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1 _ 2 3 4 5 will gFeatly impaet e4eFts te IaFevide a wide vaFiety 9�high quality, affeFdable, and life eyele heusiRg. 6 POLICIES 7 The following policies are proposed to guide future housing decisions in Pequot Lakes: 8 I V.1eWlt—te hT wild neighborhoods that -revue ^ vane%y of hewsin^ style_ are interconnected to the rest of the 9 community and serve to enhance the public realm.Traditional approaches to zoning are too inflexible, separating 10 different styles of housing from each other and disconnecting neighborhoods in a way that is destructive to the 11 character of the neighborhood. Placing large apartment buildings next to smaller-sized housing units detracts from 12 each structure.The City's approach must be to provide many housing options—single-family, duplex, multi-family, 13 studio apartment and more—but in a form that complements the existing character of the neighborhood. 14 Ensure that new housing is properly scalgiato the neighborhood and designed in a way that enhances the public 15 realm. If Pequot Lakes is to be able to afford to maintain the infrastructure in its historic neighborhoods, the value 16 of the investments in these neighborhoods needs to increase. This will not happen if the scale and design of new 17 investments is on a different model than the neighborhood is designed for. New housing must complement the 18 historic development pattern in order to attract additional investment. 19 Expand housing options and provide regulatory flexibility in the city's urban areas. Pequot Lakes is saturated 20 with rental housing in large, multi-family buildings. The majority of this housing is located in the downtown 21 is appropriate for the density but not for the scale of the buildings, which are not 22 compatible with the neighborhoods they are part of. Flexibility is needed so that affordable options for meeting 23 the housing demand can happen within these existing neighborhoods. 24 Land surrounding the downtown in the rural/urban transition zone is appropriate for expanding the downtown 25 development pattern. Such expansion should accommodate families as well as seniors. Providing for population 26 growth within the urban areas of Pequot Lakes will benefit commercial businesses located downtown, will make 27 efficient use of existing infrastructure investments and will provide viable alternatives to the suburban pattern 28 migrating into rural, more natural areas. 29 Require amenities with medium- and high-density housing units designed solely for seniors. The rental housing 30 stock in Pequot Lakes is geared toward today's seniors. Tomorrow's seniors will have higher demands and 31 expectations. If Pequot Lakes is to remain competitive, housing stock in the city should be modernized to service 32 the upcoming elderly demographic. 33 I Seek to eliminate substandard housing to provide for safe living environments. Substandard housing poses a 34 health and safety threat to those who occupy it, which are often poor families who are renting. Substandard 35 housing also undermines overall property values throughout the city and can cause pockets of blight where the 36 market will not reinvest. Through public and private reinvestment, the City should encourage new homes of 37 quality construction and ensure that existing substandard homes are brought up to code or removed. 38 91 Page