Agenda - Planning Commission - 03/06/2014

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To supplement its traditional role of reviewing local comprehensive plans, the Council intends to expand this technical assistance and its information resources to support local government in advancing regional outcomes and addressing today's complex adaptive challenges. In addition, the Council will provide expanded technical assistance to local units of government around: • Stronger housing elements and/or implementation plans of local comprehensive plans; • Local government support of housing development projects (e.g., site selection, funding options, or design recommendations); • Identifying risks, best practices and model ordinances for climate change mitigation and adaptation in partnership with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's statewide Minnesota GreenStep Cities program; • Providing enhanced information and analysis on economic competitiveness, helping local jurisdictions better understand their contributions to the regional economy and therefore focus on leveraging their strengths, including through the local comprehensive planning process; • Understanding market forces associated with economic development and leveraging local economic development authority into a broader regional vision for economic competitiveness; • Transit -supportive land use, urban form and zoning; creating a pedestrian -friendly public places; understanding and attracting transit -oriented development (TOD) within the constraints of the market; and cultivating neighborhood support for transit -supportive development; • Surface water planning and management, including assistance in preparing local surface water plans, identifying the appropriate tools to use and ordinances needed to implement those plans with the goal of maintaining and improving the region's valued water resources. In addition to technical assistance, the Council also collects, analyzes and disseminates information, including data and maps, about the region to support local government decision - making. Key highlights of the Council's existing portfolio of information include forecasting of future population, households and employment, tracking of regional trends on affordable housing production, mapping existing land use, and providing water quality data for over 200 lakes and numerous streams and rivers within the region. The Council's regional perspective allows for data collection and analysis at economies of scale across the region. As new priorities have emerged through the Thrive planning process, the Council will expand its information resources in the following areas: • Aggregating local bike plans into a shared format; • Developing, collecting and disseminating information about climate change, including energy and climate data; the next generation of the Regional Indicators data; and a regional greenhouse gas emissions inventory; • Analyzing the land use and infrastructure needs of the region's leading industry clusters; • Aggregating local redevelopment priorities into a shared regional map; • Supporting research and testing related to fair housing, discriminatory lending practices, and real estate steering; • Maintaining an up-to-date regional natural resources inventory and assessment in partnership with the Department of Natural Resources. DRAFT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT Last revised: February 21, 2014 39