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 to guide housing, transit, land use, parks and water planning through 2050. The motion adopted the plan, the local forecast through 2050 (appendix A), consolidated public comment reports posted with the agenda, and authorized staff to make non‑substantive edits and publish the final documents for local governments and public users.

Council members praised the engagement process and staff work. Council Member Littleton said the process "was something really special" and highlighted efforts to center resident voices and develop equity frameworks. Council Member Johnson described a substantive discussion at the Community Development Committee about density and said, "we did land at 3.5 and that is what is being moved today," referring to the committee compromise on a numeric density parameter discussed during committee deliberations.

Several council members singled out the role of advisory groups in shaping the plan, including input from the American Indian Advisory Council. Staff described changes made in response to public input, including adjustments to local forecasts, modifications to some transitway project references, and updated objective language across plan chapters.

The council also directed next steps: staff will publish an interactive web version of Imagine 2050, develop a local planning handbook and related materials to help local governments during comprehensive plan updates, and pursue internal implementation efforts to align council divisions with the plan. Chair Zelle said the council will schedule a Committee of the Whole to discuss implementation roles and timelines.

Votes at a glance: The council recorded several additional formal approvals during the same meeting by voice vote (exact tallies were not recorded in the meeting transcript):

- Adopt Imagine 2050, including consolidated public comment reports and local forecast through 2050 (motion moved by Council Member Zillicker; seconded by Council Member Littleton); outcome: approved (voice vote; exact tally not specified).

- Establish the Regional Parks and Trails Planning Handbook as an administrative guide and adopt the attached handbook; authorize staff to make administrative updates and return any updates affecting implementing agency action to the council (motion moved by Council Member Bellegra; seconded; outcome: approved; voice vote; exact tally not specified).

- Authorize a Notice of Funding Availability for the Community Tree Planting Grant Program tied to a 2024 legislative appropriation of $2,500,000 and to be used by June 2026 (motion moved by Council Member Loewick; seconded; outcome: approved; voice vote; exact tally not specified).

- Approve updates to the council’s adopted zero-emission bus transition plan for submittal to the Minnesota State Legislature consistent with Minnesota Statute 473.3927 (motion moved by Council Member Barber; seconded; outcome: approved; voice vote; exact tally not specified).

- Approve Metropolitan Council member committee assignments as recommended by the chair (motion moved and seconded; outcome: approved; voice vote; exact tally not specified).

What the council did not do: The meeting record shows discussion and public comment on other matters (for example, a public comment about Nicollet Mall bus service), but no council action on that topic during this meeting.

Clarifying details: The tree planting program description in the meeting cites a $2,500,000 legislative appropriation with an available use deadline of June 2026; the zero-emission bus plan updates were approved for submittal to the Minnesota Legislature by Feb. 15, 2025, as required by Minnesota Statute 473.3927; staff reported over 3,000 stakeholder comments informed the Transportation Policy Plan development prior to the formal public process; the parks handbook will be updated on a regular cycle (staff stated a 4‑year update cadence for that handbook); and the plan adoption includes the local forecast through 2050 shown in Appendix A of the vision, values and goals component.

Ending: Council Chair Zelle and staff asked members and observers to regard adoption as the start of implementation work; staff will publish the final plan and local planning materials and the council will convene further meetings, including a Committee of the Whole, to discuss implementation timing and roles.