Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Comprehensive Plan topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Dayton council weighs Met Council draft that would raise suburban-edge density to four units per acre
Summary
Council heard a planner’s briefing on Metropolitan Council draft policies that recategorize Dayton as a suburban-edge community and call for planning at roughly 4 units per acre; staff urged coordinated city comments before the Oct. 7 public-comment deadline.
Speaker 8, the city planner, told the Dayton City Council on Sept. 24 that the Metropolitan Council’s draft policy statements class Dayton as a suburban-edge community and asks cities to plan for roughly 4 housing units per acre.
“Right now, with the draft policy statements that came out in August, there’s a public comment period that runs until October 7,” Speaker 8 said, noting Met Council approval of policies is expected in February. The planner said the draft increases required residential density compared with Dayton’s current guidance and described how the Met Council calculates net acreage and assigns affordable-housing need.
The planner explained that the city’s allocation of affordable-housing need would change under Met Council forecasts: “The 2040 comprehensive plan assigned about 1,200 units; that’s changed … I believe it’s 250,” Speaker 8 said, summarizing information staff received from the regional agency. He added the Met Council’s population forecast and a shorter decade-based planning horizon will affect how the city stages sewer extensions and where higher-density zoning is likely to be expected.
Councilmembers pressed staff on next steps and options. Speaker 3 said she had already submitted comments online and urged a group review: “I think we should talk about it more, because I’m sure I’m not covering everything that is inconsistent,” she said. Other council members raised concerns that areas the city intends to leave unsewered or in permanent open space could be counted against Dayton’s density allocation, and asked staff to seek clarification from Met Council staff about how conserved land and green corridors will be treated in net acreage calculations.
Speaker 8 recommended that staff prepare a draft city comment for review by Oct. 4 so the council can submit an official city comment before the Oct. 7 deadline. Councilmembers agreed to use the planning commission as a review forum if more discussion is needed and to encourage residents to submit individual comments through the Met Council’s online tool.
What’s next: Staff will prepare draft comment language and circulate it to council members by Oct. 4 for possible submission to the Met Council before the public-comment period closes on Oct. 7.
