County Road E corridor
COUNTY ROAD E CORRIDOR ACTION PLAN
One of the best ways to make a difference is through collaboration , and we ’ re happy to share that White Bear Lake , Gem Lake and Vadnais Heights are partnering with Ramsey County on a pilot initiative called the County Road E Corridor Action Plan . The goal of the project is to create a more cohesive and connected corridor along County Road E , and to guide future development of key opportunity sites located in each city .
Throughout 2022 , approximately 100 community members from all three cities participated in six different community engagement workshops . During those meetings , recommendations were made for attracting private investment through development and infrastructure improvements to the stretch of County Road E that goes through all three cities .
The area under examination starts at the intersection of Centerville Road and County Road E in Vadnais Heights , heads east through Gem Lake , and comes to an end at the intersection of County Road E and Century Avenue in White Bear Lake . The geographic definition of the corridor includes a halfmile radius to the north and south of County Road E .
“ It ’ s a transportation corridor , but there are also diverse land uses that are along the corridor , and it ’ s trying to get an understanding of how they all interact Nolan Wall together , and how
it can be improved ,” said Nolan Wall , AICP , Planning / Community Development Director for the City of Vadnais Heights .
He pointed out the plan does not call for any construction . It instead lays the groundwork for the existing conditions within the corridor , and also includes some kind of visioning , along with input from various stakeholders , as to potential improvements they ’ d like to see along the corridor . The grant was awarded in January 2020 , but due to the pandemic , work on the action plan didn ’ t begin until 2022 .
“ We felt the engagement piece of this was important to do in person . For that reason we pushed out the timeline until we could safely meet in person and bring all the stakeholders , residents and community members together and have a structured conversation , learning more about what the community wants to see to enhance and revitalize this corridor ,” said Tracy Shimek , Housing and Economic Development Coordinator for White Bear Lake .
56 Northeast Metro Business