse gas inventory.
Provide technical assistance and toolkit resources to communities in integrating climate
change mitigation and adaptation strategies as part of local comprehensive plans.
Develop and strengthen partnerships with experts in climate change to better assist and
inform local communities on how best to evaluate and develop local climate changes
strategies.
Encourage communities to participate in regional programs which support efforts to
inform, plan for, mitigate, adapt, and respond to climate change issues of local
significance such as water conservation, stormwater infrastructure adaptation,
greenhouse gas reduction, use of alternative energy sources, infrastructure planning, and
hazard mitigation planning.
Provide, or collaborate with partners to provide, technical references, and resources for
communities seeking to mitigate and adapt to climate change, in their own facilities and in
their communities, including, but not limited to, stormwater, wastewater, and water supply
management practices, and transit, and land -use planning.
Community Role
Address climate change mitigation and adaptation throughout the local comprehensive
plan.
Identify local measures that would result in reductions in water use, energy consumption,
and emission of greenhouse gases.
Ensure access to solar energy by addressing it in local comprehensive plans and
ordinances, as required by the Metropolitan Land Planning Act, and consider the use of
other alternative energy sources as part of the planning process.
Identifying local measures to address impacts to local economies, local resources, and
infrastructure systems as a result of more frequent or severe weather events.
Identify local initiatives as cost saving measures that may, as a result, lower energy
consumption, reduce the generation of greenhouse gas emissions, preserve water
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supply, reduce municipal waste, and increase participation in recycling programs, for
example.
Participate in programs that evaluate and share city practices and provide technical
support, such as GreenSteps program and the Regional Indicators Initiative.
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Strategies for Community Designations
As discussed earlier in Thrive, the Council assigns a community designation, or planning area,
to each city and township. This designation indicates the overall state of development and
regional issues faced by that community. Strategies addressing issues specific to different types
of communities are grouped under the community designations, while strategies common to all
communities are found earlier in this section. The following sections contain more detailed
strategies to address in response to the opportunities and challenges unique to different groups
of communities.
Urban Center: Growing vitality in the region's core
Urban Center communities include the largest, most centrally located and most economically
diverse cities of the region. Anchored by Minneapolis and Saint Paul, the Urban Center also
includes adjoining cities that share similar development characteristics such as street grids
planned before World War Two.
Orderly and Efficient Land Use
Council Role
Maintain and improve regional infrastructure to support adaptive reuse, infill development,
and redevelopment.
Support local planning and implementation efforts to focus growth in and around regional
transit, as articulated in the 2040 Transportation Policy Plan.
Coordinate regional infrastructure and program funding with other efforts designed to
address racially concentrated areas of poverty.
Partner with local communities to improve land use patterns to reduce the generation of
carbon emissions.
Community Role
Plan for forecasted population and household growth at average densities of at least 20
units per acre, and target opportunities for more intensive development near regional
transit investments, at densities and in a manner articulated in the 2040 Transportation
Policy Plan.
Identify areas for redevelopment, particularly areas that are well -served by transportation
options and nearby amenities, and which contribute to better proximity between jobs and
housing.
Identify opportunities for land assembly to prepare sites that will attract future private
reinvestment, especially in racially concentrated areas of poverty.
In collaboration with other regional partners, lead major redevelopment efforts, such as
the former Ford Plant site.
Lead detailed land use planning efforts around regional transit stations, job and activity
centers, and other regional investments.
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Plan for and program local infrastructure needs (e.g., roads, sidewalks, sewer, water,
surface water), including those needed for future growth and to implement local
comprehensive plans.
Consider the role of railroads in promoting economic activity and identify an adequate
supply of land in comprehensive plans to meet existing and future demand for users
requiring rail access.
Natural Resources Protection
Council Role
Support the reclamation of lands, including contaminated land, for redevelopment and the
restoration of natural features and functions.
Promote multi -modal access to regional parks, trails, and the transit network, where
appropriate.
Community Role
Integrate natural resource conservation and restoration strategies into the comprehensive
plan and in local infrastructure projects where appropriate.
Identify lands for reclamation, including contaminated land, for redevelopment and the
restoration of natural features and functions.
Water Sustainability
Council Role
See Water Sustainability policy discussion in the Land Use Policy introduction.
Community Role
Implement best management practices to control and treat stormwater as redevelopment
opportunities arise.
Housing Affordability and Choice
Council Role
Re -invest in and expand regional systems to support redevelopment in communities that
partner in the preservation and expansion of housing choices.
Community Role
Designate land in the comprehensive plan to support household growth forecasts and
address the community's share of the region's affordable housing need through
development and redevelopment at a range of densities.
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Plan for an adequate supply of affordable housing along regional transitways at station
areas. Address the relationship of local industries to the affordability of housing in the
community.
Use state, regional, and federal sources of funding and/or financing and development
tools allowed by state law to assist the feasibility of the development of new lifecycle and
affordable housing.
Access, Mobility, and Transportation Choice
Council Role
Ensure that local roadway systems are planned in ways that minimize short trips on the
regional highway system.
Ensure that local infrastructure and land uses are planned in ways that are consistent
with managing access along the regional highway system and capitalizing on investments
in the regional transit system.
Invest in transit improvements in corridors that serve existing transit demand and that can
effectively guide a significant level of future growth.
Ensure that local comprehensive plans accommodate growth in and around transit
stations and near high -frequency transit services, commensurate with planned levels of
transit service and station typologies identified in the 2040 Transportation Policy Plan.
Support access to, and the future growth of, regional intermodal freight terminals as
identified in the 2040 Transportation Policy Plan.
Community Role
Develop comprehensive plans that target growth in and around regional transit stations
and near high -frequency transit services, commensurate with planned levels of transit
service and the station typologies (e.g., land use mix, density levels) identified in the 2040
Transportation Policy Plan.
Develop local policies, plans, and practices that improve pedestrian and bicycle
circulation, including access to regional transit services, regional trails, and regional
bicycle corridors.
Consider implementation of travel demand management (TDM) policies and ordinances
that encourage use of travel options and decrease reliance on single -occupancy vehicle
travel.
Engage private sector stakeholders that depend on or are affected by the local
transportation system.
Adopt development requirements that improve the user experience, circulation, and
access for bicyclists and pedestrians.
Adopt complete streets policies that improve safety and mobility for all road users.
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Economic Competitiveness
Council Role
Invest in regional amenities and services, including transit, regional parks and trails and
bikeways to reinforce the Urban Center as an attractive place to locate and do business.
Invest in regional transportation improvements that better connect workers in racially
concentrated areas of poverty with job training and living wage employment.
Community Role
Identify appropriate areas for business and industrial expansion, considering access by
rail, truck, plane, and barge.
Protect sites for river- and rail -dependent manufacturing and freight transportation needs
from incompatible uses and identify local land supply and transportation needs for
effective use of those sites.
Plan for land uses, where appropriate, that support the growth of export -oriented
businesses, important regional economic clusters, and living wage jobs.
Support the cleanup and re -use of contaminated land by utilizing regional, county, and
local funding programs and financing tools.
Preserve, remediate contamination, and re -purpose industrial base for higher intensity
employment and new industries.
Conduct small area planning efforts to preserve locations for employment, to manage
growth, and to minimize land use conflicts.
Building in Resilience
Council Role
Invest in regional transportation infrastructure and services that increase the share of
trips made by transit, carpools, and non -motorized means and guide development
patterns that support this.
Explore developing an urban forestry assistance program.
Community Role
Identify and address potential vulnerabilities in local infrastructure as a result of increased
frequency and severity of storms and heat waves.
Participate in federal, state, and local utility programs that incentivize the implementation
of wind and solar power generation.
Consider making a property assessed clean energy (PACE) program available for
conservation and renewable energy.
Consider subscribing to community solar gardens for municipal electric load, or providing
sites for gardens.
Adopt local policies and ordinances that encourage land development that supports travel
demand management (TDM) and use of travel options.
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Consider development standards that increase vegetative cover and increase the solar
reflective quality of surfaces.
Participate in urban forestry grant programs as available.
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Urban: Redeveloping to meet the needs of new generations
Urban communities developed primarily during the economic prosperity between the end of
World War II and the economic recession of 1973-1975.These cities, adjacent to the Urban
Center communities, experienced rapid development to house the growing families of the Baby
Boom era.
They exhibit the transition toward the development age dominated by the influence of the
automobile. Urban communities include considerable growth and development along highways,
with the most significant concentrations along 1-494 in Bloomington and Edina.
Orderly and Efficient Land Use
Council Role
Maintain and improve regional infrastructure to support adaptive reuse, infill development,
and redevelopment.
Support local planning and implementation efforts to target growth in and around regional
transit, as articulated in the 2040 Transportation Policy Plan.
Coordinate regional infrastructure and program funding with other efforts designed to
address regional concentrations of poverty.
Provide technical assistance to communities undertaking planning efforts around job and
activity centers and regional investments.
Partner with local communities to improve land use patterns to reduce the generation of
carbon emissions.
Community Role
Plan for forecasted population and household growth at average densities of at least 10
units per acre, and target opportunities for more intensive development near regional
transit investments, at densities and in a manner articulated in the 2040 Transportation
Policy Plan.
Identify areas for redevelopment, particularly areas that are well -served by transportation
options and nearby amenities, and which contribute to better proximity between jobs and
housing.
In collaboration with other regional partners, lead major redevelopment efforts, such as
the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant (TCAAP) site.
Lead detailed land use planning efforts around regional transit stations, job and activity
centers, and other regional investments.
Plan for and program local infrastructure needs (e.g., roads, sidewalks, sewer, water,
surface water), including those needed for future growth and to implement the local
comprehensive plan.
Consider the role of railroads in promoting economic activity and identify an adequate
supply of land in comprehensive plans to meet existing and future demand for users
requiring rail access.
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Natural Resources Protection
Council Role
Integrate natural resource conservation and restoration strategies into regional system
plans and capital projects.
Support the reclamation of lands, including contaminated land, for redevelopment and the
restoration of natural features and function.
Promote multi -modal access to regional parks, trails and the transit network, where
appropriate.
Support the continued development of the regional trail system.
Community Role
Integrate natural resource conservation and restoration strategies into comprehensive
plan.
Identify lands for reclamation, including contaminated land, for redevelopment and the
restoration of natural features and functions.
Develop programs that encourage the implementation of natural resource conservation
and restoration.
Water Sustainability
Council Role
See Water Sustainability policy discussion in the Land Use Policy introduction.
