Narrative-first, evidence-driven

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title: Deephaven place playbook (E4E) place: Deephaven, MN (USA) last_updated: 2026-02-26 status: starter-template lane: Neighbor

Small places still have big levers. The trick is to focus on one bottleneck and one measurable ask.

Quick links

• City agendas / minutes: (add link)
• Planning / zoning documents: (add link)
• Budget calendar: (add link)

Decision map

Bodies

• City Council
• Planning Commission (if applicable)
• Public works / utilities (often huge)

This quarter’s squeeze target (pick one)

• Housing availability (small infill, ADUs, permitting predictability)
• Transport time tax (safe crossings, winter ops, bottlenecks)
• Energy bills (weatherization access, shutoff prevention)
• Local fees/process “nickel-and-dime” costs

Current pick: [pick one]

Current bottleneck hypothesis

In Deephaven, the squeeze often shows up as time + friction: slow processes, unclear rules, and “small” costs that accumulate.

Current One Ask (measurable)

Ask (draft): [who does what by when]

• Decider(s):
• Next decision date:
• Metric:

Scoreboard (3–5 metrics)

• Metric 1:
• Metric 2:
• Metric 3:
• Metric 4:
• Metric 5:

Belief tests (3–5 max)

Write tests that can be proven wrong.

Test 1 — [claim]

• Prediction:
• Metric(s):
• Comparison: peer cities / past years
• What would change my mind:

Monthly rhythm

1. One ask
2. One appearance (or email)
3. One follow-up
4. One scoreboard update

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