Bloomington's next comprehensive plan now has a rough shape, and planning staff are showing it to the city's boards. On Oct. 20 they gave the Port Authority a draft vision statement, 6 strategic priorities and 3 guiding principles meant to run through all of it: equity, sustainability and livability. Staff said the drafts come from this summer's outreach. That added up to 646 interactions at 15 events, plus 489 six-word-story postcards and 172 survey responses. The joint Human Rights and Sustainability commissions were scheduled to hear the same presentation that evening.
City of Bloomington@CityofBloomingtonMNPlanning staff walk the Port Authority through the draft vision, priorities and guiding principles, and the outreach numbers behind them.10/20
Why it matters: State law requires every city in the 7-county metro area to update its comprehensive plan every 10 years. Bloomington's current plan, Forward 2040, was adopted Aug. 5, 2019. The city projects about 13,000 more residents by 2050, for a total of about 103,400. The new plan covers land use, housing, transportation, water and natural areas, climate and business support. In other words, this is where Bloomington decides where those people will live and how they'll get around.
How we got here: The public kickoff was May 20, with a launch event at Bryant Park from 6 to 7:30 p.m. An online event followed. Staff then spent the summer tabling at community events and gathering six-word stories.
City of Bloomington@CityofBloomingtonMNStaff tell the Planning Commission about the plan's two launch events, starting with Bryant Park on May 20.05/07
The plan is already shaping other decisions. At the Sept. 28 council meeting, a staff member said some of the plan's recommendations may involve rezoning an area zoned FD-2. Either way, staff said, the city wouldn't want to create a long list of nonconformities.
City of Bloomington@CityofBloomingtonMNA staff member tells the council the 2050 plan could bring rezoning to an FD-2 area, so the city doesn't want to create nonconformities now.09/28
In October the drafts started making the rounds of city boards. On Oct. 13 the HRA took up the plan as a discussion item, not an action. On Oct. 14 the Parks, Arts and Recreation Commission gave it 30 minutes, twice as long as anything else on its agenda. The Port Authority and the joint Human Rights and Sustainability commissions followed on Oct. 20.
City of Bloomington@CityofBloomingtonMNThe HRA finishes its votes and opens the 2050 plan update as a discussion item, with no action to take.10/13
Public health is next. The Advisory Board of Health has set aside 25 minutes on Oct. 27 for a Bloomington 2050 presentation from Tracy Smith, the city's community outreach and engagement coordinator. It shares the agenda with a 50-minute update on mental health and substance use.
What's at stake now: the vision and priorities are still drafts. The city says Phase 2 opens in early 2027, when it will finalize the strategic priorities and guiding principles. Phase 3, in summer and fall 2027, gathers input on goals and strategies. After that comes review of the draft plan, then adoption by the council. The land-use and zoning specifics will show up in those later phases.
The calendar: The Advisory Board of Health meets Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 6 p.m. in the McLeod Conference Room on the first floor of Civic Plaza. You can attend in person, on Microsoft Teams or by phone. The Planning Commission canceled its Oct. 15 meeting and takes up the plan Thursday, Oct. 29, at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers. First on that agenda is the commission's yearly check that the 2027-2036 Combined 10-Year Capital Improvement Plan, the city's planned spending on streets, pipes and buildings, fits the current comprehensive plan. The 2050 update comes after that. Staff had also mentioned a study item on setbacks, but it isn't on the posted agenda.
If you want a say before anyone draws zoning maps, the city is still taking six-word stories on its Let's Talk Bloomington page for the plan. Questions can go to Planning Supervisor Dakota Kastenday at [email protected] or to the Planning Division at 952-563-8920. We'll keep updating this story as the plan moves.
From the meetings: Port Authority Meeting, October 20, 2026 and Planning Commission Meeting, October 1, 2026.
