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HomeMy WebLinkAbout7.b. Comp Plan 2040-Inital Project Overview and Demographic Update E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y Planning Commission Meeting: February 23, 2016 AGENDA ITEM: Comprehensive Plan 2040 - Initial Project Overview and Demographic Update AGENDA SECTION: New Business PREPARED BY: Kyle Klatt, Senior Planner AGENDA NO. 7.b. ATTACHMENTS: Proposed Comprehensive Elements, Planning Commissioners Journal Article, State of the City Presentation (handed out at meeting) APPROVED BY: K. L. RECOMMENDED ACTION: No action required ISSUE The Planning Commission is being asked to review information concerning the required decennial update to the City’s Comprehensive Plan. The City’s updated plan must be submitted to the Metropolitan Council before the end of 2018, and given the broad scope of the project, staff recommends that the initial planning work for the project commence in the spring of this year. In order to help prepare the Planning Commission for this work, staff would like to discuss four elements of the planning process with the Commission as part of the City’s initial planning work for this important project. These elements include the following:  State of the City Report. As staff begins updating some of the key demographic information that will be included in the Comprehensive Plan, we would like to take some time to review several key community indicators with the Commission that are intended to serve as the major component of the land use plan. The information to be covered includes population and household trends and forecasts, housing statistics, and economic indicators. This information will be presented at the meeting along with a handout of the slides to be used.  Overall Comprehensive Plan Outline. While the City does have some discretion to address issues that are of concern in the community when updating the Comprehensive Plan, the Met Council requires that specific elements be included in the plan. In order to help map out the various components planned for the City’s update, staff has prepared a general outline for the plan along with a brief description of each proposed section.  Public Participation/Focused Area Planning Process. Staff is beginning to assess the best manner in which to move forward with community input for the project and to establish which geographic areas will receive additional attention as part of the 2040 update.  Over-Arching Goals. The executive summary at the very beginning of the City’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan includes nine overarching goals that served as the basis for the creation of 2 the Plan. Staff will be reviewing these goals in the near future and bringing recommendations forward for any revisions or additions necessary to support the 2040 update COMP PLAN UPDATE PROCESS Under the Metropolitan Land Planning Act in Minnesota State Statutes, all municipalities within the seven- county Twin Cities metropolitan area are required to adopt a Comprehensive Plan, which are subject to review and approval by the Metropolitan Council, and each city is further required to update these plans every 10 years. The deadline for submitting the City of Rosemount’s next decennial update is December 31, 2018, and given the size and scope of this document, Staff has begun preparations for the City’s update and intends to commence work on the update in the spring of 2016. Staff recently prepared a generalized schedule for the update, along with a map showing the smaller planning areas to be studied in greater detail as part of the project. The Planning Commission received a copy of these documents at its last meeting. The ten-year update cycle begins with the release of the Met Council’s regional development guide; the most recent of which was named Thrive MSP 2040 and released in May of 2014. After releasing the regional guide, the Met Council adopted various system and policy plans covering a range of topics from transportation, regional parks, water resources, housing, and water supply. The City of Rosemount has previously reviewed and provided comments on these documents, all of which have since been adopted as guiding documents for the region under which local comprehensive pans will be reviewed. The Met Council’s regional planning work culminates with the release of a system statement for each community, which Rosemount received in September of 2015. With the receipt of the system statement, Rosemount is now obligated to review and amend its Comprehensive Plan within three years. Rosemount last updated the Comprehensive Plan in 2009 (known as the 2030 Comprehensive Plan) which includes the future land use map currently being used to guide development and redevelopment activity in the community. Prior to the adoption of this plan, the City completed major planning efforts to study the future land uses in the Highway 42/52 area and performed an environmental review of proposed land uses north of Bonaire Path and east of Akron Avenue. The land uses recommendations from these previous studies were incorporated into the 2030 plan. In the time since the 2030 plan was adopted, the City has also completed a major environmental review (AUAR) for the UMore park area. There have been no comprehensive plan amendments brought forward for any UMore land to date. Staff expects that the majority of work to update the Comprehensive Plan will be performed internally, with outside assistance only for those portions of the plan requiring special expertise (i.e. storm water and transportation). In addition to establishing smaller committees to work on the special planning areas, Staff will also be working with the Planning Commission to establish a general schedule for the Commission’s review of the various plan elements. In accordance with the draft schedule, the bulk of this work is expected to occur throughout 2016 and into early 2017. To help establish expectations for the 2040 update, Staff will be using the following as overall objectives for the project:  Complete drafting work on the 2040 Plan by end of 2017 to provide ample time for comment, review and formal adoption by December 31, 2018.  