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<br />development agreement. He stated that the biggest thing this would do is wipe out the bank and <br />the City would then have the ability to drive a project. He stated that he has spoken with the <br />gentleman looking to purchase a portion of the land from the bank for $2.5 million and asked if <br />he was willing to hold off. He stated that, in his mind, this could be a better option, because it <br />could give the City some cash flow, it could bring in development and will show that the City is <br />willing to sit at the table and work with people. He stated that right now developers don't want <br />to play political football. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dehen stated that the City's position has always been that it would work with <br />people. <br /> <br />Councilmember Elvig stated that the word he is getting from developers is that this message is <br />not getting out. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dehen stated that this seems to be a publiG, relations issue. <br /> <br />City Administrator Ulrich stated that he agrees that the perception out there is that the City is not <br />budging, which to a certain extent, is true, because the City is not giving up the development <br />agreement. <br /> <br />Councilmember Elvig stated that he brought this forward because it may be time for the City to <br />take control, get a deal, and get the whole project moving forward. <br /> <br />City Administrator Ulrich noted that the thought was to bring a consultant on board, in that <br />scenario, to get a handle on all the moving pieces so the City would get into this with its eyes <br />open about the risks and benefits. He stated that this is more complicated than what staff can do. <br /> <br />Councilmember Elvig stated that he agrees that there is a lot of complexity in this which is why <br />he feels Mr. Lasher can help because he knows the players in the whole arena, including the <br />private sector and feels he can really help the City. <br /> <br />Mr. Lasher stated that he feels he is a good project manager and can manage the process and <br />move it forward. He stated that he has gone through a number of projects similar to this one and <br />noted that this is a chance to revise the vision or the City can just sit back and see what happens. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dehen stated that if the City looks at changing the development agreement, he <br />feels there needs to be the whole public process again. <br /> <br />Councilmember Elvig questioned whether this would need to happen. <br /> <br />Mr. Lasher stated that there will be portions of the vision held in tact from the public input, such <br />as making it pedestrian friendly with parks and the rail station. He stated that the City can keep <br />those parts alive, but put the land back into the market in a different fashion. <br /> <br />Ramsey Town Center City Council Subcommittee Work Session I July 22, 2008 <br />Page 4 of 10 <br />