Chapter 1: Introduction This chapter of the Comprehensive Plan will provide background information on the community and the planning process to better understand the context of this comprehensive plan. This Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan will also summarize the 2006 community survey and the subsequent visioning process in the City of Lino Lakes, and present the vision statement and areas of strategic importance that resulted from this process. The Vision elements and the community survey and background provide a foundation for the Comprehensive Plan by establishing direction for Lino Lakes future. Ultimately, this information served as the framework for the Comprehensive Plan Update by providing guidance and direction for the development of Lino Lakes resource management, land use and infrastructure plans for 2030. A Citizen Comprehensive Plan Advisory Panel assisted in the preparation of this entire plan through an extensive planning process, which is described in this Chapter. In addition to the extensive community survey and citizen visioning process, the Lino Lakes Comprehensive Plan was also unique due to the level of coordination and involvement with the Rice Creek Watershed District throughout the process. The Lino Lakes Comprehensive Plan represents an unprecedented coordinated effort between a watershed district and a municipality, during which the City of Lino Lakes prepared its Comprehensive Plan in concert with the Rice Creek Watershed District s Resource Management Plan to balance growth and natural resource protection objectives. This coordinated effort results in new implementation tools for low impact development, water resource management, growth management, and community design. Background About Lino Lakes The City of Lino Lakes is located in the southeastern corner of Anoka County, the northernmost county in the Twin Cities metropolitan area (Figure 1-1). Lino Lakes is comprised of 33.1 square miles and is approximately 16 miles north of the St. Paul Central Business District (CBD) and 20 miles from the Minneapolis CBD. Lino Lakes is bordered by the City of Columbus to the north and the City of Hugo to the east. The City of Circle Pines and the City of Blaine combine to create the city s western border. To the south, Lino Lakes is bounded by White Bear Township, and the Cities of Shoreview and North Oaks. The City of Centerville, which encompasses 2.5 square miles, is located completely within Lino Lakes. The Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Regional Park Reserve is located within Lino Lakes. This large natural amenity attracts residents and sets the city apart from surrounding municipalities. Lino Lakes is accessible from both downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul, offering connections to both via Interstate 35W and Interstate 35E which run through the city. The population of Lino Lakes has grown from 8,807 in 1990 to 16,791 in 2000, an annual increase of 6.7 percent. The Metropolitan Council estimates that the 2005 population of Lino Lakes was 19,698 while the number of households was 5,729. These figures represent annual increases (since 1990) of 5.5 percent in population and 5.4 percent in the number of households. The population growth in Lino Lakes is a result of regional growth spreading out from the Minneapolis and St. Paul CBDs. As previously stated, much of the land in the city is covered by the Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Regional Park Reserve, which acts as both a development constraint and a community amenity. Besides the park land, the existing land use cover indicates that Lino Lakes is primarily rural and residential (single family) in nature. The majority of the 1-1
business/commercial and industrial land uses are concentrated along Lake Drive and at the Main Street/I-35E intersection. Figure 1-1. Location Sustainability Over the last 30 years, Lino Lakes has seen considerable population growth. Since 2000, additional development has occurred that has put more pressure on the land resources. The city has actively attempted to manage growth through various means with varying levels of success. As land becomes increasingly scarce, the visual and environmental impact of development has become more obvious and of concern to residents. Managing development in a sustainable manner that is consistent with community values is of paramount importance to citizens. Although the concept of sustainability can be traced to the beginning of human societies, the term sustainable development was first coined in the 1980s and efforts to integrate sustainability concepts into state, regional, and local planning began emerging in the late 1990s. 1-2
