Bemidji City Council Reviews Comprehensive Plan Update With Regional Partners

The Headwaters Regional Development Commission is updating Bemidji's comprehensive plan, a cohesive framework that can guide the city council on future projects, ordinances, policies, discussions and more. The once-a-decade process is carrying unusual weight this cycle: survey results revealed that more than 50% of businesses have considered moving outside of city limits.

HRDC Executive Director Cal Larson updated the council on the HRDC's progress during a work session on Monday, March 23, with a goal to finalize the plan in July. "Over the last several months, our team has been gathering input from residents, businesses and housing professionals," he shared. Larson told the council the data collected through multiple surveys and engagement efforts represents "the voices of people who live, work, play and invest in Bemidji, showing what our community wants to see to thrive today and into the future."

Housing affordability topped the list of community concerns. "Residents, businesses, housing professionals all identify the available housing, both rental and ownership, as a core challenge," Larson said. "Many emphasize that increasing supply is essential if we want the city of Bemidji to grow, and this will bring enhanced tax revenue as a result of that effort." Survey results revealed that of 13 housing types, 11 are viewed as somewhat or very difficult to do in Bemidji.

The business community's concerns were equally pointed. Among the requests for business ordinance changes, many respondents specifically highlighted ordinances that affect Bemidji's industrial park, an area of town south of Lake Bemidji, off of Paul Bunyan Drive before it exits onto State Highway 2. "Respondents told us they want stronger local economic growth in a community where businesses feel supported and confident in long-term investments," Larson explained. "Developers and business owners emphasize that a clearly consistent process (could) help projects move forward and reduce uncertainty."

City Manager Rich Spiczka framed the comp plan update as the foundation for everything that follows. "The comp plan is the driver for potential ordinance change," Spiczka explained. "After that process (to update the plan) is complete, you start talking about the recommendations to ordinances." That ordinance review carries its own significance: the city has not completed a full ordinance update since 2018.

Larson noted the plan itself may not change dramatically, but whatever revisions are made will open the door to policies and ordinances that have gone unexamined in recent years. The HRDC believes the comprehensive plan will be completed and ready for council approval in July. Before the deadline, HRDC will conduct a transportation study in the ensuing weeks, host a "quality of life" discussion with no set date, and form the advisory committee.

The comp plan review includes a series of studies, among them a housing study the city hopes to complete this summer. The city has explicitly framed the update as an opportunity to "better align our planning and zoning with our desperate need to grow housing and commerce within our city limits" and as the first land use comprehensive plan update in over a decade.

That planning work is unfolding against a backdrop of an unusually active operational year. Public Works staff are managing nearly $30 million in active projects in 2025. City planning staff are also preparing for Beltrami County road projects scheduled for 2027 to 2029 involving segments of Bemidji Avenue, Lakewood Drive, and Adams Avenue, which will present opportunities for additional water and sanitary sewer extensions the city will need to evaluate.

The council expressed gratitude, asked questions, and addressed individual concerns following the HRDC's presentation. "The reaction is that the truth hurts, sometimes," Ward 2 Councilor Josh Peterson commented. "Looking at some of the survey results, it's really reflective of what I've been hearing in the community and from the individuals, and especially the business community. So, I think (the presentation) is a great jumping-off point."

Ward 5 Councilor Lynn Eaton explained that the comp plan update aligns with what he has heard in the community, as well as the HRDC's housing study that was presented to the council in September 2025. With a July target for final approval, the coming months will test whether Bemidji's planning framework can be reshaped quickly enough to match what the community's own data is demanding.