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

Home

different position on the request and reviewing the concerns and points of each group. He stated that everyone agrees that this is a great project and will be a great addition to Ramsey, the struggle is simply with the location. He stated that staff recommends that the land sale policy be updated to further outline a process moving forward. Councilmember Riley stated that there were two different EDA meetings that dedicated a large amount of time. He stated that everyone agrees that this is a great project but struggles with the location. He stated that the EDA passed a recommendation to move forward with the project, but noted the question would be how this fits with the vision. He stated that his vision is to sell the land that is available for sale and fits within the zoning, which this request does, and therefore recommends moving forward. Mayor Strommen noted that she spent considerable time processing this request and has struggled. She stated that other bodies have struggled with this as well because of the site selection as there is not a good framework for these types of decisions. She stated that she does have concerns with the remnant parcels and ensuring that the decisions made today do not negatively affect the future development. She asked whether the priority is to sell land versus whether the project fits the site. She stated that personally she cannot just want to sell the land. She stated that this is a great project that will fit within The COR but is unsure that it fits on this parcel. She did not feel like she had the right information to make a decision that she could feel good about. Councilmember Kuzma stated that he agrees that this would be a great project but also struggles with the site and therefore is more in favor of the recommendation of the Planning Commission to review an alternative site. Councilmember Riley stated that earlier this evening there was a discussion with the Planning Commission and it was pointed out that the vision is focused on wants and the City has nothing. He asked how long the City is willing to hold on to vacant land with a vision. He stated that this is a request to sell land to a business that will bring in traffic and could bring additional business. Mayor Strommen stated that this is not the first time that the Council has said that the site selection is not right and were able to find a better site for the use. She stated that she is intrigued that the EDA was able to have two discussions and asked staff if they believe that the Planning Commission would benefit for another discussion. Asst. City Administrator/Economic Development Manager Brama stated that there are people struggling with the project because of the location, issues with the lot, and remnant sites that would remain. He stated that a detailed analysis has not been completed and stated that if there is value in completing further analysis, staff could do that. He stated that he is unsure how that falls with the timelines for Mr. and Mrs. Johnson but would be happy to work with them on that. Mayor Strommen stated that there are certain challenges whether this use goes on this site and is not aware of the tradeoffs. She asked the potential of the three lots if this were not placed in the middle, meaning what the City would be giving up versus what would be retained. City Council / January 24, 2017 Page 14 of 17