Comprehensive Plan means a compilation of policy statements, goals, standards, and maps for guiding the physical, social and economic development, both private and public, of the municipality and its environs, including air space and sub surface areas, and may include, but is not limited to, the following:  statements of policies, goals, standards, a land use plan, a community facilities plan, a transportation plan, and recommendations for plan execution. A Comprehensive Plan represents the planning agency's recommendations for the Future development of the community (Minnesota Statutes Annotated, 1983, Section 462.352, Subdivision 5).

 

This Comprehensive Plan is a statement of what the community of North Branch wants to become. It is a set of goals and policies designed to achieve a community wide “vision” that is based upon a series of community defined “guiding principles.”  The plan is based on a composition of concepts, patterns and relationships that deal with integrating the social aspects of a community with its physical development. Unlike the zoning ordinance, the comprehensive plan is futuristic in that it guides decisions that have yet to be made. The word “comprehensive” in itself provides meaning to the plan: it deals with the whole community and not just the parts.