Comp Plan 1974-1977 FILE #1 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

some 2,625 persons are anticipated to loc'ate within the Transition' and Rural As noted previou~ly, meet of the City's 7,620 population currently reside in the center of the proposed T=ansiti~n Area. The vacant platte~ lots are also concen- trated in the Transition Area. This implies that under the proposed City policies, Ramsay could well have 10,000 pS=sons living in its Transition Area by 1990. The Urban Area is planned for less than this -- 8,375 persons by 1990. l~amsey should give careful consideration to the implications of these proposed pol£ciee for the Transition Are.a upon their own development objectives. On the one hand, the City is planning major capital investment commitments for local sewers= s~reetst and other public services in its Urban Service Area over the next 10 years. At ~he same time, the City is apparently willing to accept continued development in ~hat part of the City that has experienced the strongest growth in the pact six years; the proposed Transition Area. The reason for Ramsey's rapid development in the past six years has been precisely that housing could be built relatively cheaply on lots without urban services. If the City follows its proposed policies, a local leap-frogaina of development could take claes. Existing platted lots ~n the transi~ion area could become developed while the City;s Urban Service Area remains undeveloped. If ~amsey ~s to avoid this problem in the Transition Area, a s~ronger approach must be taken to managing the existing and future development. As one 9ossible solution, much of the ~ransition area could be resoned on an interim and staged basis to a density similar to the rural area s~andard of four households per quarter-quarter section. This standard would apply in the transition area as follows: a. Develop eub~ivielena -- The lower-density zoning ordinance could be drafted in such a manner that existing development would not be intensified without new City approval. A~y activity requiring a building permit (for example, an addition to a home) wnuld provide the City with an opportunity to assess whether support services to the ho~e (such as on-site septic systems) are adequate to accommodate the expansion. Other appropriate conditions could also be developed along ~his b. Undeveloped or partially developed Subdivisions .and platted lots -- Downzoning to a lower density could limit further development of existing subdivisions and on pla~ted lands until the extension and provision of adequate public services and facilities. .Downzonin~, particularly when undertaken in connection wi~h the planning activity which the City is now undertaking, and the policies and dir- ectives contained ~n the proposed comprehensive plan, .¥0.~1~d~learly be legally au~horized. The general effec~ of do~nzoning to a lower density would be to tem~or~--~f~ forestall development in connection with "papers plats and other lots and parcels, whether within or outside e subdivision, on which no develop- ment activity has yet occurred. It clearly is legal for the City to amend its zoning ordinance at this time to require either a buildable lot size in excess of ~he platted lot size or am overall density lower ~han the density that would result from development of all currently platted lots. Neither a p~re~-_e_x~isting zoning ordillance no= platting alone gives __a~l_.y~o~e ~.ri__~g~h~__~o__bu_£1~at_~ P~eT~e~_is~_ing Such s zoning a~nt, however, w~uld have to be carefully drawn~---&S to exempt or allow the issuance of variances in situations where building ~ermits have already' b~en issued (subject to construction co=encement wi~hin a reasonable period) and where lan~ owners have already undertaken specific development ac- tivity which under the law gives them a vested right to complete their develop- ment. As a general rule both in Minnesota and elsewhere, a vested right is not obtained until one has been granted a building permit and has actually commenced substantial 00ns~r~ution and reliance upon the permit. For example, the owner of a record lot prior to the effective date of the ordinance who 'has no reasonable economic 'use for his property other than for residential construction, would often he entitled to a variance, particularly where the economic and ocher hard- ship under ~e ordinance amendment would be permanent and severe. In addition, land owners who have expended substantial su~s of money in reliance on the pre- vious ordinance prior to the effective date of the new amendment could also claim a vested right to continue their development. c.~platted 1and -- New plats would only be acceptable if their development would not exceed the new zoning density standard. ga=ion ~seurss and plann.Lng s~ec~z~ca= . . I the avant that it decides to follow this course of ac.~on: W~t.h such.an.~a~PP_r__o~ac_h.,.~li° ' inves~ments are being p~anned to support growth. §. Ma~or Diversified Centers The 0evelo~x~en~ Framework identifies potential locations for the. development of a ~aJor Diversified Center by 1990. The City of Ramsay is not identified as such a location. Nevertheless, the City has identified a need to set aside 160 acres of its Urban Service Area for development over time of a "major shopping canter". For compari~on purposes, this would be a land area twice as large as the Sou=bridle Shopping Center. Zoning a large area for co~eroial development is clearly a local prerogative. ~f this area remains undeveloped for many years, however, it could create local problems to the extension of urban services, particul, arly sewer lines, to other parts of the proposed Urban Service Area. 6. Transportation In planning the loca~on, size, and timing of its Urban Service Area, the City has mede several basic development assumptions related to ~ransportation improve- ments. The City assumes construction of a bridge crossing the Rum River as an easterly extension of CSAH t57 within the relatively near future {five years or less). According to the Anoka County Highway Department, this cro~'=~ yet scheduled for construction and is not likely to be buil= for 10 years. The discussion of plan~.ing activities for this bridge (pages 17-16) is accurate, only the assumed timeframe is wrong. Another assr=ion is that 153rd Avenue will be developed as a ma~or east-west artery. The Anoka County Thoroughfare Plan, however, indicates a minor arterial