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City of Gem Lake Comprehensive Plan GEMLK 140643 Page 31 local property owners to take the appropriate steps to preserve any historic or cultural resources that may be added or discovered in the future. 5.9 Land Use Goals and Policies 5.9.1 General Land Use Goals • Protect and enhance the natural environment in the City of Gem Lake. • Help ensure that all development and re-development contributes to a clear, orderly, and harmonious pattern of design, guided by professional planners, engineers, and designers. • Preserve the large estate and executive lots in the interior of the City and surround them with compatible smaller lot residential, open space, recreational and business/commercial uses. These uses will connect housing with shopping and employment opportunities wherever feasible. • Provide a safe, healthy, and attractive residential environment, which offers a broad choice of housing opportunities including affordable housing. • Partner with others such as the Vadnais Lake Area Water Management Organization (VLAWMO) to protect and improve water quality including both groundwater and the water body Gem Lake. Consider projects to remove Gem Lake from the impaired waters list. • Encourage open space through creative housing projects that utilize Planned Unit Development (PUD) strategies. • Work with Ramsey County to extend the Bruce Vento Trail into Gem Lake and beyond to give residents access to the county trail network. • Promote Gateway District development to include regional transit plans and strategies. This includes partnering with Ramsey County to provide a bus rapid transit stop along Highway 61 and County Road E. • Provide buffers using berms, trees, and other natural resources to insulate the residential areas of the City from noise, light pollution, and traffic. • Guide the development of an attractive special planning area around Hoffman’s Corner at U.S. Highway 61 and on County Road E for a mix of business, commercial, retail, open space, and residential uses. 5.9.2 General Land Use Policies • At the community’s ultimate development stage, the dominant share of total land within the City of Gem Lake should be residential property. • The City has provided detail in its land use ordinance on both cluster development and similar land use devices, in order to help ensure open space retention, reduce development costs, and efficient provision of utilities. Incentives, such as density bonuses, are provided for well-designed developments. • It is the policy of the City of Gem Lake that substantial high density residential housing shall be constructed as part of the re-development of the Hoffman’s Corner area • It is the policy of the City of Gem Lake to promote regional transit goals and position itself to work with Ramsey County to develop a transit stop in Gem Lake. • It is the policy of the City of Gem Lake to discourage all industrial land uses. Extensive industrial development can be easily found in other nearby portions of the metropolitan area.