Commentary; Posted: 8/15/07
FL EDA on right course, but needs help
By Cliff Buchan
It’s been encouraging this summer to follow the progress of the Forest Lake Economic Development Authority as it brainstorms on what it would like to see the city become. It is a good process that needs to be done from time to time.
It was also encouraging this week to see plans starting to take shape for how the EDA and the Forest Lake City Council will go about aiding and guiding development. One of the first targets likely will be Highway 61 south, a key area that could be prime for commercial development.
Construction of a new auto parts store and redevelopment of the former bowling alley site are two early projects. The new restaurant and bank on the west side of US-61 at TH-97 has been completed.
The city mission has been established: Set goals and policies with appropriate design and build standards that will meet community standards and result in an attractive highway corridor. It is the same general theme that will follow other business districts as they are identified and boundaries established.
It’s a good process and one overdue. The city staff and its boards are to be commended for stepping forward at a time when the attention is needed.
That said, we hope that the EDA does not lose track of the work it started in the downtown district. That effort is far from finished. While it is good to extend its scope to other areas of the city in need, existing projects must still be completed.
Now that time has been a test, most would approve of what has transpired in the downtown.
A large section of the downtown has been cleaned up significantly with new buildings and the downtown Lakeside Memorial Park — the centerpiece of the community’s access to the lake — is a major improvement and a fine family gathering place for years to come.
But the north end of the downtown block still needs attention. We would encourage the city and the EDA to explore options for the old theater building which remains under private ownership, but is a key parcel if the north end of the block is to be refurbished.
We would welcome a study to explore options of the building’s future use as an arts and cultural center that would give the downtown even more drawing power and an identity. If the building is not suitable for redevelopment, it may fall to the EDA to purchase the property and assist in some form of redevelopment.
As part of its summer visioning process, the EDA has gone through a process to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The lake remains a positive, of course, but what is troubling is that traffic shows up only as a weakness and a threat, not a strength nor an opportunity for the community. It points to a clear need for road improvements in the city.
It was disappointing to learn this week that Washington County has now officially delayed its W. Broadway Corridor project to 2010. That means a delay for the Broadway and Lake St. (US-61) intersection redesign and throws into flux the EDA’s goal for streetscape improvements from 2nd Ave. S. to 2nd Ave. N. in the downtown.
What was once slated for work in 2007 and 2008 is now more than two years out with no certainty that anything will transpire in 2010.
It doesn’t make the job of the city council and the EDA any easier.
Elected officials in Washington County and transportation planners must be accountable for the vital roles they play in how Forest Lake develops in years to come.
It can be argued that planned road projects here have been delayed for valid reason, but in the interest of making sure the job is done right the county must still be pressed to deliver in a fashion that addresses the growth demands of an important area of the county.
It is clear that traffic is an area that the city council, its EDA, the county and the state must address if the planning process for the orderly development of the city is to continue.
The city and the EDA is taking the right steps but it is an effort that will need coordination on all ends and some help.
Forest Lake Times
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880 SW 15 St.
Forest Lake, MN 55025
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