Prior Lake is a wonderful place to call home!

Originally a resort community, the city has evolved from a 1-square-mile rural town of 400 people to a more than 18-square-mile community of about 23,00 people. Located in Scott County, the fastest growing county in the state, Prior Lake added 320 dwelling units in 2006. Ultimately, with the addition of a 3,000-acre annexation, the city population is likely to grow to in excess of 40,000.

Prior Lake has a shared vision for its future. In February 2007, more than 120 community stakeholders gathered as the Long-range Planning Committee to update the city’s 2030 Vision and Strategic Plan — a revolutionary, forward-thinking document created in 2002 that defines what the community will become by 2030 and the incremental steps the mayor, City Council and city staff and community at large must take to get there. In five years, the city made tremendous strides toward the goal and objectives in the plan, largely due to its solid partnerships within the community.

As a result of the latest strategic planning session, every Vision element was updated to include new five-year goals and two-year objectives. Some elements, like finance, were substantially modified. The most noteworthy revision was the addition of a 10th element, “Safe and Healthy Community,” acknowledging that a safe community is everyone’s responsibility.

The 10 Vision elements represent the areas of strategic importance identified by the Long-range Planning Committee:

1. Quality Community Growth— Prior Lake’s growth will continue to present both challenges and opportunities. Challenges include increased demand on municipal services, infrastructure, public facilities and amenities while maintaining economic vitality and the preservation of Prior Lake’s unique historical roots and cherished small-town feel and values. Opportunity is characterized by the things citizens cherish most: open and natural settings, small-town feel, attractiveness of its lakes and recreational opportunities.

2. Housing Quality and Diversity — The city requires a wide variety of housing options to meet the needs of its residents.

3. Community Capital Assets — Quality infrastructure is the essential capital cornerstone of a great and vibrant community. Such infrastructure must be completed in a timely manner using specifications which emphasize longevity and cost effectiveness. Once installed, the city must maintain these assets to maximize productive life.

4. Economic Development — A strong, diversified tax base is essential to ensuring the community’s long-term economic vitality.

5. Downtown Redevelopment — The downtown and adjacent Lakefront Park are unique community focal points and destination attractions that contribute to the city’s identity and offer opportunities for recreation, employment, housing, shopping and dining.

6. Strong Financial Management — Financial strength includes always assuring that financial resources are used to achieve maximum value for the lowest reasonable expenditure needed to achieve the 2030 Vision.

7. Natural Resources — The city’s lakes and numerous natural areas enrich the lives of residents and attract visitors from around the area. These valued and unique natural amenities are key to preserving the quality of life in Prior Lake.

8. Safe and Healthy Community — Each member of the Prior Lake community must engage in, support and participate in formal and informal efforts to facilitate a safe, livable and healthy community for all persons.

9. Transportation — The development and maintenance of an integrated and efficient local transit and transportation system is necessary to connect Prior Lake residents to the cultural, entertainment and employment opportunities located throughout the Twin Cities area.

10. Communication — Prior Lake will achieve its 2030 Vision and Strategic Plan through people who are aware of and actively involved in their community’s plans and partnerships. Energized and engaged citizens who provide positive direction for the city and who are our advocates are the key to advancing the Vision. Integral to this effort is a systematic means of objectively assessing progress being made toward achievement of the 2030 Vision and addressing issues identified by our residents.
For more information or to obtain a copy of the 2030 Vision and Strategic Plan document, call Mike Peterson, Communications Coordinator, at 952-447-9804 or visit the city’s Web site at www.cityofpriorlake.com.

A great place to play!

Prior Lake citizens enjoy year-round recreation activities. Fourteen local lakes offer excellent fishing, boating, sailing and swimming. Prior Lake is one of the largest lakes in the Twin Cities area (1,340 acres). The people of Prior Lake value their leisure time and no other place in the Twin Cities can maximize that time like Prior Lake.

Lakes and parks are the pride of Prior Lake. The crown jewel of the park system is Lakefront Park, which hosts many community events — including Lakefront Days, the community’s annual celebration held the first week in August. Constructed in 2000, the park is now a 130-acre community treasure featuring an amphitheater, a 4.5-mile trail system, a floating boardwalk that links the park to downtown businesses, Watzl’s Point Beach (with 18 boat slips), a large pavilion (which doubles as a warming house) and park shelter, and many other amenities. Development of the Lakefront Fishing in Neighborhoods (FiN) pond, just off the park entrance, continues.

Prior Lake has more than 35 additional community, athletic and neighborhood parks. Its athletic fields, in particular, draw raves from tournament users, with The Ponds, Thomas Ryan Memorial Park and Memorial Park all hosting significant events during the summer months. The city also operates two public beaches on Prior Lake — one on the north side of the lake at Sand Point Park; the other in Lakefront Park at Watzl’s Point Beach. Both beaches open around Memorial Day and close around Labor Day.

Preservation of natural land features is important in Prior Lake. Walking paths, including floating paths, are being installed in a half-dozen lake areas. The city is also cooperating with the School District and Jeffers Foundation to make the Five Hawks Outdoor Learning Center and Jeffers Waterfront Nature Center area and building a reality for everyone’s use. The city is also working to acquire 35 acres around Pike Lake for a nature park.

Built in 1999, the Prior Lake Library/Resource Center is the home of the Prior Lake branch of the Scott County Library System. The city is considering adding a senior center to that location as well. In 2006, the city opened the doors of a new Police Station and City Hall that will serve the community for 40 years or more. Currently, a second fire station and a new water treatment facility are in the planning stages.

Downtown Prior Lake continues to transform. Building on the momentum created by development of Lakefront Plaza, the Speiker Building (Edelweiss Bakery), and a major streetscape enhancement project, downtown is becoming more of a destination where people can shop, recreate, dine and socialize.

The city is creating downtown design guidelines to ensure that new development complements the established character of the downtown neighborhood and enhances the traditional “main street” character of the area. The city is also initiating redevelopment of the west side of Main Avenue on both the north and south sides of County Road 21, and will be seeking mixed use development to attract people to downtown.

Prior Lake also continues to move forward as an attractive community in which to open or expand a business, including in the Deerfield Business Park.
In its 2030 Vision and Strategic Plan, the city has identified diversification of the economy as major element. It is beginning the process of rejuvenating older industrial areas such as the Welcome Avenue area to create a high quality business park.

Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, the second largest Indian-owned casino in the nation, continues to grow. Owned and operated by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, Mystic Lake is a premier entertainment attraction for the entire Twin Cities area. Annually, the community sponsors one of the bigger pow wows in the nation.

To learn more about Prior Lake or to share comments, call City Hall at 952-447-9800 or visit the city’s Web site at www.cityofpriorlake.com.

Prior Lake

Year Population

1960 848

1970 1,114

1980 7,284

1990 11,682

2000 15,917

2005 21,400
PROJECTIONS

2020 35,100

2030 42,400
Source: Metropolitan Council & City of Prior Lake