Minutes - Planning Commission - 08/12/2008 - Work Session Jt with Planning

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Paul Bilotta, consultant with Bonestroo, stated they would like this to be a conversation and not just a presentation. He stated the concepts are a range of possibilities, something for Ramsey to respond to, and can be changed. Open houses have been scheduled on September 9 and 10 so the public can see the concepts and provide input into the process. Mr. Bilotta stated that based on the comments received during that process and elsewhere, the Plan will continue to evolve and go forward. In the Fall, they will start working on the "nuts and bolts" of finer details. This will turn verbal comments into graphic forms. He asked the City to keep in mind that anytime you are doing a Comp Plan, it is a balancing act. They have tried to stay true to input from Ramsey3, Planning Staff, and the City Council while balancing requirements of State law and government entities, and property owner rights. Brendon Slotterback, consultant with Bonestroo, stated they will talk about why they are making this presentation, outcomes, review work done to date as directed by staff including analysis for what could happen in Ramsey and developing draft land use scenarios to carry forward the Ramsey3 work. Mr. Slotterback used a PowerPoint presentation while describing the Ramsel process that has been going on for about 18 months, which created an innovative way to get public participation for the Comp Plan. Plan development is now to the point that they will use the vision and values created for the actual land use plan. . Mr. Slotterback read the Ramsel vision statement and set of values that contained more detail about creating walkability, protecting landowner rights, inclusion of citizen review and involvement in decisions, creating perspectives that nurture interactions, preserving natural resources, and attracting and sustaining businesses that serve Ramsey's communities. He stated that any development in Ramsey will be driven by market forces and decisions made by private landowners. Another key factor is that there is a lot of land in Ramsey already developed and it is not economically feasible to further subdivide that residential property. Some areas already have an existing character that needs to be continued, some areas need to be protected, and other areas may change in the future. Ramsey has significant natural features which the Ramsey3 vision suggests should be preserved in some fashion. Mr. Slotterback stated they thought about where future development is likely to occur and ways the City would respond. He displayed Ramsey's existing land use map that was used in the background analysis to identify the most current land use as it exists today. He noted the areas of single-family residential, rural estate and agriculture, commercial, industrial, vacant areas, and parks. He explained that realistically, development will occur in areas where lots are large enough for subdivision to occur. It is not economically feasible for a developer to buy up lots that have been subdivided lower than five or ten acres, depending on circumstances. He displayed a map identifying parcel size, noting the larger parcels in Ramsey are in the northern part, north of Trott Brook, to the west, and north and south of Highway 10 at the Town Center. They then narrowed it down to looking at parcels that can be considered as developable and found there are 3,285 acres vacant, agricultural or large lot residential of over ten acres in size. Because Ramsey3 talked a lot about natural resources, they determined the location of areas of biological significance. They did not include Anoka County greenway corridors because they are more conceptual. City Council Work Session I August 12, 2008 Page 2 of 10