MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A new proposal aims to make Minneapolis taller, greener and more equitable.
Officials released the first draft of the Minneapolis 2040 plan on Thursday, Minnesota Public Radio reports . It has policy recommendations about housing, transportation, economic development, public health, the arts and the environment.
Created by the city’s Community Planning and Economic Development agency, the plan aims to make the city more urban with denser housing and more public transportation. The Metropolitan Council estimates an additional 700,000 people will move to the Twin Cities over the next two decades.
Minneapolis officials also want to focus on investing in historically underfunded areas of the city and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The draft plan proposes changing current zoning laws to allow for taller buildings in more areas. The city also hopes to create more mixed-income developments to help address the current housing shortage and the racial disparities found in income and home ownership.
The plan calls for decisions that would prioritize pedestrians, followed by bicycles, then public transit and then cars. The move aims to reduce congestion and greenhouse gases.
The proposal would also lift a requirement that forces developers to provide parking spaces for tenants.
Officials are gathering public comment on the plan until July 22. They hope to submit a version to City Council and the Metropolitan Council by the end of the year. City officials would then use the plan when considering building proposals, transit projects and creating public programs.
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Information from: Minnesota Public Radio News, http://www.mprnews.org
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