Lino Lakes Ledger
Council Sends Comp Plan To Met Council
By a 4-1 vote, the Lino Lakes City Council gave preliminary approval to the city’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan at its June 8 meeting, sending the plan on its way to the Metropolitan Council for distribution and agency review. Council Member Jeff Reinert voted against.
The plan has been the focus of a number of special city council workshops since it was approved by the Planning & Zoning Board last fall.
Final council approval won’t come until the Met Council has approved the document later this year.
As a result of recent discussions, the city’s Growth Management Policy will now require an “intensive Comp Plan review” every five years in addition to a biannual review. “This will mean a review in the third year, an intense review in year five, then less intense reviews in years seven and nine, followed by the next ten-year major update,” city planner Jeff Smyser told council.
Lino Lakes has 6,000 housing units at this time, planner Ciara Schlichting of Bonestroo told council. An additional 4,600 units would be accommodated by 2030, she said.
Ten-year staging areas are now divided into 5-year phases, as shown on the plan’s utility staging map. Residential land use density changes now result in an overall net density of 3.04 units/acre, “which is consistent with Metropolitan Council policy,” Smyser said.
Every city within the metropolitan area is required by state law to update its plan every ten years to make sure city plans do not conflict with metropolitan system plans.
In other action, the council:
• Approved a Joint Powers Agreement with Anoka County for the extension of the Rice Creek North Regional Trail.
• Approved the city’s 2008 Annual Audit, performed by LarsonAllen, LLP.
• Approved the renewal of liquor, wine, beer and dance licenses, all of which were set to expire on June 30.