Sustainability is not a set of concrete ideas; rather it is a decision making process. The goal of this decision making framework is to link ecological integrity, social equity, and economic prosperity. The Lino Lakes Handbook for Environmental Planning and Conservation Development (published in December 1999) included the Ecological and Conservation Development Planning Model (Figure 1-2) that illustrates ecology, culture, and economy are intrinsically linked components of creating a sustainable community. Its premise is that to successfully protect and preserve the local ecology, it must be considered within the context of, and balanced against, the other two components of community development. As defined in the Handbook, this approach to planning is referred to as conservation development and offers the opportunity to perpetuate an interconnected latticework of natural landscapes, parks, trails, and greenways throughout the city. Figure 1-2. Ecological and Conservation Development Planning Model Given the inherent economic pressures for land development in the city, preserving the natural resource and open space qualities of the community requires a development process that makes ecology integral to, rather than separate from, the other two components of community development. However, the three areas or components of sustainability represented in this model s circles were only linked where all three overlapped. A large portion of each component is portrayed as not being interconnected with the other two components. This leads one to believe that only some economic activities affect the environment, others affect society, a few may affect both the environment and society, but most activities have no effect on the other two components. These areas of no overlap are where this model falls short of explaining the true relationship between ecology, culture, and economy. 1-3
A Better Model of Sustainability is offered by Hart. This model of sustainability shows how these components build upon one another the economy exists entirely within society and the economy and society exists entirely within the environment (see Figure 1-3 Sustainability Model for Lino Lakes Comprehensive Plan). The economy cannot function without humans trading goods and services. In turn, the goods and services that humans trade are produced from environmental capital. Accordingly, society functions wholly within the environment. Society cannot survive without the resources the environment provides. Since the economy is embedded in society, sustainable decision making recognizes that society and the economy completely depend upon the environment to function. Figure 1-3. Sustainability Model for Lino Lakes Comprehensive Plan 1 The Lino Lakes Comprehensive Plan embraces this concept of sustainability. Sustainability is not a set of concrete ideas; rather it is a decision making process. The goal of this decision making process is to understand the relationship between ecological integrity, social equity, and economic prosperity. This Comprehensive Plan is built upon the Resource Management System Plan presented in Chapter 2 that provides the city-wide framework for conservation design and sustainable decision making regarding growth and development. The Resource Management System Plan provides a unified system approach to natural resource management and providing natural resource based amenities, which are highly-valued and enjoyed by the community. The components of the Resource Management System Plan influenced the Land Use Plan that is presented in Chapter 3. The Land Use Plan was tested through the RCWD/Lino Lakes Resource Management Plan (RMP) process and the Resource Management System Plan was refined to ensure that this new system plan would afford protection and appropriate access to the high-valued natural resources located throughout the community. This process recognized that the Land Use Plan should respond to and work with the existing natural systems present in Lino Lakes. 1 Hart, M. July 1999. A Better Model of Sustainability 1-4
The Land Use Plan builds on the community vision, goals, and strategies to establish a policy framework in which future development will occur. The Land Use Plan is also used to estimate the community s capacity to accommodate projected population, household and employment growth. The growth forecasts for the year 2030 issued by the Metropolitan Council in 2005 were revised to be consistent with the potential growth that could be accommodated through the Land Use Plan. The household and employment forecasts are used to develop the remaining chapters of the comprehensive plan, as sewer, water and, transportation system infrastructure plans are based on the forecasts and development information presented in the Land Use Plan. In concert with the Land Use Plan, the Housing Plan presented in Chapter 4 and the Economic Development Plan presented in Chapter 5 describe how the city will attract and accommodate the 6,600 new households and 4,080 jobs that are forecasted to locate within Lino Lakes by the year 2030. The cultural system plans Transportation (Chapter 6), Sanitary Sewer (Chapter 7), Water Supply (Chapter 8), and Community Facilities Plan (Chapter 9) provide for the infrastructure and facilities needed to serve the projected growth. The Planning Districts (Chapter 10) provide detailed guidance regarding specific planning objectives for five districts throughout the community. The Implementation Plan (Chapter 11) describes the actions that the City will take to ensure that the plans, programs, and policies set forth in the Comprehensive Plan will be carried out by the decisions the city makes in the future. Together, the elements of the Comprehensive Plan and the manner in which the layers build upon one another recognize the true relationship between ecology, culture, and economy. Regional Context In 1967 the