Community Role
Implement best management practices to control and treat stormwater as redevelopment
opportunities arise.
Housing Affordability and Choice
Council Role
Re -invest in and expand regional systems to support redevelopment in communities that
partner in the preservation and expansion of housing choices.
Community Role
Designate land in the comprehensive plan to support household growth forecasts and
address the community's share of the region's affordable housing need through
redevelopment at a range of densities.
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Plan for an adequate supply of affordable housing along regional transitways at station
areas. Address the relationship of local industries to the affordability of housing in the
community.
Use state, regional, and federal sources of funding and/or financing and development
tools allowed by state law to assist the feasibility of the development of new lifecycle and
affordable housing.
Develop or use programs to preserve the existing stock of naturally -occurring affordable
housing.
Access, Mobility, and Transportation Choice
Council Role
Ensure that local roadway systems are planned in ways that minimize short trips on the
regional highway system.
Ensure that local infrastructure and land uses are planned in ways that are consistent
with managing access along the regional highway system and capitalizing on investments
in the regional transit system.
Invest in transit improvements in corridors that serve existing transit demand and that can
effectively guide a significant level of future growth.
Ensure that local comprehensive plans accommodate growth in and around transit
stations and near high -frequency transit services, commensurate with planned levels of
transit service and station typologies identified in the 2040 Transportation Policy Plan.
Provide regional transit services to serve dense corridors and nodes where local
communities are adapting local policies to improve the success of transit.
Support access to, and the future growth of, regional intermodal freight terminals as
identified in the 2040 Transportation Policy Plan.
Community Role
Develop comprehensive plans that focus growth in and around regional transit stations
and near high -frequency transit services, commensurate with planned levels of transit
service and the station typologies (e.g., land use mix, density levels) identified in the 2040
Transportation Policy Plan.
Develop local policies, plans, and practices that improve pedestrian and bicycle
circulation, including access to regional transit services, regional trails, and regional
bicycle corridors.
Consider implementation of travel demand management (TDM) policies and ordinances
that encourage use of travel options and decrease reliance on single -occupancy vehicle
travel.
Engage private sector stakeholders that depend on or are affected by the local
transportation system.
Adopt development requirements that improve the user experience, circulation, and
access for bicyclists and pedestrians.
Adopt complete streets policies that improve safety and mobility for all road users.
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Economic Competitiveness
Council Role
Invest in regional amenities and services, including transit, regional parks and trails and
bikeways to reinforce the Urban area as an attractive place to locate and do business.
Invest in regional transportation improvements that better connect workers in racially
concentrated areas of poverty with job training and living wage employment.
Community Role
Identify appropriate areas for business and industrial expansion, considering access by
rail, truck, plane, and barge.
Support the cleanup and re -use of contaminated land by utilizing regional, county, and
local funding programs and financing tools.
Preserve, remediate contamination, and repurpose industrial base for higher intensity
employment and new industries.
Protect sites for river- and rail -dependent manufacturing and freight transportation needs
from incompatible uses and identify local land supply and transportation needs for
effective use of those sites.
Plan for land uses where appropriate that support the growth of export -oriented
businesses, important regional economic clusters, and living wage jobs.
Conduct small area planning efforts to preserve locations for employment, manage
growth, and minimize land use conflicts.
Building in Resilience
Council Role
Invest in regional transportation infrastructure and services that increase the share of
trips made by transit, carpools, and non -motorized means and guide development
patterns that support this.
Explore developing an urban forestry assistance program.
Community Role
Identify and address potential vulnerabilities in local infrastructure as a result of increased
frequency and severity of storms and heat waves.
Participate in federal, state, and local utility programs that incentivize the implementation
of wind and solar power generation.
Consider making a property assessed clean energy (PACE) program available for
conservation and renewable energy.
Consider subscribing to community solar gardens for municipal electric load, or providing
sites for gardens.
Adopt local policies and ordinances that encourage land development that supports travel
demand management (TDM) and use of travel options.
Page 103
Consider development standards that increase vegetative cover and increase the solar
reflective quality of surfaces.
Participate in urban forestry grant programs as available.
Page 104
Suburban: Cultivating places where people can gather
Suburban communities saw their primary era of development during the 1980s and early 1990s
as the Baby Boomers formed families and entered their prime earning years. Suburban
Communities also includes places that were once resort destinations connected from the Twin
Cities by streetcar, along Lake Minnetonka, White Bear Lake, and the St. Croix River.
Orderly and Efficient Land Use
Council Role
Maintain and improve regional infrastructure to support adaptive reuse, infill development,
and redevelopment.
Support local planning and implementation efforts to target growth in and around regional
transit, as articulated in the 2040 Transportation Policy Plan.
Coordinate regional infrastructure and program funding with other efforts designed to
address racially concentrated areas of poverty.
Provide technical assistance to communities undertaking planning efforts around job and
activity centers and regional investments.
Partner with local communities to improve land use patterns to reduce the generation of
carbon emissions.
Community Role
Plan for forecasted population and household growth at overall average densities of at
least 5 units per acre, and target opportunities for more intensive development near
regional transit investments, at densities and in a manner articulated in the 2040
Transportation Policy Plan.
Identify areas for redevelopment, particularly areas that are well -served by transportation
options and nearby amenities, and which contribute to better proximity between jobs and
housing. Lead major redevelopment efforts.
Lead detailed land use planning efforts around regional transit stations, job and activity
centers, and other regional investments.
Plan for and program local infrastructure needs (e.g., roads, sidewalks, sewer, water,
surface water), including those needed to accommodate future growth and implement
local comprehensive plans.
Consider the role of railroads in promoting economic activity and identify an adequate
supply of land in comprehensive plans to meet existing and future demand for users
requiring rail access.
Natural Resources Protection
Council Role
Support the reclamation of lands, including contaminated land, for redevelopment and the
restoration of natural features and function.
Page 105
Promote multi -modal access to regional parks, trails and the transit network, where
appropriate. Support the continued development of the regional trail system.
Community Role
Integrate natural resource conservation and restoration strategies into comprehensive
plan.
Identify lands for reclamation, including contaminated land, for redevelopment and the
restoration of natural features and functions.
Integrate natural resources restoration and protection strategies into local development
ordinances.
Develop programs that encourage the implementation of natural resource conservation
and restoration.
Water Sustainability
Council Role
See Water Sustainability policy discussion in the Land Use Policy introduction.
Community Role
Implement best management practices to control and treat stormwater as redevelopment
opportunities arise.
Housing Affordability and Choice
Council Role
Re -invest in and expand regional systems to support redevelopment in communities that
partner in the preservation and expansion of housing choices.
Community Role
Designate land in the comprehensive plan to support household growth forecasts and
address the community's share of the region's affordable housing need through
redevelopment at a range of densities.
Plan for an adequate supply of affordable housing along regional transitways at station
areas. Address the relationship of local industries to the affordability of housing in the
community.
Use state, regional, and federal sources of funding and/or financing and development
tools allowed by state law to assist the feasibility of the development of new lifecycle and
affordable housing.
Develop or use programs to preserve the existing stock of naturally -occurring affordable
housing.
Page 106
Access, Mobility, and Transportation Choice
Council Role
Ensure that local roadway systems are planned in ways that minimize short trips on the
regional highway system.
Ensure that local infrastructure and land uses are planned in ways that are consistent
with managing access along the regional highway system and capitalizing on investments
in the regional transit system.
Invest in transit improvements in corridors that serve existing transit demand and that can
effectively guide a significant level of future growth.
Ensure that local comprehensive plans guide growth in and around transit stations and
near high -frequency transit services, commensurate with planned levels of transit service
and station typologies identified in the 2040 Transportation Policy Plan.
Provide regional transit services to serve dense corridors and nodes where local
communities are adapting local policies to improve the success of transit.
Support access to, and the future growth of, regional intermodal freight terminals as
identified in the 2040 Transportation Policy Plan.
Community Role
Develop comprehensive plans that focus growth in and around regional transit stations
and near high -frequency transit services, commensurate with planned levels of transit
service and the station typologies (e.g., land use mix, density levels) identified in the 2040
Transportation Policy Plan.
Develop local policies, plans, and practices that improve pedestrian and bicycle
circulation, including access to regional transit services, regional trails, and regional
bicycle corridors.
Seek opportunities to improve local street and pedestrian connections to improve access
for local trips.
Consider implementation of travel demand management (TDM) policies and ordinances
that encourage use of travel options and decrease reliance on single -occupancy vehicle
travel.
Engage private sector stakeholders that depend on or are affected by the local
transportation system.
Adopt development requirements that improve the user experience, circulation, and
access for bicyclists and pedestrians.
Adopt complete streets policies that improve safety and mobility for all road users.
Economic Competitiveness
Council Role
Invest in regional amenities and services, including transit, regional parks and trails and
bikeways to support the Suburban area as an attractive place to locate and do business.
Page 107
Invest in regional transportation improvements that better connect workers in racially
concentrated areas of poverty with job training and living wage employment.
Community Role
Identify appropriate areas for business and industrial expansion, considering access by
rail, truck, plane, and barge.
Support the cleanup and re -use of contaminated land by utilizing regional, county, and
local funding programs and financing tools.
Preserve, remediate contamination, and re -purpose industrial base for higher intensity
employment and new industries.
Protect sites for river- and rail -dependent manufacturing and freight transportation needs
from incompatible uses and identify local land supply and transportation needs for
effective use of those sites.
Plan for land uses where appropriate that support the growth of export -oriented
businesses, important regional economic clusters, and living wage jobs.
Conduct small area planning efforts to preserve locations for employment, manage
growth, and minimize land use conflicts.
Building in Resilience
Council Role
Invest in regional transportation infrastructure and services that increase the share of
trips made by transit, carpools, and non -motorized means and guide development
patterns that support this.
Explore developing an urban forestry assistance program.
Community Role
Identify and address potential vulnerabilities in local infrastructure as a result of increased
frequency and severity of storms and heat waves.
Participate in federal, state, and local utility programs that incentivize the implementation
of wind and solar power generation.
Consider making a property assessed clean energy (PACE) program available for
conservation and renewable energy.
Consider subscribing to community solar gardens for municipal electric load, or providing
sites for gardens.
Adopt local policies and ordinances that encourage land development that supports travel
demand management (TDM) and use of travel options.
Consider development standards that increase vegetative cover and increase the solar
reflective quality of surfaces.
