07-12-2018 Planning Commission Packet

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1 INTRODUCTION Comprehensive Plan Overview The City of Little Canada, in response to local needs and Minnesota State Statute requirements, is updating its Comprehensive Plan. The primary purpose of this Comprehensive Plan update is to guide land use planning through the year 2040. Beyond the desires and needs of the local community, as well as adjacent communities and units of local government, the Metropolitan Council’s Thrive 2040 document also establishes a regional context in which the City of Little Canada must define its role and direct its future. The Thrive 2040 plan mandates specific regional criteria that must be addressed in the City’s 2018 Comprehensive Plan Update. The first phase in the comprehensive planning process is the Inventory. The purpose of the Inventory section of this plan is to identify the type, amount, and pattern of development that has taken place in the City. The Inventory encompasses two general areas of information: Social Profile and Physical Profile. The Social Profile provides a description of the demographic composition of the City, including population, household and employment trends. The Physical Inventory provides a description of the natural environment, existing transportation infrastructure and community facilities. The second phase of the plan involves the formulation of the Land Use Plan. Following an intensive inventory collection and issues analysis, desired community planning goals will be defined that the City wishes to accomplish over the next two decades (2018 to 2040). Policies will then be formulated to define actions for accomplishing these desired goals. Specific recommendations for land use, natural environment, infrastructure, transportation and housing will be established to achieve the City’s goals and to meet regional expectations defined by the Metropolitan Council’s Thrive 2040 plan. The final phase of the comprehensive plan update is the Implementation phase. The Minnesota Land Planning Act requires each community’s development plans and regulations to be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. In this regard, the Implementation phase involves an analysis of the City’s implementation tools such as development regulations, capital improvement plans and housing programs to ensure that they will effectively serve to implement the Comprehensive Plan’s goals. The Little Canada Comprehensive Plan consists of the following information: • Introduction: Purpose of the Comprehensive Plan, planning history of the City of Little Canada. • Inventory: Social, economic and physical features of the City that influence the planning process. • Land Use Plan: Goals, policies and plans to guide land use decisions in the City of Little Canada.