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COMM PERSPECTIVESCOMMUNITY PERSPECTIVES A comprehensive plan is most effective as a tool to guide future growth and development when the community defines the opportunities and issues that will influence the growth that will occur. The process of identifying topics to be addressed as part of the 2012 Otsego Comprehensive Plan involve reviewing the issues identified by prior comprehensive planning efforts to determine their current status and relevancy in the present environment., Input from the public, City advisory commissions and the City Council will also guide the content and format of the final Comprehensive Plan document. Otsego is seen to have great opportunity for future growth and development. The City is positioned at the Northwestern edge of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area with excellent access via 1-94, TH 101 rid US Highway 10. These regional transportation roadways provide access to a young community in terms of its development profile and social demographics with expanding government service capacity to provide needed facilities and services concurrent with growth. Otsego has an abundant land supply that is a clean slate to accommodate a full range of urban residential, commercial, industrial and institutional land uses. Moreover, the City has been proactive In planning a long- term vision for the type of community Otsego is to become and, perhaps more importantly, patient In implementation of these pians to ensure that defined goals are realized. An important element In the City being proactive In planning for growth is the perspective that development is a positive benefit for the community bringing new families, new retail and service businesses and employment opportunities along with amenities and expanded City services. An overriding issue for the City in terms of its development policy and goal to strengthen a sense of community for residents and businesses is promoting identity. Community identity is about a sense of place and also reputation. The City can act to strengthen community identity by promoting its strengths and opportunities, identifying itself in ways in which the City makes contact with constituents and providing services that are both needed and those that are an amenity to the community. The City can further promote its identify by defining goals for anticipated development then implementing policies, ordinances and practices to reflect the desired character and image of Otsego. Enhancing community identity in this way further reinforces that continued growth and development is positive change for Otsego. The growth and development that is to occur in Otsego will be influenced by both regional and local issues. Regional issues are largely factors beyond the control of the City but which will have a significant effect on the type, rate and location of continued growth. Conversely, local issues regarding development need to be identified and addressed as part of the comprehensive planning process as the City does have a great ability to anticipate and respond to these items whether they be opportunities or threats. 1 REGIONAL ISSUES Economy Otsego is witness to the potential effects that changes In economic conditions can have to a community. Otsego experienced increasing growth beginning In the late 1990s and continuing into the mid 2000s. At that point, regional, national and even global economic conditions changed drastically and development activity virtually ceased for a period of years. Recent increases in building permit activity and inquiries from potential developers are evidence of improving economic conditions. The changes in economic conditions that occurred over the last 10 to 15 years gives cause to maintain a long- term perspective of growth In Otsego to ensure that the development that occurs is consistent with community priorities recognizing that there will be (potentially significant) pressure from peaks and valleys over time, Growth must also continue to he proactively managed so that services and infrastructure can be added without overburdening the City's capacity and finances. Transportation There have been several major improvements to regional transportation since the Comprehensive Flan was last updated in 200 4. Most significant of these has been the upgrade to TH 101 to freeway status with four interchanges maintained for access to Otsego. Other significant transportation improvements include construction of a flyover access from westbound 1-94 to northbound TH 101 t Rogers to bypass local congestion, initiation of the C orthstar Line commuter rail service between Elly liver and Minneapolis and construction of an exit from westbound 1-94 to CSAH 19 at Albertville. Each of these projects improve access to and from Otsego for residents, employment and for transient consumer traffic. Additional transportation investments are needed to continue to make improvements to regional transportation corridors including specifically the addition of vehicle lanes and planned interchanges to 1-9 4. f=urthermore, Otsego must worts with Wright County and other adjacent cities to improve arterial access within and between communities in the area, which must include greater financial participation by Wright County in these projects given the population and property market value it derives from development of the cities within its jurisdiction. Regional G roverth Otsego is not isolated from the growth that is occurring in adjacent communities and the overall region. The development in Otsego is but a part of the regional growth that is occurring and is therefore interrelated with the goals and actions of its neighbors. First and foremost, Otsego competes with other cities in the region for new development especially economic development of commercial and industrial land uses. This competition between communities is emphasized to a greater degree during periods of economic downturn. As Otsego reviews its development goals and growth 2 management policies as part of this comprehensive planning process, attention must be given to the relative positioning of the City from an economic development standpoint as well to ensure that the opportunity for growth remains regionally competitive. Secondly, the growth that occurs in adjacent communities effects Otsego through system impacts; increased residential development or development of a single large commercial or industrial use in an adjacent community will affect collector or minor arterial roadways in Otsego or there will be increased service demands on area School Districts that will influence the City's growth objectives. LOCAL ISSUES Economic Development The majority of growth that occurred in