Participate in urban forestry grant programs as available.
Page 108
Suburban Edge: Managing rapid growth and change
The Suburban Edge includes communities that have experienced significant residential growth
beginning in the 1990s and continuing to the 2010s. At least 40% of the land in these cities is
developed, but significant amounts of land remain for future development. No large-scale
agricultural areas remain in the Suburban Edge.
Orderly and Efficient Land Use
Council Role
Support local efforts and policies to plan for growth that efficiently uses transportation and
transit infrastructure and regional services.
Promote land use patterns with clear distinctions between urban and rural areas to
protect natural resources and land for agricultural viability.
Provide technical assistance to communities on land use strategies and staged
development to inform the local comprehensive planning process.
Partner with local communities to improve land use patterns to reduce the generation of
carbon emissions.
Community Role
Plan and stage development for forecasted growth through 2040 and beyond at overall
average net densities of at least 3-5 dwelling units per acre in the community. Target
higher intensity developments in areas with better access to regional sewer and
transportation infrastructure, connections to local commercial activity centers, transit
facilities, and recreational amenities.
Ensure the efficient use of land when planning for and approving new developments and
redevelopment projects.
Natural Resources Protection
Council Role
See Natural Resources policy discussion in Land Use Policy introduction.
Community Role
Complete local natural resources inventories, prioritize areas to protect, and integrate
natural resources conservation into local ordinances.
Conserve natural resources and protect vital natural areas when designing and
constructing local infrastructure and planning land use patterns.
Encourage site planning that incorporates natural areas as part of site development and
redevelopment.
Integrate water sustainability and protection of groundwater recharge areas into local
plans. Consider how development, irrigation, reductions in infiltration and inflow, and
Page 109
increased surface runoff impact groundwater recharge and consider conservation
strategies and best management practices to mitigate these impacts.
Implement best management practices to control and treat stormwater as redevelopment
opportunities arise.
Water Sustainability
Council Role
See Water Sustainability policy discussion in the Land Use Policy introduction.
Community Role
Incorporate best management practices for stormwater management in planning
processes.
Adopt and implement best management practices for protection of natural resources, the
quality and quantity of our water resources, and the preservation of water supply.
Explore alternative water supply sources to ensure adequate water resources beyond
2040.
Housing Affordability and Choice
Council Role
See Housing Affordability and Choice policy discussion in the Land Use Policy introduction.
Community Role
Designate land in the comprehensive plan to support household growth forecasts and
address the community's share of the region's affordable housing need through
development and redevelopment at a range of densities.
Address the relationship of local industries to the affordability of housing in the
community.
Use state, regional, and federal sources of funding and/or financing and development
tools allowed by state law to assist the feasibility of the development of new lifecycle and
affordable housing.
Develop or use programs to preserve the existing stock of naturally -occurring affordable
housing.
Access, Mobility, and Transportation Choice
Council Role
Invest in high capacity transit and transportation improvements that support more reliable
access to and from Suburban Edge communities.
Page 110
Plan transit facilities in areas where land use is not sufficiently intense to support transit,
such as park and rides, to accommodate growth and encourage the use of public
transportation to regional centers.
Invest in the development and improvement of regional trails and regional bicycle
corridors to better connect communities and provide viable transportation options for
commuting via alternative modes.
Work with state agencies, counties, and local governments to provide assistance in
planning for freight transportation to connect the rural and urban areas' markets and
resources.
Community Role
Develop local policies, plans, and practices that improve pedestrian and bicycle
circulation, including access to regional transit services, regional trails with improved
pedestrian connections, and regional bicycle corridors.
Target opportunities for intensive development in corridors or nodes along corridors,
consistent with the 2040 Transportation Policy Plan.
Plan transit facilities to better incorporate alternative mode connections, such as trails
and sidewalks, for facilities serving locations where commuters have to travel greater
distances to complete their trip.
Work with partners in communities and counties to overcome barriers to transportation
and to improve pedestrian and bicycle connections across jurisdictional boundaries.
Economic Competitiveness
Council Role
Promote local planning around key intersections, regional infrastructure, and business
needs.
Support the development of workforce housing to provide options for lifecycle and
affordable housing.
Convene interested partners to further strategies towards increasing regional
competitiveness and include discussion of how Suburban Edge communities can
contribute to the region's overall economic growth.
Community Role
Consider how local efforts to focus economic development strategies along existing
commercial centers (historic downtowns or commercial corridors) can contribute to the
region's overall economic competitiveness through enhanced integration of local and
regional planning efforts.
Protect sites for river- and rail -dependent manufacturing and freight transportation needs
from incompatible uses and identify local land supply and transportation needs for
effective use of those sites.
Identify important multi -modal intersections, alternative freight routes, key intersections,
and other existing opportunities that may contribute to local and regional economic
competitiveness.
Page 111
Partner with adjacent communities and businesses to strengthen economic among
subregional employment centers.
Consider best practices for workforce housing to retain employees of local employment
centers within the Suburban Edge communities.
Building in Resilience
Council Role
See Building in Resilience policy discussion in Land Use Policy introduction.
Community Role
Identify local measures that would result in reductions in water use, energy consumption,
and emission of greenhouse gases.
Identify local measures to address impacts to local economies, local resources, and
infrastructure systems as a result of more frequent or severe weather events.
Identify mitigation and adaptation strategies and infrastructure resiliency plans to protect
against potential negative impacts of events associated with more frequent or severe
weather events.
Implement compact development patterns and creating more connected places to reduce
auto -dependency and related generation of green house gas emissions.
Page 112
Emerging Suburban Edge: Transitioning from rural to
developed
The Emerging Suburban Edge includes cities, townships and portions of both that are in the
early stages of transitioning into urbanized levels of development. Strategically located between
Suburban Edge and the Rural communities, the Emerging Suburban Edge communities offer
both connections to urban amenities and the proximity to open spaces that characterizes a rural
lifestyle. Often, the cities and townships in the Emerging Suburban Edge are in more than one
community designation. In the majority of Emerging Suburban Edge communities, less than
40% of the land has been developed.
Orderly and Efficient Land Use
Council Role
Promote land use patterns with clear distinctions between urban and rural areas to
protect natural resources and land for agricultural viability.
Provide technical assistance to communities on land use strategies and staged
development to inform the local comprehensive planning process.
Partner with local communities to improve land use patterns to reduce generation of
carbon emissions.
Community Role
Plan and stage development for forecasted growth through 2040 and beyond at overall
average net densities of at least 3-5 dwelling units per acre in the community. Target
higher intensity developments in areas with better access to regional sewer and
transportation infrastructure, connections to local commercial activity centers, transit
facilities, and recreational amenities.
Identify and protect adequate supply of land to support growth for future development
beyond 2040, with regard to agricultural viability and natural and historic resources
preservation.
Incorporate best management practices for stormwater management, and natural
resources conservation and restoration in planning processes.
Plan for local infrastructure needs including those needed to support future growth.
Natural Resources Protection
Council Role
See Natural Resources Protection policy discussion in Land Use Policy introduction.
Community Role
Complete local natural resources inventories, prioritize areas to protect, and integrate
natural resources conservation into local ordinances.
Page 113
Conserve natural resources and protect vital natural areas when designing and
constructing local infrastructure and planning land use patterns.
Encourage site planning that incorporates natural areas as part of site development and
redevelopment.
Water Sustainability
Council Role
See Natural Resources Protection policy discussion in Land Use Policy introduction.
Community Role
Incorporate best management practices for stormwater management in planning
processes.
Adopt and implement best management practices for protection of natural resources, the
quality and quantity of our water resources, and the preservation of water supply. Explore
alternative water supply sources to ensure adequate water resources beyond 2040.
Integrate water sustainability and protection of groundwater recharge areas into local
plans. Consider how development, irrigation, reductions in infiltration and inflow, and
increased surface runoff impact groundwater recharge and consider conservation
strategies and best management practices to mitigate these impacts.
Implement best management practices to control and treat stormwater as development
and redevelopment opportunities arise.
Housing Affordability and Choice
Council Role
See Housing Affordability and Choice policy discussion in the Land Use Policy introduction.
Community Role
Designate land in the comprehensive plan to support household growth forecasts and
address the community's share of the region's affordable housing need through
development and redevelopment at a range of densities.
Address the relationship of local industries to the affordability of housing in the
community.
Use state, regional, and federal sources of funding and/or financing and development
tools allowed by state law to assist the feasibility of the development of new lifecycle and
affordable housing.
Develop or use programs to preserve the existing stock of naturally -occurring affordable
housing.
Plan for future staged growth through 2040 and beyond to accommodate a variety of
housing choices based on local needs.
Page 114
Access, Mobility, and Transportation Choice
Council Role
Invest in high capacity transit and transportation improvements that support more reliable
access to and from Suburban Edge communities.
Plan transit facilities in areas where land use is not sufficiently intense to support transit,
such as park and rides, to support growth and encourage the use of public transportation
to regional centers.
Invest in the development and improvement of regional trails and regional bicycle
corridors to better connect communities and provide viable transportation options for
commuting via alternative modes.
Work with state agencies, counties, and local governments to provide assistance in
planning for freight transportation to connect the rural and urban areas' markets and
resources.
Community Role
Develop local policies, plans, and practices that improve pedestrian and bicycle
circulation, including access to regional transit services, regional trails with improved
pedestrian connections, and regional bicycle corridors.
Target opportunities for intensive development in corridors or nodes along corridors,
consistent with the 2040 Transportation Policy Plan.
Plan transit facilities to better incorporate alternative mode connections, such as trails
and sidewalks, for facilities serving locations where commuters have to travel greater
distances to complete their trip.
Work with partners in communities and counties to overcome barriers to transportation
and to improve pedestrian and bicycle connections across jurisdictional boundaries.
Economic Competitiveness
Council Role
Promote local planning around key intersections, regional infrastructure, and business
needs.
Support the development of workforce housing to provide options for lifecycle and
affordable housing.
Convene interested partners to further strategies towards increasing regional
competitiveness and include discussion of how Emerging Suburban Edge communities
can contribute to the region's overall economic growth.
Community Role
Consider how local efforts to focus economic development strategies along existing
commercial centers (historic downtowns or commercial corridors) can contribute to the
region's overall economic competitiveness through enhanced integration of local and
regional planning efforts.
Page 115
Protect sites for river- and rail -dependent manufacturing and freight transportation needs
from incompatible uses and identify local land supply and transportation needs for
effective use of those sites.
