I f the primary objective of land use planning is to paint a coherent land

use picture where land use relationships are defined for a city, then

proper land use planning within the entire ―Urban Growth Shed‖ is neces-

sary. However, and for various reasons, such efforts do not often yield

the desired results, mainly because development review deals with actual

development on a piecemeal basis. Seldom, if at all, does a community get a chance to draw the main out-

lines of future land use within a land mass that is almost the size of its ex-

iting built environment. Being able to put forth meaningful future land use policies through the

adoption of a community blueprint is one thing. Another is performing

the necessary feedback, as incremental developments take shape over

time, to make sure a community is living up to its comprehensive plan

ideals. The factors affecting rate, type, and distribution of development,

and by extension, land use, vary constantly over time. While the volatility of such factors is something a community may not be able to predict and plan for,

Vol. 30 No. 4 May, 2011

Inside this issue 5 Red Wing Complete Streets 7 Consultant Spotlight: Cornejo Consulting 10 Long-time Chapter Volunteers Honored 10 APA News 11 APA MN Citizen Planner Opportunities 12 2011 Planning Awards Call for Nominations 13 Planner Puts on Ombudsman Hat 17 APA Blogs 19 Law and Planning Committee News 19 Event Calendar 21 AICP CM Reminders

Pine Island’s Vision Comes to Fruition

Abraham Algadi City Administrator for Pine Island

- continued on next page -

planning minnesota

published by: The Minnesota chapter of the Ameri-can Planning Association (APA MN) publishes this newsletter on a monthly basis, with combined June/July and December/January issues. submissions: We welcome articles, letters to the editor, photos, calendar items, pro-ject profiles, planners on the move items, and other news. Send all submissions via e-mail to:

newsletter@mnapa.com deadlines: All submissions should be sent to the editors by June 1, 2011 for inclusion in the June/July issue. newsletter editors: Bob & Kate Garwood Phone: 763-862-4230

newsletter@mnapa.com changes of address: APA MN does not maintain address lists. All lists are maintained at the national office and mailed to local chapters each month. If you have moved, send your updated info to: Membership Department American Planning Association 205 N. Michigan Ave., Ste. 1200 Chicago, IL 60601 APA MN administration: The Chapter web site is

www.mnapa.com Otto and Peggy Schmid are the Chapter administrators. They can be reached at:

mnapa@buffleheadweb.net 9288 Beverly Drive, Breezy Point, MN 56472. Phone 888-882-5369

APA MN DISCLAIMER: The views

expressed in articles published on the

website (www.mnapa.com) or in this

newsletter are those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views or opinions on APA MN or its staff and contractors, or any entity of, or affiliated with, the APA MN. Any questions or comments may be di-rected to the newsletter editors or the President of the APA MN.

planning minnesota May, 2011 2

it is important to know that one of the main variables a community

has control over is how it wants to look, feel and function when it

―grows up.‖ As we set out to plan the future land use for the City of Pine Is-

land back in 2001, we could not help but observe certain general

land use trends. Such trends help set the stage for the type and di-

rection of land use planning in and around Pine Island. In the following, I will attempt to explain what took place in our

more recent history and plot a trajectory for future land use within

the City’s adopted urban growth area. In the early 1990s, the City of Pine Island established the Pine

Island Economic Development Authority (EDA). The EDA

worked very hard over the years to identify opportunities aimed

at growing the local business environment and on bolstering lo-

cal economic conditions. Along its 18-year history, the EDA

has demonstrated its ability to meet its goals by providing eco-

nomic development incentives and lead the original land use

planning efforts, culminating in the adoption of the first com-

plete comprehensive plan.

In 2000, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/

DOT), recognizing the critical importance of US Highway 52,

set out to plan and to bring resources to upgrade US 52 to a lim-

ited access highway. This prompted us to take a closer look at

the meaning of such a plan and its impact on land use. Under-

standing the implications of the proposed US 52 design on Pine

Island’s current and future land uses became a critical goal of

city leaders.

Shortly after the official mapping of new interchanges and ser-

vice roads of US 52, the City of Pine Island adopted its 2005

Comprehensive Plan. The plan adopted certain principals iden-

tifying direction and scope of the community’s future growth. Due to natural growth in housing and commercial land uses, the

City of Pine Island boundaries began to expand into Olmsted

County where, by the end of 2005, the City added over 37% on

to its 1857 boundaries, and about the same percentage in popu-

lation growth. The State Demographer’s office ranked Pine Is-

land as the fastest growing community located within the Roch-

ester sphere of influence between 2000 and 2005. Data gathered about Pine Island and the region during the devel-

opment of the City’s Comprehensive Plan between 2002 and

2005, and analysis of factors affecting growth trends, painted a

clear picture of things to come. The future of the City of Pine

Island lies to the South and East (towards Rochester). The

planning minnesota April, 2011 3

Comprehensive Planning process led the

City to identify and adopt an official future

urban growth area that included all of what

we now know as Elk Run and almost a mile

and half south into New Haven Township. The City’s efforts, coupled with having

great partners like Mn/DOT, Olmsted and

Goodhue counties, Tower Investment and

the leadership shown by area state legisla-

tors, put the Elk Run Development and Pine

Island where we are today. We did not op-

erate in a vacuum. Instead, we took impor-

tant small steps and made critical decisions

along the way that proved instrumental in

forming the future prospects for Pine Island

and the region. More importantly, Pine Is-

land understood what it means to be located

15 miles from an economic engine like

Rochester and a world class institution like

Mayo Clinic. We fully understood the

meaning of having the breadth of knowl-

edge in agriculture, computer and medical

fields in our midst. We worked with all pro-

ject partners for years to build a coalition of

private and public partnerships determined

to see Pine Island and the region through to

a brighter tomorrow. The City updated the 2005 comprehensive

plan with help from a 1000 Friends of Minne-

sota grant. We hired Municipal Development

Group, working directly with John Anderson,

and in the fall of 2010 adopted the latest com-

prehensive plan. The plan does more than ver-

ify numbers. It paints a picture of Pine Island’s

future. It shows where future roads, homes and

business will be built. It covers flood control,

bike paths and historic preservation and empha-

sizes connections among all types of land uses.