Minnesota Legislature created the Metropolitan Council to plan and coordinate the orderly development of the seven-county metropolitan area. Minnesota law requires every municipality and county within the metropolitan area to prepare and submit a comprehensive plan to the Metropolitan Council that addresses all required components of the 2030 Regional Development Framework. The City s plan must be consistent with the Metropolitan Council s system plans. In preparation for the city s comprehensive plan, in 2004 the Met Council prepared population, employment, and household forecasts for 2010, 2020, and 2030 for Lino Lakes, which were presented in the City s System Statement in 2005. The City accepts the Met Council forecasts from the 2005 System Statement for population and households, which are presented in Tables 1-1 and 1-2. Table 1-1. Met Council 2005 System Statement Forecasts 2000 Estimate 2010 2020 2030 Population 16,791 22,500 26,300 30,700 Households 4,857 7,500 9,100 10,600 Employment 2,444 2,950 3,300 3,550 Based on the Met Council forecasts presented in the System Statement, the number of jobs within Lino Lakes is forecasted to increase from 2,444 jobs in 2000 to 3,550 jobs in 2030, an increase of 1,106 jobs. Since the System Statement was issued in 2005, the Met Council developed 2005 and 2006 employment estimates for the City of Lino Lakes that are significantly 1-5
higher than the Met Council s 2030 employment forecasts for the city. According to the most recent Met Council employment estimates, the City contained 3,750 jobs in 2005 and 3,920 jobs in 2006. In other words, the City has already exceeded the Met Council s original 2030 employment forecast of 3,550 total jobs. As demonstrated above in Table 1-1, the Met Council forecasts do not account for the number of existing jobs within the city. As the city grows, additional opportunities for commercial and industrial employment will be created. A revised employment forecast was discussed with Met Council staff during the preparation of this Comprehensive Plan update and Met Council staff indicated that the revised employment forecast presented in Table 1-2 was reasonable. Therefore this Comprehensive Plan Update is based on accommodating the employment growth forecast presented in Table 1-2 rather than the original System Statement forecast presented in Table 1-1. Table 1-2. 2030 Comprehensive Plan Growth Forecasts 2000 Estimate 2010 2020 2030 Population 16,791 22,500 26,300 30,700 Households 4,857 7,500 9,100 10,600 Employment 2,444 4,100 6,200 8,000 The City s 2030 Comprehensive Plan will focus on conformance with metropolitan plans and consistency with regional policies for transportation, water resources, wastewater services, housing, land use, regional parks and open space. The city s plan was reviewed for compatibility with adjacent and affected government units such as Anoka, Washington, and Ramsey counties, cities of Centerville, Columbus, Forest Lake, Hugo, North Oaks, Shoreview, Circle Pines, Blaine and Ham Lake, White Bear Township, Rice Creek Watershed District, Vadnais Lake Area Watershed Management Organization, Centennial Independent School District No. 12, Forest Lake Independent School District No. 831, and White Bear Lake Independent School District No. 624. The city received comments from several adjacent and affected governmental units and the plan was revised to address many of the comments. The city will also need to coordinate planning efforts with government agencies such as the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, MnDOT and the Pollution Control Agency. Additionally, to ensure that the Comprehensive Plan is consistent with natural resource protection and mitigation measures, the Comprehensive Plan was prepared in concert with the Rice Creek Watershed District s Resource Management Plan, an unprecedented cooperative planning effort between a municipality and a watershed district. The City of Lino Lakes is classified by the Metropolitan Council as a Developing community (Figure 1-4). Developing communities are cities where the most substantial amount of new growth will occur through the year 2030 about 60 percent of new households and 40 percent of new jobs. Developments should be 3 5+ units per acre, with higher densities near transportation corridors. Lino Lakes needs to plan for 20 years of growth and identify post-2030 growth areas. The City of Lino Lakes has prepared a plan that responds to these Metropolitan Council guidelines for developing communities. The City has prepared a Land Use Plan that is consistent with the net density requirements. Higher density residential housing and mixed use nodes that will incorporate high density housing are planned along the City s major transportation corridors. The City has also developed a staging plan that identifies the anticipated timing for growth through 2030 and an Urban Reserve area to accommodate post 2030 growth. 1-6
