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8 <br />Introduction <br />The Land Use Plan section of this plan provides the framework for how land will be used to help achieve the <br />City’s vision for future growth.The purpose of the Land Use Plan is to establish desirable land use patterns and <br />to identify places where change or redevelopment is needed. <br />As a part of the comprehensive plan update,the city is required to include a land use plan that examines how land <br />and water is used now and in the future.Land use planning begins with forecasts of growth in population, <br />household number and employment.These figures are shown and discussed in Table 2,later on in this chapter. <br />Based on these demographics,the Land Use Plan must identify where residents will live,work,play and shop in <br />conjunction with plans for development and redevelopment. <br />Existing Land Use <br />The City of Little Canada is designated a “suburban”by the Metropolitan Council’s Community Designation <br />Map.Met Council defines suburban as communities that experienced continued growth and expansion during <br />the 1980s and early 1990s,and typically have automobile-oriented development patterns at significantly lower <br />densities than in previous eras. <br />As stated in Thrive MSP 2040,30 percent of the region’s new households and about 50 percent of the region’s <br />new jobs will be located in these types of communities primarily through infill development and <br />redevelopment opportunities.Projected growth for developed communities is anticipated to occur through <br />reinvestment,with higher development densities (~5 units per acre).The City’s land use policies and strategies <br />reflect this regional strategy. <br />According to the Metropolitan Council’s estimate,Little Canada is approximately 2,869 acres,or just under <br />4.5 square miles in size.As shown on the following map,existing land use in the City is predominately low <br />density residential,encompassing 36%of the city’s total acres.Road right-of-way,lakes and ponds cover <br />another large portion of the City’s area, totaling 973 acres or 34 percent. <br />Table 1: Little Canada’s Existing Land Use <br />Land Use Type Acres % of Total <br />Low Density Residential 1028 36% <br />Medium Density Residential 48 2% <br />High Density Residential 95 3% <br />Residential-Business 13 <1% <br />Commercial 88 3% <br />Industrial 205 7% <br />Planned Unit Development (PUD)209 7% <br />Public/Semi-Public 189 7% <br />ROW/Water 973 34% <br />Total 2869 100% <br />Source: Metropolitan Council, Ramsey County, NAC