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Sustaining Our Legacy <br />The Future of Ramsey Town Hall <br />SITE HISTORY & EXISTING ISSUES <br />CURRENT <br />STATUS <br />c� <br />1 <br />1 <br />The Old Town Hall building has served Ramsey in multiple ways during its lifetime. As the city has <br />grown, commercial development has sprouted up around the building, severely limiting <br />redevelopment options. As one of the last remnants of a predominantly rural beginning, the <br />City looks to take advantage of its oldest asset. <br />SITE DEVELOPMENT OVER TIME: From Farmland to Suburban Development <br />SITE OF OLD TOWN HALL <br />1887 <br />The first District School No. 28 is <br />indicated (empty dot) on the map <br />south of the current Town Hall site. <br />Much of the area is platted for <br />farmland and few structures exist. <br />MAJOR HIGHWAYS <br />1938 <br />In one of the earliest aerials of the <br />region, what would become the city <br />of Ramsey is predominantly <br />farmland. Prior to World War II, the <br />area remained largely undeveloped. <br />ISSUES & CONCERNS <br />Site Specifics <br />Building Height Context —Surrounding <br />buildings are one story with gable and <br />hip roofs. <br />Zoning —The site and neighboring <br />buildings are zoned B-1 Business District, <br />with Planned Unit Development across <br />the highway. <br />Future Land Use —The area is planned <br />for commercial use. <br />B-1: BUSINESS <br />DISTRICT <br />PUD: PLANNED UNIT <br />DEVELOPMENT <br />1961 <br />The area remains farmland, with <br />small pockets of development <br />along the major roadways. The City <br />of Ramsey would be incorporated <br />13 years later. <br />Tree Canopy <br />In the immediate vicinity of the <br />Old Town Hall are multiple mature <br />hardwood trees. The 1970s NRHP <br />nomination notes what are now <br />100-year-old trees on the site. Not <br />only do they provide valuable <br />shading for the Old Town Hall and <br />surrounding buildings, but the <br />trees also contribute greatly to <br />the historic setting. <br />1991 <br />Residential development has grown <br />to the west and along the Highway <br />47 corridor. The Old Town Hall was <br />retired as Ramsey's City Hall in 1977, <br />and now sits vacant among new <br />development. <br />Parking <br />The lot the building is located on <br />is surrounded on all sides, with <br />businesses to the north and south, a <br />high -traffic roadway to the east, <br />and an expansive wetland to the <br />west. There is no room for <br />expansion. The building sits on an <br />incline from the surrounding <br />properties and there is no parking <br />associated with the building. <br />2017 <br />New development to the north <br />and south of the Old Town Hall <br />site has encroached upon the <br />historical landscape, making if <br />unrecognizable from its historic <br />form. <br />0 View of 6 adjacent rented parking spots <br />0 View toward 6 spots <br />© View toward 6 spots <br />from north side of building <br />0 View of south side looking east toward Highway 47 <br />While the Old Town Hall site has few remnants of its rural past, reusing the building <br />will still be a challenge for any business needing moderate amounts of parking. <br />The structural and architectural integrity of the building should be addressed first. <br />PA5211: Land Use Planning / Instructor: Fernando Burga PhD. <br />Mary Cutrufello, Katriona Molasky, Amy Van Gessel <br />4Am1MI' .f l,•x.r ,. <br />D.i,., w wk.... <br />