Identify important multi -modal intersections, alternative freight routes, key intersections,
and other existing opportunities that may contribute to local and regional economic
competitiveness.
Consider development of local employment, community, and activity centers that
complement Subregional employment centers in adjacent or nearby communities and
work with adjacent jurisdictions and businesses to strengthen economic relationships.
Consider best practices for developing workforce housing to attract employees of
employment centers within, near, or adjacent to Emerging Suburban Edge communities.
Building in Resilience
Council Role
See Building in Resilience policy discussion in Land Use Policy introduction.
Community Role
Identify local measures that would result in reductions in water use, energy consumption,
and greenhouse gas emissions.
Identify local measures to address impacts to local economies, local resources, and
infrastructure systems as a result of more frequent or severe weather events.
Identify mitigation and adaptation strategies and infrastructure resiliency plans to protect
against potential negative impacts of events associated with more frequent or severe
weather events.
Implement compact development patterns and creating more connected places to reduce
auto -dependency and related generation of greenhouse gas emissions.
Page 116
Rural Centers: Serving the rural areas as small town centers
of commerce.
Rural Centers are local commercial, employment, and residential activity centers serving rural
areas in the region. These small towns are surrounded by agricultural lands and serve as
centers of commerce to those surrounding farm lands and the accompanying population.
Although smaller in scale than urban communities, Rural Centers provide similar development
patterns and locally accessible commercial services for the surrounding area.
Orderly and Efficient Land Use
Council Role
Partner with local jurisdictions to work towards the orderly expansion of Rural Centers in
a manner that efficiently uses infrastructure and guides growth where infrastructure
capacity exists while preserving prime agricultural soils and surrounding low density
residential uses.
Consider long range potential for improvements to regional infrastructure to support
expected growth at average residential densities of at least 3-5 units per acre or more.
Encourage innovative approaches to development where existing infrastructure and
capacity are able to support increased residential densities.
Attain a balance of urban and rural uses to retain the viability of the agricultural economy
and direct growth towards Rural Centers as is appropriate.
Partner with local communities to improve land use patterns to reduce carbon emissions.
Community Role
Plan for forecasted population and household growth at overall average densities of at
least 3-5 units per acre.
Strive for higher density commercial uses and compatible higher density residential land
uses in the commercial core of the community to ensure efficient uses of existing
infrastructure investments.
Work with adjacent jurisdictions to execute orderly annexation agreements where
forecasted growth exceeds land capacity within existing city boundaries.
Work to focus forecasted growth in areas with existing infrastructure capacity to protect
existing farm land and prime agricultural soils for the long term.
Adopt ordinances that coordinate development with infrastructure availability.
Identify areas that will accommodate post -2040 growth forecasts and implement
strategies to preserve these areas for future growth. Plan for necessary infrastructure
improvements.
Natural Resources Protection
Council Role
See Natural Resources Protection policy discussion in the Land Use Policy introduction.
Page 117
Community Role
See Natural Resources Protection policy discussion in the Land Use Policy introduction.
Water Sustainability
Council Role
See Water Sustainability policy discussion in the Land Use Policy introduction.
Community Role
See Water Sustainability policy discussion in the Land Use Policy introduction.
Housing Affordability and Choice
Council Role
See Housing Affordability and Choice policy discussion in the Land Use Policy introduction.
Community Role
Designate land in the comprehensive plan to support household growth forecasts and
address the community's share of the region's affordable housing need through
development and redevelopment at a range of densities.
Address the relationship of local industries to the affordability of housing in the
community.
Adopt lifecycle and affordable housing goals as a participant in the Livable Communities
Act (LCA).
Use state, regional, and federal sources of funding and/or financing and development
tools allowed by state law to assist the feasibility of the development of new lifecycle and
affordable housing.
Develop or use programs to preserve the existing stock of naturally -occurring affordable
housing.
Plan for future staged growth through 2040 and beyond to accommodate a variety of
housing choices based on local needs.
Access, Mobility, and Transportation Choice
Council Role
Plan regional infrastructure consistent with a rural level of service.
Explore transit links to urban areas based on demand and the availability of resources.
Plan transit facilities to better incorporate alternative mode connections for facilities
serving locations where commuters have to travel greater distances to complete their trip.
Page 118
Community Role
Plan for and construct an interconnected system of local streets, pedestrian facilities, and
bicycle facilities.
Plan and develop local trail connections to the regional parks and trails system where
appropriate.
Economic Competitiveness
Council Role
Encourage communities to support a range of housing opportunities for those interested
in a more rural lifestyle.
Community Role
Consider best practices for providing housing opportunities to support local employment
and community needs.
Consider identifying key intersections that accommodate connections between rail and
highway infrastructure that could serve an intermodal purpose.
Consider how land uses adjacent to key intersections could provide access for trucking,
freight, barge, shipping, or warehousing purposes that may strengthen or bolster the local
economy.
Consider completing a community-based market analysis to better understand the market
conditions.
Building in Resilience
Council Role
See Building in Resilience policy discussion in Land Use Policy introduction.
Community Role
See Building in Resilience policy discussion in Land Use Policy introduction.
Page 119
Diversified Rural: Protecting land for rural lifestyles and
long-term urbanization
Diversified Rural communities are home to a variety of farm and non-farm land uses including
very large -lot residential, clustered housing, hobby farms and agricultural uses. Located
adjacent to the Emerging Suburban Edge of the Urban Service Area, Diversified Rural
designation protects rural land for rural lifestyles today and potential urbanized levels of
development sometime after 20401arge portions of communities in the Diversified Rural area
also contain prime agricultural soils, located primarily in Scott and Washington counties.
There is a portion of the region's population that is interested in rural and small town living. For
communities in the Diversified Rural area, the Council supports the clustering of homes to meet
that demand, but done in a manner that protects high quality and locally -prioritized natural areas
and open spaces, and also preserves lands for potential future post -2040 urban development.
In August 2008, the Council adopted Flexible Residential Development Ordinance Guidelines
for the Diversified Rural Area that describe the factors that communities should take into
account if they are considering allowing residential development at densities greater than 4 units
per 40 acres. Including the following points:
1. Include the need to reserve land resources for efficient future urban development as part
of the ordinance purpose.
2. Identify the land characteristics required to support future urbanization.
3. Allow no more than 25% of the developable land in a project to be developed, reserving
larger future urbanization parcels.
4. Protect future urbanization parcels with temporary development agreements,
easements, or deed restrictions.
5. Provide for the rezoning of the future urbanization parcels to a residential zoning
classification at densities consistent with Council policy at such time that urban services
are available.
6. Encourage the use of community wastewater treatment systems to serve the temporary
cluster.
For those communities on the edge of the urbanizing area, designated as a Long -Term Service
Area for the Regional Wastewater System, a cluster ordinance should be developed and
implemented to provide for interim land uses without precluding the opportunity for future urban -
density development.
Orderly and Efficient Land Use
Council Role
Work with communities to plan development patterns that will protect natural resources,
preserve areas where post -2040 growth can be provided with cost-effective and efficient
urban infrastructure, and support forecasted growth through 2040 without the provision of
regional urban services.
Promote development practices and patterns that protect the integrity of the region's
water supply and the quality and quantity of water resources.
Page 120
Community Role
Plan for growth not to exceed forecasts and in patterns that do not exceed 4 units per 40
acres.
Preserve areas where post -2040 growth can be provided with cost-effective and efficient
urban infrastructure.
Manage land uses to prevent the premature demand for extension of urban services, and
so that existing service levels (i.e. on-site wastewater management, gravel, and other
local roads) will meet service needs.
Natural Resources Protection
Council Role
Provide technical assistance and tools for resource protection, such as best practices
regarding the use of conservation easements and clustered development ordinances.
Community Role
Plan development patterns that incorporate the protection of natural resources. Consider
implementing conservation subdivision ordinances, cluster development ordinances, or
environmental protection provisions in local land use ordinances.
Water Sustainability
Council Role
Provide technical assistance regarding alternative wastewater treatment systems and
share specific information about the performance of such systems in the region.
Support the MPCA's regulatory approach to community treatment systems, which
requires permits for systems that generate at least 10,000 gallons per day of wastewater
about 35 homes).
Advocate that the local community be the permit holder for alternative wastewater
treatment systems to ensure long-term accountability for the proper functioning and
maintenance of systems.
Community Role
Protect the rural environment through local oversight of the management and
maintenance of alternative wastewater treatment systems to avoid the environmental and
economic costs of failed systems.
Ensure financial and environmental accountability for installation, maintenance,
remediation, and management of any permitted private wastewater system.
Page 121
Housing Affordability and Choice
Council Role
See Housing Affordability and Choice policy discussion in the Land Use Policy introduction.
Community Role
See Housing Affordability and Choice policy discussion in the Land Use Policy introduction.
Access, Mobility, and Transportation Choice
Council Role
Plan regional transportation infrastructure consistent with a rural level of service.
Support the management of access points to state and county road systems and
emphasize construction of a local public street system where needed.
Encourage communities to plan and develop local trail connections to the regional parks
system where appropriate.
Community Role
Plan for and construct local transportation infrastructure, including trails, sufficient to meet
local needs.
Plan and develop local trail connections to the regional parks system where appropriate.
Economic Competitiveness
Council Role
Where appropriate, promote the use of the Green Acres and Agricultural Preserves
programs to preserve prime agricultural soils and maintain agricultural uses as a long-
term primary land use.
Support agriculture as a primary long-term use to protect the region's agricultural
economy, to provide economic opportunities for farmers, and to promote local food
production.
Support connections between the Diversified Rural communities and other areas both
within and outside of the region that promote safe travel and ensure efficient
transportation of agricultural products.
Community Role
Identify and protect locally important agricultural areas, in addition to prime agricultural
lands, to provide a range of economic opportunities.
Support existing agricultural uses as primary long-term land uses and consider allowing
agricultural -supportive land uses in local comprehensive plans.
Page 122
Support local property enrollment in the Agricultural Preserves and Green Acres
programs.
Consider opportunities for smaller -acreage agricultural operations to support food
production for local markets.
Building in Resilience
Council Role
See Building in Resilience policy discussion in the Land Use Policy introduction.
Community Role
See Building in Resilience policy discussion in the Land Use Policy introduction.
