5.2. HRSR 02-25-2002 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Hall, Heidi •rom: Mehelich, Catherine Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2002 9:33 AM To: Hall, Heidi Subject: FW: Downtown Revitalization Comment ) . Heidi, I didn't know if she had forwarded this message to you after getting my "out of office" message. You can add it to your comments summary. CM Original Message From: wendy simenson [mailto:simen003 @maroon.tc.umn.edu] Sent: Monday, February 18, 2002 2 :31 PM To: cmehelich @ci.elk-river.mn.us Subject: Downtown Revitalization Comment Dear Cathy, I support the efforts of the City of Elk River to revitalize downtown. There is no question that downtown needs some changes to freshen up the appearance of some of the buildings and improve access. We also need to find ways to make it more of a destination. However, I hate to see the flavor of downtown changed by razing most of the existing buildings for new ones. I am also concerned with the existing business owners losing their livlihoods and hope that due consideration 411. given to them as this process progresses. There is no one plan that stands out. All have some value. It is important that the riverfront be updated to make it more inviting to families. (A permanent shoreline fishing/picnicing area with a walking/biking trail leading up to it would be ideal) . People would have more opportunities to come downtown if an art center was established. The city needs to offer low interest loans to existing businesses to encourage them to update their facades as was done successfully in Anoka. New mixed use residential/retail buildings would be a welcome addition to downtown if they were architecturally cohesive with the existing structures. I believe that all of these efforts will be a waste of time unless the businesses and the city work together to improve traffic flow, parking and ensure a safe pedestrian traffic crossing across Highway 10 into downtown. Sincerely, Wendy Simenson • 1