“We’d never had a comp plan before. We weren’t required to. That doesn’t mean we didn’t need one desperately.”
Mayor Jill Behnke, Center CityWith a historic district over 150 years old, and hopes for an expanded commercial area in the coming years, Center City needed a vision and a plan.
The only way to preserve the oldest buildings while allocating land for future development was to create a comprehensive plan to cover all the issues. But Center City had never had such a plan before, nor did it have a planner on staff. The community didn’t know where to start.
Fortunately Mayor Behnke was able to tap into a community assistance program run by Envision Minnesota. Over the course of the project, she received the technical help, consulting assistance, and visualization tools she needed to involve local residents in creating a plan that matched the city’s vision for the future. Even after the program ended in early 2011, she kept a city planner on board because she values having planning expertise close at hand as the city puts its plan into action. Many communities need the same help as Center City.
We’re launching a new program to help more communities like Center City.
Envision Minnesota received preliminary support from the U.S. EPA’s Office of Sustainable Communities to help local communities implement innovative plans, projects and policies that protect the environment, encourage economic prosperity, and improve public health outcomes and overall quality of life.
We can help more communities with your support. Please make a tax-deductible donation now to help the Center City near you. Your donation will help ensure that small communities keep local residents engaged in shaping the future of the places they live.
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