Also the Metropolitan Council requires that developing communities conserve, protect, and enhance natural resources by doing the following: Conduct natural resource inventories Adopt natural resource conservation techniques Prepare local stormwater management plans Include natural resources in the local park system Implement Best Management Practices To meet the Metropolitan Council objectives for protection, conservation, and enhancing natural resources, the City of Lino Lakes conducted a land suitability analysis using MLCCS data and wetland information from the Rice Creek Watershed District to determine areas of the City most suitable to accommodate future growth and environmentally sensitive areas that may require protection. The City has also prepared a Local Surface Water Management Plan and a Resource Management System Plan to guide development of the City s parks and trails, protect its natural resources, and to identify mitigation measures for development that will affect environmentally sensitive areas. Communities must plan to accommodate lifecycle and affordable housing. Lifecycle housing refers to the mix of housing types that meet the housing demands of individuals and families throughout their lives, such as single family detached, townhomes, condominiums, apartments, and senior housing. Affordable housing refers to housing that a low to moderate income household can afford without spending more than 30% of its household income. The Metropolitan Council s definition of low to moderate income household is a household that makes 80% of the Twin Cities metropolitan area median income for owner occupied housing and 60% of the Twin Cities metropolitan area median income for rental housing. In 2007, the Twin Cities metropolitan area median income was $78,500; therefore, 80% of the median income is $62,800, which translates into a $206,800 owner-occupied home. Currently, the median income in Lino Lakes is $75,708 and only 33% of households in Lino Lakes have incomes less than $60,000. The Metropolitan Council prepared a report in 2006 that determines the affordable housing need in the region between 2011 and 2020 based on household growth potential, ratio of low-wage jobs to low-wage workers, current provision of affordable housing, and transit service. Based on this methodology, the Metropolitan Council s affordable housing goal for Lino Lakes is for the city to accommodate 560 affordable housing units between 2011 and 2020. The City has provided the opportunity to accommodate these units by providing areas for high density housing and adopting a policy to strive to integrate affordable housing in all residential land use districts. Lino Lakes also needs to plan for a community-wide transportation system. Connections need to be made between transportation, transit, pedestrian and bicycle facilities and land uses. The city needs to improve transportation connections and identify transit opportunities. The City has prepared a 2030 Transportation Plan that analyzes the 2030 future land map and densities to determine the impacts to the local and regional roadway system. The plan identifies improvements to mitigate the impacts of new growth, including new roadway connections, increased transit service, and additional trails. 1-7
Figure 1-4. Metropolitan Council 2030 Framework Lino Lakes Developing Community 1-8
History of Lino Lakes In the 1950s neighboring villages started annexing land away from Centerville Township. To protect the boundaries and allow for the financing of public improvements, the residents of the township voted to incorporate into a village. Several names were suggested for the new village, and most contained the word "lakes". Although there is no consensus on the origin of the word "lino", a Lino post office operated for about 10 years in the late 1800s. The town board decided to name the new village "Lino Lakes". On May 11, 1955, the Village of Lino Lakes was incorporated. It covered the original Centerville Township, with the exception of the Village of Centerville, and was comprised of 21,000 acres of land and 1,800 citizens. In 1972, the State Legislature passed a law changing all Minnesota villages to cities, hence Lino Lakes' current status. The evolutionary phases of the community s planning history can be categorized as follows: Start-up Transition from rural village to growing city. Vision-based planned growth Continued vision-based planned growth as a developing community (Metropolitan Council designation) The period from 1857 ending in 1955 when Lino Lakes was incorporated. Between 1955 and 1995, Lino Lakes grew from 1,800 to 13,100 in population. It experienced a steady increase in residential development, but little significant commercial and industrial development. In 1995, the city initiated its first all-community visioning process, called 20/20 Vision, which defined initially citizens views about the future of Lino Lakes. Lino Lakes population increased by 50%, to 19,700 by 2005. In 2006, the city initiated the Spotlight on 2030 visioning process, inclusive of the current citizenry of Lino Lakes, as a component of its comprehensive planning process. 