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City of Gem Lake Comprehensive Plan Page 11 3.14 Office and Other Employment Concentrations There is a limited amount of office development in the immediate vicinity of Gem Lake. These are small concentrations in Vadnais Heights and in the downtown areas of White Bear Lake and North St. Paul. The largest concentrations of office space near Gem Lake are in the central business district of St. Paul, the Midway District of St. Paul, and in Roseville, near the intersections of Snelling and Highway 36. 3.15 Industrial Development There are no concentrations of industrial development within Gem Lake. However, within a five-mile radius of the City, there are some concentrations in Little Canada, Maplewood, North St. Paul, and Vadnais Heights. Most significantly, the abutting governmental units of Vadnais Heights and White Bear Township have planned extensive amounts of industrial land adjacent to Gem Lake. The White Bear Township plans industrial development abutting Gem Lake’s northern boundary; Vadnais Heights plans industrial development beginning a few hundred feet south of Gem Lake’s southern boundary. 3.16 Public Open Space and Recreational Areas The City acquired open space around the Gem Lake Villas neighborhood that includes a pedestrian trail. There are no other publicly owned open spaces or recreational areas within the City of Gem Lake at this time. There is a commercial golf course located in the northeastern portion of the City that is expected to remain a golf course for the purpose of this planning timeframe. Within the surrounding area, substantial amounts of open space or recreational areas exist, including the Tamarack Nature Center and the Bald Eagle-Otter Lake Regional Park, enormous parks located approximately one mile north of Gem Lake in White Bear Township. Approximately two miles to the west are substantial forest preserve lands owned by the City of St. Paul Water Utility and being developed by Vadnais Heights as parkland. In addition, one mile to the southeast of Gem Lake is a large community park, the Lakewood Hills Park, located within the City of White Bear. Extensive walking/biking trails exist in the immediate area. For instance, there is a trail that can be entered on Centerville Road in Vadnais Heights, which is located near Gem Lake’s western border, and a shorter trail located along County Road E near Gem Lake’s southern border, also in Vadnais Heights. 3.17 Comprehensive Plan and Development Characteristics in Contiguous Municipalities Due to the small size of Gem Lake, it is very important that the community monitor and closely coordinate its development with the contiguous governmental units on its boundaries. White Bear Lake and Vadnais Heights are the most developed of these. Both cities exhibit a generally diversified development pattern. That portion of White Bear Lake closest to Gem Lake is planned principally for commercial development. The Vadnais Heights plan (based on the zoning map) calls for commercial development along all but a small portion of the entire south and western portion of the City of Gem Lake. White Bear Township is expanding an industrial district on the northern border of Gem Lake.