08-27-1990 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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LONG LAKE'S GOALS, CONCERNS AND ISSUES regarding RELOCA'rlDll OE tRDllk HlMftlAY 12 I. GOALS. Long Lake is an area of gently rolling, wooded hills located 15 miles west of llinneapolis, in western Hennepin County. The city has a general rural character with natural amenities which many people find attractive. It presently consists of 475 acres, has twelve miles of road and a population of just under 2,000 people. The town slogan, adopted by the Cl)amber of Coninerce several years ugo is "Where the west, begins". One need only to drive west on Highway 12 out of Minneapolis to learn the meaning of this statement, .'s soon as the roadway now known as Highway 12 narrows at the westerly edge of Uayzata from six down to two lanes of highway, one finds him/herself on the easterly doorstep of Long Lake. As one continues westerly on Highway 12 through the city one first sees single family residences, then multiple family residences, then a commercial business district substantially lining both sides of Highway 12, then an industrial district on the left side of Highway 12, and then, on the westerly edge of the city the landscape opens up into gently rolling hills and open rural spaces. Long Lake has always been self sufficient in terms of its own utilities. It has its own volunteer fire department and contracts for police services with the City of Orono. It is an attractive place to both live and work. Houses which go up for sale in the City of Long Lake generally sell quickly. While housing is mostly moderate in price there are also areas where housing is expensive. Access to such places as Ridgedale shopping center or downtown Minneapolis to the east or wide open spaces to the west is extremely good. Long Lake has as a primary goal the continuation of the present quality of life as above-described. The advent of the 1-394 improvement project is deemed as both a substantial benefit and a substantial threat to this quality of life. The benefits of easier access to the metropolitan areas of Hennepin County are obvious. However, the growing stream of traffic occasioned by the 1-394 corridor development, which is constantly creeping westward is viewed as a substantial threat to the public safety and welfare of the residents and business owners of the City of Long Lake. To a large extent the business community depends upon the traffic which is presently generated on Highway 12. Of course, much of this traffic is coming and goirjg to other places. The latest MnDOT traffic counts at the intersection of Highway 12 and County Road 146 in the center of the town’s business district are upwards of 20,000 cars per day. At this level Long Lake's business district should continue to thrive and do well. Howeve", since so many of these vehicles are headed elsewhere and merely are passing througfi the city the higher the traffic count gets the more dangerous the situation becomes. There is a point at which the number of cars passing through the city per day begins to make a diminishing return in terms of the quality of life within the city. It is believed that most people who live within the city recognize this. Thus, a major goal of the city is to relocate Highway 12 out of the city but in such a way that the existing two lane Highway 12 will continue to be used as a collector route for persons travelling east or west. In other words, the city does not find the present traffic counts objectionable except at peak hour periods. If the traffic count could be maintained between 10,000 and 20,000