07-23-08 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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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 2030. Beyond the desires and needs of the local community, as well as adjacent communities and units of local government, the Metropolitan Council's 2030 Regional Development Framework also establishes a regional context in which the City of Little Canada must define its role and direct its future. This Regional Development Framework mandates specific regional criteria that must be addressed in the City's 2030 Comprehensive Plan. 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 22 years (2008 to 2030). 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 Regional Development Framework. 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 sections: • 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 and meet current and future needs of residents in the City of Little Canada. City of Little Canada — 2030 Comprehensive Plan 1