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2001 Comprehensive Plan <br />Amended February 26, 2002 <br /> <br />(1) Permanent Rural <br />Urban services should not be extended to serve existing or future <br />residential development in the Permanent Rural Area unless <br />petitioned for by the residents or failure of private septic systems <br />pose a hazard to the health and welfare of the general public. <br />The historical trend of large lot development patterns has created <br />obstacles to extending municipal utilities to these areas. These <br />circumstances create financial burdens on either individual <br />households required to hook up, or the city, which may have to <br />cover extensive costs to construct pipe around or through rural <br />developments (i.e. dispersing the cost over fewer households <br />than if development occurred through higher density areas). <br />Furthermore, Ramsey is part of the Anoka Sandplain and has a <br />very sandy soil dominated by the Hubbard-Nymore association, <br />which is well suited for private septic system construction. <br />Supportive land uses in the Permanent Rural area would include: <br /> <br />[] low-density residential housing including limited accessory <br /> apartments <br />[] agricultural production crops: corn, soybeans and other cash <br /> crops <br />[] field crops: alfalfa, clover, hay or potato farms <br />[] organic farms: horticulture specialties, field nurseries, sod <br /> farms, tree farms or community gardens <br />[] home businesses <br />[] regional park facilities <br />[] non-commercial horse boarding <br /> <br />The Metropolitan Council defines Permanent Rural as consisting <br />of development with no more than one dwelling unit per 10 <br />acres. The permanent rural area referred to in this plan is <br />comprised of two separate land use patterns: Rural Preserve and <br />Rural Developing. The Rural Preserve Area is consistent with <br />the Metropolitan Council's Permanent Rural designation while <br />the Rural Developing area differs from the regional growth <br />policy primarily due to the historical development trends and <br />circumstances as previously mentioned. The following sections <br />provide further detail for the two categories within the <br />Permanent Rural area. <br /> <br />A concern with rural residential development is the reliance on <br />local aquifers for clean drinking water. Increasing the number of <br />private septic systems increases the possibility of groundwater <br />contamination. The City needs to closely monitor groundwater <br />for contamination levels. <br /> <br />Rural Preserve <br />The Rural Preserve area consists of roughly 1,100 acres <br />(including over 300 acres of wetlands) in north central Ramsey <br /> <br />Ramsey Comprehensive Plan <br />Amended February 26, 2002 <br /> <br />Page V-14 <br /> <br /> <br />