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f. Other? <br /> Again,see the first half of this memo. <br /> 6. How is the City going to prevent land use changes around the interchange as council members <br /> and planning commission staff changes? <br /> This question seems to be based on a number of incorrect assumptions. First,the City is not in the <br /> business of"preventing" land use changes.To state otherwise is a misnomer. <br /> Second,there is an underlying assumption in the question that somehow the City's approach to this <br /> corridor will not withstand future scrutiny,that a future Council will take a different course of action. <br /> This seems to be based on the belief that strip highway development, complete with frontage roads and <br /> the extension of sewer and water utilities, is somehow the natural order of municipal development. <br /> The study group should be clear on what the City of Pequot Lakes has done.The City has analyzed the <br /> cost of running utilities to the alternate alignment.Just that expense alone—not even including the cost <br /> for frontage roads and further extension of utilities—cannot be justified by any cost/benefit analysis <br /> performed.The City's cost for this style of development far exceeds anything the taxpayers of Pequot <br /> Lakes can hope to receive back in terms of additional tax revenue. <br /> Based on that finding,the City opted not to pay the millions of dollars to extend the utilities to the new <br /> alignment and has elected not to proactively"up-zone" properties for more intensive use. <br /> To be clear;there is nothing in the City's approach that prohibits development along the new TH 371. <br /> The only thing that makes Pequot Lakes different from the other communities along the corridor is that <br /> we have chosen not to pass large tax increases onto our residents and business owners—either today or <br /> in the future—to subsidize development along the highway. <br /> 7. Should the City be planning for growth around the new interchange? <br /> The City has planned for growth around the new interchange.The development pattern is an extension <br /> of the downtown pattern,which is a mere block away. <br /> Again,there appears to be an assumption that the City should be planning for highway-oriented <br /> development such as a gas station or a fast food stop. Even if the City did not already have existing <br /> convenience stores and restaurants that we value,there is little to be gained financially in an approach <br /> that would have the City subsidize that style of development in that location. <br /> S. What other plans does the City have for accommodating the bypass? <br /> We're not sure what is being asked with this question. <br /> 9. If not now, when does the City feel is the appropriate time to plan for these improvements? <br /> The City of Pequot Lakes has planned extensively for the rerouting of TH 371.Again,the question seems <br /> to be assuming that the City should be planning for a specific style of development.We have studied <br /> what other communities along the corridor have done and found it to be financially unproductive for <br /> U <br /> WWW.COMMUNiTYGROWTH.COM I WWW.STRONGTOWNs.ORG <br />