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History & Context <br />In the late 1990's, following a citizen -led referendum <br />calling on the City of Ramsey to develop a 'town center', <br />Ramsey has forwarded an innovative vision for a new <br />downtown district (The COR, an acronym for City of <br />Ramsey), defined through a sequence of adopted plans that <br />have led to a variety of successful development projects in <br />all categories including; housing, school, medical, office, <br />municipal, commercial and the focus of this study, new <br />additions to the city park and trail system —within and <br />connecting to The COR. <br />(Excerpts from the 'Mississippi Skyway Preliminary Engineering Report' <br />- SRF et al. 2014) <br />"The City of Ramsey, with the Metropolitan <br />Council, has envisioned a multi -modal town <br />center, with access via commuter rail, car, <br />bicycle, and on foot. The 'COR' development is a <br />planned 400 acre mixed -use and transit -oriented <br />development site that includes a mix of residential <br />housing choices for people of all incomes. <br />Establishing parks and creating quality recreational <br />and open space opportunities remains a high <br />priority for the City. The CITY OF RAMSEY2030 <br />COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE identifies the need <br />to "Create vehicular and non -vehicular linkages <br />to neighboring communities and between city <br />neighborhoods, trails, recreation, work and shopping" <br />as a component of their future planning checklist. <br />The Mississippi Skyway pedestrian bridge will <br />provide a critical direct pedestrian and bicycle <br />connection between the City of Ramsey's pedestrian - <br />oriented 'COR' development, the Ramsey Northstar <br />Station, Ramsey Park & Ride and the resources <br />associated with the Mississippi River and attendant <br />regional amenities. Currently, Trunk Highway 10 <br />(TH 10) and the parallel8NSF Railway Company <br />Development Plan 6.0 (Landform 2012) <br />Ramsey Town Center Master Plan (CLOSE, 2001) <br />Proposed Mississippi Skyway (SRF, 2014) <br />and Metro Transit Northstar Commuter Rail <br />railroad corridor are barriers to safe pedestrian and <br />bicycle access between The COR and the river. <br />At its heart, the Mississippi Skyway project is <br />about overcoming boundaries to safe bicycle <br />and pedestrian circulation while expanding and <br />enhancing multi -modal transportation, economic <br />development and recreational options to promote <br />a livable, vibrant region and community." <br />More recently, The City of Ramsey invited a team of <br />consultants to work with City Department Leadership to <br />set baseline assumptions that would help inform ongoing <br />decisions related to future park and trail projects within The <br />COR. This process outlined expected uses, facilities and <br />features (a very basic design program), that was translated <br />into a preliminary estimate of potential construction costs <br />for each of the primary COR area components. Study <br />conclusions included a summary of possible `Scenarios <br />+ Strategies' available to support project funding and <br />implementation. <br />Public Realm Framework + Cost Evaluation 3 <br />