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B. HOUSING ELEMENT INTRODUCTION Included in the Ramsey Comprehensive Plan is an element on housing. This is in accord with the Metropolitan Land Planning Act's (MLPA) requirement that "a land use plan shall also include a housing element containing standards, plans, and programs for providing adequate housing opportunities to meet existing and projected local and regional housing needs." The reasons that a housing plan is important for Ramsey are as follows: 1) Communities have a responsibility to.encourage a response to the housing needs of their resi- dents through zoning and subdivision ordinances. 2) The Metropolitan Council developed a Regional Housing Allocation Plan for housing units and as a result of this, has indicated that each commu- nity must address those housing allocations in their comprehensive plans. A community's housing performance is often a factor in awarding state and federal funds. Responsibility - Ramsey has a local responsibility to en- courage housing for a variety of income levels and age groups through zoning and subdivision ordinances. Ramsey's classi- fication within the Metropolitan Council's Development Framework falls into two land use categories. A portion of southern Ramsey is in the Metropolitan Urban Service Area (MUSA). The major portion of Ramsey is in the General Rural Use Region. This region is to be characterized by agricultural uses, low population density, and large lots. Quasi -urban uses may expand (recreation areas, hobby farms, horse stables), but this land will not be needed for intense urban develop- ment before 1990. Since the other portion of Ramsey is scheduled for inclusion as an area of Planned Urbanization between 1981 -1990, the City should be concerned about providing for some new modest -cost housing units. Because the Comprehensive Plan is a long -range document, Ramsey should propose general plans and programs to meet its housing needs in the future. 19