Pine Island’s plan development guiding princi-

ples included: Connectivity

Environmentally sensitive and flood exclu-

sion areas

Minimizing land use conflict

Preservation of historic assets

Investment in traditional main street and

city’s existing built environment

Economic opportunities The plan will drive and help guide public

and private investments in Pine Island. While

the plan doesn’t specify where specific business

may build, it does make it clear that Pine Is-

land’s future is guided by sound land use princi-

pals.

planning minnesota May, 2011 4

A ccording to the Minnesota Complete

Streets Coalition, ―Complete Streets means that

our streets are planned to be safe and accessible

for pedestrians, transit riders, bicyclists, and

drivers – all users, regardless of age and abil-

ity.‖ The City of Red Wing became the four-

teenth local unit of government in Minnesota to

adopt a policy or resolution establishing a

―Complete Streets Policy‖ on January 10, 2011.

I thought that I might share some of our experi-

ence that led up to Red Wing’s adoption of the

policy and describe a few of the early results of

the policy. Major elements of Red Wing’s Comprehen-

sive Plan Update in 2007 emphasized the need

to guide growth into more compact, mixed use

development; improve community walk-ability

and bike-ability; and established that our eco-

nomic future is tied directly to the preservation

of Red Wing’s unique natural and cultural as-

Red Wing’s Complete Streets Experience Brian C. Peterson, AICP

Planning Director with the City of Red Wing

planning minnesota May, 2011 5

sets. The Comprehensive Plan set the stage for a

―Complete Streets‖ policy. Later in 2009, a stra-

tegic plan was adopted to guide public policy

and investment for Red Wing’s downtown. The

downtown is the heart and soul of the commu-

nity and the Downtown Action Plan established

a direct relationship between the goals of encour-

aging more residential and entrepreneurial devel-

opment in and around the downtown with the

need to make the core area friendlier for bicy-

clers and pedestrians. One of Red Wing’s key issues is that High-

way 61 is a crucial transportation corridor in the

downtown, but is currently a barrier to the City’s

most important scenic and recreational asset –

the Mississippi River. The Minnesota Depart-

ment of Transportation (Mn/DOT) has plans for

several downtown intersections that are sched-

uled for improvement in 2012 and 2014 and al-

ready have been influenced by Complete Streets

principles. Red Wing received funding from a

Concept Illustration showing downtown intersection improvement using complete street principles

completed by Hoisington Koegler Group and HR Green, 2010.

YMCA Pioneering Healthy Communities grant

last year, and with consultant help from the

team of Hoisington Koegler Group and HR

Green, developed some proactive intersection

layouts designed to calm traffic and make pe-

destrian crossings more friendly (see the con-

cept, below). In addition to influencing the

scheduled Mn/DOT improvements to down-

town intersections, the policy is also having an

early influence on: 1) plans to replace the Mis-

sissippi River Bridge Crossing; 2) a new and

completed bike route which includes bikeway

signage; 3) the addition of more than two dozen

bike racks to the downtown; and, finally, 4) the

policy is influencing the design and layout for a

new bus transit hub. There is a long way to go, but thus far the policy

has been instrumental in helping policy makers

advocate for incremental improvements that we

hope will encourage people to get out of their

cars and build a stronger sense of community.

From Downtown Red Wing Action Plan, November 2009, Hoisington Koegler Group

planning minnesota May, 2011 6

Consultant Spotlight: CORNEJO CONSULTING -- Community Planning + Design

planning minnesota May, 2011 7

Address: 1657 Saunders Avenue

St. Paul, MN 55116 Phone: 651.699.1927 Email: dancornejo@comcast.net Owner/Principal: Dan Cornejo Firm Specialties/Expertise:

Land Use Planning, Urban Design Analysis,

Transit-Oriented Development, Creek Corridor

Planning, Public Facilitation, Public Policy

Development Firm Background:

Over three decades across Canada and the

U.S., Dan Cornejo provided community plan-

ning leadership and services to many commu-

nities and organizations. He was a senior plan-

ner in Vancouver, BC; Main Street Manager in

Lincoln, NE and Planning Director in Staten

Island, NY and in St. Paul, MN. He also

served as Development Director for Robbins-

dale, MN prior to forming the Community Plan-

ning Group in Short Elliott Hendrickson, Inc.

(SEH). In 2004, Dan Cornejo established

CORNEJO CONSULTING to focus his plan-

ning expertise and experience on the Twin Cit-

ies and Minnesota. Types of Clients Served:

Cities (e.g. Apple Valley, Anoka, Edina,

Roseville, Falcon Heights, Minneapolis, Maple

Plain, Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center), Coun-

ties (Hennepin County), Neighborhoods

(Prospect Park, Summit Hill), Educational

(University of Minnesota, Macalester College). Type of Work for Clients:

Land use plans, TOD and LRT/BRT station

area plans, strategic and policy plans, environ-

mental plans, comprehensive plans, creek im-

provement plans.

