Requirements and considerations

Many of the planning policies identified in the Land Use chapter of Imagine 2050 carry forward from previous regional development guides that reflect the Met Council’s responsibilities outlined in the Metropolitan Land Planning Act, albeit with updated metrics or guidelines that reflect shifting regional needs and conditions. Other policies are new to Imagine 2050 and address emerging issues, priorities, or updated statutory requirements. Some policy and action statements apply to all local governments and others relate to specific community designations or unique local features.

Land use policy identifies specific expectations for the comprehensive planning process and outlines statutory requirements as well as the requirements the Met Council has established in order to achieve the regional goals. Language giving direction and indicating that the policy or action is likely to be a requirement includes directive language like must, shall, needs to, guide, plan, provide, prioritize, identify, and other action-based language.

The specific minimum planning requirements for local comprehensive plans will be clearly identified in the updated Local Planning Handbook to be released in Fall 2025, along with an individualized Checklist of Minimum Requirements specific to each local government. As these resources are updated and developed, the Met Council will continue its commitment to work with local governments to ensure that expectations are clear, accessible, and organized to meet both local and regional needs throughout the planning process.

There are many areas of policy where the Met Council is establishing a direction towards a goal that takes many partners to accomplish. In these cases, the Met Council uses permissive language like consider, encourage, partner, promote, pursue, support, and other more passive language. Please note that permissive language may not be outlined as a minimum requirement in a local government’s checklist for comprehensive planning but may be a requirement for participation in Met Council incentives like the Livable Communities Act programs.