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DAVID K. GARDNER <br />1399 EAST COUNTY ROAD E <br />GEM LAKE, MINNESOTA 55110 <br />June 17, 1994 <br />Mr, Paul R. Emeott, Mayor <br />3960 Scheuneman Road <br />Gem Lake, Mn 55110 <br />Dear Paul: <br />The Gem Lake Planning Commission convened again at 7:30 PM, <br />Monday, June 13, 1994, at Tousley Ford. Present were Gardner, <br />Emeott, Bemis, Leider, Nielsen, Docken, Titcomb, and Arend. <br />Mr. Glen Van Wormer and Ms. Cindy Gray, of SEH, presented <br />information regarding both the Corridor Study and the Fontana <br />Development proposal relative to GL traffic considerations. SEH <br />performed the initial study for Vadnais Heights (VH) to determine <br />roadway modifications necessary to accomodate their City Center <br />plan. That sturdy resulted in the reconstruction of the 135E <br />interchange and bridge. When Fontana came along, SEH was <br />requested to update their study to determine the ability of the <br />new interchange to tolerate the increased traffic. Surprisingly <br />(their word) their model showed that a 100% retail development <br />could be accomodated with peak hour traffic conditions of D. (To. <br />traffic 'engineers, condition D is ideal:: maximum utilization of <br />the roadway without physical violence') <br />There were several questions regarding the accuracy of these <br />simulation models, and SEH insists that they are quite accurate, <br />provided the assumptions are correct (i.e., the projected uses of <br />the surrounding land). SEH assumed "worst case" development in <br />their model, and the Corridor Study actually projected somewhat <br />less congestion than SEH. Fontana's engineers were satisfied <br />with the SEH data and chose not to provide an independent study. <br />SEH observed that retail generates about 4 times the number of <br />trips as office, but that the peak hour level is not signifi- <br />cantly different, because office flows 80% one-way at peak hour, <br />whereas retail tends to be 50-50. <br />Important information relative to GL: <br />1. Fontana Square will generate average weekday trips of <br />20,271 vehicles, with the peak hour estimated at 1,815. (In .ad- <br />dition to Target, the proposal includes a grocery store, strip <br />mall, two restaurants, and a drive-in bank.) <br />2. Traffic on County Rd. E, East of 135E, is projected to <br />average 24,900 vehicles per day in 1996 (Target open), versus <br />