3(b) Comprehensive Plan Update - Review Introduction (History) Section

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This approach changed following World War II The 1950's started the highway era and automobile access became the predominant design feature For new development Buildings started to be set back further to provide space for parking They were also designed so as to appeal to passing motorists, with pedestrians frequently becoming an afterthought New residential and commercial development started to appear on the periphery of town,often outside of the city limits When the original highway was realigned and expanded,the pattern of new growth along the corridor was auto oriented The area surrounding downtown Pequot Lakes, what was Sibley Township, has developed in a traditional rural/recreational pattern. Most of the development was either farmsteads on rural roads or lake cabins Old winding trails to lake cabins have been adapted to one degree or another as local roadways, Most oF these are substandard in that they lack dedicated public right of way-they exist in a collection cif prescriptive easements. As area development began to pick up in the 1990s,the significant housing investments were transitioning out of urban Pequot Lakes to where property owners could have larger acreage and/or direct lake access. Sibley Township began to transforrn into its current rural/suburban nature, with suburban-style subdivisions interspersed throughout lands formerly used for agriculture or logging Many lake homes were converted from seasonal cabins to year-round dwellings, with significant increases in property v��lues corresponding with increases in development intensity This is the development pattern that was evolving at the time of the merger between Pequot Lakes and Sibley Township in 2002, a decision that allowed both entities to pian for the character of the area's growth The fourth incarnation of the original Leech Lake Trail is manifested in the Trunk Highway 371 Expressway which was completed in 2017,just east of town. Those improvements were in response to increasing traffic counts as well as safety concerns.