Otsego during the past 10 to 15 gears has been residential. Residential growth is needed to occur first to establish a local trade area market to create opportunities for neer business. Based on the residential development that did occur, commercial, and to a lesser extent industrial, development was just beginning to gain momentum when the economic downturn stalled business growth. As with residential development, the City is beginning to see signs of increased interest in new commercial and industrial uses being constructed. City officials have recognized the need to be more proactive in inviting economic development activity to Otsego. Actions that the Cit} intends to initiate include promoting tsego's identity as a cohesive community of neighborhoods and businesses, identifying ways in which the City can be more flexible in working with development to achieve mutual goals, establishing policies and programs for economic incentives and expanding the role of the Economic Development Authority. Growth a agement The comprehensive pram update in 2004 addressed expansion of the City's sewer and water utilities to include a second growth area in Western Otsego. The effort also included greater emphasis on establishment of growth management policies to ensure that the type of development was consistent with community objectives and that the rate of development could be accommodated by fiscally responsible expansion of City services, facilities, infrastructure and capabilities. As economic conditions improve, it is critical that the City continue to where to these growth management practices to maintain its positive financial position relative to budget and property taxes while meeting the responsibilities of local government, Parks and Trails Otsego has developed sic neighborhood pars and improved the facilities at Prairie Park as development activity occurred since the availability of sanitary sewer and water utilities. The park system will need to continue to be developed and expanded proportionate to projected growth as both a needed service and community amenity. In order to pian for the future park system, it will be necessary to evaluate existing and future park needs based on national standards and refine future park search areas in consideration of site specific criteria. A major focus of this effort will need to address acquisition, development and funding for additional community park facilities that will be in greater demand both as the population increases and the age characteristics of the City change. The City has included off-street trails and sidewalks as part of the Comprehensive Flan and development standards to provide opportunity for recreation and non -vehicle transportation. The trail system will continue to expand concurrent with on-going development but the City must identify and address missing segments that make the existing system incomplete. The City must also tale advantage of the opportunity created by the Mississippi River Trail bikeway, which is to bikes what the Great Fiver Road is to cars, as a means to expand trail use opportunities and promote community businesses and identity. Transportation Otsego has had several major transportation improvements occur within the community that addressed long standing goals including the upgrade of TH 101 to freeway status and the planned construction of 701h Street between Oakwood Avenue to Marlowe Avenue beginning In 2012 and completed in 2015 to establish a major east -west roadway across the City., Remaining significant transportation improvements ents will involve regional as well as local jurisdictions such as CSAH 39, CSAH 37 between TH 101 and Oakwood Avenue and CSAH 42 from 85th Street to TH 101. These roadway improvements are related to continued community (and regional) growth but do not have a direct cause/effect relationship. potential projects that would have a trigger effect as to the timing of construction or timing of potential development include 85th Street from Nashua Avenue to I aelver Avenue tied with potential construction of ISD 728 Elk liver Area Schools facilities, Hashuaabor Avenue from 60th Street to 83rd Street or Quaday Avenue from 701h street CSAH 3 to 62 d Street based on potential industrial development gest of TH 10 1. Infrastructure Streets, utilities and City buildings in Otsego are all in good condition being relatively new. As time goes on, the improvements installed in the prior 10 to 15 gears will continue to age and require increased levels of management, repair and replacement, 4 These increased maintenance needs will be happening concurrent with the addition of neer infrastructure as development continues. The City must address management of its infrastructure through its capital Improvement Plan and budget process to protect the high quality of the existing improvements and that management of these facilities is done so cost effectively. Otherissues The City Council and Planning Commission identified a number of preliminary issues in developing the work program for the 2012 Otsego comprehensive Flan process. These are items that are known to have developed over time or arisen as conditions changed: Natural Environment. o Wetland preservation. ShorelandAlVild Scenic areas. o Greenan corridors. o Aggregate resources. Tree preservation. Rural land uses. o Allowed development within Rural Residential Preserve Area. o Transitional rural land uses. ■ Seger~ staging Flan. o reed for updated projected population and household growth. o Need for updated land absorption forecast o Review boundaries for Severer Service District staging. Residential uses. o Location, quantities, densities and compatibility for existing Sewer Service District and Urban Service Reserve Areas. o Transition between existing unsevered residential development and guided urban land uses. o Housing diversity and life -cycle housing. o Housing maintenance. Commercial and industrial uses. • Provide recommendations for both neer construction and revitalization areas. • Review lard use designations for retail office service commercial uses, office uses and industrial uses. • Evaluate impact of changing Wright Counter access standards. • Opportunities for nixed use or senior housing adjacent to retail areas. Parks and Trails Plan. o Inventory existing system improvements. o Analysis of system needs in relation to existing/projected population and national standards. Evaluation of park classifications. o Review r of Future Parks and Trails Plan. Transportation. Incorporate updated Transportation Plan. Identify existing/future roadway priorities. Kadler Avenue interchange. Address planned regional improvements: Public uses. City buildings and future facilities. Schools and future school sites.