Forest Lake aims to revitalize downtown

Struggling downtowns are par for the course these days. The once economic core to cities across America have been struggling to find footing for downtown shopping and entertainment amidst a quickly changing society.

“It’s not a unique Forest Lake problem,” City Administrator Patrick Casey said. He said that in Forest Lake, a prime example is retail moving out toward the interstate with big box stores, he said. “Small downtown stores just can’t compete. Mom and pop stores retire and don’t want to do business there any longer. Then you throw in there online shopping.”

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