Agenda - Council - 12/14/2010 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Armstrong Blvd. to the west side of Ramsey Blvd. and a second area south of State Highway 10 west of Feldspar St. The COR Mixed Use Area: The COR Mixed Use area is proposed to be located in portions of Section 28 and 29 stretching from the west side of Armstrong Blvd. to the west side of Ramsey Blvd., north of the railroad. Mixed Use was chosen for this site because of the proximity to major employment areas, major transportation corridors and a future commuter rail station serving the Northstar Commuter Rail Corridor The area east of Armstrong Boulevard is governed by the The COR Master Plan, which provides specific land use and design guidance for this area. The purpose of the The COR Mixed Use Area is to establish a community hub that integrates places to work, play and live and embraces transit oriented design in anticipation of the potential future commuter rail station. Mixed -Use enhances the functionality of a transit hub at this location because it creates efficiencies by being able to send and receive people who might work or live in the area. Because a large portion of the area is undeveloped, it has the opportunity to be organized in a pedestrian friendly environment that supports mass transit. A commuter rail station in this location would be spaced approximately 3 -5 miles from stations to the north near downtown Elk River and south in Anoka near 7 Avenue. It will take advantage of good accessibility from the north via Armstrong Boulevard and from the east and west via Industry Avenue and Highway 10, all arterial roadways. Mixed use development would be transit oriented to support the station. Development should be intense with multi -story buildings rather than one level building. Commercial and residential buildings should be linked by a pedestrian -way so people can park at the station and stroll through commercial shops. It should be directly connected to areas of major employment (Ramsey Business Park, AEC Energy Park, Anoka Enterprise Park and future places to work) and Anoka Hennepin Technical College. This could be done through a shuttle bus service, which would serve not only places to work but also residential neighborhoods. It also should make connections to the new hotel project south of Highway 10 near Sunfish Lake Boulevard and the Mississippi West Regional Park. Ramsey does not have much choice for local shopping, eating out or doing business within its own community. Ramsey has no identifiable downtown for its citizens. The downtowns of neighboring communities such as Elk River and Anoka and the many features of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area are the primary sources of entertainment for Ramsey residents. There are two grocery stores in Ramsey, one is located in northern Ramsey along Highway 47 and the other is Coborn's at the western edge of the The COR area near Armstrong Boulevard. The other commercial areas focus on special services like used car lots or recreational vehicle sales. The The COR is meant to identify a place in the community where a variety of social activities may occur more convenient to Ramsey residents. Its location should take advantage of being 4 The Northstar Corridor is a 70 -mile long transportation corridor that runs along TH 10/47 from downtown Minneapolis to the St. Cloud and Rice areas. The Northstar Corridor Development Authority has been organized to study the feasibility of improved transit services along this corridor including the option of Commuter Rail.