Moorhead Comprehensive & Growth Area Plan Updates

After receiving a unanimous recommendation for approval by the Planning Commission, the City Council adopted the Comprehensive Plan Addendum on November 9, 2009. The plan includes an updated City Vision, updated development concepts for the south and east growth areas, Downtown infill and redevelopment framework plans, and seven strategic initiatives.  Strategic initiatives identify how the Plan is to be implemented by posing recommendations for public and private actions to achieve the City's Vision. The initiatives include:

1. Use the Growth Area Plan to Guide Development Decisions
2. Downtown/Infill Redevelopment Area Framework Plans
3. Flood Risk Reduction
4. Support the Active in Moorhead Partnership
5. Adopt a "Complete Streets" Design Philosophy
6. Planning in a time of Economic Distress
7. Growth Management

The Comprehensive Plan Addendum is posted on the “Materials” page of this website.

When: November 4, 2009

Time: Public Open House - 4 p.m.  &  Public Hearing - 5 p.m.

Where: City Hall, Council Chambers, 500 Center Avenue

What: Draft Comprehensive Plan Addendum available for public comment. 

The plan includes an updated City Vision, updated development concepts for the south and east growth areas, Downtown infill and redevelopment framework plans, and seven strategic initiatives.  Strategic initiatives identify how the Plan is to be implemented by posing recommendations for public and private actions to achieve the City's Vision. The initiatives include:

1. Use the Growth Area Plan to Guide Development Decisions
2. Downtown/Infill Redevelopment Area Framework Plans
3. Flood Risk Reduction
4. Support the Active in Moorhead Partnership
5. Adopt a "Complete Streets" Design Philosophy
6. Planning in a time of Economic Distress
7. Growth Management

The Draft Comprehensive Plan Addendum is posted on the “Materials” page of this website.

Check your Mailbox! 

Active in Moorhead (AIM) has contracted with the North Dakota State Data Center to conduct a scientific survey of Moorhead residents. The survey instrument takes input gathered through the neighborhood meetings a step further to understand how residents want to incorporate activity into their daily routines and what the city can do to help.  The Data Center is mailing out the survey to 1,800 households in Moorhead on Monday, June 15 and is allowing two weeks for respondents to return them. To be statistically significant, the Data Center needs at least 370 completed surveys, but of course, hopes for many more and will include all responses in the analysis. Please fill out a survey, if you get one, and encourage others to complete and return theirs. We want the results to reflect Moorhead's population as a whole.

Save the Date for the Public Forum!
Tuesday, July 21st, 7:00 p.m. at the Hjemkomst Center Auditorium. Please join us to hear preliminary results of the scientific survey and weigh in on a visual preference survey using electronic clickers. Enjoy sandwiches provided by AIM and maybe win a prize!!

National Active Living experts from the National Center for Bicycling and Walking will be in Moorhead to provide new perspectives around walking and biking. Come hear a short presentation and then take a community bike ride or walk!

This event will be held on Monday, June 15th, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m at the Minnesota State University Moorhead's Wellness Center in the Aerobics Room (805 14th St S, Moorhead MN). No Pre-Registration and No Cost! Bring your own bike and helmet. Refreshments will be provided!

For more information, contact Keely Hyland at 299-7180 or keely.hyland@co.clay.mn.us.

The Public Forum scheduled for March 21st has been postponed due to anticipated flooding in the Fargo-Moorhead area. We will post notice here when a new date has selected.

The City of Moorhead expects to have 11 sandbagging stations up and running this afternoon (Friday March 20th) at the following locations: Rivershore Drive N and Miller Drive, 2600 Fairway Drive N, 9th St N and 9th Ave, Elm Street S and 6th Ave, River Drive S and 12th Ave, River Drive S and 14th Ave, Rivershore Drive S and Brookdale Rd, Rivershore Dr S and 32nd Ave, 5th St S and 37th Ave, and Rivershore Dr S and 37th Ave.

The sites will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In addition, a volunteer center will operate Saturday March 21 at Nemzek Hall on the campus of MSU.

Public Forum: On Saturday, March 21, beginning at noon, the city's planning consultants (Bonestroo) will hold a city-wide public forum at the Hjemkomst Center. They plan to conduct a visual preference survey using the electronic clickers and small groups, and to begin setting goals for the future of Moorhead.

Two Active Living Workshops: Walk/bike advocate Mark Fenton will be at a Town Hall Meeting on March 5 to promote active living by design. Michael Ronkin and Dom Nozzi will be here on March 11 to discuss the concept of "complete streets." The Complete Streets Workshop agenda is posted here for more information.

Campus Meeting: Additional meetings are also being held on the college campuses. Meeting participants can weigh in on issues using hand held electronic clickers connected to a computer that instantaneously displays the group's responses. We'll have food and prizes for every meeting. The next meeting will be held at Concordia College on Thursday March 12 from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. A meeting at MSCTC will follow.

Neighborhood Meetings: In late January and early February, a total of 120 residents attended four neighborhood meetings sponsored by AIM to share information and gather input from residents about their neighborhoods. The North Dakota State Data Center is preparing a report summarizing the responses and discussion at the meetings. The report will be available here on this website in mid-March. The full survey responses are currently available on the "Materials" page.

Campus Meetings: Additional meetings are also being held on the college campuses. Meeting participants can weigh in on issues using hand held electronic clickers connected to a computer that instantaneously displays the group's responses. We'll have food and prizes for every meeting. The first meeting was held at 1:00 p.m. on February 26 in Room 203 of the Comstock Memorial Union on the MSUM campus. The next meeting will be held at Concordia College on Thursday March 12 from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. A meeting at MSCTC will follow.

The Moorhead Comprehensive Plan & Growth Area Plan update process officially began on November 25th with a kickoff meeting for the Steering Committee and the Comprehensive Plan Committee (CPC).

The Steering Committee is composed primarily of technical staff: City Staff, active living/public health stakeholders, members of the MetroCOG and representatives of the North Dakota Data Center (who will be conducting a scientific survey as part of the process).  The Comprehensive Plan Committee is composed of the Moorhead Planning Commission.  Both of these groups will review all work products and make recommendations on the plan.

These events have been added to the Calendar, and the agenda for the CPC meeting is available for download.

Welcome to the website for the Moorhead Comprehensive Plan & Southeast Growth Area Plan Update. The planning process will begin soon. Check this page regularly for updates! On this homepage you'll find regular updates about the planning process, notifications about upcoming meetings, and links to materials and maps used during the process. This site will serve as a way for the City and consultants to communicate with the residents, business owners and others interested in the plan. Please take a minute to browse the calendar for an upcoming meeting, take a poll, or start a discussion in the forums.