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• 5. Comprehensive Plan Update Process <br />In order to gather community input for the comprehensive plan update, the City of Falcon <br />Heights created a 14 member steering committee to lead neighborhood focus groups. <br />Each of the city's five commissions (planning, park and recreation, environment, human <br />rights, and neighborhood) were represented as well as several at-large members. Mayor <br />Sue Gehrz chaired the steering committee and staff members included City Administrator <br />Justin Miller and Plan and Zoning Administrator Deb Jones. <br />During the month of February 2007, nine focus group style meetings were held <br />throughout the community. Letters were sent to all residents inviting them to attend and <br />participate. In total, almost 100 residents attended and provided input in small, roundtable <br />settings. Members of the steering committee led the discussions with a list of standard <br />questions aimed at soliciting answers to questions about the future of Falcon Heights. <br />Meetings were also held with major business and non-profit landowners in the city. The <br />most common themes that arose out of these meetings included: <br />• Residents like living here due to the quality of our neighborhoods and the central <br />location between both downtown areas. <br />• Open spaces, mainly the University of Minnesota research fields, are a key <br />component to our quality of life. <br />• • More pedestrian and non-motorized avenues of transportation are needed. <br />• A mix of housing styles is important so that residents can spend their entire lives <br />in the city. <br />• Any new retail or commercial business should be small in scale and serve the <br />needs of the surrounding neighborhood. <br />From May through September, the plan was extensively reviewed by the following <br />groups: <br />• Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee <br />• Park and Recreation Commission <br />• Neighborhood Commission <br />• Environment Commission <br />• Planning Commission <br />• City Council <br />Copies of the draft plan were sent to the following neighboring jurisdictions in April <br />2008: <br />• City of Lauderdale <br />• City of St. Paul <br />• City of Roseville <br />• University of Minnesota <br />• Minnesota State Fair <br />• <br />Falcon Heights Comprehensive Plan 2008 Draft -January, 2008 Section I: Background, Page I-17 <br />