05.01 Planning and Zoning Administrator's Report

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Drop this model through the middle of Pequot Lakes and it will disrupt the residential access patterns choke commercial growth and development. Consider: ➢ Contrary to rumors spreading through the business community, Mn/DOT is not going to put in multiple lights along lot/block lines in downtown Pequot Lakes so that traffic moves like downtown Brainerd. The highway model for downtown Pequot is the Baxter model; mile spacing between lights, long thru green lights and controlled access. ➢ Downtown commerce in Pequot Lakes will be centered at one point and will spread along the highway in a strip from there. While existing businesses along the corridor may be able to hang on, there will be little if any inducement of additional growth or development because of limited access. With a thru town option, Pequot Lakes will stagnate economically. ➢ The perceived benefits of the current highway, mainly visibility, will be negated by the fact that traffic will be moving much faster through town. The"I wonder what that is?" affect described by some businesses as the key to their success will be reduced simply because people will have less time to react at faster speeds and with another lane to cross to exit the highway. This doesn't take into account any sound barrier or aesthetic screening along the highway that would further obstruct the driver and degrade the experience of shoppers trying to get from shop to shop. ➢ With parking already in short supply, the thru town proposal eliminates parking along CSAH 11. The system of frontage and backage roads that will need to be constructed or enhanced will either take more parking or will be ineffective in dealing with congestion. One-way streets, limited parking, limited stacking space for turning vehicles and short red lights on the highway thru traffic will all increase local congestion making downtown Pequot Lakes a difficult place to visit before traffic is increased at all. Baxterization separates places, and the thru-town highway will cause the same effect in Pequot Lakes in that any interaction between the two sides of town will be severely curtailed. This is discounted by some as being unimportant, but it will have an impact on how people—particularly residents- use the downtown. ➢ With limited parking, increased congestion, and a modern four-lane, high-speed freeway just a stoplight away, the short trip to Baxter becomes even shorter. Pequot Lakes cannot out-compete Baxter. We will not compete head to head with their development model because small-town loses to big-box almost everywhere they compete directly against each other. The exception is where neighborhood convenience and charm, and a critical mass of shops and restaurants gives the small town a niche and attracts people as a destination point. Running the highway through town preserves the status-quo of the business community in Pequot Lakes and, in the short term, may allow it to continue to prosper. Long-term, the thru town option will cause economic stagnation and some existing businesses will experience decline. More importantly, the thru-town option will not preserve the status quo of the residential community. Residents will be cut off from the goods and services they need, and from each other. The loss of our social connections and sense of cohesion is detrimental for the community as a whole. As you are aware,the thru town option has direct costs. The City's share of frontage and backage roads and the costs to upgrade utilities will be immediate. Ultimately citizens