Agenda - Planning Commission - 05/07/2015

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Transportation, Parking and Housing) that influence the City's Comprehensive Plan. He stated that the Housing Plan was different in that it was not necessarily infrastructure improvements but it does guide some of the investments the Metropolitan Council makes, especially grants that the City works to access through the Livable Communities Program. He stated that the City does participate in the voluntary Livable Communities Program with the Metropolitan Council. With this program, housing performance scores are utilized to help gauge our grant applications in a competitive scoring process against other participating communities. He stated that the City has received several grants through this process and that this is an important document as it relates to regional investments within the City of Ramsey. He stated that the City is not opposed to the amendment as long as these are not required mandates but are voluntary goals that the community aspires to. There would be no penalty for not meeting the affordable housing thresholds published in the document but it gives the City something to strive for. He stated that this has been a controversial document for many of the suburbs in the area. He stated that the City did respond to the preliminary document based on the standards being voluntary and the plan not requiring amendments to the City's current Future Land Use Plan or its Housing Assistance Policy, or the housing chapter of the Comprehensive Plan. He stated that the Council did make minor adjustments to the language as it relates to the land use plan and not wanting to restrict the City from expanding the MUSA or urban service area in the future. He highlighted things that were incorporated from the City' s previous comments including trying to normalize the City's housing performance score across years. Commissioner Bauer spoke about issues not becoming mandates. It is important to have guidelines that the City tries to follow. Commissioner Andrusko stated it is his understanding that the Metropolitan Council doesn't have the necessary staff to review, in depth, every land use plan submitted to them. So along with that line, these should be guidelines until the Metropolitan Council can fully say, with every page and every policy that each individual municipality recommends. He felt it needs to come full circle before it does become a requirement. Commissioner Brauer stated he sent an e-mail to Community Development Director Gladhill outlining his issues with the Metropolitan Council document and the City' s response omissions. He stated that out of 53 members, there was only one from Anoka County and the document favors rich gated communities over communities like Ramsey because of the criteria it uses. Chairperson Levine asked if the communities are privately owned property. Commissioner Andrusko stated that there are community -associated properties but they still have to provide the legal amount for the federal government. Community Development Director Gladhill stated that the Metropolitan Council's role is to look at how much is necessary and then looks at the various local land use plans. Looking at what the plan could sustain with regard to density was important. He noted that the City's allocation was less than it was in the past. Planning Commission/April 20, 2015 Page 2 of 4