Client: City of Edina, Minnesota Project Title: Edina Comprehensive Plan Update Project Description: CORNEJO CONSULTING provided overall leadership and guidance as well as directing the work of URS Corp. in completing Plan including Vision and Goals, Land Use and Commu-nity Design Framework, Housing, Parks, and the Implementation Plan. Dan Cornejo worked closely with the Engineering Department and their consult-ants to integrate the Transportation and Water Re-source Management elements. Dan Cornejo also led the public engagement process, which included workshops, focus groups, listening sessions, and an intergenerational forum. Key Accomplishments: (1) Fully-integrated com-prehensive plan that met Metropolitan Council re-quirements and set the direction for leading and managing Edina’s growth and change; (2) Public involvement program that reached out successfully to all residents and businesses; and (3) Developer Forum that injected market reality testing and direc-tion to land use and urban design planning. Project Timeframe: 24 months.

Project Highlights

- continued on next page -

Consultant Spotlight: CORNEJO CONSULTING -- Community Planning + Design Project Highlights

Client: Hennepin County Department of Hous-ing, Community Works, and Transit Project Title: Fort Snelling Light Rail Transit and Upper Post Master Plan Project Description: The location of a light rail transit station at the historic Upper Post of Fort Snelling presents an unparalleled opportunity to integrate new uses and buildings with the his-toric fort setting to create an environment densely packed with references to a stream of time rather than a setting that never changed. Lead consultant CORNEJO CONSULTING teamed with LHB, Inc. and Kimley-Horn Associ-ates to prepare the Fort Snelling LRT and Up-per Post Master Plan. This Master Plan incor-porates recommendations for preservation and reuse from previous studies and presents new plans for transit-oriented development (TOD), urban design guidelines for new infrastructure, and environmental improvements. It also in-cludes an economic development strategy to bring new investment and new compatible uses to create a vibrant precinct of new uses and activities for the historic buildings and spaces and new redevelopment near the LRT station. Key Accomplishments: (1) Extensive and in-clusive public involvement program of inter-views with key stakeholders (government agen-cies, Native American groups, historic preser-

vation advocates), Interagency Staff Advisory Committee, Task Force of stakeholder groups and public information meetings/open houses; (2) Light Rail Station Area Plan that met federal Transit Administration objectives; and (3) Inte-gration of land use planning, urban design, infra-structure, and creation of an economic develop-ment structure for implementation. Project timeframe: 18 months

planning minnesota May, 2011 8

Fort Snelling full build-out redevelopment

and open space zones.

Fort Snelling LRT station area redevelopment urban design.

- continued on next page -

Consultant Highlight: CORNEJO CONSULTING -- Community Planning + Design Project Highlights

planning minnesota May, 2011 9

Client: City of Maple Plain, Minnesota and Hennepin County Project Title: Maple Plain Redevelop-ment Implementation Plan Project Description: CORNEJO CON-SULTING explored land use and rede-velopment opportunities in three areas along the Highway 12 corridor in Maple Plain: the Gateway District, the Down-town, and the Budd/Highway 12 District. With the assistance of SRF Consulting Group and Ehlers & Associates, the study also examined transportation and financial feasibility issues. And in part-nership with CLOSE Landscape Archi-tecture and U-Plan Studio, Dan Cornejo led a public involvement process that included design workshops, open houses, interviews of land owners, and public meetings. Key Accomplishments: (1) The Plan process and completed Plan built on previous work by the Minnesota Design Team, Design Guidelines, a market analysis by Maxfield Research, and the community process for updating Maple Plain’s Comprehensive Plan; (2) The completed Plan is being used by City Council, Maple Plain’s Economic Devel-opment Authority, and others to pursue redevelopment opportunities; and (3) The completed Plan was instrumental in garnering a Hennepin County TOD grant to purchase land for a park-and-ride facility. Project Timeline: 18 months

Maple Plain property owner design workshop.

Maple Plain Gateway District urban design option.

planning minnesota May, 2011 10

You know who these guys are -Mark

Grimes and Joe Hogeboom -you know them

or you know OF them. These are the guys who do lots of work

behind the scenes. They never complain.

They make improvements without being

told. They give a lot of their time - a lot!

They are honorable, respectful, follow-

through types of guys you can count on -

you can always count on them. They show up at all events, usually as

volunteers, to help out where every needed.

They participate, they promote the chapter

events and they do their part to be active

members of the chapter. In recognition of the many contributions

they have made - quietly, consistently, reliably - Chapter President Lance Bernard, on behalf of the

entire Board, presented Grimes and Hogeboom with these awards. Thanks Mark and Joe - thanks for everything!

Chapter Recognizes Long-time Volunteers

left to right -

Mark Grimes, Lance Bernard and Joe Hogeboom.

Step up to serve your association Member-driven organizations like APA need volunteer leaders to serve on committees

and task forces of the APA Board of Directors and AICP Commission and at local chapters

and special-interest divisions. APA also will require members' service on special task

forces that APA President Mitchell Silver, AICP, and AICP President Anna Breinich,

AICP, will appoint during their terms of office. Read about current and future opportunities on committees and

task forces, then email getinvolved@planning.org and volunteer to serve APA, the planning movement and the

profession. Please respond by May 12.

Lee Kuan Yew Prize APA is a partner in cosponsoring the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize 2012, a biennial award that rec-

ognizes individuals and organizations in planning and government who have displayed foresight, good

governance, or innovation in urban planning projects, urban policies and programs, urban management, or

the application of technology to urban problems. The nomination deadline is May 31, 2011. Learn more

Apply for community assistance APA is accepting the next round of community applications for APA's Community Planning Assis-

tance Team program sponsored by AICP. This place-based initiative pairs a multidisciplinary team of

planning professionals with community stakeholders to strengthen their ability to effectively address

pressing issues and improve quality of life. This application period ends June 21. Experienced planners

are also invited to apply for service on future teams. Learn more

Editors’ Note to All Planners: The following

article is focused on the activities available to

Citizen Planners that are available through our

Chapter. Please take the time to share this arti-

cle with your citizen-based Boards and Com-

missions.

