Minutes - Council - 03/13/2001 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Communities, a feel good program, but now it is mandatory which makes him suspicious that something studied today may be forced later. He stated that everyone needs to know he and Ms. Haas Steffen took a day to negotiate and he would not have been there if he was not serious about wanting that opportunity and to study it. But, what happened is that the parameters have become fixed in concrete and the place he believes would work for everyone has been taken off the "table" and will not be considered. He stated that may be because there is no option or because staff did something they shouldn't have. Councilmember Hendriksen stated he thinks there is a place that it could work but he will not compromise the principals he believes are important and what he ran on. He asked about a statement made earlier about "scare tactics" and that Ms. Haas Steffen had said whether the City has a Comprehensive Plan approved in the next few days or not will have little impact relative to what is going on with the bridge. Ms. Haas Steffen stated the opportunity site was not something the Metropolitan Council dreamed up, it was a grant program the Metropolitan Council announced to cities and they had to apply for it. Ramsey applied for it and their project rose to the top through the grant application process. The property was between County Road 56 and Armstrong Boulevard of about 150 acres and included a rail station behind Burger King. The City then notified her they didn't want it there. To say she has not tried to get the Metropolitan Council to show some flexibility, is not true. She explained there is between $200,000 and $250,000 in funds and the rail station may be in a different location, as it seems reasonable. They would also do a market study on the 200 acres that lie south of County Road #116 and between the two County roads. The City; when it gets the preliminary plan, reviews it and then it goes to public hearings, about in September. She noted there has been some flexibility but no flexibility about going into Section 29, which begins at Armstrong Boulevard, down a mile of Highway #10, and both north and south of Highway #10. Ms Haas Steffen stated that last night she was asked about dollars currently in the "pot" for a potential bridge crossing. Those dollars for planning for scoping equal $250,000, plus dollars from Anoka County and the State. Then there would be an EIS, buying of right-of-way, and you still need to build the bridge. She explained that when competing for federal funds, you receive points as you come through the process. Without an approved Comprehensive Plan, it will be no different for Ramsey than other entities that apply since it will not score high in the system. With regard to whether the $250,000 is at risk, Ms. Haas Steffen stated she will not ask MnDOT to take it back. She stated that a comment was made at a meeting that "the Comprehensive Plan would be approved in several weeks" but she did not make that comment. Councilmember Hendriksen noted the current bridge location and stated he was ridiculed at the time he was promoting that location five to six years ago when everyone else supported a location through Mississippi East Park. He stated he is not unaccustomed to being in the position people are trying to pu.t him in but that location is prevailing. He objected to saying that if something is not done tonight the "sky is falling." Councilmember Hendriksen stated it was 1998 when John Enstrom and he served on the committee at Connexus. He noted that in December of 1999, the City presented its Comprehensive Plan to the Metropolitan Council and it languished there until October 4, 2000, as they were trying to extract concessions from Ramsey, demanding they write the ISTS ordinance they wanted. In February, all the density transition language was removed and at least 1,200 people in Ramsey believe the density transition City Council/March 13, 2001 Page 26 of 31