Laserfiche WebLink
City of Ramsey 2030 Comprehensive Plan <br />Chapter 12: Economic Development <br />A strong industrial market made much of this development possible. As vacancy <br />rates in the metropolitan area were extremely low in the early 1990s, many <br />companies looked to build new facilities rather than pay increased rent rates to renew <br />leases. During this time, the entire Metropolitan area saw similar growth in the <br />industrial market. Other contributing elements to the <br />growth include its location along a major transportation corridor between St. Cloud <br />and Minneapolis/St. Paul (including convenient rail access), the availability of a <br />highly trained labor force, the location of Anoka-Hennepin Technical College nearby <br />for employee training programs and the ability of the City to provide financial <br />incentives to prospective businesses. <br /> <br />Because of the reasons cited above, it is anticipated that industrial development will <br />continue to be of high demand in Ramsey, provided land can be made available. As <br />employment numbers are expected to increase sharply over the life of this plan it is <br />important to ensure adequate commercial and retail services are available to serve the <br />basic needs of this employment base. The future land use plan shows a mixed-use <br />site located within the heart of Places to Work. Small-scale retail, general services, <br />restaurants, civic green space and a transit element may be included within a mixed- <br />use concept, all of which provide the employment base with much needed ancillary <br />services and amenities. <br /> <br />A significant piece to the success of the economic development in the City of <br />Ramsey was the creation of the Economic Development Authority and the Economic <br />Development Commission in 1993. State enabling legislation in 1987 gave <br />municipalities the ability to establish a separate public body with its own rules and <br />taxing authority to promote and facilitate economic development. The City of <br />Ramsey has recently consolidated its EDC and EDA into a single entity, the Ramsey <br />Economic Development Authority (EDA). <br /> <br />Major tasks of the EDA include: <br /> <br /> Recommending goals and policies for housing, economic development and <br />redevelopment. <br /> Implementing housing redevelopment projects and economic <br />development/redevelopment projects. <br /> Financing programs for first time homebuyers, housing rehab or start up <br />businesses. <br /> <br />B. Economic Snapshot of the Twin Cities, Anoka County, and Ramsey <br /> <br />This portion of the Comprehensive Plan presents a brief overview of key indicators <br />about the economy of the Twin Cities and Anoka County. With numerous sites that <br />have strategic access to Highway 10, the profile of Ramsey will increase among the <br />commercial/industrial development community, though the timing and scope of <br />development hinges on the regional economic picture at the time individual sites are <br />built-out. <br /> <br /> <br />City of Ramsey 2030 Comprehensive Plan Page 12-2 <br /> <br /> <br />