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I <br />3.8 Land .Development in Gem Lake and Vicinity <br />3.8.1 Residential Development <br />Gem Lake residents. are overwhelmingly housed. in single-family <br />homes (99.3 percent of dwelling units). However, there is a <br />considerable diversity of housing. types in the vicinity of the City both <br />in terms of types and in values (see Table: 5). For example, 7.4 <br />percent of all housing units in adjacent Vadnais Heights. are mobile. <br />homes. Substantial shares.ofhousing are in multiple -family structures <br />such as in White Bear Lake (27.9 percent), and Vadnais Heights <br />(18.0 percent), :Housing values are very similar among the adjoining <br />communities with three communities at $97,000 and White Bear <br />Lake City at $87,000. <br />3.8.2 Commercial Development <br />i <br />Prior to the construction of Maplewood Mall there was a decided lack <br />r of a full service retail commercial center to serve the Gem Lake area. <br />This center is the dominant retail outlet within the area for major <br />shopping purposes. Residents of. Gem Lake are able to obtain some <br />convenience items in the traditional "Hoffman's Corners" area located <br />in the southeastern portion of the City. Lands immediately south and <br />west of Gem Lakes' corporate boundaries in Vadnais Heights. are <br />planned for additional commercial development. As was .indicated <br />previously in the "Employment and Economic Base" section of this <br />chapter, the dominant investment in all commercial development <br />within. Gem Lake was in auto dealerships catering to a trade area well <br />_4 beyond. municipal boundaries. Other commercial investments <br />typically have a. "Highway Service" character such as service stations <br />j and fast food establishments. <br />Comprehensive Plan <br />Gem Lake, Minnesota <br />3.8.3 Office and Other EmpIoyment Concentrations <br />There is a limited amount of office development in the immediate <br />vicinity of Gem Lake. These are small concentrations in <br />Vadnais Heights and in the downtown areas of White Bear Lake and <br />North St. Paul. The largest concentrations of office space near Gem <br />Lake are in the central business,district of St. Paul, the Midway <br />District of St. Paul, and in Roseville neartheintersection of Snelling <br />and Highway 36. <br />Page 12 <br />