Laserfiche WebLink
Comprehensive Planning and allow further discussions with the Met Council in 2027 or beyond following <br />conclusion of the WBL Area Work Group study. <br />The Process to amend the City’s 2040 plan would include the following general steps and timeline. <br />1.(~1-2 weeks) City Notices a self-initiated comprehensive plan amendment (this includes <br />adjacent and affected jurisdiction notices to surrounding communities and other levels of <br />government) <br />2.(~30 days) Planning Commission review and Public Hearing <br />3.(~60 days) City Council Review and Determination <br />4.(~70 days) Approved Amendment Submitted to Met Council for Review and Approval <br />5.(~70-180 days) Met Council review and approval memo received by City. <br />FISCAL IMPACT: <br />This issue has primarily been managed by City Staff but has required ongoing coordination between the <br />Administration, Planning, and Engineering teams to identify how the City should move forward. It is anticipated <br />that legal resources would have been required if the City appealed its system statement, as the legal process <br />would have necessitated added coordination with the City Attorney. <br />OPTIONS: <br />The City can work through the 2050 Comprehensive Planning Process using the higher forecast for 2030 and <br />2040 provided by the Met Council staff in March. This will require a text amendment to the 2040 <br />Comprehensive Plan to increase the Community’s forecasts accordingly. <br />At the conclusion of the White Bear Lake working group comprehensive plan study in June 2027, The City can <br />revisit the population forecasts through 2050. It is unclear what the group’s conclusions will look like, and which <br />direction the Met Council will seek to go regarding increases to community forecast at that time. <br />Presently, staff recommend pushing as hard as possible for the highest numbers possible in the community’s <br />forecasts to the extent that the Met Council will allow it. Staff also recommend creating an alternate growth <br />scenario in the 2050 Plan that accurately depicts the reality of population growth in the community. The <br />Alternative Growth scenario would be used to plan for necessary transportation, water, and sewer utility <br />infrastructure regardless of the Met Council’s prevailing limit on growth. A realistic alternative growth scenario <br />may be found acceptable by the Met Council once it discontinues limiting growth based on water supply. <br />RECOMMENDATION: <br />Staff Recommend discussion on this topic and are seeking guidance from the City Council on the following: <br />Should staff push for the higher forecast numbers that the Met Council has provided by 2040? <br />Should staff plan to create an alternative growth scenario in the 2050 Comprehensive Plan Update that <br />is based on a realistic expectation of growth in the planning period?