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Increase. Vitality The.corridor is the primary.commercial center 1n Vadnais., Heights and Gem Lake, as well as a significant commercial area for White Bear Lake.6 Due.to the importance of the corridor, the City of White Bear .Lake created a County Road.E Revolving.Loan.and Grant Program ("RLGP"); modeled after its Downtown RLGP to incentivize. investment..in commercial properties along County Road E,,.Seed.ing the.fund with an initial investment of $150,000. White Bear Lake residents and business. owners in the corridor have expressed a sense frustration with the level -of investrnent.alongthe corridor.and spurring additional investment is a priority of White Bear Lake elected. offida Is and staff.: Due. to the concentration.of lodging, dining and event.space includIngthe Vadnais Sports Center and Jimmy's Event Center, the corridor is significant in terms of tourism.' The extensio.n:of the Bruce Vento Trail will Iikelyattract. additionaI visitors.to. the. corridor as well. The. importance of tourism to the communities surrounding the.corridor and the broader Ramsey .County area is twofold:.lj the initial economic activity:.generated during a visit; 2) the "halo effect" of tourism.' Becausethe corridor is a destination for visitors; it shapes the perception they have of the entire. area. The vision planning process will engage the community to design a more waikable.:and bikeable corridor that connects residents, employees and -visitors to the Bruce Vento Trail extension, Rush Line, Vadnais Sports Center; retail hubs, education facilities and services along the corridor without the need to. use a. personaI vehicle. It is a. goal of .city staff for the plan to facilitate the development a consistent sense of place along the corridor, 'including. people: oriented design which primes the area for an inflow of private. investment in the commercial areas. and helps it score competitively for regional,.state..and.federal affordable housi ng fu n d ing. :"See Appendix D for a list of major employers in the corridor. 'There are 288 hotel rooms located at three properties.near the intersection of County Road E and 1 35E. $ The halo effect is a cognitive bias whereby a positive first impression. of one characteristic tends to lead to a positive evaluation of other characteristics. This effect can hold true for people; places; brands, etc. The halo effect of tourism leads :people.who have a positive first impression through tourism marketing and while visiting a place to subsequently: view that place as a good place to start or locate. a business, go to college, retire, live, purchase real estate.or a second. home. Conversely, a. negative experience or first impression. can have the opposite. effect. Page 14 County Road £ Cerridor Pill.}t. Program. Project Nai-rative