Minutes - Planning Commission - 05/02/2002

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Metropolitan Council in December 2001, and also to put in place good and reasonable objectives for the City's lands. This is the first of a series of public hearings. He explained the two components to City Code Chapter 9 are the text and the map. The map was part of the mailing that went out. Excerpts of the text appeared in the mailing as well. He gave an overview of the residential districts as noted on the mailing. He noted there will be no modifications to the lot sizes. The R-2 designation allows for twin homes and townhomes with densities from 3 to 7 units per acre. The R-3 designation applies to townhomes and apartments with 7 to 15 units per acre. Citizen Input Joe McDilda, 14321 Neon St., noted the City does not have an adopted tree policy. He suggested such a policy be introduced and considered. This could be the guide for the developers wishing to build in Ramsey. He asked what it would take to assemble a committee to create a wetland policy for developers and citizens. Principal Planner Trudgeon responded a tree preservation ordinance would be beneficial to set standards. He suggested this discussion be included as part of the Chapter 9 discussions. Chairperson Nixt pointed out that state mandates control wetland preservation. John Enstrom, 8702 181 st Avenue, stated he has worked toward tree preservation on his property. He offered to work with the City of Ramsey. He said he is familiar with many of the ordinances. He also suggested considering some of the ordinances of neighboring cities. He advised the City to mandate the number of trees required per lot. He said his main concern is the City should institute higher standards for roads. He suggested the developers should be required to construct roads at a 9-ton standard, as neighboring communities do, since it would alleviate many problems in the future. He also suggested a permit be issued for sprinkler systems only when installed on approved soils. He offered to work with the City on instituting this ordinance as well. John Peterson, Oakwood Development, clarified that Blaine does not require 9-ton roads. He said this would drive up the costs and would be excessive in his view. Joe McDilda, 14321 Neon St., redisplayed pictures of wetlands before and during construction of The Ponds on CSAH #5. He contended the wetlands are not protected as promised. He said if the developer chooses, they can clear the land. Motion by Commissioner Johnson, seconded by Commissioner Brauer, to close the public hearing. Motion Carried. Voting Yes: Chairperson Nixt, Commissioners Johnson, Brauer, and Kociscak. Voting No: None. Absent: Commissioners Reeve, Sweet, and Watson. Planning Commission/May 2, 2002 Page 4 of 23