3A - Community Character Action Plan

Home Browse Search

COMMUNITY CHARACTER INTENT Identify, preserve, and enhance the key social and physical resources that contributes to Pequot Lakes' unique character and add to the quality of life for its residents. BACKGROUND The historic parts of Pequot Lakes were developed in the railroad era.The original town planners of Pequot Lakes designed the city on a traditional grid pattern centered on the railroad stop. This was in deference to the two major modes of transportation at the time:the railroad between towns and simply walking within. The typical buildings of this era were erected within this grid lined up at the edge of the property line. This provided for a pleasant public space in front of the building with room for things like outhouses and garbage bins to the rear. The same pattern was seen in commercial and residential neighborhoods, the main difference being the side-spacing between buildings. This approach changed following World War II.The 1950's started the highway era and automobile access became the predominant design feature for new development. Buildings started to be set back further to provide space for parking. They were also designed so as to appeal to passing motorists, with pedestrians frequently becoming an afterthought. New residential and commercial development started to appear on the periphery of town, often outside of the city limits.When the original highway was realigned and expanded,the pattern of new growth along the corridor was auto-oriented. Physically,the community character of Pequot Lakes resides in the historic downtown,which has some memorable features and some components that mix to form a fantastic public realm in places. Development on the periphery of town, and that development within the historic downtown that has taken on a highway orientation, is ordinary and indistinguishable from the development within any other community along the Highway 371 corridor. Enhancing the community character simply requires paying attention to the elements that enhance the public space. SENSE-OF-PLACE The components that give parts of the historic downtown in Pequot Lakes a strong sense-of-place have been studied by the Planning Commission.They are simple to identify and understand.Where they are absent, it is quite easy to see how the public realm is diminished. The two key components are: 1. Line up the buildings. Where the buildings are lined up, they have the effect of creating a wall. This boundary condition makes the space feel comfortable to people within it.Where the wall effect is absent, the sense-of-place is lost and the experience of walking past will be unsettling to a pedestrian. 2. Maintain the correct width to height ratio. Once the buildings are lined up to form walls,they need to be correctly spaced or the sense-of-place effect is lost. Maintain a width to height ratio of between 3:1 and 6:1 is necessary,with 3:1 being optimal. If the buildings are too close, the space will feel cramped. If they are too far away,the public realm feels barren and the sense-of-place is lost.