W ho or what is a Citizen Planner? If you

volunteer on your local zoning board, planning

commission, or any other public planning or-

ganization, YOU are a citizen planner. As the

current Citizen Planner representative on the

APA-MN Board, I want to encourage other citi-

zen planners to engage with this fine organiza-

tion. Run almost entirely by volunteer profes-

sionals on a frugal budget, APA MN does a

wonderful job of bringing educational program-

ming to citizen (i.e. volunteer) planners

throughout Minnesota, as well as to its profes-

sional members. A change in my own professional commit-

ments several years ago afforded me an oppor-

tunity to become more involved in my commu-

nity of Golden Valley and to follow up on a per-

sonal interest in its future. Many years of work-

ing in the city of Minneapolis and volunteering

with Habitat for Humanity made me aware of

how interconnected we all are and of the impor-

tance of planning in a community. I attended my first APA MN State Confer-

ence in 2006, my second year on the Golden

Valley Board of Zoning Appeals and Planning

Commission, and have missed only one since

then. I have also attended APA MN sponsored

Brown Bag sessions in the Twin Cities, and was

able to serve on APA MN's Citizen Planner

Committee. The Chapter’s Citizen Planner Committee

piloted remote GIS training sessions for Citizen

Planners that were facilitated by local planning

staff, developed a half-day Citizen Planner pro-

gram for the State conference in Duluth and or-

ganized social gatherings for citizen planners at

conferences. This spring, the APA-MN will be

releasing an update to its Citizen Planner

Handbook. Although I'm not the most gregarious person,

and it was sometimes uncomfortable to mingle

with a couple hundred strangers for three days, I

have always come away from the State confer-

ence excited about new possibilities in my own

community and appreciative of the profession-

als who shared their expertise. Examples of

conference topics of particular interest to me

have included:

the evolution of senior housing,

financing redevelopment,

transportation systems,

new urban and exurban design

and legislative and legal developments

affecting local planning.

The only thing that could have made these

conferences even better was getting to meet and

network with more citizen planners. I would like to hear from other citizen plan-

ners in Minnesota. I would like to know what

would make your participation in a conference,

admittedly an investment of time (yours) and

money (hopefully, your community's) worth-

while? What would entice you to participate in

networking opportunities there or on a more

regional basis? Would you be interested in par-

ticipating in happy hour gatherings, attending a

local sporting event or touring a lo-

cal development or historic site?

APA MN Opportunities for the Citizen Planner

planning minnesota May, 2011 11

Would you like to find out more about APA

MN and the State Conference? The newsletter

you're reading right now is one way. An-

nouncements and updates are included, fre-

quently. Or, you might want to review presen-

tations from last year's conference; they are

available at http://www.plannersconference.com/

presentation_docs.php. The 2011 State Conference will be held in

St. Cloud from September 28th - 30th. This

year's topics will be posted soon at

http://www.plannersconference.com/. Lastly, talk to your local planning staff about

their involvement in the organization and how

to take advantage of it for yourself and other

citizen planners in your community. Please contact me with your ideas or ques-

tions at 763-529-3946 or through LinkedIn.com

(enter email address cwald@bitstream.net). I hope to see you soon at an APA MN con-

ference or networking event!

Cathy Waldhauser, Chair

Golden Valley Planning Commission and

Citizen Planner APA-MN Board Member

763-529-3946

planning minnesota May, 2011 12

Focus on Contributions of Planning Consultants This year, the Newsletter Editors want to

bring a focus to a special part of our planning

community. We want to highlight the many

and varying contributions of consultants to the

world of planning. For those of us who need

to study a specialty, have a specific project,

need to extend our staff, but cannot do so per-

manently, consultants can be just the right an-

swer. Planning Consultants are available every-

where in the state. Some are part of small

firms, others are part of very large firms, many

are members of our Minnesota Chapter of

APA and many have received their AICP certi-

fication. These consultants provide expertise in a

variety of topics: environmental, transporta-

tion, long-range planning, zoning, comprehen-

sive plans, neighborhood plans, downtown

plans, ordinance writing, grant writing and

many, many other topics. They are experts in

small town, rural community, developed city,

township, county and state-wide planning top-

ics. We would like to highlight the work and

contributions of consultants over a series of 3

of 4 editions of the newsletter. If you are a

consultant, or have worked with a consultant

who you think should be highlighted, let us

know. CONSULTANTS: Please send an email to

newsletter@mnapa.com to request a form that

asks each consulting firm to respond to spe-

cific questions and provides guidelines on pho-

tos and exhibits to include when we highlight

your firm.

Deadline for Consultant Submittals: May 15, 2011

Upcoming Issues of planning minnesota to

Highlight Work of Consultants

The Annual APA-Minnesota Chapter Planning Awards are an exciting opportunity to give

credit to outstanding projects and people that have contributed to the planning profession. The

awards will be presented at the APA MN Annual Planning Conference on September 28 th –

30th, 2011 in St. Cloud. Winners will be notified ahead of time and asked to attend to accept

their award. Please go to www.plannersconference.com to learn more about specific criteria and

download a nomination form. Apply now to highlight that excellent project or planning profes-

sional! We are soliciting nominations for the following awards: Individual Lifetime Achievement and Leadership in Planning - A Lifetime Achievement

Award may be given for sustained and significant contributions to the planning profession in Minnesota,

as defined by their peers. Candidates cannot be self-nominated. APA MN membership is not required.

Professional planners, citizen planners, or elected officials are eligible to receive this award.

Innovation in Planning - Innovation occurs when there is a change in the thought process for doing

something. Through innovation, the planning process is renewed and improved with new ways of think-

ing and new methods of accomplishing tasks. An innovative plan is one that achieves its role as the lead-

ing policy document for governmental agencies, while seeking new ways to meet its objectives. An in-

novative plan/project will present a visionary approach to addressing the needs of those it serves.

