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ek,/ \) ITEM No. 5.15 ty of MEMORANDUM lk : Planning Commission IiveP0 FROM: Scott Harlicker, Planning Assistant/ DATE: May 28, 1996 SUBJECT: Highway Commercial Performance Standards Background Highways are more than just a conduit that moves people from one place to another. In today's mobile and automobile oriented society, the view from the highway is often the foundation on which people base their impression of a community. The view from the highway is important; a person's perception of the community will be different if the view is one of billboards, treeless parking lots and commercial strip development than it would be if the view from the highway was open space, landscaped buffers and building sites that are oriented towards the building and not the parking lot. • Improving the appearance of highway corridors creates and reinforce the perception that a community takes pride in its appearance and is a pleasant place to live. The City's concerns about providing commercial and industrial development opportunities, while maintaining the semi-rural character and visual qualities that are an integral park of Elk River, are expressed in some of the goals found in the Comprehensive Plan. • Encourage the development of a quality community which retains a semi- rural atmosphere, while providing necessary commercial development to serve a growing residential population. • Preserve , maintain and/or strengthen the physical and visual qualities unique to the community. The Comprehensive Plan also states that special attention will need to be focused upon the proper planning of Highways 10 and 169 to ensure safe and efficient travel, while not compromising the aesthetic and natural qualities found in Elk River. • 13065 Orono Parkway • P.O. Box 490 • Elk River, MN 55330 • (612) 441-7420 • Fax: (612) 441-7425