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<br />C()Q~~lh~taffawait
<br />..I\t~t;~~u~~u. response
<br />.Jin;".f'e~CORlP pl~n
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<br />. . After s ubmittingarevised '
<br />. draft'of . the '~ndover
<br />Cqrpprehensive . Plan to the
<br />Metr()politan Councqforre"iew,
<br />cityofficialsar~,aw~lili~g .w()rd
<br />on whether ornotthe cityc'oun"
<br />cjl' can . take the next step . toward
<br />. adopting this new vision for the
<br />city'sfrtture. .
<br />
<br />. City . officials' ~~re . required to
<br />submitcthe revised <iraJtofthe
<br />cO.IDprepeusive plan,ap})rovedat
<br />the Juue6 City council meeting;
<br />to the Metropolitan 'Council on
<br />Tl1ursday, June 's. .'. The
<br />MettQ})oll !an. Council has 10
<br />4aystoresP9nd to the city in
<br />. regard t() the revised plan. .
<br />
<br />AI1'dov~r's Comprehen~ive
<br />Plan serves. as a guidebook for
<br />the city'and'its tllturegrQwth and
<br />development. Cities are required
<br />.j . '. '. .
<br />to subnut comprehel1S1Ve plans to
<br />the Metropolitan. Council for
<br />approval. .. .
<br />Without comprehensive plan
<br />,apprpval. from the. Metropolitan
<br />Council;!ransportation improve-
<br />ments' and sewer expansion after
<br />2005 in Andover will come toa
<br />halt.
<br />. the AndoverColIlprehensive
<br />Plan addresses .basic land use
<br />'issues,growth,housing and
<br />sewerexpan~ion plans. .
<br />W()rlcon this draft of the com-
<br />prehensive phinbeg!ln. approxi-
<br />mately a year-and-a'::half ago,
<br />dtY"staffbegan meeting with
<br />members of the communityto
<br />form a comprehensive plan task
<br />force appointed by 'the city coun~
<br />cil.' ,
<br />The'task force met. twice a
<br />month with city staff to go over
<br />the comprehensive plan to find
<br />areas in need 9f updating.
<br />,A pllblic hearing took place in
<br />19996n'the proposed draft of the
<br />comprehensive plaIl,~ith mo~e
<br />
<br />After
<br />revised draft 'ofthe,
<br />Andover. Comprehensive
<br />Plan to- theMetropout~n.:
<br />Council for review,. city
<br />OffiCials are awaiting word
<br />9n whether or D9t the City
<br />cOl.lncilcantake the next
<br />stept9ward adopting this
<br />neW vision for the city's
<br />fqture. . ,
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />the most difficult. things is. trying-
<br />t(t figure out'where,if any,ther~
<br />iS1l1iddle ground between the
<br />city council's goals and the Mef
<br />. CQuncil'sgoals.'" / .;"
<br />
<br />The revisions to theh6using':
<br />sectlon within .the compr~hensive'
<br />plan, as well as theihclusion 6ft
<br />omitted information onsuch
<br />things as solar access, wetp'
<br />included in this latest draft sub-
<br />mitted t6 the Metropolita,n.
<br />Coun<;il.
<br />
<br />"Ihaye a strong Jeeli1ig'thal,
<br />this is going to com~backtollS
<br />with changes,:' Councilmember
<br />Don Jacobson said of the revised
<br />draft of the plan at the Jrine6city.
<br />"coundlmeeting.
<br />
<br />WhileCouncilmember Ken
<br />Orttel agrees . that the
<br />Metropolitan Council will want
<br />to see fur~her revisions to the
<br />cQmprehensive plan, he said at
<br />the]une 6 meeting that some of
<br />the' revisions will be . approved,
<br />making the plan one step ~loser
<br />to adoption, . . .
<br />
<br />If the Metropolitan Council
<br />requests additional changes 'to
<br />the submitted comprehensive
<br />plan, the-revision process' will
<br />continue until a co~promise
<br />acceptable to both parties has
<br />been r.eacl1ed. .
<br />
<br />A public ,hearing on tnefinal
<br />draft.. of the' comprehensive plan
<br />. .'" uled&fter the'out-
<br />es with the
<br />uncil have been
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />s'ggestlO/ . .sidents were .
<br />'jmpl~m(;nt~d:and the Andover
<br />Cowpreh~nsivePl~wassubmit-
<br />ted toth~,Metropolitan Council
<br />for review in December 1999.
<br />In it'S review of this compre-
<br />hensive v1aU,tlieMetropolitan
<br />Council folind some areas in
<br />need of revision~' .' ..........,. .,"
<br />,,>,;.:, .: ":" : "<:- " ,,'-'
<br />;,TheMetr~politan Council
<br />,asked.~nl.iover;diy .' staff '. to
<br />includ:;~Qrne:i~ems...omitted from
<br />theOlciginfll;pl,lllrand to.work> on
<br />...... correcttitgspmepplicydiffer", . .'
<br />.)~nces. between Ahdover ,city poli~>
<br />"cy~dMyti:'opoWanCouncil PoI,.,
<br />':icy 'in lh~..ar~a,s6f,;ID.~lti:' family
<br />hous.ing'l1lialhousin,g~cldensi-
<br />
<br />ty. .' ...,..... ,.' ..... . ...... .......... i
<br />:,'I'he..bigg~st~\;lurdle .in receiv-
<br />ipUi_sompr~!l-e1!'$~~'rpl'W.llPproval...
<br />fiom.theM~tti)pol~ta,n Council:
<br />stem~fromdiffeienc'es in P01l7
<br />~ies on mUlti7family housiqg
<br />ISS)les:
<br />"I anticipate that thert~ \vili
<br />'stillbe some differences on these
<br />issues," said Andover City
<br />Planner John Hinzman. "One of
<br />
<br />Following.. this . hearing,
<br />Andovetcity . staff and officials
<br />have nine months to get the nec~ .
<br />essarycontrolsand ordinances in '
<br />place to conform to the compre-
<br />',hensive plan. '.
<br />The ad6ptedcomprehensive
<br />. ......... .... '.~
<br />pHm, although. d~signed to sery'e"
<br />~Ior20 yellrs,.Will likely' be.
<br />changed before that timeis up. ,'~
<br />
<br />Hinzman said he foresees thai'
<br />within the next 10 years., city;;
<br />staff will.beworkingotl major
<br />ch~gestothe plan. .f,
<br />
<br />Tpe heart of thecomprehen7 ...
<br />sive'plal}., ~specially lanqus~,
<br />lOapsand sewer expansioI).,plans.
<br />tend to heed amendments oyer
<br />time.. "d
<br />
<br />>""growth is expected toc.on.".,
<br />tinue," Hinzmahsaid. "Andov.ef
<br />is adqing. .an average of '1,000
<br />p~ople annually to,itspopulation
<br />0(26,000 right now. One of the
<br />'..hardest things. to deal. with is the.
<br />aftermath of the'. growth, il1c1ud~
<br />ing transportation and schools."
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