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Rural Centers: Serving the rural <br />area as small town centers of <br />commerce <br />Rural Centers are local commercial, employment, <br />and residential activity centers serving rural areas <br />in the region. These small towns are surrounded <br />by agricultural lands and serve as centers of <br />commerce to those surrounding farm lands and <br />the accompanying population. Although smaller in <br />scale than urban communities, Rural Centers <br />provide similar development patterns and locally <br />accessible commercial services for the <br />surrounding area. <br />Rural Centers have wastewater treatment <br />services, some municipally -owned and others <br />connected to the regional system provided by the Metropolitan Council. The availability of either <br />local or regional wastewater treatment supports denser land uses and development patterns in <br />these cities and distinguishes them from neighboring rural townships and other small towns. <br />Rural Centers provide a range of services appropriate to serve a limited population within a <br />compact geographical area. Rural Centers generally have a mix of housing densities, strong <br />commercial service districts in a traditional downtown district or along transportation corridors, <br />and residential neighborhoods surrounded by farmland and agri-businesses. Growth in Rural <br />Centers should be orderly and economical so as to best utilize existing infrastructure and <br />investment prior to extension of new services outside of Rural Centers. <br />At times, Rural Centers can connect travelers and residents to other communities in and outside <br />the region , particularly those that are well served by existing transportation infrastructure such <br />as in Scott County along US 169. Largely situated along the edges of the seven -county region, <br />these Rural Centers are often visited by travelers with a destination in another part of the region. <br />This spatial connection to other locations in the region supports the commercial and activity <br />functions of Rural Centers and provides growth opportunities unique to these communities. <br />The Council forecasts that Rural Center communities will add xx,000 residents, xx,000 <br />households and xx,000 jobs between 2010 and 2040. This represents growth of xx percent in <br />population, xx percent in households and xx percent in employment over the three decades. <br />Rural Centers are: [add list here] <br />DRAFT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT <br />Last revised: February 21, 2014 58 <br />