Agenda - Planning Commission - 04/07/2011

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t Metropolitan Council What do regional planning area designations represent? Definitions of planning area designations Local Planning Handbook 1 Section 2. Foundation of the Comprehensive Plan The planning area designation and related policies identify the Metropolitan Council's expectations for the amount, location and standards for development. The community's designation therefore guides local plans, policies and forecasts. As part of the background section, the comprehensive plan should identify the community's regional planning area designation and relate its growth expectations to it. A community's planning area designation is based on its geographic location, amount of land available for development, existing development patterns, planned land uses and availability of infrastructure. The 2030 Regional Development Framework places each municipality in one or more of the following designations: • Developed communities are those in which more than 85% of the land within the borders identified in 2000 is developed. • Developing communities are those in which more than 15% of the land within the borders identified in 2000 is vacant or available for development. • Rural centers are small towns located throughout the rural area. • Rural growth centers are those rural centers that are both interested in and showing a potential for growth. • Rural residential areas are areas currently developed at one unit per 2 acres or less. These areas have no plans to provide urban infrastructure such as centralized wastewater treatment. • Diversified rural communities are the sparsely developed parts of the region that host the widest variety of farm and non -farm land uses. They include a mix of clustered and large -lot residential areas in limited amounts. • Agricultural areas are large contiguous land areas planned and zoned to maintain agriculture as the primary land use. http://www.metrocouncil.orq/plan ninq /framework/Framework. pdf# page =20 April 2008 2 -3