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This last point is very relevant to Ramsey and our discussion regarding future <br />growth. The creation of the large residential ldts have several impacts; <br /> <br />They serve as a barrier to efficient, compact development on adjacent land. <br />Since it is economically inefficient to hook up to City Sewer and Water to <br />large residential lots, there is no inCentive to extend the services beyond the <br />large lot subdivision; <br /> <br />Large lots fragment open space and natural habitat since all of the land is - <br />held privately. Urban development can allow for consolidation of important <br />habitat and green space. <br /> <br />Larger lots mean longer roads to maintain and snowplow with fewer <br />households paying taxes to pay for the sci-vices. <br /> <br />Large lots lead to fewer lots available in Ramsey forcing people to go to <br />communities well beyond Ramsey to purchase a lot-and exacerbating <br />regional sprawl. <br /> <br />Conclusion: Staffbdieves that the City is at th~ cusp of some very important policy <br />decisions regarding how we grow as part of the Twin Cities region over the <br />upcoming years. Staff has the following observations and brings them forward for <br />your consideration: <br /> <br />The City already has a healthy mixture of rural and urban lots that provide an <br />adequate amount of choices for current and future Ramsey residents. <br /> <br />That the creation of new large lot subdivisions (1, 2.5, and 5 acre) served by <br />individual septic systems and private wells are the epitome of sprawl and <br />should not be allowed within the City of Ramsey. <br /> <br />That any furore residential and commercial development should be served by <br />urban services. <br /> <br />That in areas that currently do not have urban services, the land should not be <br />developed until such time as sewer and water is available or only limited <br />development (i.e. through cluster developments) should be allowed. If limited <br />development is allowed in rural areas, it should be with the expectation that <br />the land will eventually be served and deVeloped with urban services and <br />should be designed to allow for orderly and efficient hook up to urban <br />services. <br /> <br />That the Comprehensive Plan Amendment should be completed in a timely <br />manner in order to respond to the pending subdivision requests in front of the <br />City as well as serve as a guide for the future development of the City. <br /> <br />Staff looks forward to discussing these points with the Planning Commission and <br />City Council. <br /> <br />· Page 3 <br /> <br /> <br />