Welcome to the City of Arlington

Comprehensive Plan Update

Home Page

The City Council approved the initiation of a Comprehensive Plan update at the November 2nd, 2007 meeting. Mayor James Kreft spearheaded initiation of the Comprehensive Plan update as part of his 2008 goals for the City.

       The Comprehensive Plan will guide the overall future growth and redevelopment of the City of Arlington. Ultimately the Comprehensive Plan will reflect a vision for the City through 2030. 

      A Comprehensive Plan Update Task Force has been formed to facilitate development of the updated plan. The City has also selected a consulting firm, Municipal Development Group (MDG, Inc.) of New Prague, to lead the process which includes 18 public meetings.

  The City has specifically directed the scope of the Comprehensive Plan to address land use, housing, transportation, parks/trails/recreation, community utilities/facilities/services and economic development.  

      The Comprehensive Plan update is expected to take about a year to complete. For more information please contact the City or Municipal Development Group at 888-763-4462 or  Cynthia Smith Strack at cstrack@municipaldevelopmentgroup.com

Comp Plan Update Task Force

James R. Kreft - Mayor

Curt Reetz - City Council representative

Michael Vrklan - City Council representative

Matt Jaunich - City Administrator

Denny Schultz - EDA Director

Dwight Grabitske - Planning & Zoning representative

Darin Mielke - Planning & Zoning representative

Michelle Battcher - Parks Board representative

Trisha Rosenfeld - EDA representative

Holly Kreft - At large representative

Anne Karl - At large representative

Peter Arneson - at large representative

Citizen participation at a recent Comprehensive Planning Update meeting

SWOT Meeting Results Released

Arlington, Minnesota:  Wednesday, December 19, 2007

City elected and appointed officials and members of the public recently conducted strength, weakness, opportunity and threat (SWOT) analysis in conjunction with the Arlington Comprehensive Plan update. The analysis helped identify key internal and external factors important to achieving desired outcomes resulting from the City’s comprehensive planning process. Strengths and weaknesses are internal factors under the community’s control; opportunities and threats are factors outside of the community’s control. Preliminary results from the analysis have been released.  View SWOT results.

 One critical issue identified was preserving rural atmosphere. Most SWOT participants identified the preservation, protection and enhancement of Main Street as integral to retaining Arlington’s small town atmosphere. Medical, elder-care, and school facilities were highly valued strengths and long-term issues critical to maintaining and strengthening the local economy and attracting new residents.  SWOT participants classified park facilities, trails and education regarding value of natural resources and open space planning as internal issues at the core of enhancing quality of life locally. Wind energy repeatedly showed up as both an opportunity and a weakness for the community indicating it will be a substantial community issue over the next several years.  Those participating in the SWOT analysis noted the cost of fuel, the cost of housing and perpetuation of groundwater quality were threats to the community. The general aging of the population, youth leaving the community and geographic location were identified as external factors posing both an opportunity and threat to the future of the community.  Complete results of the SWOT analysis are available at the City’s website: www.arlingtonmn.com. If you would like to become active in planning for the City’s future please make plans to attend a community meeting on Monday, January 14th at 7 p.m. at the community center. You may also complete a written survey which is available at the City website or by stopping at the City offices.

For more information please contact the City or the comprehensive plan update facilitator, Cynthia Smith-Strack with Municipal Development Group at 888-763-4462.

City’s Future Subject of Meeting

Arlington, Minnesota:  Wednesday, December 19, 2007

What do you want living, working and relaxing in Arlington post-2030 to be like? What’s the same, what has changed? How did that happen? These are questions City leaders and the public are answering through a series of public meetings held as part of the City’s Comprehensive Planning process. The Comprehensive Planning process commenced in late November 26th when elected and appointed officials and members of the public conducted strength, weakness, opportunity and threat analysis.

The future of Arlington will also be the subject of a community meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday, January 14th at the Community Center. Everyone living, working or recreating in the Arlington area is invited and encouraged to attend. Arlington Mayer James Kreft says “The meeting on January 14th is an opportunity for people to come together, take a look at the area and work together to chart the future course of Arlington.”

The meeting on January 14th will feature small group discussion and participation in a visual preference survey. Topics addressed will include future land use in growth areas, attracting redevelopment investment in areas needing sprucing up and protecting stable neighborhoods. Recreational opportunities, parks and community services will also be addressed. City Administrator Matthew Jaunich says “Linking the present and future of Arlington requires hard work and broad-based input from the community. This meeting is not about wishful thinking, it’s about how we make our community’s desired future a reality.” Mayor Kreft adds “Every community member may have different interests and opinions, but we all interact in a common area. Therefore, everyone has a stake and interest in making our shared community the type of area we want.”

If you’re interested in participating but are unable to attend the January meeting, you can access more information at the City’s website: www.arlingtonmn.com. Regular updates and draft elements of the Comprehensive Plan will be available for downloading so check back often. You may also complete a written survey which is available from the website or by stopping at the City offices.

For more information please contact the City or the comprehensive plan update facilitator, Cynthia Smith-Strack with Municipal Development Group at 888-763-4462.