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<br />Mr. Slotterback stated the areas of developable acreages of land were identified on a map along <br />with the existing transportation system. For the most part, those acreages are relatively close to <br />existing major and minor collectors. This is a good thing from an infrastructure point of view <br />because the City may not need to make significant investment for new roads, but may need to <br />expand roadways. <br /> <br />Mr. Slotterback displayed the map showing developable parcels over five acres, noting they are <br />north of Trott Brook and west of the Town Center. The area by the Town Center will continue to <br />develop so it will be an area of change. There is also an area in the northwest comer of Ramsey <br />with some developable land but not significant because of the size. <br /> <br />Mr. Slotterback stated as they started to think about what could happen in the future, Ramsey <br />started to naturally break into planning areas. Of the 3,285 total developable acres there are <br />2,820 acres excluding natural areas. <br /> <br />Mr. Slotterback presented a market study chart showing projected demand for residential units <br />through 2030, which is the planning period for this Comp Plan. That indicated Ramsey may see <br />about 6,000 housing units. The Met Council's projections for Ramsey is 8,871 units through <br />2030. He stated this difference in projections may be an advantage because it may provide <br />Ramsey with flexibility to do planning. However, some metropolitan communities are <br />struggling because they are seeing more growth than the Met Council wants to see. He noted <br />there are also a number of factors between now and 2030 that could affect demand in Ramsey <br />including major infrastructure investments that the County and State will be making, <br />reconstruction of Highway 10, potential for a commuter rail stop at the Town Center, and <br />potential bridge crossing. If any of them happen in the near future, it could have dramatic impact <br />on demand for development in Ramsey. Mr. Slotterback stated there are also some downward <br />impacts like energy prices continuing to rise, which could mean less demand for residential <br />structures at the contiguous edge of the metro area. Credit availability and housing demand <br />could also affect the residential market though 2010, resulting in slow down and the economy in <br />general could be an impact. <br /> <br />Mr. Slotterback stated additional planning considerations include the resident's VISIOn for <br />Ramsey, which will impact how the City develops and zones, transportation network <br />coordination, tax base, and demands on staff and elected officials. He stated areas that will <br />likely see change in the future and be impacted by the decisions made in the Comp Plan are the <br />Town Center and northern areas that have larger parcels. Mr. Slotterback described the location <br />and number of developable acres in each of the seven planning areas of Ramsey (A, B, C, D, E, <br />F, G). <br /> <br />Mr. Bilotta stated a key issue is whether you have additional areas that will stay in the 4 in 40. <br />The Plan shows no additional areas within 4 in 40. He commented on the balancing act between <br />infrastructure constraints, preserving the rural residential character, densities with regard to <br />multi-family, and now much rural residential is pushed forward. He noted that the more rural <br />residential you put in, the more multi-family you need to counterbalance density. The Met <br />Council wants an overall density of three units per acre net. <br /> <br />City Council Work Session / August 12, 2008 <br />Page 3 of 10 <br />