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1 municipal utilities the development has evolved to be based primarily along the major transportation corridors. 2 Since the close proximity of businesses in the downtown provides a direct interaction amongst patrons, the 3 existing development provides a solid base to build on and an opportunity for additional growth. 4 In 2009,the city established a"Grow Zone"throughout the downtown commercial areas. In searching for a way to 5 reduce regulations and streamline the permitting process for businesses, an alternative set of standards were 6 developed for this area. Instead of the standard zoning approach,which prohibits any use not specifically allowed, 7 the Grow Zone standards instead allow nearly all uses and focus instead on the form new construction takes. 8 Where this form is compatible with the existing development pattern, not only does it add to the "destination 9 effect" of the downtown, but approvals can be made very quickly. Property owners seeking to make 10 improvements to a property within the Grow Zone may choose to either utilize the Grow Zone standards or stick 11 with the traditional approach. 12 Vdit'n the infrastructure in the downtown area in need of maintenance, there is a need to increase the amount of 13 development grow the tax base and get a higher return on the reinvestment in this infrastructure. 14 Highway 371 Corridor 15 Outside of the downtown, the Highway 371 corridor has developed in an auto-oriented pattern. For the most part, 16 this development is not tied to municipal utilities and, as such, has developed in a somewhat random distribution. 17 The corridor includes such variety as a church, a contractor yard, restaurants and storage units, amongst other 18 uses. There are areas where development is clustered together and other areas where there are large gaps 19 between enterprises. For the most part, most commercial properties are independent of each other, with their 20 fortunes minimally impacted (either positively or negatively) by neighboring commercial uses. The timing of the 21 realignment of Highway 371 has caused uncertainty for future development prospects along the corridor and has 22 further accentuated the boom/bust character of development in this area. 23 Fmployment 2008 Employment by Sector 24 These three geographic areas of Entertainment 25 development have created a local Manufacturing 3% 26 economy that highly service-oriented.The Hospitality 4% 27 2008 Business Inventory found that 469/ 5% 28 of the jobs in Pequot Lakes are service- 29 related. This is not surprising since, as a 30 neighborhood center, Pequot Lakes 31 businesses cater largely to the local and 32 sub-regional markets. Industrial 1596 f 33 Tax Base Distribution r Government 34 It is also important context to have an 170 35 understanding of the relative tax = 36 distribution within the City of Pequot 37 Lakes. Where other area communities, 38 such as Brainerd and Baxter, draw a large percentage of their tax base from commercial development, Pequot 39 Lakes relies most heavily on residential areas. Roughly 2/3rds of the local tax base comes from residential 40 development, with more than a third of that coming from seasonal properties, which are taxed at a higher rate. 111 Page