05. Land Use - Laserfiche WebLink

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2001 Comprehensive Plan Amended February 26, 2002 north of Trott Brook. The area consists of significant portions of wetlands and tree canopy with limited agriculture, horticultural and residential uses. Residential development within the rural preserve area has been mostly large lot development. Current development yields an overall gross density of roughly 1 unit per 20 acres in the Rural Preserve Area. Future development within the Rural Preserve Area would be limited to a gross density of no more than 1 unitper 10 acres4. There are roughly 350 acres of agricultural land and 150 acres of vacant land within the Rural Preserve Area. Much of this area is restricted for development by floodplain, shoreland management or wetland ordinances. Assuming that agricultural lands will eventually become developed, this area could accommodate approximately 50 additional housing units on private septic and well systems. A development option within the rural area would consist of small pockets of housing with lot sizes being dictated by the physical constraints of the site and soils capacity to handle on-site septic systems as required by state law. Planned Unit Development (PUD) techniques can provide opportunities for protection of larger contiguous open spaces, preservation of wetlands and tree canopy, preservation of agricultural lands and preservation of rural lifestyles and character. Rural Developing The Rural Developing area is the largest land use within the City of Ramsey. This area consists of roughly 8,200 acres (inclusive of wetlands). The existing primary use of this area is very low- density residential development with average densities of roughly 1 unit per 2.5 acres, a development pattern that was established in the early 1970s. This development pattern accounts for roughly 4,500 acres of residential development within the Rural Developing area. Because of this very low- density pattern of development and the numerous wetlands, the extension of urban services to the rural developing area is not practical or financially feasible. Regional growth policy would suggest imposing a gross density consistent with the Rural Preserve area of 1 unit per 10 acres. However, because of the historical development pattern that has already been well established, an overall density of one unit per 10 acres will never be established. The maximum density for the Rural Developing area shall be ! unit per 2.5 acres gross. This density was determined by examining the natural features and the predominant existing density within the Rural Developing area. In addition, this 4 A density of 1 unit per 10 acres was determined by the Metropolitan Council in its "Regional Blueprint", December of 1996 as an appropriate density for maintaining a rural lifestyle and character and is consistent with planned transportation system capacities and levels of service. Ramsey Comprehensive Plan Amended February 26, 2002 Page 17-15