Page 123
Rural Residential: Limiting unsustainable growth patterns
Rural Residential communities have residential patterns characterized by large lots and do not
have plans to provide urban infrastructure, such as centralized wastewater treatment. Many of
these communities have topographic development limitations, and development pattern with lot
sizes that generally range from 1- 2.5 units/acres and therefore, do not support economical
extension of wastewater services.
Orderly and Efficient Land Use
Council Role
Encourage rural development patterns that will protect natural resources, preserve areas
where post -2040 growth can be provided with cost-effective and efficient urban
infrastructure.
Discourage future development of rural residential patterns (unsewered lots 2.5 acres or
less) and encourage rural development at densities that are not greater than 1 unit per 10
acres.
Work with communities to plan development patterns that will protect natural resources
and water quality and quantity, and maintain existing contiguous lots that are 10 or more
acres in size.
Encourage the use the Council's Flexible Residential Development Guidelines and
adoption of ordinances that provide for residential clustering and protection of sensitive
natural resources.
Provide technical assistance to communities to plan for adequate land availability to
address current needs and forecasted growth using development practices that protect
the quantity and quality of the region's surface and groundwater resources and natural
resources identified in regional or local inventories.
Community Role
Discourage future development of rural residential patterns (unsewered lots 2.5 acres or
less) and where opportunities exist, plan for rural development at densities that are not
greater than 1 unit per 10 acres.
Implement conservation subdivision ordinances, cluster development ordinances, and
environmental protection provisions in local land use ordinances, consistent with the
Council's Flexible Residential Development Guidelines.
Promote best management practices for stormwater management, habitat restoration,
and natural resource conservation in development plans and projects.
Natural Resources Protection
Council Role
See Natural Resources Protection policy discussion in Land Use Policy introduction.
Page 124
Community Role
Accommodate growth while protecting the environment and natural resources.
Encourage the placement of housing that protects significant natural resources.
Adopt conservation subdivision ordinances, cluster development ordinances, flexible
development ordinances, and include environmental protection in land use ordinances.
Water Sustainability
Council Role
Support the MPCA's regulatory approach to community treatment systems, which
requires permits for systems that generate at least 10,000 gallons per day of wastewater
35 homes).
Require that the local community be the permit holder for alternative wastewater
treatment systems to ensure long-term accountability for the proper functioning and
maintenance of systems;
Provide technical assistance regarding alternative wastewater treatment systems and
share information about the performance of these systems in the region.
Community Role
Protect the rural environment through local oversight of the management and
maintenance of SSTS to avoid the environmental and economic costs of failed systems.
Proactively explore options to address failing septic systems.
Ensure financial and environmental accountability for installation, maintenance,
remediation, and management of any permitted private wastewater system.
Adopt subsurface sewage treatment system (SSTS) management ordinances and
implement maintenance programs, consistent with current Minnesota Pollution Control
Agency Rules 7080.
Encourage the use of environmentally -sensitive development techniques, such as
surface water management best management practices that capture, filter, and infiltrate
stormwater where possible.
Housing Affordability and Choice
Council Role
See Housing Affordability and Choice policy discussion in Land Use Policy introduction.
Community Role
See Housing Affordability and Choice policy discussion in Land Use Policy introduction.
Page 125
Access, Mobility, and Transportation Choice
Council Role
Plan for regional transportation infrastructure consistent with rural level of service.
Support the limiting of access points to state and county road systems and emphasize
construction of an interconnected local public street system.
Encourage communities to plan and develop local trail connections to the regional parks
system.
Community Role
Plan for and construct local transportation infrastructure, including trails, sufficient to meet
local needs.
Plan and develop an interconnected local street system.
Adopt improved design techniques for access management that meets access and
mobility needs.
Economic Competitiveness
Council Role
Support connections between the Rural Residential areas and other areas within and
outside the region that promote safe travel and ensure efficient distribution of freight.
Community Role
See Economic Competitiveness policy discussion in Land Use Policy introduction.
Building in Resilience
Council Role
See Building in Resilience policy discussion in Land Use Policy introduction.
Community Role
See Building in Resilience policy discussion in Land Use Policy introduction.
Page 126
Agricultural: Preserving large swaths of farmland
Agricultural communities encompass areas with prime agricultural soils that are planned and
zoned for long-term agricultural use. These communities are home to the bulk of contiguous
lands enrolled in the Metropolitan Agricultural Preserves and Green Acres Programs or
cultivated for commercial agricultural purposes.
Orderly and Efficient Land Use
Council Role
Promote the use of the Agricultural Preserves and Green Acres programs to preserve
prime agricultural soils and land uses by supporting local efforts that maintain agricultural
land uses through 2040.
Partner with communities to plan for post -2040 development growth in a manner that
protects farmland and the regional agricultural economy while accommodating efficient
expansion of regional urban infrastructure in areas where forecasts project market
demand.
Community Role
Limit residential development and adopt zoning ordinances and/or other official controls
to maintain residential densities no greater than 1 housing unit per 40 acres.
Support enrollment in the Agricultural Preserves and the Green Acres programs to
preserve prime agricultural soils and agricultural land uses.
Maintain agricultural land uses through at least 2040 as a primary long-term use to
preserve prime agricultural lands and to preserve land for efficient expansion of post -
2040 regional infrastructure where appropriate.
Manage land uses to prevent the premature demand for extension of urban services, and
so that existing service levels (i.e. on-site wastewater management, gravel, and other
local roads) will meet service needs.
Develop and implement strategies for protecting farmlands, such as exclusive agricultural
zoning, agricultural security districts, and lower residential densities such as 1 housing
unit per 80 acres.
Natural Resources Protection
Council Role
Promote agricultural practices that protect the region's water resources, including both
surface water resources and groundwater resources.
Provide information to communities about how to incorporate environmentally sensitive
development techniques into farm -related construction.
Community Role
See Natural Resource Protection policy discussion in the Land Use Policy introduction.
Page 127
Water Sustainability
Council Role
See Water Sustainability policy discussion in the Land Use Policy introduction.
Community Role
Promote best management practices for agricultural activities in order to protect the
integrity of the region's water supply and the quality and quantity of water resources.
Promote best management practices for agricultural activities in order to protect the
quality of the local and regional surface and groundwater resources.
Encourage the use of environmentally -sensitive development techniques in farm -related
construction, such as surface water management best management practices that
capture, filter, and infiltrate stormwater where possible.
Housing Affordability and Choice
Council Role
See Housing Affordability and Choice policy discussion in Land Use Policy Introduction.
Community Role
See Housing Affordability and Choice policy discussion in Land Use Policy Introduction.
Access, Mobility, and Transportation Choice
Council Role
Support MnDOT and counties in planning regional highway infrastructure consistent with
market access and the agribusiness needs of the area.
Support the management of access points to state and county road systems and
construction of a local public street system where needed.
Community Role
Plan for and construct local transportation infrastructure sufficient to serve local and
agricultural needs.
Adopt access management standards that meet state and county highway access and
mobility needs.
Page 128
Economic Competitiveness
Council Role
Support agriculture as a primary long-term use to protect the region's agricultural
economy, to provide economic opportunities for farmers, and to promote local food
production.
Support connections between the Agricultural areas and other areas within and outside
the region that promote local agribusiness, promote safe travel, and ensure efficient
distribution of freight.
Promote the use of the Green Acres and Agricultural Preserves programs to preserve
prime agricultural soils and maintain agricultural uses as a long-term primary land use.
Community Role
Support agricultural uses as primary long-term land uses and consider allowing
agricultural -supportive land uses in local comprehensive plans.
Consider opportunities for smaller -acreage agricultural operations to support food
production for local markets.
Implement programs and best management practices that conserve and enhance soil
and water resources to ensure their long-term quality and productivity.
Identify and protect locally important agricultural areas, in addition to prime agricultural
lands, to provide a range of economic opportunities.
Building in Resilience
Council Role
Partner with state agencies to identify potential impacts to (agricultural) systems and
economies resulting from increased occurrences of extreme weather events.
Collaborate with regional experts on climate change to identify and communicate
potential adaptation and mitigation measures to reduce impacts and preserve and protect
the region's agricultural resources.
Provide resources and information on carbon emission reductions, best practices, and
climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies for Agricultural Areas.
Community Role
Assess potential challenges and opportunities of climate change in the Agricultural
communities as well as opportunities for reducing the generation of greenhouse gas
emissions. Implement changes as feasible.
Page 129
Implementing Thrive
Next steps
Thrive establishes the policy foundation used to complete regional systems and policy plans,
development policies, and implementation strategies that together form the comprehensive
development guide. Detailed policies implementing the Thrive policy direction and advancing
the five Thrive outcomes will emerge and be formally adopted in the Thrive systems and policy
plans:
Water Resources Policy Plan (late 2014);
Housing Policy Plan (fall 2014);
Transportation Policy Plan (late 2014);
Regional Parks Policy Plan (early 2015).
In addition to the Thrive systems and policy plans, the Council will consider how to advance the
Thrive outcomes through:
Making investments through Livable Communities Act grants (Livable Communities
Demonstration Account, Local Housing Incentives Account and Tax Base Revitalization
Account);
Working with the Transportation Advisory Board on the Regional Solicitation for
Transportation Funds;
Investigating the use of the Council's current funding mechanisms as tools to aid in
promoting the Thrive outcomes.
Local Planning Process
The policy direction in Thrive and the systems and policy plans that follow assist local
governments to create consistent, compatible, and coordinated local comprehensive plans that
together strive to reach a common purpose. The Council will distribute Systems Statements to
local jurisdictions in the fall of 2015, beginning this decade's round of local comprehensive plan
updates due back to the Council in 2018. The Systems Statements explains how Thrive and the
systems and policy plans affect that individual community. If a community disagrees with any
item of the System Statement, they may request a hearing to resolve any issues (Minn. Stat.
473.857). The local governments use the System Statement information to develop their
comprehensive plans to achieve local visions within the regional policy framework. (Minn. Stat.
473.856-857; 473.864-865).
Once a community updates its plan, the community then shares it with adjacent and affected
jurisdictions for them to consider the plan's impact, consistency, and coordination with their own
plans. After completing that process, the community then sends their plan to the Council for its
review based on the requirements of the Metropolitan Land Planning Act, state and federal
guidelines referenced in this document, and the comprehensive development guide. The
Council considers that plan's compatibility with the plans of other communities, consistency with
adopted Council policies, and conformance with metropolitan system plans (Minn. Stat.
473.175). If the Council finds that a community's plan is more likely than not to have a
substantial impact on or contain a substantial departure from metropolitan system plans, the
Council can require the community to modify its local plan to assure conformance with the
metropolitan system plans (Minn. Stat. 473.175).
