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October 26, 1999
5 areasidentifiedfor cityexpansionPros, conslisted foreach areaBy GUY PRIEL Journal Staff Writer NEW ULM -- City officials have received a copy of the summary report containing recommendations for the future development of New Ulm residential areas. During the late spring and early summer, officials with Cermak Rhoades Architects (CRA) conducted two workshops to determine what areas are being proposed for development and to get citizen input. Information from the workshops identified five development areas lying immediately outside New Ulm's original century-old grid system. The areas are Highland, Cottonwood, Kmart, Shag Road and KC Road. The study's goal was to determine how best to build new residential developments to complement the existing character of the city. Design principles include developing a mix of land uses within residential neighborhoods; connecting neighborhoods together; supporting the downtown business district; extending a network of streets into new neighborhoods; maximizing the use of the existing infrastructure; encouraging walking and biking; providing neighborhood parks; preserving natural areas; and enhancing the unique topography. Overall recommendations for all five sites include considering the bluff in the Highland site as sacred ground that needs to be developed carefully; planning and organizing streets as a continuous grid similar to existing neighborhoods; and selection of home designs that complement older homes. HIGHLAND SITE The Highland site, which can hold approximately 700 homes, is located between the airport and the bluffs. There are schools and recreation areas located nearby. Officials with CRA made the following recommendations for the Highland site: Highland Avenue should be treated as a parkway or linear park connecting Center Street to the Kmart site; housing should be oriented toward Highland Avenue; parks should be located along the bluff and adjacent to the airport; the bluff should be considered an environmental classroom; and a continuous street paralleling the bluff should be provided. Highland's advantages are its location within the city limits, its residential zoning, its topography and its affordability of land. Geographically, It is defined as a neighborhood by the diocesan center and the airport.The greatest challenges of the site are the low capacity utilities and its inaccessibility. KMART SITE The Kmart site, which can hold approximately 200 homes, is located adjacent to Kmart and Cash Wise among rolling hills near the cemetery. Officials with CRA made the following recommendations for the Kmart site: Highland Avenue should be continued through the site; multi-family housing or smaller commercial buildings, sidewalks and vegetation should be placed behind Kmart; public parks should be placed along the bluff; multi-family housing should be placed on top of the bluff; and property adjacent to the railroad should be developed as service commercial. Advantages are its closeness to retail services and access to main roads. It is defined as a neighborhood by stores and the cemetery. The greatest challenges are the lack of utilities, roads conducive to retail development and its location outside the city limits. COTTONWOOD SITE The Cottonwood site, dominated by the Brown County Poor Farm, is somewhat isolated because of its location across the river and along the bluffs bordering Flandrau State Park. Its advantages are location and topography. It is defined as a neighborhood by the bridge, Flandrau and the Poor Farm. The greatest challenges are location outside the city limits, access to utilities and single point of access. KC ROAD SITE The KC Road Site, a logical location for future development because of the current development of homes in the area, should be looked at for ways to develop a framework and determine the best utilization of the land. Advantages are the setting, access to utilities and residential mix. It is defined as a neighborhood by the existence of parks and a street system. The challenges are its location outside the city limits and the railroad crossing. SHAG ROAD SITE The Shag Road Site, located between the Minnesota River and the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad tracks, limits future development because of its size and its isolation from other residential neighborhoods. The advantages are its proximity to retail and its natural setting. It is defined as a neighborhood by the river and existing boundaries. The challenges are its isolation, lack of utilities, railroad traffic and single access point.
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