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1000 Friends of Minnesota and their University of Minnesota partners, the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs and the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, are now reviewing applications from interested communities for Community Growth Options (CGO). CGO is a multi-year project funded by the McKnight Foundation and designed to deliver to small, fast-growing communities financial and other assistance for community planning, ordinance development, and implementation.
CGO, led by a committed and experienced board of advisors, recognizes that Minnesota is growing rapidly and that many small communities are in the path of development with little or no support to help them prepare for this. Many communities have a vision of maintaining their community character, open spaces, and rural lifestyle, while also enjoying the economic development that growth could bring. Being concerned for the future of these unique places, CGO seeks to build capacity for ongoing planning and implementation in ten growing communities over a six-year period. In the end, the success of this project will be a replicable model of planning that specifically addresses the unique challenges facing small growing communities.
The six-year goals of CGO are:
• To assist local elected officials, staff and citizens in guiding the development patterns in their communities.
• To support Minnesota communities in accommodating growth.
• To create models of successful planning and implementation.
• To incent planning firms to provide to growing communities a comprehensive array of services.
• To create and sustain in communities a demand for long-term planning
and a balanced-growth approach to community development.
In 2008, ten communities will be selected to participate in this six-year project. Each of the ten communities will be awarded a grant in Year One of up to $40,000 and up to $24,000 in Year Two for the purpose of establishing a long-term framework for community planning, zoning and implementation. Communities that are working toward desired project outcomes are eligible for financial support over the six years of the project, totaling up to $100,000. Communities will be expected to contribute a portion of their own planning costs in an amount which will increase incrementally over the six-year period. Financial support from CGO will decrease each year until Year Six when the community is expected to pay the full cost of their planning and implementation.
The ten selected communities will also have access to a comprehensive array of communications, educational, technology and University resources at no additional cost to support and enhance their planning and implementation efforts. These resources include:
• A comprehensive array of communications resources, such as quarterly newsletters produced about each community and distributed to all community citizens, as well as CGO program-wide newsletters that highlight progress in all selected communities. Each community will also have a dedicated website for easy information sharing regarding the project.
• Regular training opportunities, such as workshops for local elected officials, staff and citizens on various planning and natural resource topics relevant to the community.
• University of Minnesota resources such as 10-week graduate student internships and faculty research support, which includes GIS support, market research, community surveys and data-gathering.
• Technical assistance to support, inform the community planning process such as 3D visualization, interactive mapping and GIS analysis.
Selected communities will be expected to:
• Contract with a planning firm from our approved pool of consultants.
• Work with that firm to establish a cyclical planning framework for their community that includes the following components: community visioning, comprehensive planning, ordinance development/updating, plan implementation/developing action items, policies and procedures audit, ongoing internal education and training.
• With assistance from the selected planning firm, implement this planning framework.
• Commit to funding ongoing planning as a core function of government (as noted above: CGO will pay up to $40,000 of the community’s planning costs in Year One, up to $24,000 in year two, and decreasing each year until Year Six when the community is expected to pay the full cost of their planning program).
• Commit to seeking diverse and broad citizen representation in the planning process.
• Commit to openness and a high level of information-sharing in the planning process.
• Participate in CGO workshops and trainings as appropriate.
The timeline for the project is as follows:
• April 22 and May 6 – Information sessions held.
• May 15, 2008 – Review of applications begins
• June - August, 2008 – Community selection process continues
• Selected communities will then choose and contract with participating planning firms and first grant payments will be made.
Basic Eligibility Requirements
To be considered for the project, the community must meet the following basic criteria:
• Geographic location – In this phase of the project we are accepting applications from communities located in the following counties: Hennepin, Ramsey, Washington, Dakota, Anoka, Scott, Carver, Sherburne, Wright, Isanti, Chisago, and Goodhue.
• Community type – Cities and townships are eligible to apply.
• Growth– Communities must be projected to grow between now and 2035.
• Population – Only communities with a 2006 estimated population greater than 600 and less than 12,000 are eligible to apply. Please follow this link if you are not sure if you fit this criteria: http://www.demography.state.mn.us/documents/MCDEST2000_2006.csv
• Board resolution – A resolution of the town board or city council authorizing application submission is required.
Other Selection Criteria
In addition to the basic criteria above, the following will be considered when selecting communities to participate:
• Commitment to public participation
• Commitment to achieving diversity and inclusiveness in public participation
• Degree of community interest in the project
• Degree of community leaders’ commitment to the project
• Proximity to future or existing transit or highway projects
• Proximity to sensitive lands and/or compromised or threatened water resources and natural habitat
• Budget
• Staff capacity
• Relationship with neighbors
• References
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