3.11 Comprehensive Plan
Request for
City Council Action
DEPARTMENT INFORMATION
ORIGINATING DEPARTMENT REQUESTOR: MEETING DATE:
Planning City Planner Licht 24 January 2022
PRESENTER(s) REVIEWED BY: ITEM #:
Consent City Administrator/Finance Director Flaherty
3.11 – Comprehensive Plan
STRATEGIC VISION
MEETS: THE CITY OF OTSEGO:
X Is a strong organization that is committed to leading the community through innovative
communication.
X Has proactively expanded infrastructure to responsibly provide core services.
X Is committed to delivery of quality emergency service responsive to community needs and
expectations in a cost-effective manner.
X Is a social community with diverse housing, service options, and employment opportunities.
X Is a distinctive, connected community known for its beauty and natural surroundings.
AGENDA ITEM DETAILS
RECOMMENDATION:
City staff recommends approval of the proposed scope of work for an update of the Comprehensive Plan
and authorization for the City Planner to proceed.
ARE YOU SEEKING APPROVAL OF A CONTRACT? IS A PUBLIC HEARING REQUIRED?
No
No
BACKGROUND/JUSTIFICATION:
The City’s current Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 2012 with minor amendments related to specific
issues or development proposals adopted since that date. The City Council, as part of its Strategic Plan,
has determined a need to undertake an update of the Comprehensive Plan.
A comprehensive plan generally establishes a guide for a minimum 20-year timeframe. Changes in
demographics, community character, market preferences, and best practices for development and
infrastructure mean that it is typical for a City to revisit its Comprehensive Plan every 10 years. Otsego has
experienced an increase in the rate of residential, as well as commercial and industrial, development
during the second half of the last decade, which is continuing. There also have been significant
investments made in regional and local infrastructure that will influence continued growth in Otsego. The
timing of an update of the Otsego Comprehensive Plan in 2022 also coincides with completion of a
community survey during 2021 and release of 2020 US Census information providing for the most up-to-
date demographic information that will provide useful baseline information.
Communication. The availability and distribution of information throughout the planning process is critical
to encourage a high level of public participation and input that is to be achieved through the following
strategies:
▪ Create and maintain a page on the City website that will be updated with information regarding
the process, draft text and maps, and meeting/open house schedules.
▪ Utilize the City’s social media accounts to announce the project, important milestones, and
opportunities for community involvement.
▪ Implement an interactive survey tool on the website to show current and proposed land use
designations as a means to solicit public input on opportunities and issues.
▪ Include a project announcement and project updates as part of the Otsego View.
▪ Attend the Otsego Prairie Festival.
▪ Follow requirements for legal postings for official meeting dates for the Planning Commission
and/or City Council.
Work Program. The following is a summary of the proposed work program for the 2022 Otsego
Comprehensive Plan:
▪ Project Start:
− Prepare detailed schedule and identify milestones for the planning process.
− Establish website page and prepare social media announcements.
▪ Community Profile:
− Prepare a demographic profile based on 2020 US Census Data.
− Inventory existing land use and housing characteristics.
− Follow up to identify other relevant plans, studies, or data to be addressed through the
planning process based on the issues identification work.
▪ Opportunities and Issues. Comprehensive plans are most effective when the community sets the
agenda for the project, entitling them to a sense of ownership in the plan and its outcome. Areas
of concentration for the 2022 Otsego Comprehensive Plan will be identified through the following
tasks:
− Interviews with individual City Council members to identify opportunities, issues, and goals.
− Planning Commission work session to identify issues, goals and opportunities.
− Meetings with the Parks and Recreation Commission, Public Safety Commission, and Heritage
Preservation Commission regarding the planning process and opportunity for input on
opportunities, issues, and goals.
− Conduct at least two open house meetings City wide to invite public input.
− Launch interactive website map tool for public input.
− Host an information booth at Otsego Farmers Market.
− Summary presentation of issues at Planning Commission and City Council work sessions.
The summary of information resulting from the Issues Identification phase will lay out a “strategic
plan” for the remainder of the work program, both in content and format.
▪ Policy Planning. The Policy Plan chapter of the Comprehensive Plan describes in written form what
the community desires to accomplish in terms of its physical environment and how these goals are
to be achieved. This chapter of the Comprehensive Plan establishes a decision-making process and
the basis upon which the development framework for the City can be formulated. In addition to
guiding response and action, these goals and policies also serve the more passive function of
establishing evaluation criteria for the change that is to occur. The Policy Plan chapter is not
typically completely revised, but evolves over time. As such, the goals and policies of the City are
not expected to fundamentally change from those established in 1998 when sewer and water
utilities were first constructed and the policy planning phase of the 2022 Comprehensive Plan
update will include the following efforts:
− Review the current policy plan and draft recommended modifications based on the
information gathered during the issues identification process.
− Present the draft Policy Plan to the Planning Commission and City Council in work sessions for
review and direction.
▪ Future Land Use Plan. Based on the foundation established by the Issues Identification and Policy
Planning tasks, the Future Land Use Plan chapter of the 2022 Otsego Comprehensive Plan provides
a guide for future community growth and improvements through 2040. The Land Use Plan is a
narrative and graphic description for future land uses within the City, as well as the background
and rationale for how these designations are established. To this end, the Land Use Plan serves
both an educational and decision-making purpose to establish an understanding of how continued
development in the community is to occur. The Comprehensive Land Use Plan will encompass the
following elements:
− Natural Environment:
o Mississippi River and Crow River.
o Wetland preservation.
o Shoreland areas.
o Greenway corridors.
o Aggregate resources.
o Tree preservation.
