Agenda - Council - 10/10/2023 - Laserfiche WebLink

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2.02: Oath of Office - Patrol Officer Police Chief Katers introduced Andrew Devine and briefly reviewed his background. Mayor Kuzma gave the oath of office to Mr. Devine. 3. CITIZEN INPUT Steve Young, owner of M&G Trailer Sales, came forward and shared that he would like to discuss the Pearson Farms parcel that he purchased last year. He noted the City Staff challenges that he has faced over the last 14 years that have been very inconsistent. He added that he has a potential buyer for seven acres of his land at Pearson Farms; however,he was told that the use that the buyer would like to use for is not suitable for the property. He explained that the property is currently zoned agricultural, when Planning Manager Larson told him that it is zoned residential. He shared that Planning Manager Larson told the potential buyer to look elsewhere in the City to buy land for their business. He shared his frustration with this. He gave the Council a summary of the proposed U-Haul building that would be on the site. He noted that zoning along Highway 10 has been a big discussion recently. He explained that he has entertained a lot of ideas of what to do with his property as so many buyers have backed out. He added that when he first purchased this property he looked at moving M&G Trailer Sales to this site but it did not end up making sense to do so. He reiterated his frustration with this situation. Mayor Kuzma asked if he has put together any proposals for the Planning Commission. Mr. Young explained that he is not a property developer, he is just the property owner. He stated that he does not know what he sees as far as development on this site. Mayor Kuzma suggested setting up a meeting with City Administrator Hagen and Economic Development Manager Sullivan to discuss this further. Councilmember Howell asked for this to be discussed at a work session. She noted that she would like to hear about this project if U-Haul is interested in the site. City Administrator Hagen shared that this parcel is currently zoned for single use residential so any commercial use would not be allowed. He stated that they are reviewing their zoning code and now is a good time to review this. Councilmember Specht suggested also discussing when these types of companies want to come to Ramsey with the Council so they can be aware of what businesses are interested in coming to Ramsey. Councilmember Woestehoff stated that they currently have a 20-40 Comprehensive Plan that outlines all of the areas in the City and what a future land use might be. He noted that the zoning code reflects this and this is the change that they are talking about. He added that there is an opportunity for the Council to amend the zoning map which was discussed earlier this evening in City Council/ September 26, 2023 Page 3 of 16