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The possibility of using the farm as a photographer's background was interpreted as creating an "entertainment" business which was not allowed in the zoning area. It took a lot of effort to <br />resolve this issue, the back-and -forth communication was difficult. Ultimately in this case the IUP was amended satisfactorily, but the ruling seemed quite arbitrary with respect to the <br />number of trips was allowed (actually many more than requested). <br />does not expect the City to help attract customers, but there are things that can be done to not discourage customers. Deal with the traffic issues <br />Traffic issue 1 - since the traffic light was installed at LE Ave and Hwy 14, there is no guidance to those pulling out of XXXX's driveway to go left on 14, or straight north on LE Ave. This situation <br />is dangerous especially for those with slower reaction time, because the driver has to guess when to go and has no idea of what the signals are directing the other three traffic flows. Said that <br />The business climate in Lake Elmo has been an issue (reputation for "unfriendly to business"). The settlement of the development lawsuit (LE vs Metro Council) did help their lender decide <br />that the LE location was viable. They are originally from California, and lived in Farmington MN where there is also an issue with difficult business climate. How much is the State, how much <br />local? They would like to improve the signage for their location to make the business more visible, but understand that LE is very restrictive in that regard. They would like to get a clear <br />encouraged that the City has opened a channel through the EDA to listen to business owners' concerns. In the past their only connection was to pay the real estate taxes. The City organization <br />was not viewed as helpful, and the divisive nature of historical Councils did not engender much confidence. She would like to be kept apprised of the activities of the EDA. <br />New developments in Lake Elmo are required to provide a park (maybe with a playground) or pay a parks dedication fee, they would like to form connections with the developers of new <br />housing developments to be able to offer their services. It would be helpful if the City had a program to help businesses that want to redevelop existing buildings to make them suitable for <br />the new owner's business (restore or upgrade existing commercial buildings) to maintain a historic appearance. They would like better cooperation with the City snow removal process. The <br />plow now pushes the snow onto their limited parking area, which they must then clear. <br />While there are many new developments where homeowners need insurance, most of the big developers have their own in-house insurance business, which typically offers a low cost bare- <br />bones policy, and XXXX only gets the business after the homeowner has a bad experience with this "package" plan. <br />"It is good to hear that someone cares about the business climate in Lake Elmo. <br />They are really busy in the real estate business, and have no suggestions for what the City could do to help them in the short term. <br />Signage right off the main road before the entrance - content on the city website <br />He had no suggestions for short term improvements that L.E. City or EDA could make. This is a destination business and does not depend on casual drive-by customers who happen to notice <br />it. <br />improve the signage regulations to allow more useful signs. <br />pay for snow clearing on downtown sidewalks <br />7. Are there any priorities you would like to help identify for the City of Lake Elmo or the Lake Elmo EDA to consider as strategic planning action steps? <br />Slow down residential development. More new residents equal more kids which equals more schools which equals more school district taxes. I know this is true, I have owned my building <br />since 1980 and know the consequneces of out of control development and it is not good for small business owner. The huge assessments to fund the main street sewer project have made the <br />profitablility of my business pretty bleak. <br />Would it be possible for a seasonal commercial business such as this business to be classified for tax purposes as commercial for the business period and agricultural for the non-business <br />period?