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Overview
At more than 200 square miles, the Partner region is large and includes a diverse range of places. Each of the communities has strong history of planning and consideration when it comes to managing their land assets and resources.
The analysis highlighted several key areas of interest within the topic that were reinforced through the community’s comments. Housing, placemaking, parks and natural areas, and land management are several of priorities reflected the strategies and actions.
Land Use Strategy L1. Leverage the region’s unique parks and natural resources
In addition to serving as a major gateway to recreation opportunities “Up North,” the region and Partner communities enjoy a wealth of their own natural assets. These include the Mississippi River, multiple lakes, the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, and numerous community parks and trails.
L1 Actions
Action L1-A: Promote the expansion of bicycling and walking infrastructure throughout the region
Expanded outdoor recreational facilities and infrastructure and creating connections across the region would improve mobility, increase recreation options, enhance regional identity, attract visitors, encourage small business, and help attract talent across the region. The region is rich in natural beauty and outdoor amenities, with 50+ miles of biking and walking trails and 60 miles of the 4,600-mile North Country Scenic Hiking Trail in the region; improvements and connections benefit the entire region.
Progress update:
Action L1-B: Develop a regional parks website
Sharing information about natural amenities would create a greater sense of collaboration and identity. Residents and visitors often benefit from assets outside their own communities. There are currently 61 parks in the three cities, plus the Mississippi and Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge. By hosting a website with information about programming, places, events, and the natural environment, the Partnership could highlight regional outdoor recreation opportunities and support future investments.
Progress update:
Action L1-C: Commission a regional trails and greenways map and plan
A digital map of city, county, regional, and state parks, trails, and greenways would help residents and visitors, and inform future planning. Consolidating existing local maps into a comprehensive and dynamic regional greenways map on the CMRP and Partner websites could also support Partnership-hosted discussions about future trail connections and developments of particular importance to the Partners.
Progress update, June 2022: This is being reviewed by the Transportation Task Force staff team and will likely be part of the base map that is being developed
Land Use Strategy L2. Promote life-cycle housing
A majority of regional employees commute into the region from outside the region and the majority of residents in the regions commute outside of the Partnership communities for work. This suggests opportunities to expand housing options and availability for incoming commuters. Unaddressed, this trend could limit the region’s competitiveness related to the workforce and increase residential tax burdens.
L2 Actions
Action L2-A: Present an annual dashboard and report on regional housing trends and development
Communities benefit from sharing information about the regional housing market, conditions, and trends. Employment, education, land use, transportation, infrastructure, and others are all influenced and affected by housing, and communities in the region are seeing higher housing costs and average sales prices. In this dynamic market, the Partnership can collect important data, share with communities to inform policies and decisions, and convene regional discussions about regional housing issues and options.
Progress update: Feb 2022 update — This will be included in the overall CMRP dashboard
Action L2-B: Facilitate community conversations around strategic growth areas
Involve the community and leadership in identifying and influencing key growth corridors or nodes, with a focus on areas of particular opportunity. Development has already transformed communities to the south of the region, with housing development, commercial growth, and major investments in transportation infrastructure significantly changing the character and scale of these places. With increased work-from-home options and fewer large-tract development opportunities along I-94, development pressure in this region will intensify. Proactively engaging communities in an ongoing discussion around key development corridors and nodes will deepen understanding of development opportunities or threats, lead to a more coordinated approach to land management (especially along corridors), and help ensure growth enhances the quality of place, life, and opportunity.
Progress updates, June 2022: Transportation Task Force identifying and analyzing critical transportation issues that have emerged from past plans and studies. Staff analyzing land use and planning conflicts and points of alignment that advance or hinder transportation needs and priorities.
Action L2-C: Develop a regional housing strategy
Based on data, trends, and input from local partners, a regional strategy provides high-level guidance for accommodating housing growth while respecting the character and priorities of the region. This is a logical outgrowth of the meetings, collaboration, and data collection facilitated by the Partnership. The strategy could reflect on changing demand, share ideas about how to respond to growth, define the market area and various housing products, address topics such as workforce housing, post-pandemic housing needs and opportunities, and housing incentive tools. Communities would share regionally and manage detailed information and decisions locally.
Progress updates:
Land Use Strategy L3. Invest in placemaking
Residents of the region love their communities and see even greater potential for the future. Investments in downtowns, neighborhoods, parks and trails, and elsewhere should focus on authentic expressions of the community and cultivate a better sense of place and strong connections across the region.
L3 Actions
Action L3-A: Host a regional placemaking committee and placemaking microgrant program
Placemaking is a creative and proactive approach to connecting people with the public places they share. This was a major priority for respondents to the Framework 2030 community survey. This committee guides regional placemaking, manages the microgrant program, and over time may provide leadership to inventory and seek funding for placemaking projects; support or sponsor community events; create a regional placemaking map, etc.
Progress updates, March 2022: Information and application are live and being actively promoted. Continuing to promote, including through Initiative Foundation and local chambers of commerce
Action L3-B: Commission local public art in regional gateway and wayfinding signage
Local art in regional gateways can beautify, unify, and connect communities through a common aesthetic. Arts-based placemaking is an effective way to promote a sense of place as well as increase cultural diversity and civic engagement. Physical art projects have a tangible impact on communities and signal to residents and visitors that they are in a place with a unique identity. Funded projects should maintain a consistent visual relationship and display the regional brand. The works and the artists should be local, and decisions around placement and content left up to the individual communities.
Progress updates:
Land Use Strategy L4. Improve regional communication to support local land planning and management
The “small town feel” is a shared and treasured value across the region’s diverse communities, and can be attributed to the scale and character of development (or the lack of it) in each place. The multi-year trend The “small town feel” is a shared and treasured value across the region’s diverse communities, and can be attributed to the scale and character of development (or the lack of it) in each place. The multi-year trend of strong growth in jobs and people will continue over the coming decades. To maintain the region’s character while enabling the benefits of good growth, communities in the region will need to fashion plans and policies that work in concert.
L4 Actions
Action L4-A: Identify key regional corridors for coordinated planning
As a network of connected places, partner communities would benefit from coordinated planning of the regional corridors. Regional corridors present an opportunity for jurisdictions to collaborate on land use decisions, transportation considerations, and placemaking strategies. Although such planning is complex, it is also an effective way to build a collaborative spirit, facilitate smart growth, and promote positive economic outcomes, and lay the groundwork for significant future infrastructure and economic investments.
Progress update, June 2022: Discussions have begun within Transportation Task Force staff team
Action L4-B: Develop a regional conceptual development strategy
Integrating the comprehensive plans and land use policies of the individual communities into a cohesive regional strategy and map would provide significant insights for future development. Aggregating relevant existing plans would help identify points of friction and areas of redundancy, unnecessary competition, or gaps in planning. The Partnership communities could then discuss how to address some of these findings in a regional strategy and routinely update the composite map.
Progress updates. June 2022: Discussions have begun within Transportation Task Force staff team