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COMMUNITY FA GrI ovllr j Gly Of INSTITUTE Peguot _ PRE-MEETING DISCUSSION Ukes Background Information: The "Pequot Lakes Downtown Plan" has been a work in progress since 2007. The plan has not officially been adopted. It was last updated in 2011. The City Council has directed to Planning Commission to review/update the plan since revitalization of the downtown area is a critical to the long-term financial health to the City. This month the Planning Commission will review the "Implementation" section of the plan. The most important action items from the Comprehensive Plan related to the downtown should also be identified and included in the plan. Specific departments or committees should be assigned to individual action items to ensure they are accomplished. VII. Implementation Project Team To move the plan forward once a highway alignment is finalized, a special project team should be assembled. The team should include representatives from the downtown business community, a member of the Park Board, Economic Development Committee, Planning Commission and City Council as well as any other interested and motivated individual. A project point-person from the City Staff should be assigned specifically to working for the committee on moving the project forward, with necessary budget provided to cover that effort. The project team will be responsible for bringing the project to fruition. This will include: Coordinating with the City's engineer on planned improvement projects in the downtown, ' oordinating with the City's financial advisor to ensure the proper phasing and bonding amounts for the project, Coordinating with Mn/DOT and the City's Highway 371 committee to ensure that the project is done in coordination with the TH 371 improvements, With the input of property owners and the community, making decisions on the types of materials used,the style of municipal signage and other aesthetic choices that will need to be made throughout the project, Creating a"pattern book"that can be used to style and brand the downtown while providing for maximum architectural and design flexibility by business owners. Searching out alternatives to provide for"destination"attractions, such as the fish pond or a microbrewery. Keeping the downtown business owners, elected and appointed officials informed on the project, and Promoting the project throughout the community. The City may also want to consider entering the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Main Street Program, a program that focuses on revitalizing historic downtowns. While Pequot may not be a prototype community for the program, the knowledge and resources available through it would provide great benefit to the community. There are many action items from the Comprehensive Plan targeted specifically for the redevelopment and maturation of the downtown. The most important/critical items should be identified and included in the Downtown Plan. The Planning Commission should also discuss who (department, committee, etc.) is responsible for accomplishing said action items. 1... Pequot Lakes Staff Report September 18,2014 1