What is a Comprehensive Plan

A Comprehensive Plan is a 20-year planning document that guides land use, development, and investment decisions. Minnesota law requires local governments to undertake planning activities and maintain a Comprehensive Plan that is consistent with community goals. The Winona County Comprehensive Plan will analyze existing conditions, develop a clear vision, and establish implementable goals and actions for the County. 

The plan will include the following elements:

Parks and Recreation

Land Use

Comprehensive Land Use Plan vs Comprehensive Plan

A comprehensive land use plan is a long-range planning document that focuses on how land should be used or managed in a city, town, or county. These plans establish land use policies and determine how each parcel in the planning area should be used at the end of the planning horizon (typically 20 years). Comprehensive land use plans are useful tools for zoning and land management decisions, however many counties and municipalities are transitioning away from this structure, and towards the more expansive comprehensive plan structure.

Comprehensive plans have a broader scope than comprehensive land use plans and allow communities to develop a unified vision that encompasses many government services and departments. The comprehensive plan structure (see the graphic at the top of the page), has several key advantages:

• • Land use policies and decisions interact with a variety of other issues and opportunities in Winona County, such as housing, economic development, community facilities, and transportation. By examining all of these topics during the same planning effort, intersectional and impactful goals can be developed that contribute to a unified community vision.
  • The comprehensive plan structure better encompasses the full scope of services provided by Winona County. The creation of community goals and implementation actions that involve multiple County departments and municipalities allows for greater collaboration towards a unified vision.
  • The comprehensive planning process includes robust public involvement that reaches stakeholders across Winona County through community surveys, interactive maps, pop-up events, and open houses. This outreach effort requires the participation of County staff, consultant staff, Winona County residents, and other stakeholders. During public involvement, a variety of community concerns and opportunities are identified. The broad scope of a comprehensive plan allows a variety of community concerns and opportunities to be addressed and incorporated into planning efforts, maximizing the impact of the community input that is gathered.

The ongoing comprehensive plan update will utilize the comprehensive plan structure rather than the comprehensive land use plan structure to best serve the Winona County community.