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Using the Plan • result, an outcome of adopting the Comprehensive Plan will be the review and modification of the zoning ordinance. The land use plan provides the basis for guiding zoning decisions that will be made by the City and private property owners. Minnesota Statutes, Section 462.356 states: "...the planning agency [Planning Commission] shall study and propose to the governing body [City Council] reasonable and practicable means for putting the plan or section of the plan into effect. Subject to the limitations of the following sections, such means include, but are not limited to, zoning regulations, for the subdivision of land, an official map..." This statute anticipates that the zoning regulations will be reviewed and updated to insure implementation of the land use plan. In a broad sense, this review of the zoning ordinance should examine the following items: • The regulations for each zoning district should be reviewed to determine if they fit with the intent of the Comprehensive Plan. • Zoning districts should be examined in relationship to land use designations. Changes in zoning districts will be needed to match zoning with land use. • One of the policy decisions the City will need to make is how to implement the land use plan through the zoning map. Unlike the Metropolitan Land Planning Act (Minnesota Statutes, Section 473), which requires consistency between the land use plan and zoning in cities within the Twin Cities metropolitan area, Elk River may choose to take a number of implementation strategies. (Elk River has typically chosen to have zoning consistent with the Comprehensive Plan.) Each has varying implications for existing property uses and the current zoning. The strategies include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following: • Keep current zoning in place until such time as the use terminates or redevelopment is initiated. • Rezone property to a zoning district compatible with a land use plan category. • Develop an interim strategy to address current use situations as they relate to long term objectives. Nonconforming Uses Changes in zoning districts will create nonconforming uses. Such uses occur when the existing land use is not allowed within the zoning district. In most cases, when these situations arise as the result of a new Comprehensive Plan, the goal is not to influence an immediate change in property use. Instead, the • Building the Future -A Comprehensive Plan for Elk River 3.9 -- River