Thrive MSP 2040

Metropolitan Council is responsible for developing the comprehensive development guide for the seven-county metro area (now expanded to include statistical data from 16 counties around eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin).

This guide, Thrive MSP 2040, "establishes the policy foundation used to complete regional systems and policy plans, development policies, and implementation strategies that then make up the comprehensive development guide." This guide assists each municipality in updating their local Comprehensive Plan to be "consistent, compatible and coordinated" with the regional system plans and with neighboring municipalities. In this way, local visions can be achieved within the overall metro system plans and will help ensure "efficient and cost-effective regional infrastructure."

The Systems Plans that each local government must work within are:

•  Transportation  •  Water Resources  •  Regional Parks  •  Housing.

The five Thrive Outcomes that each local government must address in their next Comprehensive Plan are: Stewardship  ℘  Prosperity  ℘  Equity  ℘  Livability  ℘  Sustainability.

Afton's Planning Commission and City Council continually strive to consider these outcomes, and more, when examining changes to its Comprehensive Plan or ordinances and in making tough decisions that affect not only the residents of Afton, but those in the St. Croix River corridor, in adjacent communities, in the metro area, and the Midwest in general.