In its simplest form, the comp plan can be thought of as the city’s “instruction book.” But in reality, it’s much more than that. It’s a reflection of the community’s social and economic values and is used as the vision and policy guide for development in Shoreview. It contains the following information:

• Inventory of the community’s characteristics,
• Analysis of how those characteristics are changing
• A vision of what the community wants to look like 20 or more years in the future.

The Metropolitan Council sets the basic requirements for what a comp plan must include. Shoreview’s comprehensive plan update must address six plan elements including:

• Land use
• Transportation
• Water resources
• Parks
• Housing
• Implementation

The Metropolitan Council also recommends addressing economic competitiveness and resilience. View their local planning handbook for more information. 

By law, Shoreview’s comprehensive plans must be consistent with Thrive MSP 2040. This is the Metropolitan Council’s policy document that guides development in the metropolitan region over the next 30 years.  Comp plans must also align with the Metropolitan Council’s regional system and policy plans.  The system plans outline regional policy on:

• Transportation,
• Water resources,
• Parks and open space
• Housing

The system plans are updated after each census to address projected growth in population, households and jobs in the metro area.

By law, cities, counties, and townships in the seven-county metro region need to update their comp plans every ten years.  Shoreview’s comp plan was last updated in 2018.

The comp plan is about the future.

• Long-term vision
• How and where the city will grow and change over next 20 years to accommodate expected population and grown

The zoning code is about what is allowed today.

• How land can be used and what can be built today
• Zones are more specific
• Zones have set rules in the development code
• How buildings may be developed or changed (maximum heights and setbacks from property lines)

The comp plan land use map and zoning map are like a leader and a follower. The plan map is a long-range map saying what may be allowed in the future, while the zoning map says what is allowed now.

Policy development areas are a tool the city uses to identify areas that may have potential to redevelop in the future. The future land use map, map 4.3, shows these areas.

Contact information

Niki Hill, AICP, economic development coordinator
651-490-4658 | Email Niki