Excellence in Community Engagement - Community engagement is a critical piece to all planning

and land use projects. Commitment to an inclusive and productive engagement will lead to ultimate pro-

ject success. This award will honor those projects that instituted a successful community engagement as

part of an approval process.

Community Lifetime Achievement and Leadership in Planning - Without buy-in by policy

makers, citizens, and employees, the best thought-out plan may fail and not be implemented. For suc-

cess, the community as a whole must be supportive of the process to create a plan and be ready to imple-

ment the plan. The creation of a culture that is supportive of planning efforts is key to ensuring that

plans are implemented and the benefits extended to the community. This award is to honor a community

that has exhibited strong support for planning efforts and the implementation of those plans over a period

of years.

Outstanding Student Project - This category recognizes the superior work that is produced by stu-

dents in planning programs in Minnesota. A plan or project that has applicability to the planning profes-

sion may be submitted. This category will be judged based on originality, transferability from the aca-

demic setting to the planning profession, quality, use of collaboration, and effectiveness.

Gunnar Isberg Student Scholarships - APA Minnesota is offering the opportunity for graduate

and undergraduate students to apply for up to $2,000 in scholarship funds available for 2011. In order to

qualify for the scholarship, the student must be pursing an undergraduate or graduate education in plan-

ning or a planning related field (such as land use, housing, transportation, public administration, etc.) and

must be either enrolled at a school or university in the State of Minnesota or maintain residency in Min-

nesota.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS - 2011 PLANNING AWARDS American Planning Association - Minnesota Chapter

Submission Deadline: June 30, 2011 4:30pm

planning minnesota May, 2011 13

Merriam-Webster defines an Ombudsman as:

(1) a government official (as in Sweden or New

Zealand) appointed to receive and investigate

complaints made by individuals against abuses

or capricious acts of public officials; (2) one

that investigates, reports on, and helps settle

complaints. The Minnesota Department of Transporta-

tion established the position of Ombudsman in

the fall of 2008 as a means to rebuild public

trust in the wake of the Interstate 35W bridge

collapse. Mn/DOT appointed Deb Ledvina as

the agency’s first Ombudsman, and she estab-

lished a small, but active office. Ledvina posted

for a mobility position that called for an estab-

lished Mn/DOT staff member who could work

for a period of time with the expectation of

moving back into their former position. My

first inclination was to think of someone else for

the position, until it dawned on me that it would

be personally beneficial on three accounts: 1. Utilization of existing skills sets, including

knowledge of the agency and its multiple func-

tional units, problem solving, conflict resolution

and written and oral communication skills; 2. An opportunity to grow professionally by

delving into new areas and meeting new people

within the agency and the outside; 3. Exposure to the Central Office culture,

since I’d been in the District 6-Rochester for

about eight years. My role as Assistant to the Transportation

Ombudsman is to work with complainants and

agency staff to resolve issues, speak before in-

ternal and external audiences at meetings and

conferences, produce the annual report, and de-

velop new initiatives within the ombudsman

framework. I’ve held the mobility position since September

2009 and have dealt with issues in several pro-

gram areas, including:

Access

Business impacts

Damage

Design

Drainage

Planning and programming

Right of way These issues fall under 14 identified issue

categories within the Office of the Ombudsman.

There is no real typical case, as we deal with

individuals or businesses that have their unique

perspective and impact, often with some type of

involvement from a local legislator. The complainant, a term we use for anyone

with an issue before the Ombudsman, will go

through our website, 1-800 number, legislator,

Governor’s Office, the commissioner or some

other source, and I’ll contact them shortly there-

after. During the initial conversation with the com-

plainant, I explain that the Ombudsman is neu-

tral, independent and informal and is not an ad-

vocate for any particular party. I follow-up

with a call to the district and any other parties

(e.g. township, county, other state agency,

elected official, etc.) to get their perspectives.

I then start to weave the stories together, seeing

the commonality, determining positions, identi-

fying needs and moving towards resolution. In

many instances, especially ones where decisions

Planner Puts on Ombudsman Hat by Chris Moates, Southeastern Minnesota Director for APA-MN

planning minnesota May, 2011 14

may impact Mn/DOT policy or procedures, I

will utilize an agency expert or group of experts

and consult with the deputy commissioner and/

or commissioner. Each case presents its own challenge. Suc-

cess is not measured on whether the complain-

ant or the agency is happy with the result, but

rather that the complainant felt he or she was

heard; fact finding was conducted accurately,

thoroughly and as detailed as necessary; and

any policies, procedures, guidelines or laws

were reviewed. Above all else, it is important

to be able to say I was fair in my assessment

and recommendation for resolution. A few examples of interesting cases I dealt

with in 2010 include: 1. Grant Park - Condominium owners felt

errant vehicles exiting the freeway to 11th

Street/Grant Street in downtown Minneapolis

posed a threat to pedestrians as well as city and

private property. After reviewing different sce-

narios, a concrete triangular island (pork chop)

was transformed with dirt, wood chips, plant-

ings and boulders to stop errant vehicles and

chevrons placed on the periphery—a true safety

and aesthetic improvement. 2. Deer River - A complainant voiced her

displeasure with engineers and engineering so-

lutions due to the location of her mailbox. The

complainant would get her feet wet from pud-

dles at the end of her driveway and in front of

her mailbox across the highway. Engineering

solutions ranging from $50,000 to $500,000

could not guarantee success. The solution:

