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9 Development Opportunities on City-Owned Land | Lake Elmo, Minnesota <br />tower currently sits on the Public Works <br />land. While sewer connectivity is currently in <br />place for Parcel 1, Parcels 2 and 3 will require <br />tunneling under the rail line for one and <br />crossing 34th Street for the other. Parcels 2 <br />and 3 will also require two access points for <br />vehicular traffic going forward. <br />Guiding Principles <br />As the panel considered opportunities for the <br />site, the potential development constraints, <br />and the goals for the site as articulated by <br />City leadership, staff, and the community, the <br />panel outlined the following principles, which <br />served to guide the formation of the panel’s <br />development recommendations: <br />• Maximize community benefit. Any <br />development on the site should enhance <br />the city’s fiscal strength, jobs, services, <br />housing options, and more. <br />• Maintain image and character. Residents <br />noted how they value the natural beauty <br />and open character of Lake Elmo. Work <br />at the site should support that image and <br />serve as another welcoming gateway to <br />the rest of the city. <br />• Establish design and performance <br />standards. There was some concern <br />from community members that new uses <br />at the site may look or feel out of step <br />with the rest of Lake Elmo. Establishing <br />compatible, quality, and efficient design <br />and performance standards can help <br />guide development in a manner that <br />should align with the community’s broader <br />character. <br />• Preserve future flexibility. The size <br />of the site and lagging commercial <br />development in the area may necessitate <br />a longer marketing and development <br />runway. By addressing work at the site <br />in phases and remaining flexible, the site <br />may prove more adaptable to changing <br />market conditions and allow for greater <br />opportunity along the way. <br />• Remain ready and responsive to the <br />market. Development at the site will take <br />time, yet there are improvements that <br />can begin in the near term. By using an <br />approach that incorporates both near- <br />term and long-term arcs and actions, <br />the City can help ensure that progress is <br />made while also positioning the site to <br />remain responsive to the market. <br />• Build internal capacity. As the city’s <br />population has grown, its service <br />requirements have likewise grown. <br />Development at the study site may provide <br />the impetus the City needs to also advance <br />and increase its internal staffing capacity <br />in order to maintain the vision it and the <br />community have set for Lake Elmo.