Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 04/10/2014

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City of Ramsey 2030 Comprehensive Plan Appendix A: Community Background Introduction The purpose of the background chapter is to understand existing community characteristics and challenges facing the City of Ramsey. This information will inform the comprehensive planning process and provide a guide for making decisions concerning the community's future. To facilitate effective and meaningful planning efforts, it is important to understand current conditions in the City. The following sections will discuss demographics, facilities, natural resources, water resources and the transportation system in an effort to better understand the key issues and challenges of the community. These issues are explored more fully in later chapters of this Plan. As a growing community on the edge of the Minneapolis -St. Paul Metropolitan area, the City of Ramsey has seen many changes, especially in terms of growth over the past several years. The City's last Comprehensive Plan, which established a vision for the City of Ramsey in 2020, was completed in 2001. The 2030 Comprehensive Plan now required by the Metropolitan Council will focus on planning for the next 20 years. Metropolitan Council In 1967 the Minnesota Legislature created the Metropolitan Council to plan and coordinate the orderly development of the seven -county metropolitan area. Minnesota law requires every municipality and county within the metropolitan area to prepare and to submit a comprehensive plan to the Metropolitan Council that addresses all required components of the 2030 Regional Development Framework. The City's plan must be consistent with the Metropolitan Council's systems plans. To assist local governments in this effort, the Metropolitan Council issues "Systems Statements" to each community which describes the specific areas that must be addressed as part of the local comprehensive plan. The City of Ramsey received its revised Systems Statement in December 2005. The System Statement for the City of Ramsey includes population, household and employment forecasts to aid in planning for the future. The Metropolitan Council provided forecasts for Ramsey, shown in Table 3-1. These numbers have since been revised in further planning and are discussed in later chapters of this Plan. Table 3-1 Metropolitan Council Forecasts for the City of Ramsey The City of Ramsey is classified by the Metropolitan Council as a "Developing Area." The Metropolitan Council defines "Developing Area" as a part of the region that is in the path of urban growth (Figure 3-1). It includes the communities beyond the fully developed area up to the metropolitan urban service area boundary. The Metropolitan Council's Regional Development Framework sets an overall minimum residential density standard of 3 to 5 units per acre in developed and developing areas where urban service is located or planned. Ramsey's System Statement states that as Ramsey plans for the future, it should focus on protecting natural resources, ensuring sufficient public infrastructure, and developing transition strategies to increase density and encourage infill development. City of Ramsey 2030 Comprehensive Plan Appendix A-3 1990 2000 Revised Development Framework 2010 2020 2030 Population 12,408 18,510 30,000 43,000 44,000 Households 3,620 5,906 10,300 15,500 16,500 Employment 1,941 3,587 6,700 9,100 11,300 The City of Ramsey is classified by the Metropolitan Council as a "Developing Area." The Metropolitan Council defines "Developing Area" as a part of the region that is in the path of urban growth (Figure 3-1). It includes the communities beyond the fully developed area up to the metropolitan urban service area boundary. The Metropolitan Council's Regional Development Framework sets an overall minimum residential density standard of 3 to 5 units per acre in developed and developing areas where urban service is located or planned. Ramsey's System Statement states that as Ramsey plans for the future, it should focus on protecting natural resources, ensuring sufficient public infrastructure, and developing transition strategies to increase density and encourage infill development. City of Ramsey 2030 Comprehensive Plan Appendix A-3