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HomeMy WebLinkAboutcc5 6 081000friendsgrant 1 City Council Date: 5/06/08 REGULAR Item: 8 RESOLUTION ITEM: Consider a resolution authorizing the application for a 1,000 Friends of Minnesota Community Growth Options Planning Grant SUBMITTED BY: Susan Hoyt, City Administrator Kyle Klatt, Planning Director SUMMARY AND ACTION REQUESTED: The city council is being asked to authorize the application to the 1,000 Friends of Minnesota community Growth Options planning grant. The grant provides for matching funds for planning expertise for ten cities and townships under 10,000 people within the twelve county metropolitan area that are anticipating growth between now and 2035. Lake Elmo meets these criteria. The Village area will require substantial planning expertise and communication with property owners and residents to move through the comprehensive plan amendments, zoning code and subdivision requirements to implement the preferred development scenario. These city initiated planning activities are eligible for these grant funds and the city’s commitment to public involvement throughout the Village planning process with all of its related activities will support our application. After a review of the criteria, it appears that the 1,000 Friends may be looking for cities/townships that do not have a planning staff and/or have historically had limited resources available to address complex planning issues. Nevertheless, Lake Elmo clearly fits the criteria and the Village provides a great opportunity for the grant funds to be effectively used to plan and implement thoughtful growth. This grant may provide funds to support this effort in the amount of $40,000 the first year, $24,000 the second year and up to $100,000 over six years. It will also connect the city with additional community resources. The timing of the Village planning work will likely be done in a shorter time frame than six years so this funding detail would need to be worked to maximize investment in the Village planning. However, south of Tenth Street will require planning expertise and communication beginning in year 2010 or 2011 given the comprehensive plan timelines for growth. The deadline for the grant is May 15 and a resolution is required to support the city’s application. The city was contacted by the 1,000 Friends of Minnesota about this opportunity and staff recommends submitting an application. The city’s match could be through planning consulting dollars that are routinely budgeted and through the city’s planning budget. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE 1,000 FRIENDS OF MINNESOTA The 1,000 Friends of Minnesota is an organization that has long been committed to managing growth. In an effort to promote thoughtful, sustainable development the 1000 Friends of Minnesota and their University of Minnesota partners, the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs and the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, are now accepting applications from interested communities for Community Growth Options (CGO). CGO is a multi-year project funded by the McKnight Foundation and designed to deliver to small, fast-growing communities financial and other assistance for community planning, ordinance development, and implementation. 2  The six-year goals of Community Growth Options (CGO)are: _ To assist local elected officials, staff and citizens in guiding the development patterns in their communities. _ To support Minnesota communities in accommodating growth. _ To create models of successful planning and implementation. _ To entice planning firms to provide to growing communities a comprehensive array of services. _ To create and sustain in communities a demand for long-term planning and a balanced- growth approach to community development.  Selected communities will be expected to: -- Contract with a planning firm from our approved pool of consultants. -- Work with that firm to establish a cyclical planning framework for their community that includes the following components: community visioning, comprehensive planning, ordinance development/updating, plan implementation/developing action items, policies and procedures audit, ongoing internal education and training with assistance from the selected planning firm, implement this planning framework. -- Commit to funding ongoing planning as a core function of government (as noted above: CGO will pay up to $40,000 of the community’s planning costs in Year One, up to $24,000 in year two, and decreasing each year until Year Six when the community is expected to pay the full cost of their planning program). -- Commit to seeking diverse and broad citizen representation in the planning process. -- Commit to openness and a high level of information-sharing in the planning process. -- Participate in CGO workshops and trainings as appropriate.  In addition to the basic criteria above, the following will be considered when selecting communities to participate: _ Commitment to public participation _ Commitment to achieving diversity and inclusiveness in public participation _ Degree of community interest in the project _ Degree of community leaders’ commitment to the project _ Proximity to future or existing transit or highway projects _ Proximity to sensitive lands and/or compromised or threatened water resources and natural habitat _ Budget _ Staff capacity (Lake Elmo will likely have more staff capacity than some cities/townships) _ Relationship with neighbors _ References in the community RECOMMENDATION Apply for the 1,000 Friends of Minnesota Community Growth Options Grant as a way to assist the city in financing the comprehensive planning, zoning and subdivision work, including public participation, that will be necessary to take the Village Vision and implement it after the AUAR process is completed, financial information is received and the city council determines a preferred development scenario. MOTION Move to approve Resolution no. 2008-023 authorizing the application for a 1,000 Friends of Minnesota Community Growth Options Grant. 3 ORDER OF BUSINESS  Introduction Susan Hoyt, City Administrator  Report Kyle Klatt, Planning Director  Questions from the council to the presenters Mayor and Council members (3 minute/question)  Questions /comments from the public to the council Mayor facilitates (3 minute max/person)  Call for a motion Mayor and Council members  Discussion Mayor and Council members  Action City Council ATTACHMENTS: 1 Resolution no. 2008-023 2 Announcement 3 Application Requirements 4 Advisory Board for 1,000 Friends