Establish a planning process to focus on the three smaller planning areas that are expected to either accommodate the bulk of the projected growth between now and 2040 (the southeast portion of the community) or that are of particular interest because of other development pressures (downtown and the north rural area). 3  Develop public participation strategies that are inclusive and provide opportunities for meaningful feedback throughout the review process.  Draft a plan that is easy to read and understand using charts, graphics, and other visual aids as much as possible and that accommodates modern preferences for accessing and viewing the plan. STATE OF THE CITY REPORT Prior to commencing work on the Comprehensive Plan, staff has begun assembling and analyzing the underlying demographic information that will serve as a key element the final document. The review of this information is intended to give the Planning Commission a better understanding of the issues and trends that will affect the various components of the 2040 Plan and to hopefully give the Commission additional insight into the various factors that will impact land use decisions in the future. Staff will present this information to the Commission at the meeting, which will focus on the following areas:  Population and household demographics and projections  Housing characteristics  Employment statistics The bulk of this information will be incorporated in the introductory sections of the plan, while the population and household forecasts will play a key role in the development of the future land use plan. COMP PLAN OUTLINE The City will be required to include specific elements (chapters) in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, and these overall elements will serve as a general outline for the project. Staff has attached a general outline for review by the Planning Commission that includes a brief description of each Chapter (this outline is consistent with the project schedule developed earlier). Most of the drafting work will be organized and brought forward as the specific chapters listed in this document RECOMMENDATION No action is required at this time. Staff will be seeking initial reactions or comments concerning the demographic information presented at the meeting. 2040 City of Rosemount Comprehensive Plan Outline The Rosemount 2040 Comprehensive Plan will contain several individual elements, organized by chapters. Each of these sections will address a specific element as required by the Metropolitan Council, and/or will cover the major functions of municipal government. The proposed Comprehensive Plan elements are as follows: 1) Executive Summary/Introduction The introductory chapter will include a broad overview of the plan as well as the over- arching goals that will help guide the creation of the document. 2) Community Background/Demographics This element will provide the history of Rosemount, how we got to where we are today, and the projections for growth in the City through the year 2040. This section will include a review of the forces that may impact the community now and into the future. 3) Community Facilities This element will discuss the services, institutions, and facilities that the City and other entities provide to Rosemount residents. These services include police, fire, and emergency services; public and private schools; public buildings; and private utilities. 4) Land Use This element will create a Future Land Use Map to implement the goals and objectives as identified within the other elements of the Comprehensive Plan. Specific topics discussed will include appropriate density within the various residential categories, which land uses are compatible or incompatible, how development will be phased, and process for development review and approval. A few sections that were separate chapters in the 2030 plan may be folded into the land use chapter, including natural resources and special resource protection. There subsections will discuss the existing natural resources of Rosemount and the opportunities that the City has to protect or enhance them, based in part on the City’s natural resource inventory. Discussion will include the City’s Stormwater Management Plan, Wetland Management Plan, Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area Plan, Shoreland Ordinance, and Tree Replacement Ordinance, as well as the access to the City’s natural areas, agriculture, and mineral resources. 5) Transportation This element will discuss transportation improvements needed to provide for the projected 2040 growth. This element will include all modes of transportation, including pedestrians; bicyclists; transit options; automobiles; truck, rail, and barge freight. The linkages between transportation and land use issues will also be discussed, such as the opportunities and constraints of transit orientated development and job/housing balance with communities. The City will need to allocate future forecasted growth to various transportation zones within the community in this section. ~ 1 ~ 6) Water Resources This element will discuss the sanitary sewer, water, and stormwater infrastructure needed to provide for the projected 2040 growth. The specific sections of this chapter will include: a) a wastewater and comprehensive sewer plan that specifies areas to be sewered by the public wastewater system, sets standards of operation for private systems, and identifies areas that are not suitable for public or private systems, b) a local water management plan that protects water quality and addresses water quantity issues, and c) a water supply plan that ensures a safe and sufficient water supply now and in the future. 7) Parks and Trails This element will discuss the function of the parks and recreation within the City. The element will primarily detail the parks and open space opportunities that the City will provide and those opportunities that are provided by other entities. The element will include existing and possible future cooperative efforts with school district, County and Regional Park Districts, or private interests. The Plan will highlight a Parks Master Plan section to illustrate where future parks will be necessary for future neighborhoods, based upon City policies. 