− Rural land uses:
o Rural Residential Preserve Area.
o Transitional rural land uses.
o Urban growth staging plan.
− Urban Service Staging Plan:
o Projected population and household growth to 2040.
o Land absorption forecast.
o Sewer District staging.
o Interim Land Use Plan.
− Residential uses:
o Location, quantities, densities, and compatibility.
o Housing diversity and life-cycle housing.
o Housing preservation.
o Incorporate recommendations of Multiple Family Housing Study.
− Commercial uses:
o Review designated commercial locations.
o Evaluate need for subclassifications of commercial uses (neighborhood commercial,
automobile oriented, mixed uses).
o Consider recommendations for architectural standards, style and quality of
development.
− Industrial uses:
o Provide recommendations on new locations, staging, and expansion of existing areas in
proximity to TH 101 and I-94.
o Evaluate guidance for architectural standards, style. and quality of development.
o Outline economic development strategies.
− Public uses:
o Incorporate recommendations of City Hall/Public Works Facility Study.
o Fire Station(s).
o Utility facilities.
The work program anticipates mid-point work sessions with the Planning Commission and City
Council to review a draft of the Future Land Use Plan to confirm that the direction of the plan is
consistent with community objectives. Two house meetings and use of the online interactive
mapping tool is also planned following Planning Commission and City Council endorsement of the
draft plan maps to receive additional public input and consider any adjustments. Once the maps
and text of the Future Land Use Plan have been finalized in draft form, work sessions will be held
first with the Planning Commission and then with the City Council to present the proposed
document and receive direction on the drafting of the final document.
▪ Utility System Plans. The City has completed utility related plans including the Sewer Master Plan,
Water Master Plan, Sewer Collection Master Plan. These plans are to be incorporated as part of
the 2022 Otsego Comprehensive Plan by reference and will be used as a guide in terms of policy
changes, growth staging, and land use designations.
▪ Parks System Master Plan. The City completed a Park System Master Plan as an update of the
parks, trails, and open Space elements of the 2012 Comprehensive Plan. The recommendation of
the Park System Master Plan is to be incorporated into the land use and transportation elements of
the 2022 Otsego Comprehensive Plan, specifically as it pertains to acquisition and development of
parks through the subdivision process.
▪ Wright County Transportation Plan. The 2012 Comprehensive Plan incorporated the Northeast
Wright County Transportation Plan to coordinate planning for transportation infrastructure
between the City and Wright County. Wright County has adopted the Long-Range Transportation
Plan as an update to the NEWC Transportation Plan. The recommendations and guidelines of the
Wright County LRTP for existing and future Wright County roads within Otsego is to be integrated
with the City’s own functional classification system for streets as part of the 2022 Comprehensive
Plan update.
▪ Approval Process. Formal adoption of the 2022 Comprehensive Plan will require the following
process:
− Review final draft document at a Planning Commission meeting and approval by the
City Council to approve a draft 2022 Otsego Comprehensive Plan for public comment.
− Distribution of the 2022 Otsego Comprehensive Plan final draft to surrounding
communities, school districts, and other government jurisdictions for a 30-day review
and comment period.
− Posting of the final draft document on the City website and using the interactive
mapping tool for the Future Land Use Plan to solicit public comments.
− Work sessions with the Planning Commission and City Council to present a summary of
comments from surrounding communities and affected jurisdictions with
recommended plan modifications as applicable.
− A public hearing at the Planning Commission and adoption by the City Council requiring
a 4/5 vote.
Schedule. The 2022 Otsego Comprehensive Plan update is expected to take approximately 11 months to
complete upon authorization by the City Council to proceed. A more detailed schedule of project tasks,
milestones, and meeting dates is attached for reference.
Budget. The proposed budget to undertake the work program on a time and materials basis in accordance
with the professional services contract between the City and TPC for a cost not to exceed $37,950 is as
follows:
▪ Project Start: $ 2,000
▪ Community Profile: $ 5,000
▪ Opportunities and Issues: $ 5,000
▪ Policy Planning: $ 2,500
▪ Future Land Use Plan/System Plans: $20,000
− SUBTOTAL: $34,500
− 10% Contingency $ 3,450
− TOTAL: $37,950
Our office is very much looking forward to working with the Otsego community, City Council, Planning
Commission, and City staff on the 2022 Otsego Comprehensive Plan.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
▪ Project Schedule
POSSIBLE MOTION
PLEASE WORD MOTION AS YOU WOULD LIKE IT TO APPEAR IN THE MINUTES:
Motion to approve the work program to update the Otsego Comprehensive Plan and authorize The
Planning Company LLC to proceed for a cost not to exceed $37,950.
BUDGET INFORMATION
FUNDING: BUDGETED:
General Fund – Planning
101-46570-303
Yes
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE SCHEDULEbTaskCommunicationCity WebsiteOtsego ViewSocial MediaFarmers MarketSocial PinpointCommunity ProfileDemographic summaryExisting land use inventoryPC CCOpportunities and IssuesCity Council interviewsPlanning Commission work sessionAdvisory commission work sessionsCommunity open houses (2)Prepare summary documentPC CCPolicy PlanningUpdate goals and policiesPC CCDevelopment FrameworkNatural EnvironmentLand Use PlanTransportation PlanCommunity Facilities PlanPlanning DistrictsImplementationPC CCCommunity open houses (2)Prairie FestivalPC CCAdoptionDistribute/post draft documentPublic HearingPCCity Council adoptionCCAug Sep Oct Nov DecFeb Mar Apr May Jun Jul