Page 130
Once the Council completes its review and authorizes a community to place its plan into effect,
the local community adopts its plan and then proceeds to update its zoning ordinances, fiscal
devices, and other official controls to be consistent with the newly adopted comprehensive plan
Minn. Stat. 473.858; 473.865). Any local ordinance or other local control that conflicts with the
community's local comprehensive plan or metropolitan system plans must be brought into
conformance with the plan within nine months of comprehensive plan adoption (Minn. Stat.
473.865).
Technical Assistance
The Council offers assistance to communities as they update, amend, and implement their local
comprehensive plans.
Sector Representative Program
This program is staffed by experienced and knowledgeable planners familiar with the Council,
its programs, and with local planning processes. Sector Representatives provide planning and
technical assistance to cities, townships, and counties across the region and are the main point
of contact for local staff for their planning needs. They keep abreast of local governmental and
agency activities and participate in meetings, technical advisory committees, and other working
groups to provide regional perspective. Sector Representatives also foster cooperative
relationships with governmental units and other organizations in the region to achieve local and
regional goals. Sector Representatives are also available to assist communities in completing
some of the statutorily required elements of local comprehensive plans.
Tools and Resources
The Council's Local Planning Handbook guides communities through the Council's
comprehensive plan review process. The Council will update this handbook to incorporate new
Thrive and systems and policy plan directions. In addition, the updated handbook will
incorporate a variety of tools and resources developed both internally and by other
organizations, such as best practices, model ordinances, development guides, and local
examples.
Workshops
As was offered for the 2008 comprehensive planning process, the Council will again offer a
workshop series for local planners on incorporating regional policy and system plans into local
comprehensive plans. These workshop series, coordinated by the Council's Sector
Representatives, will include a range of topics including, but not limited to, planning for water
resources, transit, transportation, and affordable housing.
Planning Grants and Loans
The Council has established a planning assistance fund to make grants and loans available to
local governments to assist them in preparation of local comprehensive plan (Minn. Stat.
473.867). The Council will work through its Land Use Advisory Committee to develop eligibility
criteria, funding availability, and an application process to assist in the 2018 round of local
comprehensive planning. The Council will communicate with local governments about the
availability of those funds and the application procedures and deadlines.
Page 131
2040 Draft Forecasts
Released for Public Comment, February 19, 2014
Note: These are preliminary and have not been adopted by the Council.
pt) denotes part of a city; remainder ofcity is in neighboring county.
0 = Rogers annexed Hassan Township in 2012; forecasts have been combined.
t = Laketown Township will be fully annexed before 2030; forecast has been reassigned to neighboring cities.
r POPULATION HOUSEHOLDS EMPLOYMENT
2000 2010 2040 2000 2010 2040 2000 2010 2040
ANOKA COUNTY
Andover 26,588 30,598 40,700 8,107 9,811 15,400 3,583 4,669 6,200
Anoka 18,076 17,142 20,100 7,262 7,060 8,900 13,489 12,840 14,600
Bethel 443 466 580 149 174 250 229 86 530
Blaine (pt) 45,014 57,186 86,000 15,926 21,077 33,000 16,757 19,668 26,600
Centerville 3,202 3,792 4,200 1,077 1,315 1,700 363 409 500
Circle Pines 4,663 4,918 5,300 1,697 2,006 2,300 2,150 790 1,450
Columbia Heights 18,520 19,496 21,700 8,033 7,926 9,300 6,397 3,484 4,640
Columbus 3,957 3,914 5,300 1,328 1,416 2,200 507 1,172 1,850
Coon Rapids 61,607 61,476 72,500 22,578 23,532 29,300 21,682 23,260 35,700
East Bethel 10,941 11,626 18,200 3,607 4,060 7,400 1,374 1,123 2,200
Fridley 27,449 27,208 29,400 11,328 11,110 12,800 26,257 21,333 29,800
Ham Lake 12,710 15,296 17,300 4,139 5,171 7,100 3,194 2,931 4,480
Hilltop 766 744 1,100 400 380 550 257 314 360
Lexington 2,142 2,049 2,300 819 787 1,000 634 467 700
Lino Lakes 16,791 20,216 29,000 4,857 6,174 10,600 2,671 3,313 6,000
Linwood Township 4,668 5,123 4,700 1,578 1,884 2,000 154 219 430
Nowthen 3,557 4,443 5,400 1,123 1,450 2,100 337 318 720
Oak Grove 6,903 8,031 10,200 2,200 2,744 4,100 359 741 1,010
Ramsey 18,510 23,668 32,800 5,906 8,033 13,000 4,008 4,779 7,600
St. Francis 4,910 7,218 12,500 1,638 2,520 5,100 1,247 1,537 2,070
Spring Lake Park (pt) 6,667 6,234 6,800 2,676 2,597 3,100 4,401 2,934 3,670
Anoka County Total 298,084 330,844 426,080 106,428 121,227 171,200 110,050 106,387 151,110
CARVER COUNTY
Benton Township 939 786 740 307 297 300 282 274 350
Camden Township 955 922 830 316 329 330 15 56 60
Carver 1,266 3,724 14,200 458 1,182 5,300 176 187 700
Chanhassen (pt) 20,321 22,952 36,200 6,914 8,352 14,000 8,366 9,746 16,240
Chaska 17,603 23,770 34,900 6,169 8,816 14,200 10,955 11,123 16,300
Cologne 1,012 1,519 4,600 385 539 1,900 294 270 470
Dahlgren Township 1,453 1,331 720 479 494 300 203 202 200
Hamburg 538 513 600 206 201 250 117 109 150
Hancock Township 367 345 410 121 127 170 35 10 10
Hollywood Township 1,102 1,041 1,200 371 387 500 100 90 150
Laketown Township t 2,331 2,243 637 660 355 116
Mayer 554 1,749 3,000 199 589 1,200 92 151 200
New Germany 346 372 1,400 143 146 600 50 46 90
Norwood Young America 3,108 3,549 8,800 1,171 1,389 3,900 1,559 1,165 2,300
San Francisco Township 888 832 960 293 307 400 61 46 100
Victoria 4,025 7,345 15,000 1,367 2,435 5,700 932 1,502 2,270
Waconia 6,814 10,697 20,900 2,568 3,909 8,400 4,082 5,578 9,000
Waconia Township 1,284 1,228 1,500 429 434 600 72 98 400
Watertown 3,029 4,205 3,900 1,078 1,564 1,700 682 556 1,220
Watertown Township 1,432 1,204 1,100 478 468 500 207 392 400
Young America Township 838 715 760 267 266 300 105 119 120
Carver Countv Total 70.205 91.042 151.720 24.356 32.891 60.550 28.740 31.836 50.730
Page 132
DAKOTA COUNTY
Apple Valley
Burnsville
Castle Rock Township
Coates
Douglas Township
Eagan
Empire Township
Eureka Township
Farmington
Greenvale Township
Hampton
Hampton Township
Hastings (pt)
Inver Grove Heights
Lakeville
Lilydale
Marshan Township
Mendota
Mendota Heights
Miesville
New Trier
Nininger Township
Northfield (pt)
Randolph
Randolph Township
Ravenna Township
Rosemount
Sciota Township
South St. Paul
Sunfish Lake
Vermillion
Vermillion Township
Waterford Township
West St. Paul
Dakota County Total
HENNEPIN COUNTY
Bloomington
Brooklyn Center
Brooklyn Park
Champlin
Chanhassen (pt)
Corcoran
Crystal
Dayton (pt)
Deephaven
Eden Prairie
Edina
Excelsior
Fort Snelling (unorg.)
