Land Use plan

The land use objectives, policies, and actions balance both urban and rural characteristics of the region to create the most healthy, sustainable, and welcoming environment for the people in this region. The land use objectives are intended to support the regional vision and achieve the 2050 goals while addressing key land use and regional growth issues. Each objective should achieve more than one regional goal and the land use direction in this chapter sets the stage for development throughout the region. 

To achieve the five cross-cutting regional goals established in Imagine 2050, the Met Council identifies eight land use objectives with accompanying land use policies and actions for both local governments and the Met Council to implement. Each objective has specific policies and actions and while nested under a specific objective, in practice they serve multiple purposes. Land use objectives impact all planning and policy areas and serve to guide how growth and development occur in the region. 

As a policy, land use is interrelated with all aspects of the built form and the people that live and move within the region. Alignment of land use with housing, transportation, parks, natural systems, water, climate mitigation and adaptation, and more is critical to achieving regional goals of Imagine 2050. One objective or policy alone cannot achieve the outcomes the people of this region need from the regional development guide. Instead, a comprehensive approach to address all the objectives will set the stage for people’s individual success. While an objective may appear to directly support some of the regional goals more than others, all the land use objectives, policies, and actions are interrelated.  

Each of the following land use objectives applies to all local governments, albeit application in urban and rural areas will and must look different to be successful.