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1 <br /> COMMUNITY CHARACTER <br /> 2 INTENT <br /> 3 Identify, preserve, and enhance the key social and physical resources that contribute to Pequot Lakes' unique <br /> 4 character and add to the quality of life for its residents. <br /> 5 BACKGROUND <br /> 6 The historic parts of Pequot Lakes were developed in the railroad era.The original town planners of Pequot Lakes <br /> 7 designed the city on a traditional grid pattern centered on the railroad stop. This was in deference to the two <br /> 8 major modes of transportation at the time:the railroad between towns and simply walking within. <br /> 9 The typical buildings of this era were erected within this grid lined up at the edge of the property line. This <br /> 10 provided for a pleasant public space in front of the building with room for things like outhouses and garbage bins <br /> 11 to the rear.The same pattern was seen in commercial and residential neighborhoods, the main difference being <br /> 12 the side-spacing between buildings. <br /> 13 This approach changed following World War II.The 1950's started the highway era and automobile access became <br /> 14 the predominant design feature for new development.Buildings started to be set back further to provide space for <br /> 15 parking.They were also designed so as to appeal to passing motorists, with pedestrians frequently becoming an <br /> 16 afterthought. New residential and commercial development started to appear on the periphery of town, often <br /> 17 outside of the city limits.When the original highway was realigned and expanded,the pattern of new growth along <br /> 18 the corridor was auto-oriented. <br /> 19 Over time, the highway through the center of town changed the dynamic of the community. Businesses once <br /> 20 I dispersed throughout neighborhoods migrated to the highway corridors and designated business park. The <br /> 21 balance of the community changed as well. Development that was neighborhood-focused increasingly became <br /> 22 separated into an east-side and a west-side,a different dynamic depending upon where a property was in relation <br /> 23 to the highway.Development also coalesced into separate commercial and residential zones.The mixed-use flavor <br /> 24 of the community was slowly lost. <br /> 25 In the late 1990's,as low-density commercial development continued to expand along the main roadway corridors <br /> 26 and the countryside — once predominantly farms and forests — began to be subdivided for residential <br /> 27 development, area residents began to rethink the auto-oriented pattern of development. Ultimately the City of <br /> 28 Pequot Lakes merged with the surrounding township of Sibley so that both could plan for the character of area's <br /> 29 growth. <br /> 30 Today the original community character of Pequot Lakes can still be found in parts of the historic downtown,which <br /> 31 has some memorable features and some components that mix to form a vibrant public realm. Development on the <br /> 32 periphery of town,and that development within the historic downtown that has taken on a highway orientation,is <br /> 33 ordinary and indistinguishable from the development within any other community along the Highway 371 corridor. <br /> 34 Enhancing the community character over time simply requires paying attention to the elements that enhance the <br /> 35 public space as we continue to develop. <br /> 36 SENSE-OF-PLACE <br /> 11 Page <br />