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Planning still a core function

Although the Met Council has taken on major operating responsibilities, planning continues to be one of its core functions. During its early years, the Council derived considerable power from its role as the regional clearinghouse for federal grant applications, reviewing and commenting on local applications for more than 150 federal grant programs. (This review power diminished in importance as federal grant programs were cut and it was eliminated altogether in 1982.)

In 1976, the Legislature passed the Metropolitan Land Planning Act. It required all local governments in the seven-county area to adopt a comprehensive plan that is consistent with the Council’s Regional Development Framework and regional system plans. The law also required communities to share their plans with neighboring jurisdictions, providing an avenue for greater intergovernmental coordination.

At the time, John Boland says, some local officials feared the legislation would enable the Council to tell them “how to zone within their city.” However, he says, most of them ultimately recognized that this was not the case, and that the law was intended to ensure the efficient use of regional infrastructure, such as sewers, highways and transit.

Since the law’s enactment, the Council has reviewed more than 3,200 local comprehensive plans and plan amendments. It has requested modifications in some 50 plans, or 1.6 percent.
In 1995, the Legislature approved a bill that created three new Met Council grant programs to assist communities in implementing their local plans. These grants provide communities with funding to help clean up contaminated lands for redevelopment; promote efficient, connected development, and expand the supply of affordable housing.

From 1996 through 2006, the Council awarded 470 grants totaling more than $160 million, helping to leverage billions of dollars in private and other public investment. These grants have helped transform sites such as the vacant Sears store in south Minneapolis into Midtown Exchange, a vibrant urban hub with a mix of office, retails and housing uses.

Council grants also have helped create new town centers such as Excelsior and Grand in St. Louis Park, and Heart of the City in Burnsville. Both are mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly urban centers that include housing, jobs, shops, restaurants, parks and other amenities.

Louis Jambois, executive director of the Association of Metropolitan Municipalities, says local officials may not agree with every Council decision. But he says most of them acknowledge “the Met Council performs a valuable service in creating a forum for discussion and decision-making about how the Twin Cities metropolitan area should grow.”