Agenda - Council - 02/14/2017 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mayor Strommen stated that at the end she would like to see an increased access to services for residents and The COR should provide a community gathering space. She stated that there seems to be a lot of common ground mentioned from the comments made by everyone tonight. Councilmember LeTourneau stated that because of the diversity, and how the City is moving, the process should be the outcome to ensure a quality product. 2.02: Presentation of Progress on Revised Vision Statement for The COR Commissioner Bauer provided an update on the recent meeting the Planning Commission held to discuss this topic. He stated that the Commission believes there is a real danger in the fact that the City is a landowner that does not want to be a landowner and therefore is dealing in piecemeal rather than focusing on the larger picture. He stated that the plan is important to ensure that these pieces of development that come along continue to fit into the plan. He stated that the tendency for shoppers is to go to areas that are retail heavy to have a variety of options and with the Riverdale and Elk River retail development, Ramsey will not be able to compete with those areas. He stated that the numbers do not provide proof to retailers that there is sufficient demand in Ramsey and instead believes that The COR should focus on becoming a destination that brings people in. He stated that there could be unique features like a skating pond, unique architecture, or unique shops that people will travel to reach. He stated that The COR should be pedestrian friendly, include entertainment, and some more unique shops rather than traditional retail. Commissioner Surma echoed the comments of Commissioner Bauer. He stated that he travels to Stillwater once per month and the retail options have a high turnover rate. He stated that as internet shopping continues to increase, traditional retail will continue to face challenges and therefore The COR should not be retail heavy. He believed that there should be more of a focus on fine dining rather than fast food. He stated that if more housing is going to be added perhaps it be one level housing for the senior population that continues to age in the community. Commissioner VanScoy stated that the Commission can provide input but there is not a lot of market data to support these decisions and believed that it would be important to have that market data. He explained that it is hard to make decisions based on general perceptions as the Commission members are not experts in this area. Commissioner Nosan stated that the Commission is generally on the same page but also have different visions. She stated that the vision for the town center is different than The COR. She stated that some elements, such as big box retail will never happen for The COR. She did not envision that The COR would see a lot of retail. She stated that she has spoken with a real estate broker that deals in retail and restaurants who did not believe that a restaurant would come to Ramsey. She stated that the broker believed that perhaps a local owner that believes in Ramsey would open a restaurant but there would be difficulty in obtaining an outside business. She believed that the focus should be changed to better focus on filling a need for the community, such as a gathering space or destination that could serve the community. Councilmember Riley asked why restaurants would not come to Ramsey. City Council Work Session / January 24, 2017 Page 3 of 9