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i 4 � <br /> Elk, = F A P a Gravel Mmm Area Plm <br /> River` <br /> Background <br /> Elk River is situated at the confluence of the Mississippi and Elk Rivers in Sherburne County, roughly 34 <br /> miles northwest of downtown Minneapolis. It is bordered by the City of Ramsey to the east, the City of <br /> Otsego to the south, Big Lake Township to the west, and Livonia Township to the north. US Highways 10 <br /> and 169 and Trunk Highway 101 are the three main arterial routes that link Elk River to the Twin Cities <br /> and Greater Minnesota.The current City of Elk River covers 44 square miles.The largest area of the city <br /> was annexed in 1978 by the merging of Elk River Township.This expansion of Elk River provided the <br /> capacity for recent development. Elk River has a station on the Northstar Commuter Rail line to <br /> downtown Minneapolis. <br /> Study Area <br /> Existing land use in the study area is primarily mining, but there are also several hundred acres that are <br /> open space, landfill, rural industrial, rural residential and parkland.The City's Comprehensive Plan, <br /> completed in 2014,guided the property in the study area as "Development Reserve"to allow for future <br /> land use planning efforts as mining activities are exhausted.The mining area also has a zoning overlay <br /> guided as development reserve.The overlay allows the City of Elk River to plan for land uses in this area <br /> before development pressure occurs. <br /> Housing Needs <br /> Elk River has experienced a significant change in population over the past 30 years, with more growth <br /> expected in the future. In 2000,the population was 16,447, and in 2010 the US Census documented a <br /> population of 22,974.The City of Elk River anticipates a total population of 34,890 by 2035, according to <br /> the 2014 Comprehensive Plan. Historic growth patterns and future projections are shown in Figure 2. <br /> Based on the population projections, Elk River will need to add more housing units to accommodate to <br /> its housing stock in order to accommodate the additional population. Also, as the national trend of <br /> decreasing household size continues, a variety of types and styles of housing will be needed to provide <br /> options for smaller households. In 2010, Elk River had approximately 8,500 housing units. Based on <br /> future population projections and trends in household size, an 4,000 housing units will need to be <br /> planned for over the next 25 years.The Gravel Mining Study area could accommodate a large amount of <br /> this planned growth. <br /> 6 <br />