Agenda - Planning Commission - 07/10/2003

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Councilmember Kurak agreed that the property should be developed as medium density. Majority consensus of the City Council was to add additional plants and trees for additional buffering and that the Radium Street cul-de-sac length be reduced. Case #12: Request for Sketch Plan Review of The Ramsey Town Center; Case of Ramsey Town Center, LLC Councilmember Kurak abstained from discussion. City Administrator Norman stated that As part of the Comprehensive Planning process begun in 1998, the City identified a location for a mixed-used town center in Ramsey. The Comprehensive Plan adopted in January 2002 shows the area bounded by Ramsey Blvd., Armstrong Blvd. and County Highway 116 as being a mixed-use development. There also has been significant discussion on this site for a stop on the Northstar Commuter Rail. A development group, Ramsey Town Center, LLC (RTC) has been formed to develop approximately 369.5 acres as a mixed-use, pedestrian- friendly, transit-orientated development known as the Ramsey Town Center. RTC has submitted a sketch plan detailing what they are proposing to locate in the Ramsey Town Center. The area proposed to be developed as the Ramsey Town Center consists of 369.5 acres. The majority of the development parcel is currently used for agricultural purposes. There are two existing homes along Ramsey Blvd. The parcel also contains a City of Ramsey wellhouse and a model airplane landing strip. The Sketch Plan shows a variety of uses within the Town Center development area. The development is anchored by the Town Center Core, which is shown to include a centralized green space available for live performance, a new City Hall and Police Station, a multi-screen movie theater, "restaurant row" that is proposed to consist of up to six high-quality restaurants, and indoor/outdoor winter garden area with banquet facilities. Immediately surrounding the core to the east are retail nodes that will specialize in fashion/clothing, home improvement, and play time (fitness center, skate park, outdoor sporting goods retailers). To the west of the core, a grocery store, a two-story big box retailer, a pharmacy and other retail uses will serve Ramsey residents for convenience shopping. The core and the immediate area will have many residential nodes embedded into the commercial activity. In some cases, the residential and commercial will be horizontally integrated within the same block. In other cases, the residential units will be vertically integrated, with the residential unit located above the commercial uses. The areas farther east of the core and at the intersection of the new Sunwood Drive and Ramsey Blvd. are proposed to include a charter school, a medical facility with associated medical offices/services, as well as a hotel. The area on farthest western edge of the core at the intersection of new Sunwood Dr. and Armstrong Blvd. will include larger scale commercial and office uses. This area will also include some high density housing facing the greenway running through the middle of the development. This center greenway will serve two functions. One, it will serve as recreational and green space for the residents of Ramsey and the Town Center. The greenway will be traversed with trails for walking and biking and have 'areas for active recreation. The greenway will be surrounded by one-way streets that will also help define the area. The second function of the greenway will be for stormwater management. It is anticipated that the greenway will have several wet ponds that will assist in stormwater quality management, and through the use of meandering streams, will convey the water eventually to the P64 City Council/June 10, 2003 Page 14 of 24