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Diversified Rural: Protecting <br />land for rural lifestyles and <br />long-term urbanization <br />Diversified Rural communities are home to a <br />variety of farm and non -farm land uses including <br />very large -lot residential, clustered housing, <br />hobby farms and agricultural uses. Located <br />adjacent to the Emerging Suburban Edge of the <br />Urban Service Area, the Diversified Rural Area <br />protects rural land for rural lifestyles today and <br />potential urbanized levels of development <br />sometime after 2040. <br />Large areas of high quality natural resources are <br />located in these communities with some of these <br />natural areas protected in state lands and <br />regional parks, like Carlos Avery Wildlife Management Area in Anoka County and Carver Park <br />Reserve in Carver County. <br />While these communities contain a mix of uses, large portions of communities in the Diversified <br />Rural area also contain prime agricultural soils, located primarily in Scott and Washington <br />counties. Although these communities are not designated Agricultural communities, the Council <br />supports the preservation of agricultural land. Agricultural uses in Diversified Rural communities <br />benefit from their proximity to the Urban Service Area and Rural Centers, but face challenges to <br />their long-term continued use, including incompatible uses developing nearby and increased <br />development pressures. <br />The Council discourages urbanized levels of residential development in Diversified Rural <br />communities to avoid the premature demand for expansion of metropolitan systems and other <br />urban public services. Regional investments in infrastructure, such as roads, focus on rural <br />levels of service, while recognizing the need to include transportation infrastructure consistent <br />with market access and the business needs of the area. Some Diversified Rural communities <br />are also located within the Long -Term Service Area for the regional wastewater system. These <br />areas are designated to ensure land availability to accommodate growth post-2040 at the edge <br />of the urbanizing area. The remaining Diversified Rural communities are considered long-term <br />rural areas. <br />There is a portion of the region's population that is interested in rural and small town living. For <br />communities in the Diversified Rural area, the Council supports the clustering of homes to meet <br />that demand, but done in a manner that protects high quality and locally -prioritized natural areas <br />and open spaces, and also preserves lands for potential post-2040 urban development. <br />The Council forecasts that Diversified Rural 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 />Diversified Rural Area communities are: [add list here] <br />DRAFT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT <br />Last revised: February 21, 2014 59 <br />