07/24/2006 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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300 FIRST AVE N SUITE 210 MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55401 -2609 July 19, 2006 TEL: 612- 339 -3300 FAX: 612- 337 -5601 WEB: DSUPLAN,COM Honorable Mayor and City Council C/O Gordon Heitke, City Administrator Lino Lakes City Hall 600 Town Center Parkway City of Lino Lakes, Minnesota 55014 COMMUNITY PLANNING LAND PLANNING URBAN DESIGN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE MARKET RESEARCH RE: Transmittal of a Proposal to Provide Professional Planning Services Honorable Mayor and Council Members: Thank you for the opportunity to assist the City of Lino Lakes in updating your comprehensive plan, in coordination with your Community Visioning process and other important ongoing initiatives. We are proud of the work that we have done together in the past and we are excited to continue to support your community as it sets the standard for conservation development and sustainability throughout the region. Our recent past work together on the I -35E Corridor AUAR has been the focus of planning journal articles, was recently highlighted in the Urban Land Institute and Sensible Land Use Coalition program on conservation development and is being nominated for an award through the Minnesota Planning Association. The steps you have taken in completing the community survey and initiating the community visioning process are exactly the right ones for Lino Lakes. The Comprehensive Plan will provide yet another important opportunity for broad community participation and establish the detailed action plan to effectuate your vision. We are proud to be invited to help you to complete this vitally important set of tasks. The proposal that is attached takes full advantage of all of the good work that is already in place and is designed to coordinate seamlessly with the work being done by Carl Neu and the Visioning Committee. It is also designed to coordinate efficiently with the broad planning work to be completed by the Rice Creek Watershed District. Our recommended approach places the Planning and Zoning Board in a key role, while supporting them and augmenting their capacity through the appointment of representatives of other boards and commissions, interest groups and citizens at large. This Advisory Panel will serve as the primary working group throughout the comprehensive planning process. We also recommend inviting some members of the Visioning Committee to serve on the Advisory Panel to ensure continuity. Another key characteristic of our approach and proposed process is that it is designed to support you as the decision making body. You will be kept informed throughout this process and you and you alone will make the go /no go decisions at the completion of each phase along this iterative process. Before you will be asked to decide, you will have all of the relevant information, the advice and counsel of your staff and the Advisory Panel, as well as the consultant team. You will also be informed about all of the questions that have been asked and answered and be provided with a summary of all of the public input that has been received. In short, you will be in the best position to make informed decisions. Finally, another cornerstone of this process will be communication. Following your decisions at the conclusion of each stage of the process there will be a major communication effort. This will include community newsletters, web page, local newspapers and other media. Every correspondence and announcement will provide the community with information about how to participate and opportunities to provide input. Please note at the end of each phase that the work product and other "deliverables" are identified. We want to make certain that we are providing what you need and want, so give this information careful scrutiny.