An Assessment of Community Planning for Mass Transit, Volume 7: Minneapolis-St. Paul Case Study Page: 21
This report is part of the collection entitled: Office of Technology Assessment and was provided to UNT Digital Library by the UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
has been provided with a means by which disputes
can be settled at the regional level.
The Council was authorized in its enacting
legislation to prepare and adopt a comprehensive
development guide for the metropolitan area
encompassing physical, social, and economic needs
of the area. It is further authorized to review all
long-term comprehensive plans for the
metropolitan area, and if the Council determines
that such plans have "metropolitan significance," it
has the power to temporaril,set aside the plans.
More specifically, in order to implement plans the
Metropolitan Council has the further powers to:
* Review and comment on comprehensive
plans of local governments which are
required to subm-it such plans.
* Review and comment on metropolitan
interstate and State trunk highway
proposals.
* Review and comment on Federal aid
applications, including those for transit
planning or development where such
review is required by Federal law or a
Federal agency.
* Veto grant applications of local
governments for open space land acquisi
tion if the project is not in accord with
established priorities.
* Operate a metropolitan sanitary sewer and
disposal plant system through a subor
dinate board appointed by the
Metropolitan Council.
* Operate an open space program through a
subordinate board appointed by the
Metropolitan Council.
* Regulate the location and use of solid waste
disposal sites.
The Minnesota Legislature is considering the
enactment of a new mandatory planning bill that
would substantially increase the power of the
Metropolitan Council. The new act would require
each of the 189 municipalities and each of the seven
counties to develop a comprehensive plan by July 1,
1979. Each comprehensive plan would include
public facilities, implementation program and
financing, and a land use plan which would be
reviewed by the Metropolitan Council for con
sistency with the metropolitan plan. However, the
Metropolitan Council would first prepare aMetropolitan System Statement by July 1, 1976,
outlining the capacity of each system-parks,
transportation, sewers, and airports. If then in the
determination of the Metropolitan Council a
particular comprehensive plan is not consistent
with metropolitan plans, the Metropolitan Council
could require modification as appropriate. The new
act would permit the Metropolitan Council to seek
court enforcement in order to implement these
review and modification powers.
Municipal control is preserved in all areas except
the four omitted in the Council's System State
ment. The new act is intended to enable the
Metropolitan Council to plan effectively for these
regional systems. To date, this is the strongest
legislation ever seriousl considered by any State or
even debated in any State legislature.
TECHNICAL PLANNING PROCESS
This section evaluates the technical planning
work performed in the two major transit studies in
the Twin Cities area: the Metropolitan Transit
Commission's three-phase, long-range transit
study, beginning in 1968, and the recent (March
1975) Automated Small Vehicle Guideway Systems
Study.
In summary, both studies were well designed and
meet many of the guidelines for a commendable
technical process. No significant criticism of the
technical work has been raised in the public debate
in the Twin Cities region. When a significant
segment of the community concluded the earlier
studies had not adequately investigated the small
vehicle alternative, the legislature responded with a
mandate for the additional study. The current
debate results from disagreement over the level of
service to be provided. The differences of opinion
probably are not susceptible to solution by provi
sion of any additional technical information.
Goals and Objectives
The long-range transit study begun in 1968 was
ahead of its time in that it formalized its goals.
Three major goals were identified in the
Metropolitan Development Guide: "to provide for
ease of movement through the area" and "to
provide for a variety of modes of travel to meet the
needs of different people. " These two goals are
directly related to the third and most important
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This report can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Report.
United States. Congress. Office of Technology Assessment. An Assessment of Community Planning for Mass Transit, Volume 7: Minneapolis-St. Paul Case Study, report, February 1976; [Washington D.C.]. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc39352/m1/26/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.