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Emerging Suburban Edge: <br />Transitioning from rural to <br />developed <br />The Emerging Suburban Edge includes cities, townships, <br />and portions of both that are in the early stages of <br />transitioning into urbanized levels of development. <br />Strategically located between Suburban Edge and the <br />Rural communities, the Emerging Suburban Edge <br />communities offer both connections to urban amenities <br />and the proximity to open spaces that characterizes a <br />rural lifestyle. Often, the cities and townships in the <br />Emerging Suburban Edge are in more than one <br />community designation. In the majority of Emerging <br />Suburban Edge communities, less than 40% of the land <br />has been developed. <br />Communities in the Emerging Suburban Edge have a mix of residential, rural, and agricultural <br />areas, often including lower -density single-family neighborhoods and small downtown service <br />centers. The growth patterns in these communities demonstrate the challenges of changing <br />from rural to suburban. New developments are typically built in a traditional suburban pattern, <br />characterized by large curving streets, limited through roadways, and auto -oriented street <br />design. Emerging Suburban Edge communities have access to regional wastewater services <br />(either municipally -owned or regional services), access to the Metropolitan Highway System, <br />and include existing or planned regional parks system facilities. <br />The Emerging Suburban Edge communities provide a variety of commercial activities along the <br />main transportation corridors and most encompass historic small downtowns with small town <br />characteristics. Commercial areas in the Emerging Suburban Edge tend to be individual large <br />employers and smaller scale activity centers serving the local population. These communities <br />benefit from the proximity to more developed areas while retaining their local rural character and <br />protecting natural resources. <br />Although these communities have some redevelopment potential in older areas such as historic <br />downtown districts, the focus in the Emerging Suburban Edge is on greenfield development. <br />Greenfields present opportunities to integrate natural resource preservation into site planning <br />prior to development. Some of these communities have land available within their jurisdiction <br />staged for future development, while others are expanding through orderly annexation <br />agreements with neighboring townships. This mix of uses, availability of undeveloped land, and <br />rich access to natural resources is a characteristic unique to Emerging Suburban Edge <br />communities. <br />The Council forecasts that Emerging Suburban Edge communities will add xx,000 residents, <br />xx,000 households and xx,000 jobs between 2010 and 2040. This represents growth of xx <br />percent in population, xx percent in households and xx percent in employment over the three <br />decades. <br />Emerging Suburban Edge communities are: [add list here] <br />DRAFT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT <br />Last revised: February 21, 2014 57 <br />