Minnesota Statewide Land Use Compatibility Manual

Location:	Minnesota
Posted:	Jan 7, 2026
Due:	Jan 20, 2026
Agency:	State Government of Minnesota
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	F - Natural Resources and Conservation Services
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

Brief Description: MnDOT requests proposals for an updated and improvement to the existing Land Use Compatibility Manual and associated planning tools to reflect the changes in state statute, federal policy, and industry trends that have occurred since then. An improved manual will serve as a convenient and authoritative reference for local zoning authorities and planners to understand the principles of airport land use compatibility and applicable strategies to promote and maintain aviation safety.

Date posted: 12/17/2025
Due date: 01/20/2026

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MnDOT Contract No. 1061828

Exhibit A: Specifications, Duties and Scope of Work

Airport Land Use Compatibility Manual - Scope of Work

MnDOT’s Office of Aeronautics is preparing an update to the Airport Land Use Compatibility Manual which was

originally developed in 2007. The goal of the project is to update and improve the existing Land Use

Compatibility Manual and associated planning tools to reflect the changes in state statute, federal policy, and

industry trends that have occurred since then. An improved manual will serve as a convenient and authoritative

reference for local zoning authorities and planners to understand the principles of airport land use compatibility

and applicable strategies to promote and maintain aviation safety.

The audience of the manual are local officials of airport sponsors, consultants for public airports in Minnesota,

and developers of land uses that have potential aviation impacts.

Task 1: Project Kickoff and Work Plan

To ensure the setting of achievable goals and their successful implementation, this task develops a work plan to

be reviewed and discussed with MnDOT.

a. Comprehensive Work Plan

The selected responder will develop a work plan to ensure their approach aligns with the project objectives and

requirements. A comprehensive work plan will include the following elements:

1. A project schedule that outlines key tasks, their dependencies and duration, and milestones to for the

completion of significant stages of the project, with frequently scheduled check-in meetings

2. A labor plan showing the distribution of staff resources across tasks

3. A communications plan that describes how the selected responder will regularly communicate project

status and issues as they arise

b. Kickoff meeting

Following the start of the project, the selected responder will schedule a virtual kickoff meeting to present the

work plan document and receive feedback from MnDOT.

Deliverables

1. Comprehensive Work Plan document

2. Virtual Kickoff meeting

[Title]

MnDOT Contract No. 1061828

Exhibit A: Specifications, Duties and Scope of Work

Task 2: Gap Analysis and Literature Review

The gap analysis and literature review will provide a robust foundation for updating the Airport Land Use

Compatibility Manual by identifying relevant regulatory changes, advancements in methodologies and tools, and

emerging best practices in land use regulation and interagency coordination, both in Minnesota and nationwide.

Additionally, the review will offer insights into potential stakeholder challenges and help shape the outreach

strategy outlined in Task 4, ensuring the revised manual is comprehensive, user-oriented, and responsive to

practical needs.

a. Literature Review

The literature review will include Minnesota Statute, Minnesota Administrative Rules, FAA Advisory Circulars

and Polices, and research publications relevant to airport land use compatibility. The review will include an

outline of the stakeholders involved in land use development proximate to airports and their relationships. The

list of stakeholders will be used for outreach in Task 4.

b. Gap Analysis

The selected responder will conduct a review of the existing Airport Land Use Compatibility Manual to identify

areas that require revision to reflect changes in regulation, development trends, and best practices that have

occurred in the last 20 years. Additionally, the analysis will assess the readability and utility of the manual for the

intended audience and develop suggested improvements. This could include examples of the manual and tools

being applied, successfully or otherwise.

The gap analysis will review the tools developed with the existing manual, specifically the Model Zoning

Ordinance and Procedural Steps. The analysis will also include a summary of recommended tools to be

developed with the update. Additional tools may include:

1. Guidance for JAZBs preparing custom zoning ordinances

2. Guidance for preparing Clear Zone Acquisition Plans

3. Checklists for improving the quality and efficiency of MnDOT’s review of zoning ordinances/CZAPs

4. Improvements to meteorological tower notifications and database

Deliverables

1. Memorandum summarizing the findings of the literature review and gap analysis

2. List of stakeholders for the outreach strategy in Task 4

Task 3: Tool Review

The gap analysis will review the tools developed with the existing manual and identify revisions to improve their

applicability and utility for preserving land use compatibility.

[Title]

MnDOT Contract No. 1061828

Exhibit A: Specifications, Duties and Scope of Work

a. Model Airport Zoning Ordinance

The model airport zoning ordinance is a template hosted on MnDOT’s Office of Aeronautics website. Airport

sponsors use the model ordinance as a starting point for drafting an airport zoning ordinance that meets the

requirements of the commissioner’s standard in Minnesota Rules 8800.2400. The model ordinance needs to be

updated to reflect changes in statute in 2019 and updates to Rules in 2025. This task also includes updates to

improve usability, such as design changes and providing updated guidance.

b. Procedural Steps Toward Airport Zoning Enactment of Publicly-Owned Airport

The procedural steps were developed with the manual in 2007 to assist airport sponsors in complying with the

procedural requirements for enacting an airport zoning ordinance according to Minn. Stat. Chapter 360. The

procedural steps include a number of template forms, resolutions, and affidavits to use. The selected responder

will review the steps and forms for what is strictly required by statute, and what is a recommended best

practice. Redesign or streamlining the steps to make the process more straightforward for airport sponsors is

desirable.

