Agenda - Planning Commission - 07/10/2006

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Jason Schmidt From: Patdck Trudgeon Sent: Monday, January 30, 2006 12:25 PM To: Breanne Dalnes; Sylvia Frolik; Jason Schmidt Subject: FVV: The Oaks - Haubdcht Addition concerns To: Michael Nixt, Robert Johnson, Ralph Brauer, Gary Levine, Deborah Shepherd, Patrick Trudgeon My name is Matt Tews and I am a Ramsey resident at 5844 151st Lane NW (right across from city hall off Nowthen Blvd.). We have a Comprehensive Plan amendment and development proposal in our neighborhood that is being reviewed this Thursday Feb 2nd. I apologize for not summarizing my concerns in time for distribution in your weekly packet of information, but I do have comments and concerns about the preliminary sketch plan that MN Skyline Partners has submitted for review, and would like to make them known so they can be considered in your discussions. Comment: I am a Ramsey resident who was previously from Eden Praide. In general, I am enthusiastic about the growth plans the city has envisioned and specifically look forward to the completion of the Town Center projects and the infrastructure attention they will generate from country state and federal departments. All Ramsey residents stand to benefit from what appears to be an ambitious and well-thought-out community development. Similarly, I do not oppose the idea of residential development in the proposed Haubricht addition. I would welcome the addition of homes on that property that were a good fit for the surrounding area, have a positive impact on the city's growth and would have minimal negative impact on the existing neighbors. Unfortunately, I do not believe the preliminary plans as submitted and distributed meet any of those criteria. 56 Concerns: Public Safety: I assume most - if not ail of- the 59 town homes will be built with 2-car garages. If so, the addition of a potential capacity of 118 additional vehicles using 151St/Nowthen as their only access in and out of our subdivision is of great concern. In addition to the congestion issues noted below, as a father of two small children, I also need to state clearly my concerns about the impact this development, would have on public safety in the immediate area. With Ramsey EIementary School adjacent to our subdivision, it is reasonable to expect that currently, a significant number of young children are pedestrian commuters to the school each weekday when school is in session and make periodic visits to the school property on evenings, weekends and during the summer months. As evidenced by the "tot lot" areas incorporated into the preliminary sketch, the developer (correctly) anticipates the subdivision would attract families with additional small children who would add to the number of youth pedestrians on 151st Lane. Drastically increasing the number of children AND the number of vehicles on a single feeder street adjacent to the current Elementary School (and immediately across Nowthen BIvd from the site of a new, proposed Elementary School), is a combination I feel is irresponsible with respect to maintaining an acceptable level of public safety in the community. A lower-density, family-friendly residential development would lessen the impact of both additional pedestrians and commuters and make an acceptable level of public safety more reasonable to maintain. Transportation: In addition to the potential hazards of increased vehicle traffic in a highly pedestrian area, there are also practical concerns of traffic flow for resident commuters. We have several medium-density communities to the north of the proposed development site which are not yet fully occupied. Residents of 151st Lane NW already feel the impact of partial occupancy of these developments on traffic flow. Adding the capacity of an additional 118 vehicles feeding the 151S~/Nowthen intersection seems as inconvenient and unwise for residents of our neighborhood as it does for residents of the subdivisions to the north who access Nowthen Blvd. daily. Neighborhood Fit: