Agenda - Council - 03/10/2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Deputy City Administrator Gladhill reviewed the staff report. Mayor LeTourneau asked for details on the history of how the overall development plan was developed. Deputy City Administrator Gladhill stated that 20 years ago Ramsey did not have a variety of housing stock and therefore the younger and older populations had trouble finding housing. He stated that there was a goal then to provide a variety in the housing stock. He stated that the plan for The COR was developed in order to manage the City's growth, concentrating density and retail development in order to create a downtown area to allow other areas of Ramsey to remain more rural. He provided details on the over two-year process that occurred to develop the plan, noting that numerous updates have occurred during reviews. Councilmember Kuzma stated that two years ago there was a course correction that occurred, updating the plan as to the development that occurred and the development that the market was allowing. Deputy City Administrator Gladhill confirmed that the plan has reacted to market corrections, with two large revisions that have occurred over the years. Councilmember Heinrich asked if the interim development plan was going to be reviewed by staff and potentially updated, as the last update occurred in 2017. Deputy City Administrator Gladhill stated that is the direction that staff would like. He noted that the interim plan was used to update the plan and to assist in the Comprehensive Plan process. Mayor LeTourneau asked for details on the update that Councilmember Heinrich would like to see. Councilmember Heinrich referenced the vision statement and was unsure if that language is clear for residents. She noted that she also composed an email with additional questions that have been answered by staff. Councilmember Menth referenced the business survey that was recently completed and asked if the business community has expressed that the housing needs for their employees is, or has been, met. He stated that if the City is going to feed its business community, it needs to ensure that there is sufficient housing available. Deputy City Administrator Gladhill replied that housing affordability is becoming an issue and therefore there is some degree of a need for affordable housing. He agreed that workforce development and housing are linked issues. He stated that overall there is a need for additional housing based on the economic growth. Councilmember Riley commented that there have been consistent comments that the City is building too much multi -family housing. He stated that he would like to see a pause on multi - City Council Work Session / February 24, 2020 Page 2 of 5