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<br />Councilmember Woestehoff noted that the other business that proposed to locate on the hotel site <br />was Suite Living, which located to another site in Ramsey. <br /> <br />Mayor Kuzma stated that he agrees with the Planning Commission that it does not make sense to <br />pause land that is already zoned for that purpose. He believed that additional housing would help <br />to attract retailers. <br /> <br />Deputy City Administrator Gladhill recognized that there are good points on both sides, but it <br />seems that the majority support keeping the current policy. <br /> <br />City Administrator Ulrich stated that there are some multifamily housing developments that are <br />owner occupied. He stated that the units do not fall within the affordable range but do provide <br />nice developments. He asked if the Council would be open to that type of owner-occupied <br />multifamily development, because those are good projects that could help support areas such as <br />this. <br /> <br />Councilmember Howell stated that her opposition is not related to affordability, but multifamily <br />itself and therefore she would like to focus on economic development and pause multifamily. <br /> <br />Councilmember Elect Heineman commented that there has to be a goal. He stated that if you are <br />bringing people in there has to be a quality of life to support those people, such as retail, <br />entertainment, and established boulevards. He stated that there are new apartment buildings but <br />that simply brings in a large group of people without the supported infrastructure and needed <br />amenities. He believed that bringing population into the City in this manner is not a viable <br />solution. <br /> <br />Planning Commissioner Anderson commented that Ramsey has a lack of communication to its <br />residents on what it takes to bring businesses in. He stated that residents do not understand that it <br />takes a certain population and level of income in order to attract retailers. He stated that there is a <br />communication problem in explaining this to residents and there needs to be an education <br />campaign aimed at residents, explaining what it takes to bring retailers to the City. <br /> <br />Deputy City Administrator Gladhill commented that the general consensus seems to continue the <br />current policy to pause City owned land and projects that request subsidy. <br /> <br />Councilmember Woestehoff was unsure why the City owned land would be taken off the table. <br />He asked if there would be opposition to a market rate project that sells City owned land and does <br />not require a change in zoning. <br /> <br />Councilmember Howell stated that she would still want to see a pause as she believes The COR <br />has too many apartment buildings and they need to review options for the land and allow the other <br />markets to catch up. She stated that the stores available in Ramsey do not necessarily suit the <br />needs of those living in apartments and that residents can drive 10 minutes in any direction to find <br />what they need to meet their needs. She stated that stores have no incentive to move to Ramsey if <br />residents are willing to drive to these locations. She stated that the city needs to come up with a <br />City Council Work Session / February 16, 2021 <br />Page 6 of 12 <br /> <br />