01-19-10 EDC Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

economic development engine. As such,the City must work to protect the local environment as a k. long-term economic development strategy. It must take a balanced approach to ensure that long- ' , \ term environmental quality and beauty are not sacrificed for short-term economic gain. g >.ir Maintain the downtown area as the center for economic activity in Pequot Lakes.As many cities struggle to keep their downtown areas strong and vital,Pequot Lakes has an advantage in that ,• its downtown has a mix of retail,professional,transient,and industrial businesses clustered together. - The City must keep the agglomeration of its businesses and seek to infil l and redevelop commercial properties as they become available. w . }-., Promote businesses that enhance Pequot Lakes'unique community character.Pequot -- ';',' Lakes needs to continue to celebrate its community character. Many rural areas have a rich history that is often lost in the name of economic development.As a result,many towns become indistin- � guishable from each other as they grow. Defining the rural culture and small-town heritage can act t;:r to benefit Pequot Lakes'local economy. Pequot Lakes has several sites in close proximity to each other that can be used as part of a tourism initiative. Heritage tourism efforts have succeeded r ,--...ttev, . across the country due to the fact that so many people want to travel back to their roots and pre- ` _ serve the aspects they love about rural life.Maintaining a sense ofplace to keep Pequot Lakes a great place to live and work is also critical for attracting employees,employers and customers. Many employers may make the decision to locate in Pequot Lakes based initially on the impression t ''.rA'r,,°,4.:4<,1, , ,$ they get of the city from the street—aesthetics can be a huge factor in instilling confidence in the long-term viability of the town. Cultural events should continue to be a priority and important . community assets should be preserved. Support and streamline the permitting process to provide developers with advance knowl- edge of permitting requirements and assist them in obtaining permits in a timely manner. �f '' High standards become impossible standards when the process to obtain a permit is unclear or is ,-' > ;'1 systematically resisted by the bureaucracy.The permitting process should be easily understandable b 5-p.‘74 i and free from unnecessary obstacles.Timelines for obtaining approvals and standards for review T.: . .r, need to be known and adhered to by City Staff. V.., : ; i ' 'Minnesota Department of Tourism,2000 2 Data obtained from the Minnesota Department of Trade and Economic Development Community Profile 3 Growing Rural Economic Success,MN Planning,July 2001 'Growing Rural Economic Success,MN Planning,July 2001 'U.S.Census Bureau,2000 Census 4 Heritage Tourism '` -, Heritage tourism provides an opportunity for rural areas to " capitalize on the characteristics that celebrate their -, uniqueness and make them positive and interesting places to --__... visit, An increasing number of families and retirees enjoy .`_ "= 2 O O 3 traveling to places that have preserved and enhanced their , natural,cultural,historical,architectural and social features rather than developing in the same generic manner as most # ---,-- American towns and cities have been for the past few decades. People want to experience places and activities °-- that authentically represent the American experience,past 3 , „ -"; P and present.Communities that offer this experience are 4 0 , , positioned to take advantage of this trend. Comprehensive Plan