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<br />SUMMARY OF RESEARCH AND RECOMMENDED STRATEGIES <br />EDA STRATEGIC PLAN 34 <br />7. GRAVEL MINING AREA <br />A large amount of land will be reclaimed for development in northern Elk River as gravel <br />mining operations are completed. That will occur in phases. In 2015, when the Gravel <br />Mining Area Land Use, Transportation, and Utility Plan (Gravel Mining Plan) was <br />adopted, some parts of the gravel mining area were expected to be available for <br />redevelopment by 2020. Mining would <br />cease in other parts of the area over a <br />20+ year period. <br />As of late 2020, land has not yet been <br />reclaimed and made available for <br />redevelopment in any part of the gravel <br />mining area. And the timeline outlined in <br />2015 has not to our knowledge been <br />updated by the mining operators. <br />The consultant team has reviewed the <br />2015 Gravel Mining Plan. It is thorough <br />and provides appropriate guidance, with <br />a primarily engineering focus. The vision <br />for future development that it offers was <br />reasonable when it was adopted, but the <br />market for new development has <br />undergone significant change since that <br />time. The needs of the City may have <br />changed as well. A specific concern of <br />the consultant team is that the amount of <br />retail land that is proposed may exceed <br />the demand for new retail. <br />Because of these considerations, we <br />would recommend a fresh look at the <br />development vision when the opportunity <br />for development is becoming imminent. <br />An updated plan should evaluate current <br />retail demand, and it should reflect an <br />updated sense of the City’s need for housing and industrial land. <br />With that update, the City can also take additional implementation steps that will support <br />the attraction of high quality development to the site. A master plan of the area can be <br />developed based on the updated vision, which would include a more detailed street grid, <br />and conceptual platting. Zoning should be changed to reflect the master plan. And <br />planning for the provision of street and utility infrastructure can be advanced.