move her mailbox, as well as her neighbor’s, to

their side of the state highway. 3. Pequot Lakes - An environmental study

started in 2001 with a preferred alternative cho-

sen in 2005 of a thru-town route for the TH 371

expansion project. The next city council sought

further study and the previous preferred alterna-

tive was rescinded and the bypass option cho-

sen. A group of business owners were in favor

of delaying municipal consent in the fall of

2010 until after the election and preferably into

January 2011. The city was against delay. The

Ombudsman met with multiple parties, includ-

ing the Commissioner and Deputy Commis-

sioner, with the outcome that Mn/DOT would

do the will of the local community. Since the

community favored the bypass, municipal con-

sent would not be delayed. Municipal consent

was approved in December 2010. Among the most difficult areas have been

drainage and business impacts. I have dealt

with private land being flooded and the state

highway drainage being identified as the source

of the problem. In many of these cases, I en-

counter privately owned tile lines that are in

poor shape or have inadequate capacity for the

amount of water that needs to be transported,

property owners who make drainage improve-

ments with ramifications to their neighbors

down the line, and the issue of perpetuating

drainage versus creating benefit at great state

expense. Business impacts are difficult, especially in

cases where a safety and mobility project will

result in changed access for business owners.

The environmental and municipal consent proc-

esses are often a part of the mix, also, and those

contain details that the average person doesn’t

encounter until they are directly impacted. A

complainant may feel they were heard by the

Ombudsman, but they are not satisfied with the

solution to their issue because of the likelihood

that their business will be impacted negatively,

at least in the short-term. This truly has been a positive experience. I

have worked with high-quality, dedicated pro-

fessionals with expertise in various areas, and

have seen the agency be flexible where it

needed to be flexible. I have seen larger initia-

tives take shape that, when established, have

great potential to assist the agency, including: The formation of the Center of Excellence

for Conflict Management and Consensus

Vibratory impacts research as a result of our

Crosstown damages cases

The establishment of an Ombud On-Call

program within the districts All of these initiatives are helping the agency

rebuild trust with the public and I feel fortunate

to be a small part of this.

planning minnesota May, 2011 15

CALL FOR PAPERS 49th International Making Cities Livable Conference on

Planning Healthy Communities for All Portland, OR, May 20-24, 2012

Environmental factors significantly contribute to

obesity, chronic physical ill health, social isolation, vio-

lence and crime. Evidence shows that the way we have

built our cities has amplified these problems. This con-

ference will examine the evidence, and focus on ways

we can reshape the built environment to increase physi-

cal and social health and well-being. The conference

will bring together 350-400 delegates, including elected

officials, practitioners and scholars in planning, public

health, urban design, landscape architecture, transporta-

tion planning, pediatrics, human development, social

sciences, land use development and architecture from

around the world. Those wishing to present papers on topics listed be-

low should submit a 250 word abstract for blind peer

review before June 15, 2011. Please submit abstract

online at: http://www.livablecities.org/conferences/49th-

conference-portland/call-papers. Notification will be sent within 4 weeks of submis-

sion. Accepted papers must be presented in person at

the conference, and will be published in the digital con-

ference proceedings. Selected papers will also be pub-

lished in Documentation Sets on focused topics. Paper topics include:

• Planning for health & well-being

• How the built environment negatively affects

health

• Places and events to build community

• Nature in the urban environment

• Mixed-use urban fabric

• Urban villages/suburban towns

• Regional planning for healthy cities

• Promoting healthy transportation modes

• Guidelines for healthy inclusive communities

• Community participation

• Innovative teaching models. Please see the conference website for more details

about the paper topics or contact:

Suzanne H. Crowhurst Lennard, Ph.D. (Arch.)

Director, International Making Cities Livable Con-

ferences suzanne.lennard@livablecities.org

planning minnesota May, 2011 16

planning minnesota May, 2011 17

Are You Blogging??? APA now has four blogs: Recovery News,

Sustaining Places, Policy News for Planners, and

2010 Census and Planners. Read the entries and

join the discussion. Learn more

planning minnesota May, 2011 18

meg.shoemaker@tpl.org

APA Minnesota Law and Planning Committee News

Minnesota Supreme Court Holds That Airport Zoning Ordinance is

a Regulatory Taking Under the Minnesota Constitution

In 2002, the Rochester International Air-

port Joint Zoning Board adopted an ordinance

that changed use restrictions and increased the

size of Safety Zone A, making 49 of the 240

acres in which the DeCooks own subject to

Safety Zone A. The DeCooks sued the

Board. In their complaint, the DeCooks al-

leged that the ordinance caused ―a substantial

and measurable decline‖ in the market value

of their property and, under the Minnesota

Constitution, was a compensable taking based

on McShane v. City of Faribault – a Minne-

sota Supreme Court airport zoning case de-

cided in 1980. After trial, a jury found that

the ordinance diminished DeCook’s property

by $170,000. The Minnesota Supreme Court agreed with

the DeCooks. The Court found that the Min-

nesota Constitution provides broader protection

to property owners because it states that ―private

property shall not be taken, destroyed or dam-

aged for public use without compensation.‖ The

Court held that McShane applies to airport zon-

ing cases under the Minnesota Constitution. In

McShane, the Court held that where there are

―enterprise‖ regulations – regulations enacted

solely for benefit of government enterprise –

there must be compensation paid to property

owners ―whose property has suffered a substan-

tial and measurable decline in market value as a

result of the regulations.‖ The Court concluded

that the $170,000 diminution is substantial. Be-

cause the ordinance resulted in a substantial

diminution in value, the Court held that a regula-

tory taking occurred under the Minnesota Con-

stitution. DeCook v. Rochester International Airport Joint

Zoning Board, No. A09-969, March 30, 2011

Join us! Interested in joining the APA Minnesota Law

and Planning Committee? Contact Cynthia

Kirchoff at cynthiakirchoff@gmail.com for more in-

formation.

planning minnesota May, 2011 19

May, 2011 Event Calendar Tuesday, May 24 Central Area - Infrastructure, CIP & Alternative Transportation 8:30 to 10:00am at Elk River City Hall, Uppertown conference room, 13065 Orono Parkway, Elk River, MN 55330. Session is free, but please make reservations with Crystal Foust, AICP, Central District Director,

cfoust@ci.watertown.mn.us or via phone at 952-955-2681.

