REDWOOD COUNTY, MINNESOTA COMPREHENSIVE PLAN (FINAL DRAFT DOCUMENT) October 15, 2007 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This plan was prepared with input provided by citizens of Redwood County, members of the Redwood County Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee (Redwood County Board and Planning Commission), and Redwood County staff Redwood County Board: - Brian Kletscher (District 1) - John Schueller (District 2) - Al Kokesch (District 3) - Joseph Schouvieller (past District 3) - Bruce Tolzmann (District 4) - Gene Short (District 5) Redwood County Planning Commission: - David Zwach (District 1) - David Moldan (District 2) - John Hogan (District 3) - Calvin Jensen (District 4) - William Moldestad (District 5) Staff: - Jon Mitchell, Director Environmental Office - Brian Green, Environmental Officer - Brent Lang, Drainage Inspector - Brian Sams, Recycling Coordinator - Gail Prokosch, Office Assistant - Patty Vollmer, Office Assistant Redwood County Comprehensive Plan Page i TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ...........................................................1 What is a Comprehensive Plan .......................................1 What is the Authority of a Comprehensive Plan...............1 How Should the Comprehensive Plan be Used ................1 Process for Developing the Plan .....................................2 Approach to Plan Development ......................................5 Redwood County History ...............................................7 THE EARTH ...................................................................9 Natural Environment .....................................................9 Geology, Soils, and Topography.....................................9 Major Watersheds and Drainage Basins ........................ 11 Overview of Agricultural Land Cover............................. 14 Enjoyment of the Natural Environment ................... 16 BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND THE ECONOMY ...............19 Community Facilities and Services ..................... 19 Transportation System..................................... 21 Economic Conditions........................................ 29 DEMOGRAPHIC AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC FORECASTS ................................................ 37 Population...................................................... 37 Employment and Income.................................. 41 Housing ......................................................... 43 Educational Attainment .................................... 45 COMMUNITY-IDENTIFIED ISSUES AND VISION ...................................................... 47 Key Areas of Input .......................................... 47 Findings from the Interviews ............................ 47 Findings from the Kick-Off Meeting.................... 48 Vision for Redwood County’s Future .................. 49 Redwood County Comprehensive Plan Page ii TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) LAND USE ...................................................................51 Existing Land Use........................................................ 51 Zoning District Overview.............................................. 52 Land Use Issues to Address in the Plan ........................ 54 Landscape and Land Use Zones ................................... 73 IMPLEMENTATION .....................................................87 General Land Use and Growth Policies.......................... 87 Objectives to Guide Land Use, Growth, and Development......................................................... 88 Redwood County Comprehensive Plan Page iii Redwood County Comprehensive Plan Page iv INTRODUCTION WHAT IS A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN? WHAT IS THE AUTHORITY OF A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN? A comprehensive plan is a document that provides a policy framework to guide land use planning and development activities, The Comprehensive Plan is the legal basis for land use controls. typically over a 20-year period. Unplanned development often The State of Minnesota gives counties authority to adopt results in conflicting, incompatible land uses and undesirable comprehensive plans under Minnesota Statutes Chapter 394. impacts on natural resources. A comprehensive plan, which is Counties exercise authority under this statute to promote the based on community-identified goals, objectives, and visions for “health, safety, morals, and general welfare of a community.” the future, articulates policies that address issues such as: a) Counties may develop a comprehensive plan and implement the type of land use, b) location of land use, and c) intensity plan through a variety of means. This includes adopting official (amount) of land use that can be supported by natural systems controls, such as zoning ordinances, an official zoning map, and and human-made infrastructure systems. other ordinances, as well as establishing incentive programs, educational programs, and changing spending priorities. Land The Redwood County Comprehensive Plan reflects priorities and use ordinances and programs must be consistent with the decisions made by citizens, residents, business owners, and other adopted comprehensive plan. The vision, goals, and policies Redwood County stakeholders over a 23-month planning process. included in the Redwood County Comprehensive Plan will be The Comprehensive Plan identifies a vision for how development implemented through a variety of means. Many implementation and programs will shape Redwood County 20 years hence. A key tools, methods and techniques are included in the plan. These outcome from the Redwood County planning process was tools direct the changes in existing ordinances and the adoption identification of six geographic policy areas, which are referred to of new ordinances and programs. as Landscape and Land Use Zones. The vision for each land use zone is reflected in a series of goals that help identify how the vision becomes reality. The goals are further defined by policies; HOW SHOULD THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN BE intermediate steps that guide the day-to-day decisions of elected USED? and appointed officials charged with overseeing programs, land use regulations, and management of public and private The Comprehensive Plan was developed over 23 months. Work resources. Finally, the plan provides a series of recommended on Redwood County’s vision, goals, and policies does not, strategies with which County officials and staff can bring the however, end with the plan. The plan is the foundation for the vision closer to reality. The strategies identify the priority day-to-day activities of County officials and staff and should be a actions, programs, regulations, ordinances, and cooperative highly used reference, as it will provide justification for specific efforts that can be implemented to achieve the policies, goals, actions. Elected officials, appointed officials, and County staff and the vision. should have easy access to the plan and should explicitly reference it in land use decisions. Yet, the plan must also live, adapt, and evolve. County officials should periodically review the Introduction Redwood County Comprehensive Plan Page 1 plan’s priorities and check in with residents, businesses, and Based on this process, this document sets forth the goals, stakeholders in order to keep the plan current. Reviews and policies, and suggested strategies to assist Redwood County in updates should be conducted at regular intervals, assessing the achieving its preferred vision. The comprehensive planning County’s progress toward the vision and the validity of the vision process is illustrated on the following page. under unforeseen events and circumstances. Redwood County’s Comprehensive Plan should continue to reflect the community’s As shown in the illustration, the planning process consisted of priorities, to engage the vision of a wide range of stakeholders, three phases, Getting Started, Alternatives Development, and and to provide a meaningful foundation for County actions. Refinement. Phase 1, Getting Started included: PROCESS FOR DEVELOPING THE PLAN • Establishing a Steering Committee (the Steering In preparing this update to the 1970 Redwood County Committee was developed to include the County Board Comprehensive Plan, conducting one-on-one interviews with and the County Planning Commission.) community stakeholders was the first step. Twenty-eight (28) • Collecting background data interviews were conducted over a three-day period between • Conducting interviews with stakeholders December 12 and 14, 2005. Stakeholders who were interviewed • Conducting a physical reconnaissance of the county included county and township officials and agency staff, business • Facilitating a March 9, 2006 kick-off meeting where people, farmers and economic development professionals. planning issues were identified and information was provided to define a vision for the future and A meeting was held on Wednesday, December 14 with members • goals and objectives to guide land use and future growth of the County Board and Planning Commission to discuss findings and development from two days of outreach and gauge their priorities. In addition, board members and commissioners were canvassed to collect Phase 2, Alternatives Development, was conducted after pictorial and other data outside of Redwood Falls. The purpose background research was completed on the county’s demography of this exercise was to collect preliminary data to guide and socio-economics trends (population, household, and income development of the new plan. data taken from the US Census), existing land use patterns, transportation system, park and open space