2.0. HRSR 03-10-1998 - Laserfiche WebLink

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The concept for downtown Monticello is the creation of a "new bridge" — a way of linking the traditional downtown (along Broadway) and the riverfront to commercial areas nearer to the interstate. In this concept, the boundaries of downtown reach from the Mississippi River to I-94, with Walnut Street as a • new "main street" along which downtown development would stretch. Strong anchors would define the each end of Walnut Street: Broadway and the river on the north; a revitalized Mall on the south. A public focus would be created mid-way along Walnut — a home for the civic and institutional functions of the community. This is the"new bridge." Downtown would encompass an area generally one block west of Walnut Street and one block east of Pine (still including the Sixth Street Annex retail area), as well as areas along Seventh Street. Even given this dimension for a downtown in Monticello, Walnut Street, Broadway and the river will be focal points for pedestrian activity. The community chose a concept that greatly expands the scope of its down- town, integrating diverse commercial areas into a single working unit while providing a great deal of flexibility in fitting new uses into the community's center. While it may seem to be a large area, it is worth comparing it to other spaces — both for scale and to understand how the physical design of the spaces and objects in downtown can work to pull this area of Monticello together; it is no larger than the footprint of a typical regional mall (such as Ridgedale in Minnetonka, and it is relatively the same size as the downtowns of communities such as Wayzata or Stillwater. It is still a large area and although it appears that there are many opportunities, it is important to know what is possible. • Retail and Entertainment The plan envisions the Broadway area continuing to attract primarily specialty, entertainment and professional office uses (sit-down restaurants and other entertainment uses, books, antiques, jewelry and medicaUdental services) in addition to some convenience-oriented uses such as coffee shops, bakeries and personal services. New development and redevelopment efforts would first be aggregated within a "core" area between Walnut Street and Pine Street (near Broadway) to demonstrate a sense of visible change in the area. There are numerous oppor- tunities within this zone for development activities to occur. Most new uses in this area will require between 1,500 to 2,500 square feet; a larger space would be required for bigger uses such as a sit-down restaurant (perhaps near the river), sporting goods store or other entertainment use (potentially 5,000 to • 6,000 square feet). The plan directs larger users (10,000 square feet or more) to the south end of Walnut Street or, for very large users (20,000 square feet or more), to areas along Seventh Street. Given current conditions and a pro-development perspective (one that encour- _ ages developers to make proposals and has the City acting as much as a facili- • tator as a reviewer), the Monticello market could absorb between 10,000 to A New Bridge Revitalizing Monticello's Downtown and Riverfront Page 3:2