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Attachment G <br />6. Vision? <br />My final comments concern the vision behind the proposed plan. It is hard to see how the <br />plan promotes mixed use or "New Urbanist"' development. The regulating plan looks <br />very much like existing commercial areas on the other side of 35W. There is no <br />integration of uses, no "traditional neighborhood development"', just big-box buildings <br />and parking lots, with minimal setbacks, greenspace, and buffers. The plan lacks <br />incentives,, regulations, or "tools" to encourage genuine mixed use development. There is <br />no discussion of environmental concerns or economic development goals. There is no <br />provision for housing, and given the lack of greenspace and buffers, it would be very <br />difficult to create a liveable,, attractive residential neighborhood in the midst of large- <br />scale commercial development. <br />I believe that the city should continue to use and follow the Twin Lakes Master Plan of <br />001, which was previously part of our comprehensive plan. It included a detailed <br />narrative describing the kind of mixed-use development envisioned for Twin Lakes. It <br />was based on significant public input from businesses and residents, and had community <br />support. It included a range of different development scenarios for the entire Twin Lakes <br />area (not just the western portion). It provided a framework with some meaningful <br />guidelines for economic development and environmental protection. The emphasis on <br />open, undefined "flexibility"' in the proposed new regulating plan is a clear invitation to <br />exactly the piecemeal development that previous plans were designed to prevent. <br />Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments to the planning commission. Please <br />feel free to contact me with any questions about these issues,, or about the potential <br />impact of the Twin Lakes regulating plan on the Twin Lakes neighborhood and Langton <br />Lake park. <br />