Agenda - Council - 06/28/2016 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Housing ReqU'MeDle0tSfor Local "oDlQMeheDs'"VePlans Cities, townships, and counties in the seven -county area prepare local comprehensive plans as required by the Metropolitan Land Planning Act. These plans must include a housing element and 8 housing implementation program. Local governments will begin this decade's round of local comprehensive plan updates following Council adoption of Thrive MSP 2040 and the system and policy plans (including this Housing Policy Plan) and the September 2015 distribution ofSystems Statements. Comprehensive plan updates must be submitted to the Council in 2018. The Council assists local governments to create consistent, compatible, and coordinated local comprehensive plans that achieve local visions within the regional policy framework. The Council reviews updated local comprehensive plans based on the requirements of the Metropolitan Land Planning Act and the comprehensive development guide M8P 2040 and the system and policy plans). The Council considers each local comprehensive p|8n'ocompatibility with the plans of other communities, consistency with adopted Council policies, and conformance with metropolitan system plans. If the Council finds that a community's local comprehensive plan is more likely than not to have asubstantial impact on or contain a substantial departure from metropolitan system plans, the Council can require the community to modify its local plan toassure conformance with the metropolitan systems plans (Minn. Stat. 473.175). Under the Metropolitan Land Planning Act, local comprehensive plans must include a housing element that: • Contains standards, plans, and programs for providing adequate housing opportunities to meet existing local and regional housing needs; • Contains standards, plans, and programs for providing adequate housing opportunities to meet projected |oca|andregiona|houoingneedo; • Acknowledges the community's share of the region's need for low- and moderate -income housing (the Need); and promotes the availability of land for the development of low- and moderate -income housing; and • Includes an implementation section identifying the public programs, fiscal devices, official controls, and specific actions the community will use to address their existing and projected needs (Minn. Stat. 473.859, subd. 2 and 4). With the development of this Housing Policy Plan, the Council has identified an opportunity to improve the consistency and quality of the housing elements and implementation programs oflocal comprehensive plans. While communities are now guiding enough residential land atdensities tosupport affordable housing development toaddress their Need, the Council did not provide specific guidance to local communities in the last planning round on other housing element requirements in the Metropolitan Land Planning Act. HOUSING POLICY PLAN Three: Council Policies and Roles to Expand Viable Housing Options