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Northstar Corridot' Ramsey Station
<br />Rail Station Feasibility Study
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<br />10. Currently, a strip of land between TH 10 and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe main line is
<br />used as an outdoor sales area for r,..~creational vehicles and various other freeway accessory
<br />businesses. South of TH 10, the lard transitions from agricultural to new housing subdivisions
<br />and a large park on t. he banks of th~ ~ Mississippi River. Agricultural land is located east of the
<br />tracks and no[~h of Ramsey Boulevard. South of Ramsey Boulevard is a developing business
<br />park. Most of I:he housing in Ramsey is located in Iow- to medium-density areas. The existing
<br />land uses immediately surrounding ~.he proposed station are agricultural, parkland, and
<br />commercial.
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<br />Ramsey's busines~ base includes ~:uch companies as Life Fitness, Connexus Energy, Vision
<br />Ease Lens, and Zero Zone Refrigeration. Other land uses in Ramsey include more than 500
<br />acres of parkland snd trails within tt~e city limits. There is a middle school in Ramsey and two
<br />fire stations, but most of the institutions serving the population (schools, hospitals, airports, etc.)
<br />are located beyon~i the Ramsey city limits.
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<br />Projected Land U-~e
<br />In November 2001. the City of Ramsey placed an advisory referendum on the ballot asking
<br />whether Ramsey residents would s~ ~pport a town center mixed-use development on a site of
<br />more than 300 acres. The response was 61 percent in favor of the Town Center project.
<br />Ramsey Town Center is planned for the land between Ramsey Boulevard (CSAH 56) and
<br />Armstrong Boulevard (CSAH 83), flora TH 10 to approximately CSAH 116. As planned, Town
<br />Center will be a mixed-use development of medium- and high-density residential, commercial,
<br />office, light industrial and public uses. The development is planned to be pedestrian-friendly and
<br />transit-oriented. Ufiimate build-out of 'ToWn Center would include 2,000 housing units, with a mix
<br />of single-family ho~nes, townhouse.', condominiums, and apartments, and approximately
<br />775,000 square feet of non..resideni:ial uses (e.g., commercial, office). The existing wetland
<br />corridor on the ~ite would be mainkfined, and a ring of parks would circle Town Center, which
<br />would link the wetlands to a linear t,ark system in the eastern portion of the site. Neighborhood-
<br />scale streets would be buffered fro~a high-volume auto traffic streets ~o facilitate pedestrian and
<br />bicycle access.
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<br />Town Center woul~i also include a ~ew city hall for Ramsey, a grocery store, small retail shops,
<br />and a mix of commercial uses. Approximately 48 acres have been designated for employment
<br />use, with anolher ~::.4 acres oi: mixe :l-use space that could also be developed for employment.
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<br />The final concept plan for Ramsey Fown center places the Northstar commuter station in the
<br />south central portk~n of the site on :;pproximately 4.7 acres, with more than 150 park-n-ride
<br />spaces in the adjacent parking ramp.
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<br />Figure 2-2 shows [~amsey Future I_ and Use.
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<br />Employmer~t lbata
<br />Of the approximately 18,500 residents of Ramsey, the U.S. Census indicates that 83.4 percent
<br />of those over 16 a~ e employed. Ma ~agemenfJprofessional is the leading category, numbering
<br />almost 3,700, followed by sales/office at more than 2,900, manufacturing at 2,300, and retail
<br />trade at just over 1,100. The U.S. (:ensus indicates that the mean travel time to work for
<br />Ramsey residents is 30.1 minutes, indicatin9 that most who live in Ramsey work outside the
<br />city. However, there is an employmerfl base in Ramsey, which is home to Life Fitness, Con-
<br />nexus Energy, Vision Ease I.ens, ()ldcastle Precast, and Zero Zone Refrigeration.
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<br />Kimley-Horn and A,~;soc:iates, Inc.
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<br />March 2004
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