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with the comments from Councilmember Shryock regarding staff completing a comparison of <br />certain elements in The COR. <br />Mayor Strommen stated that there was a lot of housing in the original vision and agreed that <br />timing is key as people have seen this housing development but have not seen the retail elements. <br />Councilmember Kuzma stated that CBRE is the consultant the City hired to work on this vision <br />and provide input and they have said that the City needs rooftops in order to bring in the retail <br />elements. He noted that the rail station and Armstrong interchange were also important elements <br />in attracting the desired development. <br />Mayor Strommen asked the items that people would like to reaffirm or re-evaluate from the list <br />of items included in the vision. <br />Commissioner Brauer stated that the original vision was never viable because Ramsey did not <br />have the space or demographics that big box retailers are looking for. He stated that the City <br />needs to look at the data and also believes that the City would benefit from the cluster data that <br />developers use in order to better determine and attract development. <br />Mayor Strommen confirmed that Commissioner Brauer would like to re-evaluate the retail <br />aspects in the vision using data. <br />Commissioner Brauer stated that Ramsey will not get big box retail and should instead focus on <br />local businesses. He referenced the piecemeal strategy that the City has been using, noting the <br />changes in the past eight years in the market, and stated that it would be difficult to obtain <br />beneficial data from that changing market. He stated that the City needs a vision that keeps them <br />from being jerked back and forth from a temporary change, or what the City interprets to be a <br />temporary change. <br />Mayor Strommen confirmed consensus that the group would like to re-evaluate retail <br />components within the vision. <br />Vice Chair Bauer stated that the attempt is to make Ramsey a destination type of stop and would <br />cater more towards the smaller unique businesses and explained that pedestrian connections <br />would also be important in that element. <br />Councilmember Shryock stated that sign regulations have been discussed and if The COR is <br />meant to be the hub, then a unified look should be determined and focused on, specifically <br />regarding signage, streetscapes, and design. <br />Councilmember LeTourneau stated that geography is also a factor in how large this market can <br />be in addition to demographics. He stated that in reference to items three and four, he would like <br />to see the appropriate density discussed to support that potential retail. He noted that, in essence, <br />Ramsey is an island because of river placement and therefore the needed density needs to be <br />determined in order to determine appropriate retail desires. <br />City Council Work Session / July 12, 2016 <br />Page 4 of 8 <br />