Chapter 54 Stormwater Ordinance Updates

City of Minneapolis Surface Water & Sewers Department, Minneapolis, MN, 2018-2022

Background
The City of Minneapolis provides stormwater management services through its Surface Water & Sewers Department, operating a variety of programs and policies to protect and improve the environment and natural resources. In 2018, the City finalized an update to its surface water management plan. The revised document placed an emphasis on an integrated management approach of issues and activities, with a goal of ensuring that improvements in any water system would not negatively affect the operation of other systems. To make this a reality, the City needed to update its official controls—City Code Chapter 54, Stormwater Management—to satisfy the request of local water management organizations.

Strengths & Solutions
Serving in a project management role, Young Environmental participated in a qualifications review and selected a consultant to complete a national benchmark study. We coordinated with the selected consultant and developed both the draft ordinance language and the technical findings report that summarized the entire project and documented the science-based decisions made during the project. To help with stakeholder engagement, our team developed an adaptive stakeholder engagement plan and facilitated an interdepartmental meeting and a community and technical advisory partners’ meeting to discuss proposed changes and obtain feedback.

Project Impact
The ordinance was approved by the Minneapolis City Council and was implemented in January 2022. Our team is continuing to work with the City during the implementation phase to oversee this large-scale transition and provide guidance to help internal departments and consultants comply with new guidance. We helped develop a Public Linear Projects Guide to memorialize a path forward for design partners in Minneapolis. Chapter 54 will help ensure that stormwater considerations are at the forefront of ongoing projects, creating even more opportunities for innovative green infrastructure development.

Project Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Stormwater Management, Transportation