2006 to 2030 will be a period of continued growth in the developing edge of the northern section of the Twin Cities metropolitan region. This growth is projected to progress northward, encompassing Lino Lakes and adjacent communities. The Spotlight on 2030 visioning process discussed in the table above is described in greater detail below. This process set the stage for the 2030 Comprehensive Planning Process. Vision Background Lino Lakes is a recognized metro leader in coordinated planning efforts that balance the need for natural resource protection with the need to accommodate growth. The city recognized that significant changes are likely to occur by the year 2030, and initiated a unique process that projects the community s views and plans forward to the year 2030. This process began with an extensive, scientifically valid public survey in early 2006. The public survey examined citizens views about their quality of life. The survey found that Lino Lakes residents are generally pleased with their community and its future. They see major growthrelated changes occurring, but a 70% majority feels that the City is taking the correct approach. While 30% of the community wants no further development, the remainder support a number of development priorities, especially dining and entertainment establishments, full-time job 1-9
opportunities, and service and retail establishments. Survey respondents felt that development efforts should be focused on housing opportunities for both seniors and young families, and on amenities such as entertainment, dining, service, and retail, present in other suburbs. Many residents also feel that property taxes are too high and do not look kindly on policies which will cost even more money. Even so, there are key issues where residents would be more open to solutions, even if moderate tax increases are required, such as expansion of the trail system and the completion of the neighborhood park system. Although the existing park and recreational facilities were well-regarded, respondents did identify gaps and support further development of the park system. Trails and neighborhood parks were the focus of some discontent among respondents. Residents were very supportive of cooperation with Anoka County in providing additional recreational facilities. Overall, city services were reviewed positively. Lastly, residents felt that the City did an exceptional job in communicating with residents about city government and policies, particularly through the City newsletter, City Council telecasts, and the City website. The public survey was followed by the visioning process, which provided the opportunity for interested residents to look ahead to the future and define the city they desire in 2030. These two elements provide direction for guiding the future of Lino Lakes. Another element of the planning process was the City s Resource Management Plan (RMP), prepared by the Rice Creek Watershed District (the local unit of government authorized to conserve natural resources through comprehensive wetland management and planning, flood control, surface water management, etc.). This RMP has been integrated into the City s Comprehensive Plan to ensure that the city s many valuable natural resources, an important community asset identified during the public survey and visioning process, are preserved. Ultimately, these three elements-the public survey, the Vision document, and the Resource Management System Plan provide a foundation for the Comprehensive Plan, which will implement the city s long-range vision and provide a guide for city officials to make those decisions necessary for achieving the vision and preserving valuable natural resource areas. What is a Vision Plan? Communities are future seeking. But first, they must be able to imagine and decide what they want the future to be. Secondly, they must decide how they are going to make this desired future become a reality. Strategic thinking is a process that brings people from all walks of life together to think about the future, create a vision, and invent ways to make this future happen through community teamwork and disciplined actions. It is an act of leadership getting people to work together to achieve common goals and aspirations, and to develop strategies that transform visions into reality. A Vision Plan is a document recording what people think a broad blueprint for positive change that defines a vision and key outcomes that must occur to attain this vision. Other implementation efforts and plans such as comprehensive resource management, financial, and development and redevelopment plans will assist the community, the city council, and city administration in achieving the vision. The Vision will challenge and stretch the community s imagination in defining what is possible and test its will to commit to a great and exciting, rather than good enough, future. It also will help forge and sustain the critical partnerships and relationships that will make the Vision a reality. 1-10
Development of the Lino Lakes Vision Plan Traditionally, community visioning efforts occur as distinct undertakings, separate from comprehensive planning, that result in a citizen-created document (vision plan) presented to the city council for its consideration. The vision plan can be used to set direction and create appropriate plans and policies affecting the community s future. The four-part planning continuum initiated by the Lino Lakes City Council actively engaged citizens and integrated their participation from the beginning of the process up to the completion of the Comprehensive Plan. Each phase of the planning process allowed for the imagination of the people and content of the work product they provided to be enriched and refined, resulting in the unprecedented fully-integrated Comprehensive