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<br /> I "ilia <br /> I Summary of Findings 13 <br /> I- I. Housing is a major component of the regional economy and the availability of an <br /> , adequate and diverse supply of housing is a prerequisite to continued economic <br /> development, job creation and prosperity. <br /> I 2. One of the main reasons why the region experienced the success that it did over the past <br /> 20 years was that the original MUSA included a substantial urban land supply. <br /> I Communities in the path of growth were required to prepare and adopt plans for full <br /> urbanization. As a result, the majority of the gro\"th in the region up until 1990 occurred <br /> I at urban densities. <br /> 3. The existing urban land supply is inadequate to accommodate the projected gro\"th of <br /> I 330,000 households to the year 2020. The limited remaining land supply 'within the <br /> MUSA line has caused a significant increase in land prices which directly adds to the cost <br /> , of housing. <br /> Ie 4. Unsewered large lots subdivisions have already consumed 130,486 acres ofland that <br /> could have been economically served by the regional wastewater treatment system and <br /> developed at urban densities. If this area had been developed at a density of2.5 units per <br /> I acre, it could have accommodated 326,215 households, an amount roughly equivalent to <br /> the Metro areas' projected gro\\th to the year 2020. <br /> , 5. Instead, this 130,486 acres will accommodate only 21,747 households when all of the <br /> I large lots are built upon. This large lots pattern has created both physical and social <br /> barriers to the orderly and economical extension of urban services. The failure to provide <br /> and protect urban reserves has already added between $650 million and $1.33 billion to <br /> , the cost of developing the remaining portions of the UtliMUSA. Immediate strategic <br /> action is needed to successfully accommodate the growth projected for this area. <br /> I 6. The Twin Cities Metropolitan Area is no longer limited to the original seven counties. <br /> I The Metro Region extends at least into the 13 County MSA, and beyond if one considers <br /> commuter patterns. This change must be recognized to arrive at a successful growth <br /> management strategy for the coming decades. <br /> I 7. Non-MUSA related planning issues delay and obstruct the MUSA expansion process. <br /> it Executive Summary <br /> I <br /> ------ ------ <br />