10-27-1994 - Laserfiche WebLink

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•DEVELOPMENT PRESSURES, CONSTRAINTS, AND OPPORTUNITIES Before decisions can be made on the physical solutions to be implemented for the City of Mounds View, a general analysis of the urban forces and opportunities acting on the City is required. The City of Mounds View is only a small part of the larger metropolitan area and is strongly affected by forces and development pressures that occur beyond the City limits. Except for the basic economic con- siderations for the area, there are forces that result from the overall transpor- tation patterns, the environmental characteristics and the particular spatial interrelationships of the land areas to be developed or redeveloped . An attempt has been made to bring into focus the major forces which if left to operate in an uncontrolled fashion may create insurmountable problems. Old Highway. 10 The outstanding element that strongly affects all physical development considera- tions is Highway 10 which bisects the City of Mounds View, creating two identi- fiable subareas. Highway 10, although not a limited access freeway, acts as a major physical barrier. It is heavily used and includes a series of intersections that provide poor crossings even for vehicular traffic. Large areas adjacent to Highway 10 are still undeveloped. This strong element of a split community affects not only the functioning of an integrated circulation system for vehicles and pedestrians, 110 but it also creates a socially differentiated pattern. Freeway Relationships The City is bound by two major freeway branches: new Highway 10 and Interstate 35W. These controlled access circulation elements are a definite asset since they contribute to the fast and orderly accessibility of the City as a whole. At the same time, the freeway branches act as strong barriers to pedestrian and most vehicular circulation and for the immediate vicinity, as strong noise generators . Intersection of Interstate 35W and Old Highway 10 The intersection of these two major transportation routes is creating an activity node whose forces and opportunities require a community response . The high volumes of vehicular traffic serviced dictate intense uses for the adjacent land areas, and commercial activity is almost an immediate result of such configurations. Since the nature of this node is strongly oriented to the automobile, adjacent land parcels must relate in such a way as to manage the automobile traffic and utilize the exposure . Piecemeal development of this commercial area would likely result in the creation of an undesirable strip pattern of activity. • 19