Laserfiche WebLink
Mr. Bakken suggested that the Council focus their discussion on the town center at this point and <br />determine whether the area should be designated as a planning area with parameters set for the <br />area. <br /> <br />Mayor Gamec stated that he likes the idea of a town center and would to see the site include <br />transportation, convenience shopping and some housing, but there is a lot involved with that type <br />of development and so there are many unknowns. <br /> <br />Mr. Bakken suggested identifying the options the Council would like to see be included in the <br />town center and then use the overlay concept to define the density in the town center. <br /> <br />Councilmember Hendriksen inquired as to how many acres are included in the area bounded <br />north of the railroad tracks and in between Ramsey Boulevard and Armstrong Boulevard. <br /> <br />Principal Planner Trudgeon replied approximately 280 acres. <br /> <br />Councilmember Hendriksen noted that the agreement the City Council and the Met Council <br />came to was to identify 100 acres for mixed use. <br /> <br />Councilmember Zimmerman stated that there seems to be a lot more of what they don't know <br />instead of what they do know. <br /> <br />Mayor Gamec agreed. He stated that in March, they would know the location of the river bridge <br />crossing, which is why he would like to designate the area as a study area. <br /> <br />Councilmember Hendriksen stated that the area west of Armstrong Boulevard should be <br />considered for the mixed-use site, because he does not believe that the bridge interchange will <br />fall at Armstrong Boulevard. Three of the Councilmembers would like to include everything <br />west of Ramsey Boulevard and east of Armstrong Boulevard as mixed use and that is what they <br />are opposed to because it will eliminate all the industrial. <br /> <br />Councihnember Zimmerman stated that with Riverdale being located only three miles away and <br />all the development occurring in Elk River, there is a very little chance that the City of Ramsey <br />would have a good sized shopping center. <br /> <br />Mr. Bakken replied that a shopping center has never been part of the discussions in the town <br />center. The focus has been mainly on service and convenience type stores. <br /> <br />Councilmember Hendriksen stated that putting those convenience type stores together with a <br />railroad station makes sense, and the things they saw in Chicago were very nice. It is when 100 <br />acres becomes 300 plus acres that he feels that he has been "taken to the cleaners". <br /> <br />Mr. Bakken inquired as to what would be acceptable to Councilmember Hendriksen. <br /> <br />City Council/September 20, 2001 <br /> Page 3 of 9 <br /> <br /> <br />