Receive Progress Report for the 2040 Comprehensive Plan Update

As the Planning Commission is aware, the City has established an ad-hoc Comprehensive Plan Update Steering Committee. Once every ten (10) years, the City is required by Minnesota Statute 473 to update its Comprehensive Land Use Plan. Aside from the statutory obligation, the City's existing plan has become dated in terms of policies, demographics, and land use vision. In order to freshen the City's vision for land use, including systems such as transportation, housing, economic development, natural resources, and parks/open space to name a few, now is an appropriate time to update the Comprehensive Plan.

The Steering Committee has met twice so far on the project. The intent of the early meetings in 2016 is to set the stage and agree on a framework moving forward.

Next Steps

The primary next step in the process is to finalize a working draft of the City's land use Vision Statement and Future Land Use Map. These two (2) pieces will lay the foundation on future steps and will be used to check in as individual system plans are developed. The group desires to have a working draft of both documents available in February for public workshops and engagement. The Future Land Use Map is a vision of how land within the community will be used in the future. For example, the Future Land Use Map will guide where future business districts and residential neighborhoods will develop as well as what areas will be protected from future development. The case also include an Existing Land Use Map to indicate how land within the community is currently being used.

System Plans

A primary system plan to update is the Transportation Plan. Staff anticipates to bring a discussion to the January Public Works Committee in January to discuss steps moving forward. The Planning Commission will also discuss this structure at the February Meeting. No drafts have been prepared thus far, but Staff will be checking in on the framework to complete this portion of the update. Staff anticipates an public workshop and other engagement for this system plan in April.

The Environmental Policy Board has begun to discuss how to update the Natural Resources Chapter and will be providing an update to the Planning Commission and Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee in February or March. Citizen Engagement is planned starting in April.

The Parks and Recreation Commission will begin discussing a new format for the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Plan beginning after the first of the year. Currently, the plan comprises of a future improvement/planning map alongside the Capital Improvement Program (CIP). The CIP is an important financial planning tool for the City and is intended to be complimentary to the Comprehensive Plan. The Parks and Recreation Commission along with the City Council desire to bolster the Comprehensive Recreation Plan into a more thematic and visionary document, looking more long term and comprehensively at the community's recreation needs, rather than simply a chronological financial planning tool.

Staff will be discussing the Economic Development Chapter with the Economic Development Authority (EDA) to gather their initial thoughts on a plan to update this chapter in January. Staff will report back to the Planning Commission in February and discuss a work plan to update this Chapter.

Notification is not required for this case.

Final touches are being placed on a draft Vision Statement and Future Land Use Map.

This case is being handled as part of normal Staff duties. In addition, the City did receive a $32,000 planning grant from the Metropolitan Council in order to aide in the completion of the 2040 Comprehensive Plan Update.

Staff recommends that the Planning Commission recommend that the City Council authorize the first official public engagement for the Comprehensive Plan Update to include a working draft of the Vision Statement and Future Land Use Map. A draft of the Future Land Use Map developed over a series of workshops and City events is attached for consideration. Staff will be working with the Steering Committee on January 9 to finalize the draft Vision Statement.

Motion to recommend that the City Council authorize the first official public engagement for the Comprehensive Plan Update to include a working draft of the Vision Statement and Future Land Use Map.