Tuesday, May 31 2011 Upper Midwest APA Conference - Call for Session Proposals This year, APA Iowa is pleased to be hosting the Upper Midwest APA Conference, MOTATE - Transportation and Mobility in the Green Era. The Upper Midwest Conference is hosted annually by Iowa, Illinois, Wiscon-sin and Minnesota APA State Chapters. This year's event will be held October 19-21, 2011 in Davenport. At this time, the Conference Planning Committee is accepting Session Proposals from individuals/groups inter-ested in presenting at the conference or conducting mobile tours at the conference. Detailed information, in-

cluding session proposal forms are available on the APA Iowa website at, http://www.iowa-apa.org/events/conference-information.html. Session proposals are due back to the conference committee by May 31, 2011.

Tuesday, June 7 Central Area - Design Guidelines for Small Towns and Rural Communities 11:30am to1:00 PM, Watertown City Hall, 309 Lewis Avenue S., Watertown, MN 55388. Session is free, but

please make reservations with Crystal Foust, AICP, Central District Director, cfoust@ci.watertown.mn.us or via phone at 952-955-2681.

For updates and more event details, visit MnAPA.com and click on Member Events.

Guest Writers Wanted We’re looking for some new writers with

some different perspectives on planning. Are you a consultant? An environmental

planner? A small town planner? Do you work for a city? A township? A

state agency? An MPO? Is there is something you’d like to say to all

the planners in the state? Is there something you know about that you

think other planners should know about? Here’s your chance! Pick a topic; write up

300 to 1,000 words on that topic; throw in a

picture or a graphic or two if you can; and send

it to us for the newsletter. We’ll publish it and

provide your name in the byline. Think about

it. It’s not a long term commitment, just a one-

time request—an opportunity—for you to

share knowledge important to you with other

planners. Submit your article (don’t forget the

pictures) to us via email at newsletter@mnapa.com and we’ll publish your column (sounds nice,

doesn’t it—your column). Still have questions? Let us know. Contact

Kate Garwood at kate.garwood@co.anoka.mn.us

or at 763-862-4230. Please consider being a

columnist for planning minnesota. Your

fellow planners want to hear from you!

planning minnesota May, 2011 20

RFP Opportunity

Project Title: Greater Mankato Transit Redesign Study RFP Link: http://www.mankato-mn.gov/CityBus/

News.aspx Contact: Mark Anderson

Mass Transit Superintendent

City of Mankato

PO Box 3368

Mankato, MN 56002-3368 manderson@city.mankato.mn.us Deadline: June 3, 2011, 2:00 p.m. (CT) Project Description The Greater Mankato Transit System in-

vites qualified transit planning, engineering,

and related professionals to submit proposals

to compile a transit route analysis and redes-

ign study including an examination of a Bus

Rapid Transit (BRT) service concept. Addi-

tionally included is an action plan for a re-

gional transit system within the surrounding

counties of Blue Earth, Le Sueur, Nicollet,

and Waseca. Supported in part with Federal Transit Ad-

ministration funds, this solicitation and re-

sulting contracts will be subject to any re-

lated federal laws, regulations and guidelines. Interested parties may receive a complete

copy of this solicitation by accessing the fol-

lowing website: http://www.mankato-mn.gov/

CityBus/News.aspx . Application Instructions: Proposals will be accepted until June 3,

2011, 2:00 p.m. (CT) and 8 copies must be

sent to:

Mark Anderson at the above address. Questions or correspondence related to

this procurement should be submitted only by

e-mail before 2:00 p.m. (CT) on May, 25,

2011 to Mark Anderson at: mander-

son@city.mankato.mn.us .

Time's running out! The grace period for the 2009-10 Certifica-

tion Maintenance reporting period ends in less

than two weeks. Every AICP member assigned

to this period must have 32 credits (including

1.5 each in law and ethics) earned and logged

by April 30 to avoid a lapse in AICP status ret-

roactive to January 1, 2011. Check your

online CM log today to ensure it is up to date.

Email AICPCM@planning.org if you find any dis-

crepancy between your online log and personal

records, or if you can't access your CM log.

Exam prep made easy

If you're taking one of the AICP Advanced

Specialty Certification exams, there's still time

to take advantage of discounts on two helpful

programs recorded at the 2010 National Plan-

ning Conference. Each was developed in con-

junction with either the transportation or envi-

ronmental certification exam outline, and is

available from www.APAPlanningBooks.com — for

a limited time — at a 30 percent discount:

For Advanced Transportation Planning, use

code 11ETA CM | 5.0 For Advanced Environmental Planning, use

code 11EAE CM | 5.25

Recommend a CM Provider to APA

Recently, the Minnesota Department of

Transportation (Mn/DOT) became a CM Pro-

vider and offered its first CM-approved training

sessions to planners in April. Planners who

were aware of the many fine training offerings

of Mn/DOT encouraged them to become Pro-

viders. Do you know other organizations you

would recommend as a Provider? APA will step up efforts this summer to ex-

pand the list of registered CM providers. Send

suggestions for new providers to

CMproviderinvite@planning.org, and APA staff mem-

bers will contact them.

Reach Our Website on Your Smartphone

Use APA's new mobile site to log your CM

credits, search Jobs Online, and more from your

smartphone. Navigate your phone's web

browser to www.planning.org/mobile and bookmark

the page for future use. Contact AICPCM@planning.org if you have

questions.

