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variety of housing products, support from neighbors, and legislative support. He stated that for
<br /> threats they identified funding, especially for transportation as well as the built-in natural
<br /> environment, return on investments, and the perception of affordable housing.
<br /> Asst. City Administrator/Economic Development Manager Brama reported the results of his
<br /> group identifying the strengths as the mix of housing products, the connection between the rural
<br /> and urban community, The COR, City owned land which provides control over the land and
<br /> visions, the Highway 10 access planning study, and the two rivers. He stated that for weaknesses
<br /> they identified the appearance, perception, and functionality of Highway 10, the MUSA bisect,
<br /> the lack of control the City has over highways 10 and 47 and County roads, City owned land, and
<br /> a need for more restaurants and retail. He stated that for opportunity, they identified The ROR
<br /> (rest of Ramsey) where there is room for growth and development, the appearance of Highway
<br /> 10, and the ability to take the Highway 10 access plan to the next study. He stated that for
<br /> threats they identified the two rivers which threaten retail and commercial development, railroad
<br /> crossings, control over funding for major corridors, and the impacts of a community on the tax
<br /> base.
<br /> City Clerk Thieling communicated the results of her group. She identified the strengths which
<br /> included great leadership, stable long-term staff with institutional knowledge, great citizen
<br /> participation, stable tax base, long-term strategic thinking, natural resources, and the City is easy
<br /> to work with in regard to working with developers, businesses, etc. She stated that for
<br /> weaknesses they identified transportation infrastructure, lack of long-term funding for roads,
<br /> water resources, communication, and lack of three deep staff training to cover in shortages. She
<br /> identified the opportunities noting that the City has room to grow, a possible new zip code and
<br /> post office, new schools, positive City reputation, transportation improvements, recreation based
<br /> on natural resources, population close to critical mass which will draw retail, and employee
<br /> advancement opportunity. She stated that the threats include prior bad press, natural disasters
<br /> (i.e. train derailments), illegal drug use, competing cities for economic development, lack of state
<br /> and federal resources for transportation, and Asian Carp in the river(s).
<br /> City Engineer Westby reported the results of his group's discussion. He stated that the strengths
<br /> included the positive Council/staff relationship, good inter-Council relationship, public
<br /> engagement, high-median household income, and financial stability. He stated that for
<br /> weaknesses, they identified challenging geography, low density and number of residents, lack of
<br /> parks in new residential developments, and general lack of understanding/civic engagement on a
<br /> large scale. He stated that for opportunities they identified the rivers, recreation, high-median
<br /> household income, good reputation with developers and builders, the purchase of land by the
<br /> School District for an elementary school, and a lot of entrepreneurs. He stated that for threats
<br /> they identified the challenging geography, a location between two historical communities,
<br /> neighboring communities giving away land for development, and a lack of transportation
<br /> funding. He noted that his group determined that Highway 10 would fit into all four categories.
<br /> Councilmember Shryock stated that, in general, the responses were very alike and, going
<br /> forward, that will assist in this process.
<br /> City Council Strategic Planning Work Session/February 21, 2017
<br /> Page 5 of 10
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