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to local movement; at the same time the original street grid remains nearly
<br /> intact, forming a strong pattern for managing traffic at a local level. Few ele-
<br /> ments of Monticello's early architectural history stand out, but the overall pat-
<br /> • tern of buildings along Broadway yield a sense of a distinct center for local
<br /> business. Downtown still retains important civic facilities (City Hall, Post III
<br /> Office and Library) — elements that are key to the revitalization effort.
<br /> Monticello's downtown has problems, but some great opportunities exist as
<br /> well. r itt
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<br /> local streets...
<br /> • As conduits of movement, local
<br /> , streets are important to down-
<br /> '` town. As the streets of down-
<br /> town are planned, they must be
<br /> recognized as part of a local street
<br /> system. Traffic management is
<br /> Downtown is surrounded by well-established neighborhoods;creating connections between downtown and these neighbor- critical, but the character of the
<br /> hoods will be vital for the future of downtown. streets must be related to the
<br /> • community. Street names might
<br /> Monticello as a community is also typical of cities within the sphere of influ- be a good starting point —
<br /> ence of larger metropolitan areas. It has grown in land area as its population Broadway, not County Highway
<br /> has grown, and has in ways come to look more like a suburb than a 75; Pine Street, not State
<br /> many Y Highway 25.
<br /> small town. New neighborhoods have grown in locations that are fairly distant
<br /> from downtown, with many of the newest homes separated from downtown by
<br /> an interstate highway. Connections between downtown and other areas of
<br /> Monticello will become critical as new housing is developed farther from its
<br /> • center
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<br /> Many communities have lost their downtowns as the suburbs expand;Monticello's downtown will be critical to defining Nearby shopping...
<br /> this community as a small town rather than a suburb.
<br /> • The activities of nearby shopping
<br /> If Monticello considers the emerging patterns of housing and industry, it will areas might have been located in
<br /> downtown in the past, but they
<br /> be its downtown that signals its place as a small town rather than another Twin now function better in a different
<br /> Cities suburb. For example, compare Monticello's character as a community setting. They serve the communi-
<br /> to places like Chaska or White Bear Lake. Both have significant natural fea- ty on a daily basis, providing
<br /> goods and services that are much
<br /> tures to draw on, both are easily within commuting distance of a major city, needed. The key is to balance
<br /> both are growing rapidly in their population, and both have vital downtown what happens in these areas with
<br /> areas. These communities are desirable places to live, in part because their new uses in downtown, and cre-
<br /> ate strong connections between
<br /> downtowns make them more like a town than a suburb. these areas and downtown.
<br /> One of the best signals of the health of a downtown is the health of the neigh-
<br /> borhoods that surround it. In Monticello, the boundary between downtown
<br /> • and its neighborhoods is evident, and, with a few exceptions, the neighbor- _ -
<br /> A New Bridge •
<br /> Revitalizing Monticello's Downtown and Rlverfront IL-
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