Description: Lawsuit asserting that the City of Minneapolis’s adoption of a municipal comprehensive plan violated the Minnesota Environmental Rights Act.
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Minnesota by Smart Growth Minneapolis v. City of Minneapolis
Case Documents:
Filing Date Type File Action Taken Summary 02/10/2021 Opinion Download Court of Appeals decision reversed and district court ordered to reinstate complaint. Minnesota Supreme Court Said Challenge to Minneapolis Comprehensive Plan Could Proceed. The Minnesota Supreme Court reinstated claims that the City of Minneapolis’s adoption of a municipal comprehensive plan violated the Minnesota Environmental Rights Act (MERA). The court held that an administrative rule that exempted comprehensive plans from Minnesota Environmental Policy Act review did not bar claims under MERA. The Supreme Court also found that the district court should not have dismissed the MERA claim because the complaint adequately alleged a causal link between adoption of the comprehensive plan and purported materially adverse environmental effects. The plaintiffs’ complaint alleged, among other things, that there were questions regarding whether the “upzoning” for higher-density development proposed in the comprehensive plan would result in a reduced carbon footprint. -
Smart Growth Minneapolis v. City of Minneapolis
Case Documents:
Filing Date Type File Action Taken Summary 03/09/2020 Opinion Download Dismissal affirmed. -
Smart Growth Minneapolis v. City of Minneapolis