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. -, Y • approve FHA (Federal Housing The council's policies of conserv- cally would be funded through Administration) financing for ing resources and concentrating tax-increment financing—develop- subdivision development that development in already urban- ers are not required to make off- contravened the Met Council's ized areas clearly have promoted site infrastructure improvements. rural-area density limits.This compact growth and more effi- However, the Met Council is in- refusal had effectively promoted cient land patterns. Nonetheless, vestigating various systems of fees the council's rural lands policy. the Twin Cities area is witnessing to fund roads and parks. In 1990, the HUD office sud- the proliferation of hobby farms Traffic congestion has become denly expanded the scope of its on the boundary edge,a common a growth concern in the Twin review to apply to financing for problem with urban growth Cities area only recently. Because mortgages for individual homes boundaries(see "Urban/Rural of overbuilding of state highways as well as subdivisions. However, Boundaries:The Limits of Lim- during the 1960s and 1970s, under mounting political pressure, its," Urban Land, December most roads were not operating the office was instructed in Octo- 1990).These 2.5-acre "farmettes" to capacity until about five years ber 1990 to back off altogether. contravene the council's policy ago.The council has galvanized It no longer denies FHA financ- of limiting rural-use areas to no several public/private transports- ing for failure to comply with the more than four units per 40 tion initiatives, including the for- rural lands policy. acres.This phenomenon is occur- mation of a joint-governmental • ring mostly to the north and group to rebuild a freeway seg- east,where soil conditions make ment.It also is working with local How It's Working large-scale farming a relatively un- governments to explore zoning ,; profitable occupation and the techniques that would address The Urban Service Line.The presence of wetlands and proxim- connections between transporta- first urban service line, drawn up ity to northern Minnesota lake tion and land use densities. in the mid-1970s, included land country create pressure to subdi- predictability. Developers in- to be developed until 1990, with vide the land for urban develop- terviewed for this article like the a five-year overage.The line was ment.With most of the region's high degree of predictability fos- tered by the regional planning concentrated in the south,some sures were less than expected. system. As long as they develop ; So in 1986 the council was able northern communities are pres- within the urban service area, 5.. Suring the council to expand the they are assured that the neces a, 1 extend the ut an additional MUSA line to enhance their de 10years without addingsignifi- sary infrastructure and services or candy more land eligible for velopment potential. will be provided. Approval time Underpressure to fine-tune urban services. for major projects proposed with- Although the current MUSA its policy to reflect the different in the MUSA boundary is remark- line is basically unchanged, many physical characteristics of rural ably speedy in comparison with minor adjustments have been lands, the Met Council now is re- many other parts of the country. made.The line has been extended evaluating density requirements Approvals for one residential , in the agricultural and rural areas, roughly 60 times, many of these developer's plan for a 60-acre and considering establishing min extensions involving parcels parcel took only one month to imum lot sizes and clustering com Tete. The additional layer under 10 acres.The Met Council P is most likely to approve major options. of review undertaken by the Met expansions that involve land trades: The rural lands debate has Council apparently has not stalled f- balancing a parcel moved to in- revealed a need for transitional approval times, as developers ini- side the line with a parcel removed planning.No transitional area tially feared it would. 1 from the urban service area. between urban and rural exists Staunch Supporters and Some under the current program.The Critics. Mostpublic andprivate Developer concerns that the P 1 MUSA boundary would drive up council is considering a proposal sector development practitioners land costs and push development to create future urbanizing areas, staunchly support the Metropoli- outside the region have not been a version of staged development. tan Council. When the regional realized, again mostly because of Development Infrastructure. system first was sketched out, the generous supply of land within Apart from sewer hookup says Minneapolis attorney Robert the line. Land costs have climbed charges, developers in the region Hoffman, at least 90 percent of within the urban service areas, pay no impact fees. Unless a prof the local jurisdictions resisted the • but not,from a developer perspec ect necessitates adding an inter idea—although only two commu- tive, unduly. change, for example—which typi- nities actually went so far as to '. 24 February 91/rfilfkiff L_ 1 J