> Planning+Development > Community Profiles

Community profile: Plymouth

Note: This is the first in a monthly series of community profiles, intended to highlight issues faced by local governments as they begin the process of updating their comprehensive plans.

Protecting natural resources, managing traffic are high priorities for the city

Plymouth is the sixth largest city in Minnesota. The developing suburb is located four miles west of Minneapolis on Hwy. 55. By traveling 20 minutes east or west, “we offer easy access to both city amenities and rural life,” said Mayor Judy Johnson.

The city is a jobs powerhouse, boasting a higher “daytime population” than residency (more workers commute into the city than commute out).

Plymouth is also known for its commitment to preserving natural resources. “We protected wetland buffers and setbacks before anyone else,” said Community Development Director Anne Hurlburt. “Our developments incorporate low-impact-development practices as a matter of course.”

City offers abundant parks and trails

The city offers an extensive parks and trails system, easily accessible from homes and offices. “I can walk around Parkers Lake, ride my bike out the Luce Line Trail, or fish on Medicine Lake,” said Hurlburt. “People who work here can get on a trail during their lunch hour and forget they are in an urban area.” Recreational opportunities extend to all ages, with options that range from improvisational theatre to a skate park, Frisbee© golf to the Primavera art festival.

Life-cycle planning is also a key emphasis in the city’s approach to housing, with options ranging from mobile home parks to mansion-style housing. “Our current need is senior housing,” said Hurlburt. “As people get ready to leave their two- or three-bedroom homes, we want them to be able to stay here, near their friends and family.”

City involves residents in planning

Plymouth approaches planning with an eye toward partnerships. “It’s all about collaboration, cooperation, and partnership,” said Johnson. “We want to make our resources go as far as possible.” Key collaborators include the city’s residents and “daytime residents.” A youth council helped determine design for the Plymouth Creek Center; a 35-person task force spent five months helping the city define a vision. The city has a large citizens’ booster group, and gets high marks in annual surveys.

“ The leaders of Plymouth have done an excellent job at staging development and preserving the area’s natural beauty. They also listen to people and incorporate the ideas they hear into city plans when appropriate. ”

- Roger Scherer
Metropolitan Council, District 1, and Plymouth resident

The city council believes in going “beyond the requirements” for public process, said Johnson. “We want to bring the public in early to partner with us -- we’ve found it leads to better buy-in and acceptance.”

As Plymouth approaches its comprehensive plan update for 2008, public process is again front and center. An early round of meetings drew 200 people to identify what they value about Plymouth; a second set of meetings May 1 and 2 will solicit public comment on draft maps. Public comment opportunities and information are also delivered via the city of Plymouth's website and Plymouth's email subscriber lists.

As the city looks to 2030, major issues include determining how the northwest corner of Plymouth will look “when it grows up,” Hurlburt said, and determining ways the city can deal with transit and traffic demands, given limited regional resources.

Officials expect continued growth in this city once famous chiefly for its vacation homes around Medicine Lake. New residents will find themselves welcome. “Plymouth is a high-demand location for people to live, committed to good planning,” said Johnson. “We’re focused on retaining our natural areas while increasing opportunities for people to live here.”

-- published April 2006 --