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1 4. Americans love autos - we can't change that mentality, social engineering •, <br /> 2 As a commentary by Councilor Ryan,this does not provide the Planning Commission with much <br /> 3 guidance. First, nobody is disputing that Americans drive and that Pequot Lakes,circa 2011, has been <br /> 4 designed primarily around the automobile.There is nothing in the plan that calls for less automobile <br /> 5 travel.Suggesting so is not only a misrepresentation, but a response to the complex issues identified in <br /> 6 the Plan that is not serious. <br /> 7 What the plan does call for is a recalibration of the city's efforts within the downtown and the <br /> 8 surrounding neighborhoods.The city has a desperate need to improve the value and quality of these <br /> 9 places,as well as their overall economic health. Looking at the situation dispassionately,these areas <br /> 10 have the greatest level of public commitment for maintaining infrastructure(streets,sidewalks,curb <br /> 11 and gutter, sanitary sewer,water)and some of the most significant private sector investment in <br /> 12 commercial properties,yet the tax base is minimal,especially in the surrounding neighborhoods.This is <br /> 13 not financially viable over the long run. <br /> 14 As part of the planning process,the Planning Commission identified a need to do two—somewhat <br /> 15 contradictory--things simultaneously. First,there is a need to lower the long-term costs associated with <br /> 16 maintaining these neighborhoods. Second,there is a need to improve tax base and the overall value of <br /> 17 these neighborhoods. <br /> 18 After much research,discussion and public input, part of what the Planning Commission identified was a <br /> 19 need to lower expenses by reducing long-term street reconstruction costs and increase value (to attract <br /> 20 additional private investment) by improving the quality of living in the neighborhoods of the downtown. <br /> 21 For the latter, residents indicated that there was a need to make the neighborhoods more walkable and <br /> 22 have them connected to the parks and businesses within walking distance. <br /> 23 This is not a rejection of the automobile but an acknowledgement that there are a lot of financial <br /> 24 benefits that will accrue to the city and the property owners of this neighborhood by increasing their <br /> 25 options and providing people with more opportunities to live in the neighborhoods of Pequot Lakes. It <br /> 26 ties into other strategies,such as the need to reduce regulations for developing and utilizing properties <br /> 27 throughout these neighborhoods. <br /> 28 Insisting that everyone should drive everywhere,even if their destination is a couple of blocks away, is <br /> 29 social engineering.The Comprehensive Plan does the exact opposite by providing people with multiple <br /> 30 choices for how to get around. <br /> 31 5. plan is schizophrenic, we want rural character but then put a highway <br /> 32 through the rural area <br /> 33 This is a different take on the Highway 371 debate.While Councilor Ryan has the right to keep this <br /> 34 debate going in the political realm, it does the city no good to stifle all forward progress on issues that <br /> 35 require the approval of four out of five Council members over objections on the highway. If we remain <br /> 36 frozen with a Comprehensive Plan and ordinance drafted in 2004—which was before the highway <br /> 2 <br />