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Help Shape Stillwater’s Future: Get Involved in the 2050 Comprehensive Plan
What should Stillwater look, feel, and function like in 2050?
That question is at the heart of the City of Stillwater’s 2050 Comprehensive Plan, and right now, the City is asking residents to help shape the vision.
A Comprehensive Plan is more than a long-term vision statement. It helps guide future development, investments, land use, transportation, housing, parks, water, natural systems, climate planning, and other decisions that will shape Stillwater for years to come. The updated plan will ultimately guide decisions made by the City Council, boards and commissions, city staff, and other community partners.
That makes this early public engagement period an important opportunity to speak up.
Sustainability Belongs in the Vision for 2050
At Sustainable Stillwater MN, we believe being engaged in local planning is one of the ways residents can advocate for a healthy, resilient, and sustainable future for Stillwater.
Many of the issues that matter to sustainability are directly connected to comprehensive planning: protecting natural systems, improving transportation options, supporting walkable neighborhoods, managing water responsibly, creating resilient public spaces, supporting local businesses, and planning for a changing climate.
The City is still in the visioning stage, which means there is an opportunity to help identify what residents value today — and what they want to see preserved, improved, or created for the future.
Your input can help make sure sustainability is part of that conversation from the beginning.
Here’s How to Participate
You don't need to be a planning expert to participate. The City has created several simple ways to share your ideas:
🗺️ Add your ideas to the interactive map
Tell the City about your favorite places in Stillwater, areas you think could be improved, or places where you'd like to see something new in the future.
📝 Take the visioning survey
Share what you want Stillwater to become and help shape the community's vision for 2050.
📖 Write Stillwater’s 2050 “Wikipedia” entry
Imagine Stillwater in the year 2050 and describe what you hope the community has become. The City provides a form that you can complete online or print and submit.
👋 Participate in person
Upcoming public engagement opportunities include:
Saturday, October 10: Harvest Fest, beginning at 10 a.m.
Monday, October 19: Comprehensive Plan Open House at City Hall, 5–7:30 p.m.
Thursday, October 29: Trunk or Treat, 3–7 p.m.
Why Participate Now?
The planning process will continue through 2028, but the visioning happening now will help establish the direction for the plan.
SSMN Board Member Roger Tomten serves on the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee, and Bird City Program Leader Allison McGinnis serves as our alternate for committee meetings. We’re glad to have SSMN represented in the process, but resident participation matters, too.
If you care about how Stillwater grows, how we move around the city, how we protect water and natural areas, how we prepare for climate change, or what our neighborhoods and public spaces look like in the future, this is a chance to put those ideas on the record.
Take a few minutes. Add a few thoughts to the map. Tell the City what you want to see in 2050.
The future of Stillwater is being planned now — and there’s still plenty of room for your voice.
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