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<br />City of Ramsey <br />MASTER HOUSING PLAN <br />DRAFT <br /> <br />----..-.---.--..--...--......--...................---------...--.....---...-------------.. <br /> <br />Tenure: <br />As of 2007, there were approximately 300 rental units within Ramsey, or about 4% ofthe total <br />number of housing units. In 2003, the City enacted a rental licensing requirement to ensure the <br />quality of rental units and improve the ability of the City to track rental housing. This program <br />tracks known units of rental housing within the City and conducts inspections every two years as a <br />part of the licensure process. Of the 300 units, approximately one-third are located within <br />apartment-style buildings. The remaining units are dispersed throughout townhome and single- <br />family developments within the city. <br /> <br />Comparing the owner/renter mix of housing with other communities using 2000 census data, <br />Ramsey's housing is primarily owner-occupied (97%) with very few rental units. This is a <br />substantially higher percentage than Anoka County which has 83% owner occupied units and 17% <br />rental housing overall. Ramsey has a smaller percentage of rental housing than all except seven <br />incorporated cities in the metropolitan area, according to the 2000 Census. However, many cities in <br />the northwest metro have similar ownership-to-rental ratios. Andover, Lino Lakes, and Ham Lake <br />have very little rental housing but compared to other similar cities, Ramsey has the smallest <br />percentage of rental units. Currently, a 63 unit apartment building is being constructed called <br />Terrace Hill. In the past several years there has been an increase in developer interest for sites to <br />construct apartments and this trend is likely to continue particularly with the downturn in the <br />housing market for ownership units. With only 4% of the total housing stock as rental, Ramsey is a <br />strong market for new apartment living. <br /> <br />Why is Rental <br />Housing <br />Important? - <br />Adequate <br />opportunities for <br />safe, decent and <br />affordable rental <br />housing are a key <br />component of a <br />balanced housing <br />supply. There are <br />many reasons why an <br />individual and/or family choose to rent rather than own. Those choices may be short term due to <br />financial issues (unable to afford a mortgage, need to save for a down payment, clear up credit <br />issues), family issues (divorce, separation, job relocation) or social issues (disability, in-between <br />home ownership, not secure in job, unsure on location preference). Also, many people choose to a <br />life of renting rather than owning due to income, transitional careers, traveling and aging. For all <br />these reasons, a community should consider the benefits of providing a wide range of living choices <br />which includes rental housing. <br /> <br />Owner IRenter Mix <br /> <br />III Owner Occupied % <br /> <br />III Renter Occupied % <br /> <br />96% <br /> <br />89% <br /> <br />91% <br /> <br />97% <br /> <br />92% <br /> <br />83% <br /> <br /> <br />~<:-.,. <br />0":> <br />"P <br /> <br />>q'o' <br />~ <br />~ <br /> <br /><b <br />0" <br />~~ <br />"t' <br /> <br />"po ~<:> <br />.f"o ~q <br /><5'11 <br /> <br />&'t> ,..0" ",e <br />~<? ~'t><i (:)<.0 <br /><5' !':-'- ~ <br />rOo i:;-'Ii <br />v <.-0 <br /> <br />11-->' <br /><1;:"(> <br /> <br />e~ ~ ~ <br /><#,'10 :,lro<i ~'v1l <br />c::;-'" ~e'li <br />-s-'" <br />~ <br /> <br />City of Ramsey Master Housing Plan <br /> <br />(draft #1) November 2007 <br />