Department Indexes

General Information

News To Know

Local Planning Resources:

Local Planning & Zoning Resources:

County Planning & Zoning Resources
Cass County ESD
Crow Wing County P&Z
Morrison County P&Z 
Todd County P&Z 
Wadena County P&Z

Municipal Planning & Zoning Resources
City of Baxter
City of Brainerd
City of Little Falls
City of Pequot Lakes
Regional Comprehensive Plans

State Resources
Minnesota Department of Administration
Local Planning Assistance Center
Land Management Information Center
Municipal Boundary Adjustments
State Demographer
Building Codes & Standards
Environmental Quality Board
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Minnesota Department of Agriculture
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
Lake Finder from the Minnesota DNR
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Comprehensive Plan? 
Simply put, a comprehensive planning is an outline of goals and strategies designed to achieve an overall desired effect or vision of an entire community. Often called a community "blueprint" a comprehensive plan is a statement of where a community wants to go and what a community wants to become in the future. A comprehensive plan is known as "comprehensive" because the plan encompasses a wide variety of community topics such as economic development, housing, culture, education, youth, transportation, and other topics in addition to land use.

What is "Joint Planning" & Why Would Joint Planning Benefit Our Community?
Joint planning is the pooling of community financial and human resources to develop and implement local plans sometimes including the creation of a joint planning and zoning administration. Typically, the byproducts of joint planning include the joint adoption of a local comprehensive plan and, in some cases, the establishment of a planning and zoning administration through the use of a joint planning board or commission and sharing of staff. While joint planning administration may be utilized, local township boards or city councils retain autonomy in planning and zoning decision-making, meaning that all final land use decision-making remains with the local board or council.

The benefits of joint planning are great. Below are some reasons for planning jointly rather than individually.
  • By planning jointly communities can foster and promote consistency that transcends imaginary political boundaries.
  • By planning jointly communities may mitigate potential disputes over annexation and future development years before those disputes surface.
  • Typically, jurisdictions preparing joint comprehensive plans and administering joint land use ordinances save thousands of dollars per year in consultant, local official and staff costs by pooling community resources.
Who Prepares or Approves Comprehensive Plans?
Generally, comprehensive plans are approved and implemented by counties, cities and townships or a combination thereof known as "joint planning." In order to reflect a true community vision comprehensive plans are typically prepared by consultation based upon participation by citizens within a single jurisdiction or a group of local jurisdictions usually through citizen participation on committees and task forces and facilitated public discussion.

Why Develop a Comprehensive Plan?
There are many benefits to developing a local comprehensive plan. These benefits include, but are not limited to:
  • Provides legal justification for a community's land use decision-making and local regulation (ordinances).
  • Creates the opportunity for residents to guide a community's future.
  • Helps a community identify issues and stay ahead of trends and accommodating change.
  • Provides a process for joint problem-solving and leveraging scarce resources among neighboring jurisdictions.
  • Protects and makes the most of public investments.
  • Helps ensure that growth makes a community better, not just bigger.
  • Fosters sustainable economic development.
  • Helps a community maintain its resource base and "natural capital."
  • Protects property rights and values.
  • Provides an opportunity to consider future impacts of today's decisions.
When was Comprehensive Planning Established?
The following historical outline of local planning in Minnesota was compiled by the Minnesota Local Planning Assistance Center:
1939 Township Planning & Zoning Established
1959 County Planning Enabling Act (Authorized counties to adopt planning tools and land use controls)
1965 Municipal Planning Enabling Act (Authorized cities to adopt planning tools and land use controls)
1969 Regional Development Act (Authorized the creation of regional development commissions in 12 areas outside of the Twin Cities metropolitan area)
1973 State provides Shoreland and Flood Plain Rules
1981 Mississippi Headwaters Board created
1982 Township Planning Authority Expanded with revisions to the Municipal Planning Act
1996 Sustainable Development for Local Governments (Required the State to develop and periodically update a sustainable development guide and model ordinance)
1997 Community-based Planning (Although repealed effective July 1, 2001 the goals presented in this policy are still found to be useful in future local planning)

How Can I Get More Information on Comprehensive Planning for My Community?
Please contact Chris Etzler at (218) 894-3233 or via email at cetzler@regionfive.org

 

About Us Pages