c. Guidance for Preparing Custom Zoning Ordinances

State statute was amended in 2019 to add a way to draft custom airport zoning ordinances. Rather than follow

the commissioner’s standard, custom airport zoning ordinances are based off an analysis of factors outlined in

statute to accommodate the unique conditions surrounding an airport. The selected responder will develop a

guidance document to assist airport sponsors to draft quality and well-designed custom airport zoning

ordinances that meet all the requirements of statute.

d. Guidance for Developing Clear Zone Acquisition Plans

The 2020 State Aviation System Plan updated the office’s Clear Zone Policy to require airports which are not in

full compliance to develop Clear Zone Acquisition Plans to document the steps they plan to take towards full

ownership of the clear zone in fee-simple. The Clear Zone Guidance Statement includes the required elements

of a Clear Zone Acquisition Plan, but the selected responder will develop a more detailed document with best

practices for developing a plan. Since the purpose of a Clear Zone Acquisition Plan is to request an exception

from the requirement of owning 100% of the clear zone in fee simple, the guidance should explore what

situations non-ownership land use controls (including aviation or conservation easements, transfer or purchase

of development rights, non-suit covenants and hold harmless agreements, and disclosure notices) are

appropriate and provide for a reasonable level of safety. The guidance should also provide analysis of when non-

ownership land use controls are not sufficient and fee-simple ownership is required to provide a reasonable

level of safety.

e. Zoning Ordinance Submission and Review Checklists

While the Office has procedures to for reviewing airport zoning ordinances for approval, the decision making

process needs improvement. The selected responder will develop a checklist of the required steps and

documentation intended to guide airport sponsors in gathering all of the necessary material for a successful

review of the zoning ordinance by MnDOT. The selected responder will also develop recommendations to revise

[Title]

MnDOT Contract No. 1061828

Exhibit A: Specifications, Duties and Scope of Work

airport zoning ordinance review procedures to meet statutory requirements, make the process more

transparent and responsive, and improve communication and project tracking with the sponsors and

consultants.

f. Process for Collecting and Displaying Meteorological Tower Notifications

State statute requires the owner of a meteorological tower to provide notice to the commissioner of

transportation at least 30 days prior to erection and that the commissioner must maintain records on

meteorological towers on the department’s website. The selected responder analysis the compliance rate for

notification and assess the utility of providing a database of met tower locations on the website to the general

public. The selected responder will also develop a list of recommendations to improve both the collection of

data and the public provision of that data.

g. Line by line plain language explanation of Statute

The statutory requirements relating to the regulation of land uses near airports are located in Minnesota

Statutes Chapter 360. However, the language contains many references to other parts of statute and are

difficult to read and interpret, especially for local land use officials who are not familiar with aeronautics. The

selected responder will develop a document with a detailed breakdown and explanation of the parts of statute

relevant to airport land use compatibility with links and plain language explanations of the text.

Deliverables

1. A technical memorandum summarizing suggested improvements to the existing land use compatibility

tools and new tools to be developed.

Task 4: Stakeholder Outreach

The Successful Responder will work with MnDOT Aeronautics to conduct stakeholder outreach to educate and

engage Minnesota stakeholders about airport land use compatibility issues. This task will include developing the

list of stakeholders from Task 2 into an outreach plan. The plan will include interviews with potential users of the

land use compatibility manual for feedback about its use and how it can be improved. Plans for publishing and

distributing the final updated manual at the end of the project will also be included in the outreach plan

Deliverables

1. An outreach plan for stakeholder interviews and distributing the final manual

2. A memorandum summarizing the results of the stakeholder interviews

Task 5: Updates and Improvements to the Manual and Tools

The selected responder will prepare detailed interim reports that summarize the work and findings of the

previous tasks and outline the work plan for updating the manual, tools, and the development of additional

tools. This task will include a meeting to discuss the report and plan with MnDOT. The selected responder will

collaborate closely with MnDOT Aeronautics staff to finalize updates and enhancements to the manual, ensuring

[Title]

MnDOT Contract No. 1061828

Exhibit A: Specifications, Duties and Scope of Work

alignment with the available budget, stakeholder feedback, and literature review findings. The selected

responder will draft, edit, and compile the updates into a new land use compatibility manual document in

electronic format, broken up by chapter.

Deliverables

1. An Interim report that summarizes the work performed and recommended updates to the guidebook

and associated tools.

2. Finalized manual and tool updates and enhancements

3. Complete draft manual in electronic format

4. Complete draft tool updates

5. Finalized manual broken by chapter and tools

Task 6: Publish and Distribute Manual and Tools

Ultimately, the Airport Land Use Compatibility Manual is a document. The document will live online as a

webpage, and the information in it must be relevant, simple to access and navigate, and easy to consume for the

public at-large, as well as for specific stakeholders. Essential themes of the manual should be communicated by

graphics, charts, and table as often as possible. For this task, the selected responder will produce a document

that is suitable for upload to MnDOT’s website to include individual pages with the necessary charts, graphics,

and links to make the manual; accessible to all. A format suitable for printing must also be developed.

Deliverables

1. A slide deck summarizing the purpose of the manual and content highlights

2. The finalized manual in a format publishable online by MnDOT (meeting all accessibility requirements)

Task Description

1 Project Initiation and Administration

2 Project Kick-off and Work Plan Development

3 Gap Analysis and Literature Review

4 Draft Land Use Compatibility Manual Chapters

5 Tool Development

Begin

Complete

Project Award

Award +1 month

Award +3 months

Award +3 months Ongoing

Award +9 months Ongoing

Award +12 months Award +18 months

[Title]

This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.

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Minnesota Statewide Land Use Compatibility Manual

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