Title
Adopting Saint Paul for All: 2040 Comprehensive Plan. (Public hearing held May 15)
Body
WHEREAS, Minnesota Statute Chapter 473.145 requires the Metropolitan Council to: 1) prepare a comprehensive development guide for the metropolitan area; and 2) adopt long-range comprehensive system plans for transportation, wastewater treatment, parks and water resources; and
WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Council adopted Thrive MSP 2040 as the region’s comprehensive development guide in 2014; and
WHEREAS, the policy direction in Thrive MSP 2040, and the regional systems and policy plans that followed, guide local governments to create consistent, compatible and coordinated local comprehensive plans that together strive to achieve local visions within the regional policy framework; and
WHEREAS, Minnesota Statute Chapter 473 also requires all cities, counties and townships within the 7-county region to prepare a comprehensive plan every 10 years; and
WHEREAS, the Comprehensive Plan is required to contain the following plan elements: land use, transportation, water resources, parks and trails, housing and implementation, but may also include other chapters relevant to a particular city; and
WHEREAS, the Comprehensive Plan is required to show how each city will fulfill its role in the regional policy framework, and help ensure efficient and cost-effective regional infrastructure, in addition to guiding local physical development decisions and investments; and
WHEREAS, the Comprehensive Plan is to have a 20-year planning horizon; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul’s current Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 2010, with a planning horizon of 2030; and
WHEREAS, City staff began working on the 2040 Comprehensive Plan in 2015, with significant public engagement in 2016 that reached over 2300 people at nearly 70 events; and
WHEREAS, public engagement, focus groups, Open Houses and even radio call-in shows helped identify priorities, themes, issues and ideas that shaped the Plan’s contents; and
WHEREAS, the Comprehensive and Neighborhood Planning Committee of the Planning Commission oversaw the plan preparation process, guiding staff work, maintaining a city-wide perspective, and ensuring that the plan addresses the key issues and opportunities facing Saint Paul; and
WHEREAS, City staff regularly engaged the Transportation Committee, Parks and Recreation Commission, Heritage Preservation Commission, Mayor and City Council in framing issues and policies, providing feedback on draft policies and implementation strategies, and setting timelines and priorities for implementation; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul requested and was granted an extension by the Metropolitan Council to submit its completed plan by June 30, 2019; and
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul 2040 Comprehensive Plan has seven city-wide chapters: 1) Land Use; 2) Transportation, 3) Parks, Recreation and Open Space; 4) Housing; 5) Water Resources Management; 6) Heritage and Cultural Preservation; and 7) Implementation; and
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul 2040 Comprehensive Plan also has a Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area chapter, which pertains only to the Critical Area within Saint Paul city limits; and
WHEREAS, City staff sent a preliminary draft of the seven city-wide chapters of the 2040 Comprehensive Plan to the Metropolitan Council and adjacent and affected jurisdictions in March 2018, met with all district councils from June-August 2018, and held two public open houses in June 2018 to get additional feedback; and
WHEREAS, City staff incorporated comments from all these parties into an official public hearing draft; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission held a public hearing on the seven city-wide chapters on January 11, 2019, and kept the public record open until January 14, 2019; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission made changes to the seven city-wide chapters in response to public comments; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission approved the amended city-wide chapters of Saint Paul for All: 2040 Comprehensive Plan on March 22, 2019, and forwarded them to the Mayor and City Council for their consideration and approval prior to submittal to the Metropolitan Council; and
WHEREAS, the City Council held a public hearing on the seven city-wide chapters on May 15, 2019, at which interested persons were heard.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Saint Paul City Council, based upon the foregoing, has considered and approved the seven city-wide chapters of Saint Paul for All: 2040 Comprehensive Plan (Land Use; Transportation; Parks, Recreation and Open Space; Housing; Water Resources Management; Heritage and Cultural Preservation; and Implementation) as required by Minnesota Statutes Section 473.864, Subd. 2, and hereby forwards them to the Metropolitan Council for its review.