By Patrick Tepoorten

The Rush City Council has scheduled Feb. 7 to attend a meeting of the cityís planning commission to discuss and review the cityís comprehensive plan, which is currently in the process of being completed.

An ambitious project, Rush Cityís comprehensive plan will include community characteristics, demographic trends, land use, housing, transportation, sewer, drinking water, buildings and services, and an inventory of park land.

The things that appeal to residents will also be considered when fashioning the comprehensive plan, and a survey has shown that residents list ìsmall town atmosphereî and ìpace of lifeî as the two best aspects of residing in Rush City.

Participants in subsequent studies have revealed that most would prefer to see a ìslow growthî approach to development in Rush City. And, although some would prefer a more moderate growth rate, very few would like to see ìfast growth.î

The desire for some growth by residents of Rush City is further broken down into types of growth, with most surveyed articulating a desire to see more retail and food service growth.

According to the comp plan, Rush City has grown by over 40 percent in the last decade, although that is in part due to the construction of the prison within the cityís boundary. Despite that growth, Rush City has actually declined in the percentage of the Chisago County population that resides there.

Since 1970, Rush City has gone from boasting roughly 6.5 percent of the county population to 5.1 percent today. Over that time, the county population has more than doubled, from 17,492 to 41,101.

The State Demographers Office expects that the county will continue to grow to a population of 69,000 by the year 2030. That is an increase of around 70 percent in a little more than 20 years.

The comprehensive plan breaks down possible population increases three different ways. If Rush City is expected to grow at a rate that will continue to reflect the five percent of county population that the city enjoys now, Rush City would have a little over 3,000 residents by the year 2030.

If, however, Rush Cityís future growth can be determined using its average growth per year over the last decade, its 2020 population would be around 6,900.Using averages going back 30 years and that projected figure once again drops to just over 4,000.

A summary of the various methods used to produce growth data produces the figure of 5,155 projected growth between 2000 and 2020.

In the area of land use, 28.8 percent of Rush City is currently listed as residential, with around 4 percent dedicated to commercial development, with industrial use lands comprising 7.5 percent.

In all cases, the comprehensive plan calls for the city to ìin-fill,î that is, focus on developing vacant lands already in the water/sewer service area. Some of the areas specifically mentioned are the fairgrounds, the Land Oí Lakes site, the general business district, and areas along north Hwy. 361, to name a few.

Still, the comprehensive plan recognizes the need the city will have to increase the amount of land serviceable by the year 2020, to accommodate the expected growth. It surmises that the city may need up to 188 additional acres to accommodate commercial/industrial growth in that time frame, although it notes that there are many factors to consider, like interest rates, inflation, and gas prices, to name a few, and all can have a significant impact on growth forecasts.

What the comprehensive plan will attempt to do in the coming months is factor in the overall growth picture while maintaining the quality of life that residents have come to enjoy. To that end, the plan will attempt to adhere to some basic principles, like the retention of the cityís character, continuing the idea that people should have places to gather in the downtown area, maintaining a balanced tax base, and becoming proactive on the subject of future growth.

Areas targeted for growth within the city have been broken down into six separate districts, with varying goals depending on land use and topography.

In order to maintain good relationships with neighboring jurisdictions as well as accommodating growth, Rush City will be encouraged to cooperate with both Rushseba and Nessel townships to create joint annexation agreements.

One area of concern for Rush City is its poverty level, which is consistently 5 percent higher than other areas of the county. With that in mind, the comprehensive plan will call for attention to be paid to affordable housing. To date, demonstrates the plan, ìit appears rental housing needs identified have not yet been addressed.î

With all of the expected growth, the city is being encouraged to address transportation issues as part of the comprehensive plan. The addition of an interchange at CR-7 and I-35, and a possible widening and re-routing of CR-7 were both mentioned, as are some improvements to pedestrian facilities.

Perhaps the most urgent situation the city needs to address is its wastewater treatment facility. The comprehensive plan encourages the city to maximize current capacity with an eye toward substantive improvements in the future.

Rush City will be attempting to reach a consensus and forge resolves on all of these issues and more before the comprehensive plan is scheduled to be complete in March.

ï In other Rush City news, the city approved the purchase of an ìassistive voter technology machineî and a table to support it. The machine will be used in future elections and is designed to provide privacy for disabled residents. According to City Administrator Daniel Hoffman, the machine is so user friendly that a resident who is both blind and deaf should be able to utilize the machine without assistance. The cost for the machine is expected to be less than $1,000.

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