Community Development

The primary goal of the Community Development program is to help local customers develop and implement strategies designed to create the kinds of places where people want to live and work. Community development activities include housing efforts, downtown and neighborhood improvements, growth management, park and recreation planning, transportation improvements and other activities designed to create livable communities.

If you ask any citizen of our Region what the most important attribute of our area is, one of the first things they’ll talk about is the natural environment. Not only do the lakes and forests of the Headwaters Region substantially contribute to our quality of life, they also are one of our chief competitive advantages.

The challenge is to wisely use these resources while conserving them for future generations. Sustained population growth and related development pressures make this challenge increasingly important.

The HRDC has positioned itself as both resource planner and broker for some natural resource disputes. As in the case of our water planning activities, we have helped counties chart a path to protect and enhance the quality of their water resources. In the case of our local wetland planning activity, we help find mutual gain positions between competing interests. And in yet another capacity, we have helped counties and cities enhance trail and park systems.

For more information on community development activities, please contact any of the following HRDC staff members:

Vanessa B

Vanessa Burkman

Community Development Specialist

vburkman@hrdc.org
218-333-6542