Certification Maintenance (CM) Reminders

Communicating With Easy, Free Video Tools Are you looking to integrate video into your practice, but are intimidated by the difficulty of

learning new software? There are an increasing number of web-based video products available to

help people create quality videos that communicate their message. As part of Planetizen’s Friday

Funny series they posted a recent mock video about a NIMBY robot preparing for a public hear-

ing. This video was created using the free service Xtranormal.com, an easy to use program that al-

lows the user to simply type in their script and then pick and choose motions for their actors. This program allows anyone to create their own video. The program is free if you use free

scenes and free characters. A user can opt to pay for different characters and scenes to create

something that matches their needs. Xtranormal is just one example of a growing number of pro-

grams that allow professionals and amateurs alike to create unique videos.

planning minnesota May, 2011 21

President Lance Bernard Minnesota Dept. of Health phone: 651-201-4898 lance.bernard@state.mn.us

Secretary Jean Coleman CR Planning, Inc. phone: 612-588-4904 jcoleman@crplanning.com

Treasurer & Conference Advisor Adam Fulton, AICP City of St. Louis Park phone: 952-928-2841 afulton@stlouispark.org

executive committee

Central District Director Crystal Foust, AICP City of Watertown phone: 952-955-2681 cfoust@ci.watertown.mn.us

Southeast District Director Chris Moates MnDOT phone: 651-366-4790 chris.moates@state.mn.us

Southwest District Director Bruce Peterson, AICP City of Willmar phone: 320-235-8311 bpeterson@ci.willmar.mn.us

Northeast District Director Charles Froseth, AICP City of Duluth phone: 218-730-5325 cfroseth@duluthmn.gov

Northwest District Director Wayne Hurley, AICP West Central Initiative phone: 218-739-2239 wayne@wcif.org

Metro District Director Andrew Gitzlaff, LEED AP, AICP Washington County Public Works phone: 651-430-4338 andy.gitzlaff@co.washington.mn.us

directors

Metro District Director Gina Mitchell, AICP Bolton & Menk, Inc. phone: 952-890-0509 ginami@bolton-menk.com

Citizen Planner Director Cathy Waldhauser Golden Valley phone: 763-529-3946 cwald@bitstream.net

APA MN Past President Carolyn Braun, AICP City of Anoka phone: 763-576-2722 cbraun@ci.anoka.mn.us

Metro District Director Suzanne Rhees, AICP MnDNR Parks and Trails Division phone: 651-259-5586 suzanne.rhees@state.mn.us

directors

Faculty Liaison Carissa Schively Slotterback, PhD, AICP Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs phone: 612-626-3193 cschively@umn.edu

Minnesota Design Team Liaison Sam O’Connell, AICP Dakota County phone: 952-891-7105 sam.oconnell@co.dakota.mn.us

other representatives

Awards Committee Chair Breanne Rothstein, AICP City of Minnetrista phone: 952-241-2522 brothstein@ci.minnetrista.mn.us

Legislative Committee Co-Chair Andrew Mack Greater Bemidji Area Joint Planning Board phone: 218-759-3582 andrew.mack@jpbgba.org

committee chairs

Legislative Committee Co-Chair Bob Patton, AICP Mn Dept. of Agriculture/EQB phone: 651-201-6226 rtpatton@aol.com

Professional Development Officers: Jane Kansier, AICP City of Prior Lake phone: 952-447-9812 jkansier@cityofpriorlake.com Rita Trapp, AICP, LEED AP Hoisington Koegler Group, Inc. phone: 612-252-7135 rita@hkgi.com

committee chairs

Leadership Directory

Chapter Administrators Otto and Peggy Schmid 9288 Beverly Drive, Breezy Point, MN 56472 phone: 888-882-5369 mnapa@buffleheadweb.net

national officers

APA Representative Cynthia Bowen, AICP cbowen@rwa.com AICP Region IV Representative Lee Brown, FAICP lbrown@teskaassociates.com

Web Designer Jennifer Salita Idea Park phone: 612-226-3316 jennifersalita@gmail.com

Legislative Education Coordinator Thomas Jensen, AICP Circle Pines phone: 763-780-4839 thomashjensen@aol.com

chapter contact information

Student Director Lyssa Leitner Hubert H Humphrey Institute phone: 651-245-8362 leit0056@umn.edu

Networking Committee Chair Loren Gordon, AICP City of Minnetonka phone: 952-939-8296 lgordon@eminnetonka.com

Law and Planning Committee Chair Cynthia Kirchoff, Esq, AICP Carlson & Associates, Ltd. phone: 651-287-8640 ckirchoff@carlsonassoc.com

Planning Minnesota Editors Bob and Kate Garwood phone: 763-862-4230 newsletter@mnapa.com

MACPZA Liaison Mark Erickson Renville County Govt. Services Center phone: 320-523-3768 mark_e@co.renville.mn.us

Program Committee Chair Mark Grimes, AICP City of Golden Valley phone: 763-593-8097 mgrimes@goldenvalleymn.gov

Conference Co-Chair La Tisha Birkeland City of Waconia phone: 952-442-3110 latisha_birkeland@yahoo.com

Conference Co-Chair Tim Gladhill City of Ramsey phone: 763-576-4308 tgladhill@ci.ramsey.mn.us

Conference Advisor Bryan Gadow, AICP City of Wayzata phone: 952-404-5312 bgadow@wayzata.org

Vice-President Trisha Rosenfeld City of Belle Plaine Phone: 952-873-5406 trisharosenfeld@msn.com

Planners Emeriti Liason Gene Franchett, AICP phone: 952-322-2664 franchett@charter.net

Student Representative Hillary Holmes Hubert H Humphrey Institute phone: 678-362-0518 holme315@umn.edu