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<br />City of Elk River Newsletter <br />Volume 16. No.4 <br />luly/August 2007 <br /> <br /> <br />City of <br /> <br />Elk ,,--, <br />River~-' <br />un-en! <br /> <br /> <br />The <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />City Conducts Redevelopment Framework Study <br /> <br />The City of Elk River is conducting the <br />Mississippi Connections Redevelopment <br />Framework study to develop a blueprint for <br />future private investment in the 400-acre <br />greater downtown area. <br />The study would create an overall plan <br />and vision for the greater downtown area to <br />ensure its long-term health and vitality. The <br />three purposes of the study are to: <br />. Develop a framework to encourage <br />the vitality, vibrancy and reinvestment <br />of the study area that is consistent <br />with the community's future vision; <br />. Encourage reinvestment and assure <br />the long-term stability of existing resi- <br />dential neighborhoods; <br />. Develop a plan to protect one of the <br />major highway corridors through the <br />city-Highway lO-from piecemeal and <br />inappropriate development. <br />The City Council created a 13-member <br />task force to gain public participation in <br />the redevelopment framework study. The <br />Task Force consists of residents, business <br />people, and members of city boards and <br />commissions that deal directly with devel- <br />opment. <br />"As with other cities, Elk River's down- <br /> <br />town is no longer a retail center partly due <br />to the evolution of strip malls and big box <br />retail along Highway 169. At the same <br />time, we have the amazing asset of the <br />Mississippi River through our downtown <br />and we want to take advantage of it and <br />ensure downtown is once again a destina- <br />tion place for residents and visitors alike," <br />said Mark Urista, Task Force Chair. "We <br />called the study Mississippi Connections <br />because the river is a natural focus point in <br />which we want to connect the community." <br />"Because of changes downtown and gen- <br />eral development patterns, the Task Force <br />extended its study, area beyond the core <br />downtown to neighboring residential and <br />commercial areas and the Highway 10 cor- <br />ridor," said Urista. <br />Urista adds, "We expect with the suc- <br />cesses downtown, there will be additional <br />redevelopment interest in the community. <br />We want to ensure that the only type of <br />development that takes place is consistent <br />with community goals and achieves the <br />community's long-term 20-year vision. We <br />want to encourage the vitality of some of <br />the community's oldest residential neigh- <br />Framework Study continued on page 2 <br />