Laserfiche WebLink
City of Elk River <br /> Comprehensive Plan <br /> • Introduction <br /> This document has been prepared by Hoisington Koegler Group,Inc.to facilitate <br /> continued discussions about the approach to comprehensive planning in Elk <br /> River. The information in this document blends observations about Elk River <br /> with HKGi's extensive community planning experience. Our goal is to help the <br /> Elk River Planning Commission, City Council and Staff design and undertake a <br /> comprehensive planning process that meets the true needs of the community. <br /> Why Plan? <br /> The first issue facing the City of Elk River is the "need" to update the <br /> Comprehensive Plan. The decision to undertake a comprehensive planning <br /> process is motivated by a variety of factors. From our perspective,the following <br /> factors play a role in determining the need for planning in Elk River. <br /> Look to the future <br /> Much of the conversation at the February 4 City Council/Planning Commission <br /> workshop dealt with the merits of the existing plan. The past success of the <br /> existing plan does not guarantee the capacity to deal with the future. The <br /> comprehensive planning process creates the opportunity to answer three <br /> fundamental questions: <br /> 4111/ • Where are we today? <br /> • Where do we want to be tomorrow? <br /> • How can we get there? <br /> Need a new plan? <br /> The choices are not between "tweaking" the current plan and creating a new <br /> plan. The question becomes a matter of focus. A more accurate way of <br /> describing the task is a comprehensive approach to an update of the Plan. <br /> The idea of tweaking suggests that it is possible or desirable to look at only <br /> pieces of the Comprehensive Plan. The Plan reflects the nature of the City-all <br /> of the essential elements are interconnected. The current Plan has seven key <br /> elements: growth management, utilities, residential, commercial, industrial, <br /> parks/open spaces, and transportation. Can you address the issues facing the <br /> City without touching one or more of these elements? <br /> It is a practical impossibility to throw out the existing plan,even if that was the <br /> desired approach. Too many development decisions and policies have been set in <br /> place. For example, current planning leads development to the east. The City <br /> has invested in infrastructure to support these policies. These investments will <br /> • not be abandoned to pursue some new direction identified in a comprehensive <br /> plan. Successful planning retains things that work well, finds ways to make <br /> m Hoisington Koegler Group,Inc .Page <br /> 2 <br />