8) Housing This element will discuss the issues surrounding housing for the current and future residents of Rosemount. Specific topics will include rental and homeownership; opportunities for workforce housing; continued use of existing housing; providing housing for all stages of life; and appropriate densities and locations for single-family homes, townhomes, and apartment/condominiums. 9) Resilience This element will integrate strategies into the plan that will allow Rosemount to be more resilient in the face of a changing climate. As communities adjust to increasingly extreme weather events, stress on public facilities, and higher costs of services, there is growing need to not only plan for these events, but to also reduce the impacts through conscious climate adaptation and resilience planning. 10) Economic Competitiveness This element will discuss the business and employment environment within Rosemount. The element will focus on opportunities for retail, office, and industrial uses. Specific topics will include the downtown, redevelopment, business park, and mixed use opportunities. 11) Implementation This element will discuss how the goals within the Comprehensive Plan will be accomplished. The element will include a summary of the major goals identified in the other elements, the opportunities for cooperative efforts with neighboring communities and other entities, and the cost of implementing the Comprehensive Plan through Capital Improvement Planning (CIP). ~ 2 ~ 1 PLANNING COMMISSIONERS JOURNAL / NUMBER 71 / SUMMER 2008 THE PLANNING COMMISSION AT WORK This Plan’s For You by Jim Segedy, FAICP, and Lisa Hollingsworth-Segedy, AICP Editor’s Note: Who is your comprehen- sive plan designed for? Jim and Lisa exam- ine this critically important question as they continue their series on the role of the local comprehensive plan. L isa was on the city council agenda to present the concept of a new comprehensive plan. The mayor leaned forward after her presentation. “We had a plan written for us ten years ago. It hasn’t done us a darn bit of good.” Lisa had to agree with the mayor. The consulting firm that had written the old plan had included all the relevant data, pages and pages of census data in tables, statistics in bar graphs, and percentages in pie charts. It was a complete inventory, and looked very impressive, but it really didn’t say any- thing. What did all those charts and tables mean? They had overlooked two important things: First, the plan contained no inter- pretation of the data. Second, the public had no meaningful involvement in the plan’s creation. The plan simply did not address the very first question in the list of ingredients of a good comprehensive plan. Because of that, its usefulness as a tool to the community was extremely limited. “Who are we?”It is important to ask and answer that question on several lev- els throughout the planning process. Part of the planning process is to understand the people in your community. This will help you determine how your communi- ty functions and how it should (and shouldn’t) change over the next twenty years. It’s also important to remember that this isn’t just a bunch of background information – it should be an objective look at who you are and what’s going on. It’s about where you live, work, play, and do business – and the forces that affect your city or town. One of the first tools for understand- ing “Who are we?” is demographic data. Census information breaks down your population by age, gender, ethnic back- ground, home ownership, economic sta- tus, and more. You can see how your population has changed over time, but it’s only a snapshot of the community. But “Who are we?” is more than just these statistics and facts compiled into tion you’ll need to answer is, “What is causing, or caused, change in our com- munity?” A look at your city or town’s history, particularly since the end of World War II, will help you understand the demo- graphic changes. Has your community gained or lost employment? Has there been a natural disaster? What about changes in nearby places that could affect your community? How could these things change the population that you’re expecting in the next two decades? As the population changes, the demand for facilities and services shifts, and the dynamics of local retail evolve. A population of aging residents requires a different level of services than does a population with a greater share of fami- lies with school-age children. Employ- ment opportunities will bring new population into your community, and these new employees may require specif- ic housing types. Did these changes hap- pen at once (e.g., when a factory opened or closed), or did they appear over time? If it is apparent that your town will be gaining population, then it is important to ask, “Does our community have the capacity to grow?” Can your infrastruc- ture handle your anticipated growth? Is there available land for the growth that will meet current and future demand? What is happening around you? Will growth in nearby towns or cities drive changes, either positive or negative, in your community? Lisa has worked in many small towns surrounding the Metropolitan Atlanta area, communities that were being impacted by growth from the metro area. It was almost a mantra in these small towns, “We don’t want to be like Atlanta,” yet the plans and local regula- tions in these communities actually set them up to become just more of the same in the sea of urban sprawl. EVEN A QUESTION AS SIMPLE AS “WHY DO YOU LIVE HERE?” CAN OPEN THE DOOR FOR A CLEARER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT’S IMPORTANT ABOUT A COMMUNITY AND HOW TO PRESERVE IT OR EXPAND ON IT. tables and charts. In planning class, Jim tells his students, “You’ve told me the numbers. Now tell me what they