Golden Valley
Greenfield
Greenwood
Hanover (pt)
Hopkins
85,172
POPULATIONHOUSEHOLDS
93,600 36,400 35,905 41,000 104,548 86,530
EMPLOYMENT
29,172
2000 2010 2040
10,756
2000 2010 2040 2000 2010 2040
95,500 24,432 26,229 35,500 23,692 24,084
22,193 23,089 25,500
45,527 49,084 64,400
2,734
16,344 18,875 26,000 12,106 14,279 17,700
60,220 60,306 69,800
1,159
23,687 24,283 29,000 31,765 31,593 44,100
1,495 1,342 1,300
2,100
514 504 520 344 356 360
163 161 150
4,693
64 66 70 252 109 110
760 716 790
3,642
235 259 320 96 92 100
63,557 64,206 80,200
84,800
23,773 25,249 32,000 42,750 49,526 70,200
1,638 2,444 5,300
20,996
515 792 2,000 217 255 300
1,490 1,426 1,700
1,115
496 518 700 196 460 460
12,365 21,086 31,500
200
4,169 7,066 12,000 3,986 4,438 7,200
684 803 890
30,142
227 275 350 68 49 630
434 689 780
613
156 245 300 178 127 160
986 903 1,100
350
320 329 450 186 85 90
18,201 22,172 30,100
17,367
6,640 8,735 12,900 8,872 8,532 11,300
29,751 33,880 47,600 11,257 13,476 19,900 8,168 9,442 14,000
43,128 55,954 82,900 13,609 18,683 30,500 10,966 13,862 23,400
552 623 1,000 338 375 600 354 355 420
1,263 1,106 1,300 404 403 520 220 117 370
197 198 320 80 78 130 266 270 300
11,434 11,071 13,400 4,178 4,378 5,300 8,549 11,550 14,400
135 125 130 52 52 60 97 116 140
116 112 150 31 41 50 30 35 60
865 950 950 280 372 400 165 149 340
557 1,147 2,100 216 414 900 79 470 500
318 436 440 117 168 180 123 122 130
536 659 650 192 246 280 130 113 120
2,355 2,336 2,500 734 780 1,000 115 38 60
14,619 21,874 36,300 4,742 7,587 14,000 6,356 6,721 11,500
285 414 500 92 140 190 21 33 500
20,167 20,160 22,500 8,123 8,186 9,600 7,697 8,557 11,000
504 521 520 173 183 210 23 8 10
437 419 410 160 156 170 221 93 210
1,243 1,192 1,700 395 424 660 280 90 90
517 497 560 193 193 240 461 679 820
19,405 19,540 23,900 8,645 8,529 10,500 8,905 7,471 10,600
355,904 398,552 527,840 131,151 152,060 212,000 154,242 170,192 241,680
85,172 82,893 93,600 36,400 35,905 41,000 104,548 86,530 111,000
29,172 30,104 34,700 11,430 10,756 13,600 16,698 11,001 15,400
67,388 75,781 95,500 24,432 26,229 35,500 23,692 24,084 42,000
22,193 23,089 25,500 7,425 8,328 10,000 2,734 4,012 5,600
979 1,159 1,160
5,630 5,379 11,400 1,784 1,867 4,500 1,792 1,093 2,100
22,698 22,151 23,300 9,389 9,183 10,000 5,638 3,929 5,500
4,693 4,617 10,600 1,546 1,619 4,500 1,057 921 2,500
3,853 3,642 3,900 1,373 1,337 1,400 1,021 688 820
54,901 60,797 84,800 20,457 23,930 34,000 51,006 48,775 70,000
47,425 47,941 53,300 20,996 20,672 23,000 52,991 47,457 59,000
2,393 2,188 2,600 1,199 1,115 1,300 1,823 2,220 2,200
442 149 350 135 200 35,526 23,215 26,000
20,281 20,371 24,300 8,449 8,816 10,300 30,142 33,194 41,500
2,544 2,777 4,100 817 936 1,600 337 613 750
729 688 810 285 290 300 161 82 350
332 609 520 113 196 200 86 36 50
17,367 17,591 21,600 8,359 8,366 10,000 11,979 11,009 14,000
Page 133
Independence
Long Lake
Loretto
Maple Grove
Maple Plain
Medicine Lake
Medina
Minneapolis
Minnetonka
Minnetonka Beach
Minnetrista
Mound
New Hope
Orono
Osseo
Plymouth
Richfield
Robbinsdale
Rockford (pt)
Rogers 0
St. Anthony (pt)
St. Bonifacius
St. Louis Park
Shorewood
Spring Park
Tonka Bay
Wayzata
Woodland
Hennepin County Total
RAMSEY COUNTY
Arden Hills
Blaine (pt)
Falcon Heights
Gem Lake
Lauderdale
Little Canada
Maplewood
Mounds View
New Brighton
North Oaks
North St. Paul
Roseville
St. Anthony (pt)
St. Paul
Shoreview
Spring Lake Park (pt)
Vadnais Heights
White Bear Township
White Bear Lake (pt)
Ramsev Countv Total
9,652
POPULATION
13,500 2,959
HOUSEHOLDS
4,600 12,326
EMPLOYMENT
18,400
2000 2010 2040 2000 2010 2040 2000 2010 2040
3,236 3,504 5,400 1,088 1,241 2,200 169 587 770
1,842 1,768 2,100 756 732 1,000 2,510 1,093 1,930
570 650 670 225 269 300 661 366 370
50,365 61,567 84,800 17,532 22,867 33,000 18,309 29,877 49,500
2,088 1,768 2,300 770 723 1,000 1,792 1,579 1,750
368 371 400 159 160 170 10 15 100
4,005 4,892 9,000 1,309 1,702 3,500 3,254 3,351 4,580
382,747 382,578 464,900 162,352 163,540 202,000 308,127 281,732 356,000
51,102 49,734 63,000 21,267 21,901 27,500 51,276 44,228 65,200
614 539 610 215 201 220 201 174 250
4,358 6,384 13,000 1,505 2,176 5,000 379 665 740
9,435 9,052 11,000 3,982 3,974 5,000 1,811 1,165 1,900
20,873 20,339 22,800 8,665 8,427 9,800 13,565 11,080 15,800
7,538 7,437 9,200 2,766 2,826 3,800 1,110 1,562 1,780
2,434 2,430 3,100 1,035 1,128 1,500 2,312 1,749 2,530
65,894 70,576 87,800 24,820 28,663 35,500 53,491 46,227 68,600
34,310 35,228 39,900 15,073 14,818 17,500 11,762 15,604 18,400
14,123 13,953 15,300 6,097 6,032 6,800 7,109 6,858 8,000
144 426 800 57 184 400 384 94 550
6,051 11,197 21,300 1,973 3,748 8,200 5,414 7,907 12,800
5,664 5,156 6,300 2,402 2,210 3,000 1,992 1,626 2,090
1,873 2,283 2,200 681 863 900 436 478 500
44,102 45,250 54,500 20,773 21,743 25,500 40,696 40,485 49,100
7,400 7,307 7,400 2,529 2,658 3,000 782 1,113 1,200
1,717 1,669 2,200 930 897 1,100 1,028 583 1,340
1,547 1,475 1,500 614 586 680 266 298 570
4,113 3,688 4,900 1,929 1,795 2,300 6,268 4,567 5,900
480 437 540 173 169 180 22 8 20
1,116,206 1,152,425 1,427,800 456,131 475,913 602,450 877,346 805,089 1,072,200
9,652 9,552 13,500 2,959 2,957 4,600 12,326 12,402 18,400
677 893 1,000
5,572 5,321 5,300 2,103 2,131 2,200 4,190 5,298 6,800
419 393 590 139 155 250 586 526 640
2,364 2,379 2,600 1,150 1,130 1,300 360 718 1,810
9,771 9,773 14,000 4,375 4,393 6,200 5,960 5,467 8,700
35,258 38,018 47,900 13,758 14,882 19,700 29,259 27,635 36,600
12,738 12,155 13,100 5,018 4,954 5,500 4,170 6,386 8,200
22,206 21,456 26,000 9,013 8,915 11,200 11,007 9,213 13,500
3,883 4,469 4,900 1,300 1,746 2,100 1,091 1,260 1,300
11,929 11,460 13,100 4,703 4,615 5,700 3,499 2,942 3,610
33,690 33,660 38,700 14,598 14,623 17,000 39,211 35,104 44,100
2,348 3,070 4,300 1,295 1,638 2,000 1,390 1,357 2,050
286,840 285,068 334,700 112,109 111,001 137,600 188,124 175,933 218,000
25,924 25,043 27,500 10,125 10,402 11,300 9,938 11,665 15,500
105 178 220 48 75 100 202 66 100
13,069 12,302 14,900 5,064 5,066 6,500 7,164 6,678 13,700
11,293 10,949 12,000 4,010 4,261 4,900 2,131 2,309 4,780
23,974 23,394 27,500 9,469 9,747 12,000 12,020 11,085 12,700
511,035 508,640 600,810 201,236 202,691 250,150 333,305 316,937 411,490
Page 134
ULAPOP2010TIO= EHOHOU2010 EMPLO1MOENT
2000 2040 a 2000
LDS
2040 2000 2040
SCOTT COUNTY AL AEL I
Belle Plaine 3,789 6,661 13,300 1,396 2,362 5,300 1,428 1,847 3,300
Belle Plaine Township 806 878 820 266 310 320 77 69 70
Blakeley Township 496 418 370 166 165 170 70 69 100
Cedar Lake Township 2,197 2,779 3,600 719 939 1,400 91 82 340
Credit River Township 3,895 5,096 5,000 1,242 1,662 1,900 265 397 420
Elko New Market 804 4,110 12,200 286 1,259 4,500 248 317 640
Helena Township 1,440 1,648 1,700 450 548 700 473 147 150
Jackson Township 1,361 1,464 1,300 461 486 500 92 168 530
Jordan 3,833 5,470 10,700 1,349 1,871 4,300 1,321 1,587 2,900
Louisville Township 1,359 1,266 1,200 410 425 430 476 298 300
New Market Township 3,057 3,440 3,300 956 1,146 1,200 262 325 350
New Prague (pt) 3,157 4,280 7,200 1,160 1,618 3,100 2,282 2,142 3,270
Prior Lake 15,917 22,796 39,300 5,645 8,447 15,700 7,972 7,766 12,500
St. Lawrence Township 472 483 810 144 161 320 145 48 50
Sand Creek Township 1,551 1,521 1,400 478 554 560 249 298 460
Savage 21,115 26,911 38,200 6,807 9,116 14,300 5,366 6,753 9,500
Shakopee 20,568 37,076 57,400 7,540 12,772 21,500 13,938 18,831 27,400
Spring Lake Township 3,681 3,631 4,100 1,217 1,267 1,600 176 390 400
Scott County Total 89,498 129,928 201,900 30,692 45,108 77,800 34,931 41,534 62,680
WASHINGTON COUNTY
Afton 2,839 2,886 3,100 996 1,081 1,300 351 411 490
Bayport 3,162 3,471 4,400 763 855 1,300 4,900 3,790 5,100
Baytown Township 1,533 1,617 2,000 492 573 760 154 69 260
Birchwood Village 968 870 840 357 351 360 20 25 30
Cottage Grove 30,582 34,589 49,300 9,932 11,719 18,600 6,263 6,484 8,100
Dellwood 1,033 1,065 1,100 353 373 450 282 277 300
Denmark Township 1,348 1,737 2,500 481 615 1,000 386 629 650
Forest Lake 14,440 18,377 28,300 5,433 7,015 12,000 6,636 6,449 9,700
Grant 4,026 4,094 4,300 1,374 1,463 1,700 750 449 840
Grey Cloud Island Township 307 295 280 117 117 120 50 10 40
Hastings (pt) 3 2 224 64 100
Hugo 6,363 13,332 31,300 2,125 4,990 13,100 1,917 1,973 2,780
Lake Elmo 6,863 8,061 21,200 2,347 2,776 8,300 1,682 1,941 3,160
Lakeland 1,917 1,796 1,500 691 681 710 374 302 470
Lakeland Shores 355 311 360 116 117 160 20 26 40
Lake St. Croix Beach 1,140 1,053 1,000 462 460 500 50 129 130
Landfall 700 663 770 292 257 300 50 25 30
Mahtomedi 7,563 7,676 7,700 2,503 2,827 3,100 1,252 2,090 2,660
Marine on St. Croix 602 689 1,200 254 302 530 235 124 160
May Township 2,928 2,776 3,800 1,007 1,083 1,600 40 66 180
Newport 3,715 3,435 4,600 1,418 1,354 2,100 2,480 1,605 2,000
Oakdale 26,653 27,401 31,000 10,243 10,956 13,000 7,812 8,651 15,000
Oak Park Heights 3,777 4,445 5,800 1,528 1,911 2,600 2,713 4,358 7,500
Pine Springs 421 408 370 140 144 150 10 72 80
St. Marys Point 344 366 330 132 147 150 10 15 20
St. Paul Park 5,070 5,273 7,900 1,829 1,967 3,300 1,399 1,515 2,520
Scandia 3,692 3,934 5,000 1,294 1,498 2,100 272 519 730
Stillwater 15,323 18,227 22,500 5,797 7,076 9,500 10,719 9,628 11,700
Stillwater Township 2,553 2,364 2,700 833 855 1,100 120 165 250
West Lakeland Township 3,547 4,054 4,000 1,101 1,286 1,500 313 232 370
White Bear Lake (pt) 351 403 680 149 198 300 131 184 200
Willernie 549 507 480 225 218 230 135 182 200
Woodbury 46,463 61,961 87,200 16,676 22,594 33,100 15,899 19,438 28,700
Washington County Total 201,130 238,136 337,510 1 71,462 87,859 135,020 1 67,649 71,897 104,490
METRO AREA 2,642,062 2,849,567 3,673,660 1,021,456 1,117,749 1,509,170 1 1,606,263 1,543,872 2,094,380
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City of
Plymouth
Adding 71711 to Life
SPECIAL
COUNCIL MEETING
April 22, 2014
Agenda 2CNumber: v
To: Mayor and City Council
Prepared by: Dave Callister, City Manager
Item: Set Future Study Sessions
1. ACTION REQUESTED:
Staff has identified a number of study sessions that need to be scheduled:
A. Reschedule Joint Meeting with HRA on May 13 due to conflicts. Staff contacted HRA commissioners,
and below are the dates that would work:
June 24
July 22
September 9
September 23
B. Schedule the following meetings for the 2015 Budget and CIP:
August 19 at 6:00 p.m. — Budget and CIP (first meeting)
August 26 at 5:30 p.m. — Budget and CIP (second meeting, if necessary)
September 9 at 7:00 p.m. — Council adopts preliminary levies and budget
October 28 at 5:30 p.m. — Budget
December 9 at 7:00 p.m. — Budget public hearing, CIP, budget and levy adoption
Lastly, Council should review the list of pending study sessions and set meetings as desired. Calendars are
attached to assist with scheduling.
