Agenda - Planning Commission - 06/12/2017 - Special

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May 25, 2017 Tim Gladhill Community Development Director City of Ramsey 7550 Sunwood Drive NW Ramsey, MN 55303 Dear Tim • We have reviewed the Paxmar concept plan on the Hageman property, located at the southeast corner of Alpine Drive and Puma Street. Although we favor residential growth in this area of Ramsey, we cannot support the concept plan in its current configuration. It seems this layout was completed with sole purpose of maximizing the number of units, without regard for good land planning or thoughfful growth for the City. The current City zoning of this parcel is R1, but the concept shows twice that number of units. These units are very small compared to R1 standards and do not fit the character of the existing single family homes, adjacent to the site. If a plat were to be brought forward using the R1 zoning standards currently in place, it would present a great opportunity for success in the current marketplace; very similar to the success we are seeing in the Brookfield neighborhood. Not only would R1 housing be a complement to the existing neighborhood, it would also balance nicely with the residential lots in the Riverstone neighborhood offering a wider range of home styles for those seeking to purchase a new home in Ramsey. This would allow the City's current zoning plan to be implemented according to current policy. Typically, R1 single family lots (80' wide) on a standard parcel of land will produce 2.3 units per acre gross. Paxmar's proposal is requesting a density of 4.5 units per acre and would add 74 additional units on this 33-acre parcel. In comparison, the Riverstone plat is 3.3 units per acre and is zoned mid density. For Paxmar, that would be a significant increase in density that certainly works well for the developer, but doesn't appear to be in the best interest of the overall zoning plan of the City. For the City, this plan would flood the market with mid density housing, making it increasingly susceptible to market conditions and in turn, pushing home prices down below market levels. The Riverstone plat alone has 293 mid density units, and this concept proposal would add an additional 151 units. 444 mid density units, only separated by a single street. In addition, we have reviewed the proposal by Paxmar to construct Phase 2 of Puma Street. Simply stated, it seems Paxmar's current proposal to build the Puma Street infrastructure is being offered in return for the developer receiving 74 additional units through rezoning. It is our request that the City follow the current zoning plan and require R1 housing units on this parcel of land. We are happy to discuss this further, and it is our goal to create the strongest possible land use plan for this area of Ramsey. Sincerely, Stephen A. Bona Vice President of Land Development Capstone Homes, Inc. 14015 Sunfish Lake Blvd NW, Suite 400 Ramsey, MN 55303 Office: (763) 427-3090 Fax: (763) 712 -9060