mean.” A good comprehensive plan follows the presentation of demographic data with an analysis of who the plan is for. What are the characteristics of your pop- ulation? Your citizens will be the ones living in your community. They may go to school, own property, raise their fami- lies, earn a living, shop, play, retire, and vote there. They are the people who will be benefiting the most from your com- prehensive plan. They are the ones you are planning the community for. What is your community’s story? Each town or city is unique and your plan should reflect that. A wise person once said: “If you’ve seen one small town, you’ve seen one small town.” Comparing the population statistics over time will help you see how your community is changing. The next ques- to accommodate current conditions while positioning itself for future changes, and are willing to be creative in embracing change, your community will be in position to thrive no matter what. In the next issue of PCJ, Lisa and Jim will take on the next question in the list of ingredients for a successful comprehensive plan: “Where are we going?” ◆ Free to Download Go to our PlannersWeb site to download a free copy of Michael Chandler’s 3-part series on develop- ing a capital improvement program – previously published in the Planning Commissioners Journal: www.plannersweb.com/cip.pdf In each upcoming issue of the Journal we’ll also be providing links to free copies of one or more articles from our archives. makers to consider the long-term costs of growth, and educating community lead- ers about the importance of following a comprehensive plan that establishes a template for balanced and appropriate growth. After you’ve reviewed your communi- ty profile and honestly answered, “What does this mean?” you are ready to move to the next level in determining your community’s identity and collective per- sonality. Perhaps the most important tool for answering “Who are we?” is to ask the community itself. This will give you the story behind the numbers and tell you what those numbers really mean. Through a well-run public involve- ment program, residents can define what is important to them personally as well as to the larger community. They can iden- tify what they like and what they don’t. They can capture the essence of their community’s spirit by telling stories of things that have happened there. Even a question as simple as “Why do you live here?” can open the door for a clearer understanding of what’s important about a community and how to preserve it or expand on it. As you, the planning commissioner, assist your town or city in developing its comprehensive plan, be prepared for some honest self-evaluation and soul searching at the community level. Focus not on how you wish things would be, but on what’s real, to help your commu- nity determine “who we are.” Gain the perspective of hard data, understand what’s causing change, and learn how your citizens feel about where they live. For many years, when Jim took his students into communities he always taught them to ask the citizens two ques- tions: First, “When Aunt Harriet comes to visit, where do you take her?” and sec- ond, “When Aunt Harriet comes to visit, where don’t you take her?” Honest answers to these two questions will tell you exactly what you need to work on, and sometimes give the community star- tling insights into what it has overlooked for a long time. If you ask and answer questions can- didly, evaluate your community’s options In preparing their comprehensive plans, these towns had not dug deeply into the question of, “Who are we?” Because they had not defined their com- munity identity, they were unprepared to embrace the spillover that was inevitable because of their location. They accepted developer-driven land use decisions because their plan didn’t provide them with a definable and defensible commu- nity identity on which to base their growth. As your town or city answers the question, “Who are we?” make certain to ask enough follow-up questions to com- pletely understand how the community defines itself so the plan can establish defensible growth priorities. If your city or town expects to lose population in the coming years, ask yourself, “How can we be the best com- munity we can be, even if we have to do it with fewer people and fewer resources?” Even places that have lost jobs and population can thrive and be successful. Youngstown, Ohio is a prime example. Once a steel manufacturing mecca of over 200,000 people, the city lost much of its core manufacturing base in the 1990s. Instead of becoming a ghost town, the city asked itself, “How can we be the best smaller community possi- ble?” and set about the task of reinvent- ing itself. Youngstown is well on its way towards becoming a thriving city of 80,000. As your community develops its com- prehensive plan, you, the planning com- missioner, must realize that: (1) growth is not always possible; (2) growth is not always avoidable; (3) growth is not always good; and (4) balanced growth is often the only way that your community can sustain itself. Residential growth is frequently an elected official’s panacea, boosting the municipal tax base in the short run, but outstripping the community’s ability to provide for the level of public services needed to support it in the long run. As a planning commissioner, you will become the advocate for good planning in your community. You will be asking decision- 2 PLANNING COMMISSIONERS JOURNAL / NUMBER 71 / SUMMER 2008 www.plannersweb.com City&RegionalPlanningResources PLANNING COMMISSIONERS JOURNAL PlannersWeb Jim Segedy is the Director of Community Planning for the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. Lisa Hollingsworth-Segedy is the Managing Partner and Senior Planner for The Community Partner- ship. Send any questions, comments, or “war sto- ries” you’d like to share to Jim and Lisa at the_community_partnership@yahoo.com. Editor’s Note: Sharp-eyed PCJ readers might have noticed that Lisa Hollingsworth is now Lisa Hollingsworth-Segedy. Our congratulations to both Jim and Lisa!