PENDING STUDY SESSION TOPICS
at least 3 Council members have approved the following study items on the list):
Snow removal policies and practices (June/July)
OTHER REQUESTS FOR STUDY SESSION TOPICS
Update on Medicine Lake water level issue (Stein)
Re-evaluate Comprehensive Plan update process
City's role in economic development and redevelopment
Quarterly Update with City Manager (May)
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City of
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Discuss Plymouth Ice Center training facility
Page 2
1 2 3 4 5
7:00 PM 5:00-9:00 PM 5:00-9:00 PM 10:00 AM -4:00
PLANNING PRIMAVERA PRIMAVERA PM
COMMISSION Plymouth Fine Plymouth Fine PRIMAVERA
Arts Council Arts Council Plymouth Fine
MEETING Show Show Arts Council
Council Chambers Plymouth Creek Plymouth Creek Show
Center Center Plymouth Creek
Center
6 7 QQ *5:30 PM 9 10 11 12ESPECIALCOUNCIL
1:00-4:00 PM 10:00 AM -4:00 PM MEETING 7:00 PMPRIMAVERA7:00 PM -8:30 PM 6:00 PM ENVIRONMENTAL 6:00-8:00 PM 9:00 AM -
1:00 PMPlymouthFineyPRIMAVERABOARD
TIEQUALIZATION QUALITY YARD l3 GARDEN YARD It GARDENArtsCouncilPlymouthFineCouncilChambersCOMMITTEEEXPOEXPOShowArtsCouncilImmediatelyEQC) MEETING
Plymouth Creek
Center Fieldhouse Plymouth
Plymouth Creek Show Following BOE Medicine Lake Room Cent Fieldhouse
Center Plymouth Creek REGULAR COUNCIL
Center MEETING
Council Chambers
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
7:00 PM Good FridayPLANNING
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MEETING
Council Chambers
2 0 21 2 2 Passover Beginsat
Sunset 23 24 25 26
5:00 PM 7:00 PM
SundayEasterSunda SPECIAL COUNCIL
MEETING PLYMOUTH HRA MEETING
Emerald Ash Borer Program ADVISORY CANCELLED
Update a Met Council COMMITTEE ONThrive2040
Medicine Lake Room TRANSIT (PACT)
6:00 PM
BOE RECONVENES REGULAR MEETIN
7:00 PM Medicine Lake Room
REGULAR COUNCIL
MEETING
Council Chambers
27 28 29 30
Modified on 0411112014
Discuss Plymouth Ice Center training facility
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Plymouth
Adding Quality to Life
May 2014
Modified on 04115/2014 CHANGES ARE NOTED IN RED
Page 3
1 2 3
7:30 AM -2:00 PM
Special
Drop Off Day
Public Works
Maintenance Facility
4 5 6:00 PM 6 7 7:00 PM 8 7:00 PM 9 10
8:00 AM -1:00 PM Walk with PLANNING PARK & REC
Plymouth the Mayor COMMISSION ADVISORY
Fire Department Plymouth Creek MEETING COMMISSION
Annual Waffle Center Council Chambers PRAC) MEETING
Breakfast Council Chambers
Fire Station 3
11 12 13 14 15 16 175:30 PM 7:00 PM
SPECIAL HRA/COLINCIL ENVIRONMENTALMEETINGCANCELLEDQUALITY
COMMITTEE
7:00 PM EQC) MEETING
REGULAR COUNCIL Medicine Lake Room
MEETING
Council Chambers
18 19 20 21 7:00 PM 22 7:00 PM 23 24
PLANNING HRA MEETING
COMMISSION Medicine Lake Room
MEETING
Council Chambers
25 26 11M 27 7:00 PM 28 7:00 PM 29 30 31
REGULAR COUNCIL PLYMOUTH
MEMORIAL DAY MEETING ADVISORY
Council Chambers COMMITTEE ON
TRANSIT (PACT)
CITY OFFICES WORK SESSION
CLOSED Medicine Lake Room
Modified on 04115/2014 CHANGES ARE NOTED IN RED
Page 3
City of
Plymouth
Adding Quality to Life
June 2014
1 2 3 4 7:00 PM 5 6 7
PLANNING
COMMISSION
MEETING
Council Chambers
8 9 10 7:00 PM 11 7:00 PM 12 7:00 PM 13 14
REGULAR COUNCIL ENVIRONMENTAL PARK li REC
MEETING QUALITY ADVISORY
Council Chambers COMMITTEE COMMISSION
EQC) MEETING PRAC) MEETING
Medicine Lake Room Plymouth Creek
Center
14800 34th Ave N
15 16 17 18 7:00 PM 19 20 21
PLANNING
COMMISSION
MEETING
Council Chambers
22 23 24 7:00 PM 2 5 7:00 PM 26 7:00 PM 27 28 8:00 AM
REGULAR COUNCIL PLYMOUTH HRA MEETING Music in
MEETING ADVISORY Medicine Lake Room Plymouth 5K
Council Chambers COMMITTEE ON Fun Run
TRANSIT (PACT) Hilde
WORK SESSION Performance
Medicine Lake Room Center
29 30
Modified on 0310512014
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r Plymouth
Adding Quality to Life
July 2014
Modified on 0311212014
Page 5
1 5:00 PM 2 7:00 PM 3 4 5MUSICINPLANNING
PLYMOUTH COMMISSION
Hilde Performance MEETING INDEPENDENCE
Center Council Chambers DAY
CITY OFFICES
CLOSED
6 7 8 7:00 PM9ENVIRONMENTAL 10 11 12CANCELLED
REGULAR QUALITY COMMITTEE
COUNCIL MEETING EQC) MEETING
Council Chambers Medicine Lake Room
13 14 15 16 7:00 PM 17 18 19
PLANNING
COMMISSION
MEETING
Council Chambers
20 21 22 7:00 PM 23 7:00 PM 24 7:00 PM 25 26
REGULAR PLYMOUTH HRA MEETING
COUNCIL MEETING ADVISORY Medicine Lake Room
Council Chambers COMMITTEE ON
TRANSIT (PACT)
REGULAR MEETING
Medicine Lake Room
27 28 29 30 31
Modified on 0311212014
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r Plymouth
Adding Quality to Life
August 2014
Modified on 0310512014
Page 6
1 2
3 4 5 2:30-5:00 PM 6 7:00 PM 7 8 9
Night to Unite PLANNING
Kickoff COMMISSION
Plymouth Creek MEETING
Center Council Chambers
6:30-9:30 PM
Night to Unite
10 11 12 13 7:00 PM 14 15 16
ENVIRONMENTAL
QUALITY
ELECTION DAY COMMITTEE
EQC) MEETING
Medicine Lake Room
8:00 PM
REGULAR COUNCIL
MEETING
Council Chambers
17 18 19 20 7:00 PM 21 22 23
PLANNING
COMMISSION
MEETING
Council Chambers
242 5 26 7:00 PM 27 7:00 PM 28 7:00 PM 29 30
REGULAR COUNCIL PLYMOUTH HRA MEETING
31 MEETING ADVISORY Medicine Lake Room
Council Chambers COMMITTEE ON
TRANSIT (PACT)
WORK SESSION
Medicine Lake Room
i
Modified on 0310512014
Page 6
City of
Plymouth
Adding Quality to Life
September 2014
Modified on 10/01/2013
Page 7
1 2 3 7:00 PM 4 5 6
PLANNING
COMMISSION
LABOR DAY MEETING
Council Chambers
CITY OFFICES
CLOSED
7 8 9 7:00 PM 10 7:00 PM 11 7:00 PM 12 13
REGULAR COUNCIL ENVIRONMENTAL PARK It REC
MEETING QUALITY ADVISORY
Council Chambers COMMITTEE (EQC) COMMISSION
MEETING FRAC) MEETINGMedicineLakeRoomMaintenanceFacility
14900 23rd Ave N
14 15 16 17 7:00 PM 18 7:00 PM 19 20
PLANNING HRA MEETING
COMMISSION Medicine Lake Room
MEETING
Council Chambers
Date to be determined
9:00 AM
Plymouth
Firefighters 5K
Fire Station #2
21 22 2 3 7:00 PM 24 7:00 PM 25 26
REGULAR COUNCIL PLYMOUTH
MEETING ADVISORY
Council Chambers COMMITTEE ON
TRANSIT (PACT)
WORK SESSION 11:30 AM
Medicine Lake Room Plymouth on
Parade Celebration
City Center Area
Rosh HaShonah
Begins at Sunset
28 29 30
Modified on 10/01/2013
Page 7