PUBLIC COMMENTS4b M L a rr�
What does downtown Elk River mean to me? To - f ' 1)
Downtown Elk River means to me a look into the past and a look into the fixture.
We need to hold onto the past yet we must plan for the future. Is this to say that progress
only covers up the past? I hope not. It should complement what is there with what
is to come and also supply for the needs of today and tomorrow. In doing so we must put
in place the framework for the needs,of today and tomorrow, of those who will follow.
As the faces of our city change let it not be said that we have forgotten those faces of
those have gotten us to where we are today. A blend of the old and the new is not always
easy to do,and to some' it may not be what they want, but the future of the area is in our
hands, so let the past and the future be blended with today to the best of our ability.
What are the main components of success?
Success can be noted in several ways according to the holder of the idea. For me it is to
bring an environment that the pubic will what to come to not out of necessity but out of
interest. Over the years I have said that do to the constraints of downtown it would be
service -oriented area. I hope that what we are doing now will change that concept. To
combine new residential and commercial ventures and the new park it hopefully will
become a place of interest. If we can maintain the history and the aspirations of the
fixture together I think that we should be able to achieve what we have envisioned for the
area. Only with new people coming there will the downtown grow. It could, maybe,have
served just the way it was, but to serve and to prosper are not the same. Only by
prospering will it live a long life. The new look of downtown may not be all old or all
new but -may it be the look of the future. Again let me say we need to make it a place of
interest not only a place of necessity.
Steve Johnson
1233 Sandy Lane
Monticello, MN 55362
February 19, 2021
Cal Portner, City Administrator
City of Elk River,
Elk River Minnesota
Dear Mr. Portner,
This is an open letter you and your staff, the Elk River City Council, EDA and HRA regarding the open meeting
and discussion Monday evening February 22, 2021.
I am the owner of the building currently occupied by Downtown Antiques, 309 Jackson. Many years ago, I
operated Johnson's Family Apparel in the same location. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic coupled with my
age I am not able to attend the community meeting.
Despite my physical absence, I still have a strong commitment to the City of Elk River now and as over many
decades demonstrates.
I commend the city as you look to the future of the downtown and how it will evolve in the years to come.
Setting a direction demonstrates the needed forward vison entrusted to you. I would like to express my
perspective as you plan for the future.
I support the efforts to redevelop the downtown area to meet the needs of the community now and in the
future. A mix of mutually supporting commercial enterprises develops a whole business community
greater than the sum of its parts.
2. Adjacent parking and access to any remaining buildings must be preserved in accordance with
established norms for a "Mixed Use" environment. Keep in mind our community depends on vehicular
transportation in our suburban culture where convenience is critical.
3. Remote parking does NOT accommodate the parking needs of current businesses or those that may
remain as the area redevelops. Previous and current congestion issues because of previous projects
illustrate this issue.
4. Access to the downtown should not be inhibited. This may come in conflict with MnDOT which
concerns itself with moving traffic through an area often to the detriment of the community as a whole.
5. A pedestrian friendly appeal must remain and be enhanced. Customers come to shopping areas as
vehicular occupants and then become pedestrians. Proper planning and design must balance these facts
of life.
Thank you for your consideration and most certainly your service to the City of Elk River.
Sincerely,
Steve Johnson
From: John Jordan <johnaiordan@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, February 22, 2021 11:46 AM
To: Portner, Cal <CPortner@ElkRiverMN.gov>
Subject: Re: council
Mayor and Council,
Good day.
I am unable to attend tonight's meeting but wanted to share my thoughts about our beautiful
downtown Elk River.
My wife and I enjoy traveling the country and one of the most important things we look for in a good
trip are wonderful, historic, vital small downtowns. We enjoy shopping, dining and as well as the
historical value of those areas. We will sometimes research a city before we visit so we don't miss the
hidden historical features one might otherwise miss.
Before moving to Elk River we'd been a long time virtually -every -Friday -night visitor to Daddy O's. We
not only loved Jeff's restaurant but also visiting something we didn't have in Brooklyn Park, a vital
downtown. Growing up in North St. Paul I learned early the value of a vital, active downtown with local
shop owners. For me it was Kendall's grocery store, the Rexall drug store and Don's barber shop.
We got to love Elk River so much that when the time was right and the opportunity arose we built our
one level townhome. I even gave up the final four months of my city council term to make it happen.
So when I say we love Elk River and our downtown you can see that love runs deep and we want to
protect it the best we can. But our love for downtown isn't just protecting it as it stands but making it
better in ways that share both the historical values of it but allows for growth.
I have thought for some time downtown needs a quality lodging experience. Elk River can be a visitor
destination but requires the missing piece, a nice hotel. If I were to make one suggestion it would be a
high end hotel operation that doesn't feature a brand name, but would feature a name such as "The Elk
by Marriott" or "The Riverfront by Marriott" (under a nice brand like Marriott, for instance, but a small
lettered version of it).
I imagine "The Elk" including an upscale hotel, underground parking, retail space, some office space and
perhaps some condo space. The design would be a nod to the historical look we love today, not a
modern, glass -covered IDS -like structure.
There is no reason why our downtown cannot be a small version of Stillwater but it definitely is a
"chicken or egg" issue. More retail will come, more restaurants will open but only if there's a reason for
it. Incentivizing The Elk to build would give those shops and restaurants a reason to come.
Would it harm our current businesses? I think the opposite is true. I think it would fill them even
more. More people, more weekends filling downtown with visitors, more events at the Furniture and
Things Community Event Center (and places for those people to stay) would be awesome for our
downtown.
Sorry for the long email but I really do have a passion to take our downtown and, while preserving our
history, making it an even better place.
Thank you for the opportunity to present my thoughts.
John Jordan
18401 Yankton St NW
Elk River