Environmental Assessment of Housing Land Use Plans: Valley Branch and Trout Brook Watersheds, Washington County, Minnesota

Abstract

Washington County requested housing land use plans for Valley Branch and Trout Brook Watersheds. Two plans were developed; the first plan accommodates 2,402 new households and meets the Metropolitan Council’s projections for 2030. The second plan accommodates 9,608 households, which is a quadrupling of the Met Council’s projections for the same time period. Development in this area may exceed current projections if Washington County becomes a major employment center or if other areas of the Twin Cities lose their desirability to continue expanding. This report is designed to support Washington County’s development of an ecologically compatible urban plan.