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Metropolitan Agencies <br />4-1 Comprehensive Planning Process <br />Metro Cities supports an examination of the comprehensive planning process to <br />make sure that the process is streamlined and efficient, so as to assist in alleviating <br />excessive cost burdens or duplicative or unnecessary planning requirements by <br />municipalities in the comprehensive planning process. Metro Cities supports <br />resources to assist cities in meeting regional goals as part of the comprehensive <br />planning process. <br />4-J Comprehensive Planning Schedule <br />Cities are required to submit comprehensive plan updates to the Metropolitan Council <br />every 10 years, the most recent of which was due in 2008. A city's comprehensive plan <br />represents a community's vision of how the city should grow and develop or redevelop, <br />ensure adequate housing, provide essential public infrastructure and services, protect <br />natural areas and meet other community objectives. <br />Metro Cities recognizes the merit of aligning comprehensive plan timelines with the <br />release of census data. However, the comprehensive plan process is expensive, time <br />consuming and labor intensive for cities, and the timing for the submission of <br />comprehensive plans should not be altered solely to better align with census data. If <br />sufficient valid reasons exist for the schedule for the next round of comprehensive plans <br />to be changed or expedited, cities should be provided with financial resources to assist <br />them in preparing the next round of plans. <br />Metro Cities opposes cities being forced into a state of perpetual planning as a result <br />of regional and legislative actions. Should changes be made to the comprehensive <br />planning schedule, Metro Cities supports financial and other resources to assist <br />cities in preparing and incorporating policy changes in local planning efforts. <br />Metro Cities supports a 10 -year time frame for comprehensive plan submissions. <br />4-K Local Zoning Authority <br />Local governments are responsible for zoning and local officials should have full <br />authority to approve variances to remain flexible in response to the unique land use needs <br />of their own community. Local zoning decisions, and the implementation of cities' <br />comprehensive plans, should not be conditioned upon the approval of the Metropolitan <br />Council or any other governmental agency. <br />Metro Cities supports local authority over land use and zoning decisions, and <br />opposes the creation of non -local appeals boards with the authority to supersede city <br />zoning decisions. <br />42 2016 Legislative Policies <br />