Agenda - Council - 05/10/2016 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Ramsey COR Survey — City Policy Makers Below are a series of survey questions that you as a City official are being asked to answer regarding the Ramsey COR Development Plan. The results of this survey will serve to foster dialog among city leadership as it works towards consensus before sharing the results with the community. Prior to The COR, Ramsey did not have much choice for local shopping, eating out or doing business within its own community and had 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 is one grocery store in Ramsey, Coborn's, located at the western edge of The COR area near Armstrong Boulevard. The other commercial areas focus on special services like used car lots or recreational vehicle sales. Policy/Vision The Comprehensive Plan (guiding land use document) defines the area of The COR as an area that may include a combination of residential, commercial, light industrial, open space and a transit hub. Mixed Use includes retail, commercial, entertainment, office, institutional, high density residential, transit hubs and park and recreation uses. 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 COR Development Plan, which provides specific land use and design guidance for this area. The purpose of The COR Mixed Use Area is to establish a community hub that integrates places to work, play and live and embraces transit oriented design. A large portion of the area is undeveloped, providing an opportunity for a pedestrian friendly environment that supports mass transit in Ramsey, Elk River, and Anoka. Mixed use development would be transit oriented to support the transit station. Development should be intense with multi -story buildings rather than one level buildings. Commercial and residential buildings should provide pedestrian linkages so people can park at the station and easily access 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 south of Highway 10 and the Mississippi West Regional Park. An important decision will need to be made in the future about whether to construct a new bridge over the Mississippi River and what alignment it should follow. This potential connection will have a