Minutes - Planning Commission - 11/07/2019 - Work Session

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Community Development Director Gladhill noted that the question for the Commission would be whether it would like to continue to review those sign requests as they come in or whether they would prefer those approvals to be handled administratively. Commissioner Anderson commented that the Commission has already agreed that large signs would be appropriate along the railroad corridor. He noted that the businesses he has spoken with have expressed difficulty in finding signs of the appropriate size and placing those in the allowed locations. He asked if there should be thought to allowing higher signs on multi-story buildings. Commissioner Woestehoff stated that he has a different perspective as he believes that less signage should be allowed along Highway 10 and would prefer to preserve a more natural character for Ramsey. Community Development Director Gladhill commented that one method to achieve that objective would be to encourage shared signage along the highway corridor. City Planner Anderson noted that there are different standards in The COR compared to other commercial/industrial districts. He asked if the interest of the Commission would be specific to The COR or across all commercial/industrial districts. Commissioner Woestehoff stated that he would like to see the different zoning districts mapped out more and suggested that perhaps Highway 10 become just one district on its own. Commissioner Anderson commented that this is a topic that should be discussed as a group and perhaps better ground rules should be developed for The COR specifically. Community Development Director Gladhill moved to the next topic of housing, accessory dwelling, and affordable housing. Commissioner Gengler stated that she would be interested in what could be done in terms of policy to help encourage more affordable housing in the community. She stated that Ramsey has so many different types of housing available and she would want to ensure that the community remains open to providing housing for everyone. Commissioner Woestehoff agreed and noted that many developers state that affordable in the in $200,000’s range, which is not typically considered affordable. Community Development Director Gladhill noted that the City Council will be studying the topic of housing and this feedback will be helpful as there has been some pushback from the community related to multi-family housing. He stated that the issue of “she-sheds” and accessory dwelling units is a trend that the group could tackle as well. Commissioner Anderson commented that it would be helpful to have better communication between the Boards and Commissions to ensure that the groups are working cohesively. He commented that it would also be helpful to have a method to provide updates to the public on the activity of the Planning Commission and other groups. Planning Commission/ November 7, 2019 Page 2 of 5