One of those stakeholders is Joy Erickson , owner of The Joy Erickson Real Estate Team , which is headquartered in the 1200 block of County Road E East in Vadnais Heights . She attended most of the community engagement workshops .
“ I think this was a very well-run method of looking at the issue ,” she said . “ All three cities got together on this grant that provided facilitators to figure out what the community wanted and needed . Then the top ideas were presented to a panel of developers ,” she said . “ I am especially impressed that the plan provides options for spaces that are underutilized or not utilized at all .”
There are options in the plan for commercial space , rental options , ownership uses , as well as senior living . Erickson currently lives in White Bear Lake , offices in Vadnais Heights , and lived in Vadnais Heights for 11 years prior to moving to White Bear Lake . “ I ’ ve been interested in improving this corridor for years ,” she said .
Ben Johnson , who is a member of the Gem Lake City Council , said he is excited to see all the interest in the redevelopment of the corridor . “ It was
Ben Johnson really interesting to hear from those
who showed up , especially at the block exercise where we had the maps laid out on tables , and then wood blocks representing various pieces of infrastructure potential . It seems people are really interested in opportunities for community beneficial projects , such as more restaurants or dining options , community centers and parks ,” he said .
The findings for the County Road E Corridor Action Plan were organized by a consultant , and presented to the public in early 2023 . The next step will be implementation .
Here is a peek at what is being proposed :
Vadnais Heights
Redevelopment of the now vacant land at both the northeast and southwest corners of the County Road E and Interstate 35 E interchange .
Gem Lake
There are two sites being looked at : an 18-acre parcel of land east of Daniel Farms Road and north of County Road E that Johnson said is zoned in such a way that it could serve as a transition from heavier commercial to mixed-use to residential . There is also a 12-acre site south of County Road E and east of Highway 61 along Hoffman Road that is available for redevelopment .
Johnson said that a portion of the latter site was approved for the construction of a Hy-Vee market back in 2018 , but the development hasn ’ t happened yet . “ Some of the buildings that used to be
on the site were torn down . Those that remain still have businesses operating in them ,” he said .
White Bear Lake
Evaluate the four corners at the intersection of Bellaire and County Road E .
“ The themes that we heard are some people really wanted a place to go and eat like a wine bar or a restaurant . Other people want housing , but not super dense housing , and they want something they think is compatible with the neighborhood ,” said Shimek .
The southwest corner of the intersection was recently redeveloped and is home to the Bean Co . coffee / crepe / ice cream shop , which Shimek says will be staying .
The northwest and southeast corners of the intersection currently have closed gas stations on them . The northeast corner is a vacant lot owned by the City of White Bear Lake .
“ We as a City ( Gem Lake ) would like to follow-up with some of the developers who participated in the action plan and try to understand what their vision might be and what sorts of things they took away from these conversations ,” said Johnson .
“ Councils change , policies change , but at least this document will be in place for decision makers to consult in the future ,” said Wall .
More information can be found on the participating city websites .
https :// cityvadnaisheights . com / 907 / County-Road-E-Corridor-Revitalization
www . whitebearlake . org / e vhedc . com 57