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'J'HE JIllS]HESS ]OLIRtlAI. 8est in ~eal ~state April o '2004
<br />
<br /> / ~* [arntLand La Ranl~ey'
<br />
<br />Hfi a do~[O~l ~t' ~h~ growing eumnlt niP/
<br />~ ~',,v~v between Minneapolis and
<br /> Ramsay t'or 7m~ra has been ti~e "poster
<br />,:hdd" ~bc sttOtw0aa sprawl '.vKl~ i~ qletho-
<br />ca of sm~e-thmgy homes on large h)ts. satd
<br />Jo~ Feges, president at' Minneapolis-based
<br />~mse7 To~ Canter. the grvmmiy owne~
<br />~eveioper oC the dodging ~l b~ion ut'ban
<br />vCage, blow Lt cmOd
<br />b~ome a erode/
<br />high-dens~W sumu..
<br />~an development.
<br /> Ramsay Town
<br />
<br />Center, along
<br />Highway lO m m)rth.
<br />ern ActoRs Calmly,
<br />wffi enable Ramsay
<br />preserve tls rural
<br />aha'actor whale gam-
<br />ma a "sense ,*f place"
<br />~hat ~ncludus enter.
<br />tamment.
<br />
<br />shops anti parks Ln
<br />
<br />Feges said.
<br /> The ,;otnmu~ity
<br />
<br />ti~ input from
<br />zees suggot'~mg tim
<br />
<br />their town, which
<br />today lacks
<br />appat'enr ,:eaten [[
<br />~*dl
<br />gamsey'; honsmg
<br />stock wtth .t ,/alqeLy
<br />
<br />dents m a~ [Uh:;tages,
<br />
<br /> Tko Matropo{Ran ,;punch ,tes~gnaced
<br />
<br />dm'mB the aanunLstranon of G,jv../ease
<br />'lentura. The dest~auon mciuaud seed
<br />~noney tbr planning U'anslt-or~ented, pedes-
<br />trian-friendly ,tevetopment. Ramsay Town
<br />Canter cmdd Im ;1 molar .;too on the
<br />posed Northstar commuter rail tine
<br />between Minneapolis .old :3[. C[oufl, and
<br />
<br />p~K-~xd-~'tde t~acfiit¢
<br /> A CIVIC :;qtlal'e ',VItB a flew city b~. put[ce
<br />[tartan :md parr wilt anct~or the develop.
<br />
<br />2,5~ nmts o( mid- [o htghrdenstty
<br />
<br />~Rg hotlSmg itocK ~ 7OD,gOD ';CttltU'e t'~e[ el'
<br />t'etafl, and 460.000 sqttare [eet pt ,Jfficu. tn~(l.
<br />
<br /> /IHNER
<br />
<br />Ramsey Town.Center
<br />
<br />Development will create downtown, diversify city's huusinq and recreational options
<br /> ~;, John '..5. h,~r'e I
<br />
<br />adrainistrator. "This proiect will pat us on
<br />the map."
<br /> Ramsey resatents typically go elsewhere
<br />to buy groceries, eat pitt, buy clothes, go to
<br />the doctor, work and take care of other daffy
<br />routines, Norman said, They also Leave
<br />town lot' many activities such as movles
<br />and line ,lining.
<br /> "Ramsay has always been a bedroom
<br />,:ommmltty;,'~ smd Pete Eqee£y, vice pregident
<br />o( Minneapolis-based glness Swanson
<br />Graham .M'chttects [nc., po-master planner
<br />,)t' Ramsay To,mt (;enter. "They always feel
<br />tike they nave to leave Ramsay to get any-
<br />thing they warn of to have any kind nf expo-
<br />
<br />.. [Tile deveiopmenrl is taking the conunu-
<br />pity and giving tt a heart and soul."
<br /> The cay has approved the Rrdnsey Town
<br />I~tnltor master' plan. :is ,veil :ts prelLmlnary
<br />md t-ma/ plat uf ~treets, parks and severa
<br />JI'tlCtttres. '}oostrnctlOll began LaSt
<br />
<br />,.~havreF School..t [(.[2 3c~uoL that 15 moving
<br />
<br />~roject ..
