3A - Draft of Comprehensive Plan

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neighborhood. Placing large apartment buildings next to smaller-sized housing units detracts from each structure.The City's approach must be to provide many housing options—single-family, duplex, multi- family,studio apartment and more—but in a form that complements the existing character of the neighborhood. Ensure that new housing is properly scaled to the neighborhood and designed in a way that enhances the public realm. If Pequot Lakes is to be able to afford to maintain the infrastructure in its historic neighborhoods,the value of the investments in these neighborhoods needs to increase.This will not happen if the scale and design of new investments is on a different model than the neighborhood is designed for. New housing must complement the historic development pattern in order to attract additional investment. Expand housing options and provide regulatory flexibility in the city's urban areas. Pequot Lakes is saturated with rental housing in large, multi-family buildings.The majority of this housing is located in the downtown. It is appropriate for the density but not for the scale of the buildings,which are not compatible with the neighborhoods they are part of. Flexibility is needed so that affordable options for meeting the housing demand can happen within these existing neighborhoods. Land surrounding the downtown in the rural/urban transition zone is appropriate for expanding the downtown development pattern.Such expansion should accommodate families as well as seniors. Providing for population growth within the urban areas of Pequot Lakes will benefit commercial businesses located downtown,will make efficient use of existing infrastructure investments and will provide viable alternatives to the suburban pattern migrating into rural, more natural areas. Ensure that public improvements in the right-of-way are properly scaled to the neighborhood it serves.The form and intensity of private sector investments in housing will respond to the improvements that are made in the public realm.Where streets are high-speed and reserved only for auto traffic,the adjacent development pattern will tend to be low density and auto-oriented.Where streets are neighborhood speed and accommodate a wide range of travel options,the adjacent development pattern can become more intense in a traditional, neighborhood pattern. It is important that the public improvements scale properly to the development pattern that is served. Require amenities with medium-and high-density housing units designed solely for seniors.The rental housing stock in Pequot Lakes is geared toward today's seniors. Tomorrow's seniors will have higher demands and expectations. If Pequot Lakes is to remain competitive, housing stock in the city should be modernized to service the upcoming elderly demographic. Seek to eliminate substandard housing to provide for safe living environments.Substandard housing poses a health and safety threat to those who occupy it, which are often poor families who are renting. Substandard housing also undermines overall property values throughout the city and can cause pockets of blight where the market will not reinvest.Through public and private reinvestment,the City should encourage new homes of quality construction and ensure that existing substandard homes are brought up to code or removed.