Include ecological provisions in the comprehensive plan that explicitly aim to minimize open space fragmentation and/or establish a growth area with expansion criteria.

Include ecological provisions in the comprehensive plan that explicitly aim to minimize open space fragmentation and/or establish a growth area with expansion criteria.

Best Practice of this action

Comprehensive, Climate and Energy Plans

Rating Guideline

	For cities adjacent to undeveloped land, establish a growth area with staging criteria that reflects projected population growth (projected no more than ten years in the future) and, if applicable, is subject to an orderly annexation agreement and planned extension of municipal services. OR, conduct a natural resource inventory (NRI) and incorporate the results into your comprehensive plan or long-term city vision. Report adoption of an urban growth boundary under BPA 10.2; ag/forest preservation zoning under BPA 27.1.
	Prioritize the NRI results through a natural resource assessment (NRA) involving the public so as to minimize the fragmentation and development of agricultural, forest, wildlife, pollinator habitat, and high quality open space lands in and around the city.
	Identify priority natural resource protection areas in the comprehensive plan and recommend strategies for integrating protection into the development process; identify connections between natural resource protection areas and developed or developing areas of the city, particularly those areas with less access to parks and natural areas. Report Parks/Trails Plans under BPA 18.2; report connections implemented under BPA 18.1.

Resources

Fragmentation and other aspects of protecting and enhancing natural system functioning - such as providing wildlife corridors and habitat to enhance local biodiversity - are addressed in Natural Resources Performance Standards in the 2009 Minnesota Model Ordinances for Sustainable Development. See also state pollinator resources from the MN Dept. of Natural Resources.
How to Enhance the Urban Canopy Through Ordinance & Collaboration for Comprehensive Plans (ORANGE Environmental: 2017) was prepared for the Metropolitan Council and covers urban forestry inventories and plant diversity goals, the development review process, and the Emerald Ash Borer infestation.

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Include ecological provisions in the comprehensive plan that explicitly aim to minimize open space fragmentation and/or establish a growth area with expansion criteria.