5.1. HRSR 06-05-2005 - Laserfiche WebLink

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City of Elk River King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force Process Project Background The City of Elk River is in the process of redeveloping significant portions of the downtown area, with a specific focus on redeveloping atwo-block existing commercial area in the heart of Elk River. A large downtown surface parking area located on Jackson Avenue adjacent to the Bank of Elk River that has been in existence for many years is one of the first areas of downtown Elk River that will be required for the redevelopment effort. Because parking is extremely important to the continued economic viability and stability of downtown Elk River, city officials were concerned that no net public parking loss should occur during the reconstruction period. The King Avenue surface parking lot, located north of the intersection of King Avenue and Main Street and south of Highway 10, was identified by city staff as an area that could be expanded to offset the loss of existing public parking spaces across the street from the "brick block" area. The lot is available for employees and customers of Jackson Avenue and Main Street businesses such as Kemper Drug, Elk River Meats and other nearby stores. Because of the proximity of this lot to existing businesses along both Main Street and Jackson Avenue, city staff identified the area as one that could be expanded to accommodate additional public parking prior to the beginning of the downtown redevelopment process. A number of issues were associated with the planned expansion of the King Avenue parking lot. Among them was the issue of removing the former Municipal Utilities building to make room for additional parking, and the securing of a joint use agreement with the Elk River School District for adjoining street right-of-way usage. Parking lot design and enforcement concerns were also identified by city officials as issues that needed to be addressed prior to the expansion of the King Avenue lot. In December 2004 the Elk River Housing and Redevelopment Authority established the King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force. The mission of the group was to provide input on design and enforcement issues related to the expansion of the King Avenue parking lot prior to its June 2005 construction date. City staff invited stakeholders from businesses and residences located near the downtown Elk River area to participate on the Task Force and set a series of meetings to conduct Task Force work beginning in January 2005 and ending prior to parking lot expansion in May 2005. This report outlines the issues studied by the King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force, its membership and recommendations made by Task Force members throughout the Task Force process. 2