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St. Anthony outlines outreach plan for 2050 Comprehensive Plan, aims to reach underrepresented residents
Summary
City staff and commissioners discussed formats and audiences for the 2050 Comprehensive Plan outreach, planning an RFP for a consultant, a steering committee structure, and targeted strategies to engage Black, Brown and immigrant communities, youth, and renters.
St. Anthony officials used a June 30 work session to map outreach strategies for the city's 2050 Comprehensive Plan, saying the effort will combine in-person events, targeted focus groups and online mapping tools while seeking a consultant to manage the technical work.
City Planner Steve Grittman, City Manager Charlie Yunker and Assistant City Manager Ashley Morello told the joint session that the Metropolitan Council has supplied initial materials, including a 2025 System Statement, a 2050 Minimum Requirements checklist and forecasts staff will use to draft the plan. Staff said the City's draft must be ready for public review by summer 2028 and adopted by the end of 2028.
"Comprehensive plans are active guidance documents used regularly by cities for routine decision-making," Grittman said, noting the plan will include the 10 required chapters Met Council specifies: land use, housing, transportation, wastewater, water supply, surface water, parks and trails, climate, natural systems and implementation.
Attendees recommended retaining a mix of engagement formats used in the 2040 plan: municipal storefront events that draw high volume, targeted in-person workshops and tabletop exercises, online surveys and an interactive mapping activity. Staff urged avoiding unfamiliar new apps where possible and suggested using direct mailings and QR codes to steer residents to online tools.
Participants emphasized reaching groups that were underrepresented in the last plan process. "We need to connect with Black and Brown communities and immigrant populations that have been hard to reach," a member of the group said, and participants proposed using translation services, outreach materials in multiple languages and volunteer liaisons to broaden participation.
The group also prioritized focused outreach to parents with young children, school-age youth, empty nesters and employees who work in St. Anthony but may not be able to afford to live there, recommending targeted focus groups and tabling at school events.
On technical matters, staff said it is common to hire a consultant to draft the plan and that an RFP will be posted later this year; staff will review proposals, conduct interviews and make a recommendation to the City Council. Staff described a proposed Steering Committee of two council representatives and two representatives from each commission to help guide consultants, with the committee's role limited to advising rather than writing or vetoing the plan.
Council and commission members pressed staff on how to explain the Metropolitan Council's role to residents and whether the City must accept Met Council forecasts. Yunker said the City can question or request documentation for forecasts that seem unreasonable and that there is no automatic penalty if local outcomes differ from Met Council projections, but he emphasized the value of collecting local input regardless of residents' familiarity with the regional body.
The work session concluded with staff committing to prepare the RFP and continue developing engagement options that balance broad participation with deeper, targeted outreach. The meeting adjourned at 6:42 p.m.
