8B - Downtown Plan Update - Laserfiche WebLink

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III. Downtown Keys to Success The City has identified the following guiding principles for the future of downtown Pequot Lakes. These principles were developed with the input of residents, business owners and other downtown stakeholders to protect the character of Pequot while promoting growth in downtown. Key#1: Maintain the character of the downtown while also preserving the individuality and variety of the buildings located Continue • • • uniformity. Downtown Pequot Lakes was not created with a grand centralizing theme. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, the buildings in the downtown have a charm and seem to belong in their surroundings. There is a desire to maintain the high quality of the investments made in the downtown, but there is also strong resistance to any type of uniform standard (whether imposed or voluntarily adopted)that would unnaturally alter the character of downtown. Continually Key#2 • • • of downtown, ensuring that it is a place that will naturally draw peopleyear round. Studies of the Pequot Lakes downtown have demonstrated that retail shoppers tend to park and then visit all of the available businesses. This "destination effect"—with Pequot Lakes as a destination as opposed to one specific store- is made possible by the number of quality businesses that are located in Downtown. Each time a new quality business is added, the overall draw of the downtown expands, so accelerating the growth of new businesses will create success for all Downtown businesses. The "destination effect" is further enhanced by how public spaces are designed. Walkways and thoroughfares that are inviting to pedestrians, along with shops that are pedestrian-oriented and scaled, create an atmosphere that is conducive to destination shopping. Public spaces provide extra value when they encourage shoppers to wander from business to business, or to experience the downtown in an enjoyable way that makes them want to return another day. Key#3: Look to compete regionally where the downtown can offer a specialized and unique experience. Look to compete locally where the downtown can offer a convenient and satisfying experience. Pequot Lakes Downtown Plan—Updated November 2014 9