Metropolitan Council adopts Imagine 2050 regional development guide, directs staff to publish and begin implementation

The Metropolitan Council on Feb. 12, 2025, voted to adopt Imagine 2050, the agency’s long-range regional development guide, and authorized staff to finalize the plan for publication, produce a local planning handbook and begin implementation work with member jurisdictions.

Council Chair Charlie Zelle said the adoption marks "a culmination, but it's a beginning," and the council approved the plan by voice vote after staff presented the plan’s development and the public engagement that shaped it.

Staff presenters told the council the plan reflects years of internal collaboration and substantial external engagement. Lisa Manajas, executive director of the council’s Community Development division, said the effort began in 2017 and used cross-divisional teams and multiple advisory groups; Charles Carlson, executive director for Metropolitan Transportation Services, and Lisa Thompson, general manager for Environmental Services, also addressed the council during the presentation. Carlson noted that the Transportation Policy Plan portion of Imagine 2050 had benefitted from advisory working groups and technical committees and that staff received over 3,000 stakeholder comments during development of the transportation elements prior to the formal public process.

Nut graf: The council’s adoption of Imagine 2050 supersedes prior iterations of the regional plans and includes a regional vision, values and cross-cutting goals intended…