Common ground: achieving sustainable communities in Minnesota

This report of the Sustainable Economic Development and Environmental Protection Task Force recommends ways to foster livable communities that taxpayers can afford and the environment sustain. The task force is part of the Minnesota Sustainable Development Initiative, coordinated by the Environmental Quality Board. The recommendations include:

Letting counties choose how and where development occurs in cooperation with their neighbors and communities within their borders.

Establishing broad goals to guide state and local plans and decisions to achieve sustainable use of natural and financial resources.

Setting flexible state goals that include enhancing communities' economic strength and competitiveness, ensuring that new growth pays for itself and preserving features of local, regional and statewide significance.

Having a state agency review county plans to ensure their compatibility with the state's long-term goals.

Requiring the state to also follow county plans that it approves.

Creating county plans that provide the legal basis for land use controls, guide development decisions and entitle the counties to certain state funds.