Community Development Director City of Ramsey Stillwater, MN
Despite the rerouting of a major state highway connecting Minnesota and Wisconsin, Stillwater, MN has reinvented itself to be a year-round destination, providing a mix of housing, entertainment, jobs and recreation.
Navigating a number of communitywide changes is never easy. Stillwater found the perfect mix of vision and implementation that turned major highway investments and traffic rerouting into a mecca for recreational tourism, finding an important balance of historic preservation and economic development. While Stillwater has always been known for its historic preservation in its historic downtown, learn how Stillwater was able to find a balance that retained this historic character while welcoming new investment and new buildings that blended and complemented the existing built environment. Attendees will also learn how the City and its partners helped turn on old State Highway in a Nationally Listed Historic District into a pedestrian plaza, turned old rail corridors into pedestrian trails and continues to plan to embrace access to the St. Croix River, a National Wild and Scenic Riverway. Stillwater owns over 90% of the shoreline of the St. Croix within the City, including a portion within the State of Wisconsin, providing a unique opportunity to balance heritage and cultural resource preservation with economic growth and recreational access and tourist
Such major and rapid change required inclusive community engagement. Additionally, as the community continues to evolve, the City continues to invest in outreach and engagement to ensure a balance of voices between long-term community stakeholders and new perspectives.
Learning Objectives:
Analyze economic development through a historic preservation lens.
Recognize the importance of persistence and vision to achieve long-range goals.
Navigate the political and regulatory environment through partnerships.
