Agenda - Council - 06/23/2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Councilmember Musgrove aye Councilmember Menth aye Councilmember Riley aye Mayor LeTourneau aye Motion carried. 7.06: Receive Request to Reconsider Greenway Terrace 2°a Addition; Case of Aeon Deputy City Administrator Gladhill reviewed the staff report and acknowledged that the City Council took two previous actions to allow the Purchase Agreement to expire, staff is seeking policy direction without making a staff recommendation. Staff acknowledges that subsequent discussions pertaining to multifamily housing have occurred at the Council level and is forwarding this request per the appropriate policies. Since a request has been made, staff cannot deny at an administrative level. That being said, there did appear to be some support in moving forward based on recent worksession discussion. Sarah Harris, Aeon, stated that she understands that the Council spent time discussing this project in a recent worksession. She stated that they are eager to bring more workforce housing to the City of Ramsey. She stated that they have been working on this site for some time, noting that Greenway Terrace phase one anticipated phase two. She explained that the purchase agreement lapsed because they were not able to secure funding. She believed that they would be successful in the funding process this year, noting that funding applications need to be submitted by mid -July and a letter of intent would be necessary in order to submit the application. She stated that they are encouraged by the market in the Ramsey area, noting that phase one received three times the number of applications compared to the number of units and therefore there is demand for this housing product. She stated that because of the lengthy process, if they were awarded funding this year, they would not begin construction until 2022. Mayor LeTourneau stated that the product is outstanding and there is a need demonstrated based on the number of applications received for phase one. He referenced commercial development that is moving forward or planned for the future. He asked how this could provide housing for the commercial development in Ramsey. Ms. Harris replied that construction workers, during the time of construction, contribute to the local economy. She stated that the residents of the housing product would also contribute to the local businesses. She noted that a letter of support was included in the staff report from a local restaurant that echoed the comments that both construction and long-term residential traffic would help to support their business. Councilmember Menth stated that he is a long-term supporter of Aeon, noting that this proposed project would check off several boxes. He noted that this would provide customers for local businesses and the zoning supports this type of product and would provide affordable housing in Ramsey. He stated that he toured phase one and the building is clean and is the type of development Ramsey would want. City Council / June 9, 2020 Page 13 of 17