and Resource Management Plans. These final plans, and their associated official policy tools, will bring about in a disciplined manner the future that is consistent with the vision the community desires. The plans, once approved, must be accompanied by official controls such as zoning and subdivision ordinances and natural resource preservation rules and regulations needed to implement the citizens vision. The visioning portion of this integrated effort began in September 2006 with the selection of a Citizen Visioning Committee. Members of this committee were selected at random from the entire Lino Lakes community. These volunteers both guided and participated in the citizen-driven process. Community Forums were held in October to generate public input, in addition to that derived from the Quality of Life Survey. At these forums, citizens selected the issues of primary importance to them and contributed to identifying the core elements that needed to be addressed in the SPOTLIGHT on 2030 Vision Plan. Issue Project Teams, comprised of members of the Citizen Visioning Committee and additional volunteers from the community, addressed each core vision element and prepared a vision statement, goals, rationale and proposed strategies for inclusion in the SPOTLIGHT on 2030 Vision Plan. These Issue Project Teams utilized city staff liaisons and other resource persons to gain insight into various issues. This insight helped shape strategic approaches to the future based upon a carefully studied and realistic assessment of factual data, factors, trends, events, and options likely to influence and shape the city s progression to 2030. On February 12, 2007, the SPOTLIGHT on 2030 Vision Plan was presented by the Citizen Visioning Committee and Issue Project Teams to the city council for acceptance both as a guide to Lino Lakes journey to the year 2030 and as citizen input to those involved in the successive effort to create the Comprehensive and Resource Management Plans. The Vision Plan was forwarded to those responsible for the creation and adoption of the Comprehensive and Resource Management Plans and accompanying official policy documents. Use of the Vision Plan The SPOTLIGHT on 2030 Vision Plan is designed specifically to provide input and guidance into the Comprehensive Planning part of the entire effort and, as such, is not a stand-alone undertaking. The approval of this entire four-part effort occurs when the resultant Comprehensive Plan with its Resource Management component is adopted by the Lino Lakes City Council and approved by the Metropolitan Council. For this reason, it is important that the people instrumental in creating the SPOTLIGHT on 2030 Vision Plan and the Comprehensive Plan be encouraged to continue their involvement and participation in the subsequent proceedings to implement the Comprehensive Plan through official controls and other planning efforts. The residents of Lino Lakes have great hopes for the future. This Comprehensive Plan document encompasses their vision and provides pathways to that future. 1-11
SPOTLIGHT ON 2030: THE LINO LAKES VISION In the year 2030, Lino Lakes is a city of approximately 30,000 residents. It is a friendly, aesthetically pleasing, and well-planned community that enjoys a rural ambience, carefully preserved and accessible natural resources and environmental amenities, quality park and recreational facilities, good schools, well maintained roads and infrastructure, and safe neighborhoods that offer a variety of housing to meet the needs of all ages and lifestyles. The predominantly residential city has provided for a well-planned mix of retail, dining and entertainment activities that integrate into and serve the commercial needs of neighborhoods. The city also enjoys a strong and diversified tax base achieved through a balance of economic and commercial activities which are located in designated areas of the city. These activities provide a mix of office, light industrial, high tech, professional and financial businesses, employment and service opportunities. Lino Lakes city government is fiscally responsible and a good steward of the community s many municipal assets. It provides efficient and cost-effective services from its highlyprofessional and service-oriented employees. Citizen participation and input are sought to identify and address problems and challenges through well-reasoned solutions. The city has a reputation for innovation and for sustaining positive working relationships among all elements of the community. Volunteerism and a strong sense of community and civic responsibility enrich the city and the quality of life enjoyed by its residents. Vision Elements: Areas of Strategic Importance As Lino Lakes progresses to 2030, the two issues of predominant importance expressed by citizens who participated in the Quality of Life Survey and Community Visioning Forums can be summarized as: Ensure quality land use, growth management, and preservation of the community s unique natural resources and amenities. Sustain and increase the overall quality of both the community and the lives of its residents. Four vision elements emerged as the priority areas of emphasis that must be addressed in order for citizens desires for the future to become reality. The order of the Vision Elements does not imply priority; all are of equal importance and must be dealt with competently in the Comprehensive and Resource Management Plans and pursued through resolute community support and city leadership. The four vision elements are: Community, Residential and Neighborhood Development Economic and Commercial Development Roads and Transportation Community Amenities and Natural Resources 1-12
