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Legislature passes law protecting Minneapolis 2040 Plan • Minnesota Reformer [1]

['Madison Mcvan', 'Michelle Griffith', 'Lia Chien', 'Max Nesterak', 'More From Author', '- May', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline']

Date: 2024-06 

The Minneapolis 2040 Plan, which sought to end single-family zoning citywide and improve housing affordability, could move forward without the threat of continued environmental lawsuits.

A couple paragraphs tucked into a 1400-page bill passed in the waning hours of the 2024 legislative session exempts comprehensive plans — which are guiding documents for cities’ zoning and land use — from environmental review. The law applies retroactively to the most recent comprehensive plans created in the seven-county metro area, including the Minneapolis 2040 Plan, which has been stymied in recent years by environmental lawsuits.

Individual projects, like new apartment buildings, would still be subject to environmental review.

The bill now awaits the governor’s signature.

The bill was one of many priorities for housing advocates this session, but was one of just a handful of housing bills to cross the finish line. Other bills that would have implemented aspects of the 2040 Plan to the entire state — including ending single-family zoning, limiting parking mandates and encouraging dense housing development in commercial areas and along transit routes — received backing from a wide range of stakeholders but did not move forward after opposition from DFL leadership.

The Minneapolis City Council approved the 2040 Plan in 2018 and changed zoning ordinances in line with the plan. A lawsuit by environmental organizations Smart Growth Minneapolis and Minnesota Citizens for the Protection of Migratory Birds blocked the plan and associated zoning changes from September 2023 until May 13, when a judge reversed the injunction.

The law passed Sunday night is a compromise between environmental groups, which seek to protect the integrity of the Minnesota Environmental Rights Act, and city governments, including Minneapolis, which want all comprehensive plans statewide to be exempt from environmental review.

Sierra Club North Star Chapter led the charge on behalf of environmentalists to reinstate the 2040 Plan, on the grounds that increased housing density in cities is beneficial to the environment by preventing suburban sprawl.

A Pew study of the 2040 Plan found that it increased housing supply and moderated housing costs from 2019 to 2022.

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[1] Url: https://minnesotareformer.com/briefs/legislature-passes-law-protecting-minneapolis-2040-plan/

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