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15 I53 Nowthen Boulevard bi'W · Ramsey, Minnesota 55303 <br />City Hall: (763) 427-1410 · Fax: (763) 427-5543 <br />www.ci.ramsey.mn.us <br /> <br />May 6, 2005 <br /> <br />Mr. James Norman <br />City of Ramsey <br />15153 Nowthen Blvd. <br />Ramsey, MN 55303 <br /> <br />Re: Final Site Plan - Ramsey Municipal Parking Facility <br /> <br />Dear Mr. Norman: <br /> <br />We are in receipt of a Site Plan, Landscaping, Grading, Utility, Architectural, and Electrical Plan as well as <br />Building Elevations for the Ramsey Municipal Parking Facility to be located in the Ramsey Town Center <br />prepared by LSA Design dated April. 22, 2005. The City offers the following comments: <br /> <br />General: The site plan is proposing to develop a four-story, 800 stall parking structure in the core of the <br />Ramsey Town Center. The parking structure is proposed to be built in two phases. The first phase will occur <br />in 2005 and construct 630 stalls. The second phase will occur in 2009 and is proposed to construct an <br />additional 210 stalls. The parking structure will serve the parking needs for the Town Center core, the adjacent <br />Ramsey Municipal Center, and present and future transit services (Park and Ride, Northstar, etc.) <br /> <br />Zoning: The site is currently zoned TC-1 Town Center Mixed Use Core. The parking structure will be an <br />accessory use to the Ramsey Municipal Center, which is a permitted use. <br /> <br />Lot Coverage/Floor Area Ratio: The Ramsey Municipal Center and City parking, structure w/II be located on <br />5.69 acres. The TC-1 Town Center Mixed Use Core requires a Floor Area Ratio (F.A.R.) of 1.0. For this site, a <br />F.A.R. requires 247,856 square feet of building. The Ramsey Municipal Center is 68,359 square feet. The City <br />parking structure will be 207,000 square feet. The total square footage on the site is 275,359 square feet <br />equaling a. F.A.R. of [. 1, which exceeds the required F.A.R. These calculations do not. include any expansion <br />of the Ramsey Municipal Center or the parking structure. <br /> <br /> Setbacks: The proposed Town Center Zoning District has setback standards based on the principle to have <br /> them serve more as "build to" lines rather than traditional 'setbacks. This is especially important for the front <br /> yard since the building presentation to the street is critical. The "setback" requirements anticipate a minimum <br /> and maximum setback for the front yard. For the TC-1 District, the minimum setback is zero and'the maximum <br /> is 5 feet with at least 60% of the front fagade within the maximum setback ~.rea. <br /> <br /> The parking structure is an accessory use to the Ramsey Municipal Center. Along Sunwood Drive, the Ramsey <br /> Town Center plan shows a commercial/retail building, on a separate lot in front of the parking structure. Once <br /> the new lot is created, the parking structure witI no longer have direct frontage onto Sunwo0d Dr. At this point, <br /> it is uncertain when this structure will be built and the lot created, but Staff believes it will occur within the <br /> next two years. The design of the future commercial/retail building will need to adhere to required setbacks. <br /> Staff believes that front yard setback should not apply to the municipal parking structure since it is an a~cessory <br /> <br />-314- ":- <br /> <br /> <br />