For each Vision Element, the primary outcome desired is stated as a 2030 vision statement followed by proposed long-range goals, the rationale supporting each goal, and suggested strategies to be pursued. Goals reflect outcomes desired (community priorities); strategies define specific means that can be taken (action steps) toward attaining the goal. Once the visioning process was complete, members of the Citizen Comprehensive Plan Advisory Panel further refined the goals and strategies developed as part of the visioning process for clarification purposes. The Citizen Advisory Panel was the main working group that worked with city staff and the consultant team to prepare the comprehensive plan. The composition of the group is displayed in Figure 1-5. Additional goals were developed to further expand upon and support the vision statements, and several additional strategies were identified to support the goal statements. The goals and strategies were also revised to address growth management, a key component of the comprehensive plan process. The Citizen Advisory Panel refined the goals and strategies over the course of several meetings (see Table 1-3). The Park Board, Environmental Board, and Economic Development Advisory Committee also reviewed and refined the goals and strategies. However, the rationale behind the refined goals, their relationship to the vision statements, and their overall intent and meaning is consistent with the original goals and strategies developed by the visioning committee. Figure 1-5. Composition of the Citizen Comprehensive Plan Advisory Panel 1-13
Table 1.3. Citizen Comprehensive Plan Advisory Panel Involvement Meeting Topic(s) Meeting Date 1. Project Kick off, Resource Management Plan (RMP) March 7, 2007 2. SWOT Analysis March 21, 2007 3. Goals and Strategies April 4, 2007 4. Goals and Strategies April 18, 2007 5. Goals and Strategies May 16, 2007 6. Alternatives, RMP June 20, 2007 7. Bus Tour July 18, 2007 8. Development Suitability Analysis, Full Build Land Use Alternatives August 22, 2007 9. Full Build Land Use Alternatives, 2030 Staging Plan Alternatives September 19, 2007 10. Growth Management November 7, 2007 11. Growth Management January 30, 2008 12. Growth Management February 6, 2008 13. Goals, Land Use, Growth Management February 20, 2008 14. RMP, 2030 Forecasts, Land Use & Staging April 16, 2008 15. 2030 Forecasts, Land Use & Staging May 21, 2008 16. 18. Draft Comprehensive Plan Review August 2008 19. Growth Management, Land Use & Staging, Affordable Housing January 21, 2009 Each Element vision statement, goals, and strategies are presented in the appropriate Comprehensive Plan chapter to provide for a more logical discussion of these topics. Therefore, the Roads and Transportation element is presented in the beginning of the transportation chapter, and is followed by the transportation plan itself. The Community, Residential, and Neighborhood Development Element is presented within the Land Use and Housing Plans. Similarly, the Economic and Commercial Development vision element is presented in the Economic Development Chapter of the Plan. Finally, the Community Amenities and Natural Resource Element is presented in the Resource Management System Plan. Implementation of the Vision Given the unique process initiated by the city council, the SPOTLIGHT on 2030 Vision Plan segued into the Comprehensive and Resource Management planning efforts in 2007. Community and citizen involvement continued throughout each step of the entire effort to create and adopt these plans. The Vision will be implemented through the adoption of the Comprehensive and Resource Management Plans and official controls that result from these plans. The city will have many partners regionally and locally especially Lino Lakes citizens who will be major contributors to the successful implementation of these plans. A major responsibility for their successful implementation will rest with the city council and the leadership and stewardship it provides in guiding Lino Lakes to 2030. Good zoning and subdivision ordinances, official controls and practices, sound fiscal policies (operating and capital budgets), and constant 1-14
vigilance will be required to ensure each decision and official action taken by the city moves the vision and plans forward to fruition. Secondly, the vision and plans must be kept current through periodic reviews and updates (probably on a biannual basis) to ensure the vision, goals and plans reflect community desires. An objective assessment of emerging trends and realities affecting the community s progress to 2030 will be a part of this review. The future of Lino Lakes is filled with hopes and potential. Vibrant community dialogues should continue. The city council will need to make reasoned and responsible choices, and create realistic and attainable options to ensure the best and highest quality future for Lino Lakes. 1-15