Agenda - Council Work Session - 11/22/2005

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developments on larger lots, Ramsey is buildir~g multifamily housing on tree-lined streets with sidewalks, bike paths and rear alleys. And where most suburban commuters are fighting increasingly crowded highways, Ramsey is poised to be a stop'on the proposed Northstar commuter rat1 line." The Ramsey Town Center is pan of a larger thinking by staff, elected officials and citizens of Ramsey to think %utsid¢ the box" in order to create a neighborhood-centered development strategy that retains the unique character and values of our community. These values, which have been affirmed by several city-wide community meetings over the past ,five years, are planned gowth with a variety, of housing options, a sustainable clean and healthy environment, and preserving natural resources. In the last three years, these values have produced an innovative approach to environmental preservation that includes a tree preservation plan and accompanying Tree Book along with a wetland buffer ordinance that is among the most progressive in the Twin Cities area. As.we look to the city's future, Ramsey is seeking to apply the lessons of the Ramsey Town Center to the larger communi~. These include: new development transitions sensitive to existing neighborhoods, creating pedestrian friendly environments, encouraging mixed-use developments with a range o£ housing types and the trading density for green space and open space. Yet we find our desire to create a new community facing increasing development pressure. Ramsey has at [east 2,000 acres of developable land as well as several hundred acres that could be redeveIoped scattered throughout the city. This has also placed pressure on the city's aearly 3,50(3 acres of wetlands and other water bodies. As the Foundation has recogrfized, there is considerable concern in the re,on that the forces of development are making [t increasingly difficult to respond in a proactive manner and is leading the region towards chaotic sprawl that drops development here and there in a crazy quilt pattern that has little commun/ty or regional coherency. : . To cope with this, Ramsey requests funding for a "break-~e-mold" process that answers Senge's call in a way that builds on the city's work with the Ramsey Town Center and, similar to the Ramsey Town Center, can serve as an example for communities across the region and the nation. We call our proposal Ramsey3 because it incorporates a series of Lnterlocking components whose synergy maximizes the scope of our effort. Some ingredients of Ramsey~ represent novel approaches to community planning in Minnesota. RamseyJ involves three key components: first, a series of forums organized around four critical issues facing Ramsey and other metropolitan communities, second is the use of Open Space Technology-an innovative planning and policy process used by stare and federal agencies-to maximize citizen input and creativity, and finally an intensive, innovative drafting process involving City staff, City Council and' others. The forums will focus on four critical areas: Regional Intersections: In order to properly plan and anticipate how Ramsey should develop over the next decades, all of us must properly understand Ramsey's role in the region as well as be aware of what market and regulatory forces will be in play in the Twin Cities Metro region. While it is clearly understood ..'.hat the region (and Ramsey) will continue to ~ow and develop, it is also clear to the City we need to dig deeper into the causes and effects of regional growth and development in our region if we ~vant to be cognizant of what our role could and should be in fostering balanced growth. Anoka County has'a particularly strong tradition of encouraging