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Page 1 of 1 Mcpherson, Michele • From: gandbgraham@usfamily.net Sent: Friday, August 29, 2003 7:24 AM To: elkriver@hkgi.com Cc: mmcpherson@ci.elk-river.mn.us Subject: Comment on Draft Elk River Comprehensive Plan Thanks for the chance to have this type of input on the draft Comprehensive Plan -- I tried to participate in person, but found I could make it to only one of the sessions. I have a serious concern about how the beautifully-stated Vision Statement actually translates to reality when I view the proposed Land Use map. I believe the Vision Statement really reflects the ideals that most Elk River residents have, at least the people that I know and my neighbors. There seems to be a dis-connect between the Vision and your plan for our neighborhood, however. The neighborhood is in East Elk River, bounded by 175th Avenue on the North and Tyler Street on the West. Currently, the neighborhood is rural residential. Residents own horses and other livestock and many of the homes have large outbuildings. This neighborhood acts as a buffer to a large natural wetland running along the southern edge--about the only place that wildlife have left after so much major clearing and urban/suburban development to the north of our neighborhood. Our neighborhood also serves as a gateway or"transitional"area to the new urban/suburban neighborhoods, as one comes off Hwy 10 into the residential area. All of these factors in the current land use pattern of our neighborhood are a perfect mesh with the Vision Statement, which says: Maintain a distinct identity-natural resources of the community are essential ingredient, ER seeks to grow in a manner that preserves the qualities of its small town heritage. Also: Preserve and maintain the environment-rural undeveloped areas are part of the ER environment. If I am reading the proposed Land Use map correctly, our area is shown for the future as dark brown, which would be slated for high density residential development--apartments and townhouses. That type of • development will be incompatible with the current residents' land use, and is completely opposed to the themes of the Vision mentioned above. In addition, high density residential development for this neighborhood, which will bring hundreds of new households to a concentrated area, will contribute to the serious overcrowding situation in the Elk River schools, which can't keep pace with the lightening-speed population grow of this community. That will undermine another the Vision statement's points: A quality educaiton system for ER. I urge the city decision makers and City Council to change the plans for our neighborhood, keeping our area designated as rural residential, which fits more closely with the Elk River Vision Statement. Thank you. Feel free to contact me for further discussion. Geraldine Graham 17451 Tyler Street N.W. Elk River, MN 55330 763/441-5762 USFamily.Net-Unlimited Internet - From$8.99/mo! • 8/29/2003