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24 Development Opportunities on City-Owned Land | Lake Elmo, Minnesota <br />• Provide design and programmatic <br />alternatives rather than open-ended <br />options. At points in time when <br />community feedback, insights, and/or buy- <br />in are needed, providing participants with <br />plan alternatives is helpful. Open-ended <br />questions can often elicit responses that <br />veer off track and may make it difficult to <br />manage expectations going forward. <br />• Always provide the “why.” Stakeholders <br />noted that they prefer to understand the <br />reasoning behind decisions. Providing the <br />“why” behind the development path for the <br />study site could include reasoning such as <br />“enhancing the city of Lake Elmo per the <br />stated goals and preventing a residential <br />tax increase by increasing the tax base <br />with new commercial development.” <br />• Rezone to accomplish the plan. It is <br />important that the development plans for <br />the study site align with the city’s goals <br />and that the plan creates increased tax <br />revenue. If the site needs to be rezoned <br />to reach these goals, then the City should <br />do so. <br />• Use by-right zoning. By-right zoning <br />can advance the city’s goals by making <br />certain uses easy to pursue. By-right <br />zoning allows developers to bypass <br />zoning review, which will reduce the pre- <br />development timeline, reduce risk, and <br />save developers money. More broadly, <br />these time-saving measures can also <br />increase developer interest in the site. <br />• Build staff capacity. Lake Elmo staff <br />are working hard to ensure that the <br />City functions meet the needs of the <br />community. As development activity <br />builds, the City should also consider <br />increasing the capacity of City staff, either <br />through additional training or by hiring <br />additional people. Managing the plan <br />review process, conducting community <br />engagement, and managing City <br />communications are important functions <br />that will support the city’s goals, and each <br />deserves the attention of dedicated and <br />trained staff. <br />• Streamline the process. The City’s <br />development review process is an <br />important piece of the development puzzle. <br />The City is encouraged to streamline <br />and condense, where possible, the total <br />time needed to advance projects from <br />Plan Review/Building Permit Application <br />to Construction, with a goal of no more <br />than a 12-month process. This will help <br />ensure that the city of Lake Elmo remains <br />competitive and attractive to potential <br />developers and business owners looking to <br />land in the area. <br />Lake Elmo is quickly out growing its existing elementary school and is in the process of building a new facility to allow the district to double its student population.