<br /> (~-r'e~ its
<br /> ?,ql]J[C'/ 'h~[[l[: ST billion
<br />
<br /> SIZE: 3Z2 acres, more than 'l,SOO units of
<br /> housing, 70O,0O0 square feet of retail, and
<br /> 460,000 square feet of office, medical and
<br />
<br /> 0E~EDPER: Ramsey Town Center
<br />
<br /> LASOSC~PE ~RCHITECT l~O C0-flAItER
<br /> ~L~[R: ciasa Lanascaoe Architecture
<br />
<br />[acffRy for mare than 3~ stLments ~s,sched-
<br />. ~ed to ogen in the t~.
<br /> Nar~on~ ~omebuffder O.R. Horton thC.
<br /> was schedt~ed to begin construction m tare
<br /> Mtwch on ~he t'~st of 900 new mLdtffamdy
<br /> homes tt Otmm ro bu~d m Ramsey ~own
<br /> Cemm: Horton w~ bund aever~ hume st%es
<br /> t( v~'?tn~ pt'Ice ranges and m .grottts[~gs
<br />
<br /> Hemes. a M~neapotis-bas~d btulciet; ,.vfll
<br />
<br />of 400 loft-styie housing ~mtts overlooking
<br />the heart of the ~iew ,lowntovm. The darer.
<br />uper wdl flame additiowal homebuflders.
<br /> Crest View Senior Communities. a non-
<br />profit that operates in southern knoka
<br />Cotul~g plans to bund up to 300 senmc aoart-
<br />ments with additions/serv~ges such as
<br />mg and recrearmn.
<br /> Ramsay Town Center cmnm~rcial
<br />~B nam~ NsC C~ mciude A~ina
<br />C~nic. which w~ ceioeare i~ Ramsay
<br /> to'a new 80,000. to
<br /> 200,0o0-square.foot
<br /> ramiitz and North
<br /> Branch-based
<br /> CommuntOl 8ationa[
<br /> Bank, which plans
<br /> o~en a 2~,000. to
<br /> 30,000-sq earn-toot
<br /> office.
<br /> The city and devel-
<br /> opers faced some
<br /> opposition /b~m ~d-
<br /> ~romh rest~n~ who
<br /> tried to block
<br /> thmg other ~m l~*gu
<br /> lots &r single-farad[
<br /> homes, said Bob
<br /> Close, a ormci¢~
<br /> St. Pau[-bas~ Close
<br /> gaadsca0e
<br /> ~chitect~e, co-mas-
<br /> ter planner: Howe,/et;
<br /> development groom
<br /> bents prevailed
<br /> recent city cou~cd
<br /> elections, conHdeat
<br /> that concentrated
<br /> development can
<br /> pram' "without
<br />
<br /> ~g the rt~ ~eas,"
<br /> Close sad.
<br /> Ramsay Town
<br /> Canter wtU feature
<br />
<br />ormc{pies o¢ good
<br />nrbanism,' Close
<br />said. Those features i~c[nde a connected
<br />s~eer syscom, ~ opposed to c~ de sacs. and
<br />o¢en s~ace akin to the Minneapoth 9arkway
<br />system, he sad. Dest~e~ have incorporat-
<br />~ t~e nam~ NnBscape into glans, and
<br />architrave w~ retl~t cradition~ sWtes
<br />that evoke a sm~-m~
<br /> "Th~ town ,:enter has been a very delib-
<br />erate ptanmg process (hat's been a con, bo-
<br />ration beiweea ~e city and the developers
<br />and the community" sai([ Patrick Trudgeon,
<br />assBtafl[ community development
<br />m Ramae~ The kouslng options, commer-
<br />cia activity and other amenities, pitts new
<br />garnering pNces amd communi~, identitz
<br />add rt~ to "soamthmg that's sm'ely needed
<br />here m Ramseg" he said.
<br /> Private investment in Ramsey Town
<br />Center eotfld reach an estimated 31 b~ion,
<br />Public investment, mainly tm' roads, gack~g
<br />vamos amd other h~l'astrucmre, i~eiv
<br />exceed ;;20 [l~ion. Nom'mau 5aid. The
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