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',! 2001 Comprehensive Plan 6. Municipal sewer s'mces . In .1985 municipal sewer aJ).d water;'w7re.madeavailable to a small area in so~theast Ramsey. Th~gev,lopmentp~ttel1D began;to change from large lot development in the 11Ui1ar,*Sf of the community to the more land use efficient smaller lots (1/4 aCnl tot8) ""ithin the IiewMetropolitan Urban Services Area (MUSA). Developmenj foxJitoriumsmid zoning codes were' used to control grG>wth by encouragitfg .... d~veloPl11ent.~tl1in ; the MUSA and discouraging development outside t~)AQSA. Highqual!ty industry, which was minimal in the area, began to deveIt>ri in'~seY!ecaus~the services were now available to meet their operating nqeqs.Major business and industrial parks were soon to follow adding emplo~t olWortunities and industrial tax base. In . 1989 the City ameJj.d~d its Compr,eh,ensive Plan designating three districts outside of the MUS^, .~~ Urban Reserve, the Rural Transition, and the Rural Service Area. In Januar!dfl~90 theCity,im:plemented a regional growth tool for thl:fse three areas, "4 in t4Cl"~ensityrequirements. The intentions. of this zoning requirement were to '.; ei\co~ge growthwit)l.in the MUSA and preserve large tracts of land (at least ~O~crfs') outside tl1e MuSA for future orderly expansion anqI thus accommodat~ tegional growth wJ~hin. the capacity of the regional sy~tem (roads and sewers).; Speculatien has it that this policy has caused developers to look bey~qI R$unsey tocommlUlities like Elk River, Big Lake, or Bupls Township were jreate1' densities are ltllowedand land is more affordable (this phenomenon is cOTrl'IoJ.1lY referred to "leap-frog development"). In the early 19S>O's three and four l.vel splits and modified two'story homes' emerged as the po:pular housing style. ;~sey's location in the northern suburbs continues to make these homes afforiiable.to two income earning households. 7. Ramsey's second gtowt.spurt In the early stages ofth~ 1999's, Ramsey saw a similar growth spurt to the one it had experienced in the eafly i~970's. A r,ecen-t expansion of the MUSA line has allowed more land to open ~pto residential subdivisions and the availability of platted lots combined With lo~Tc interest ratestesulted in Ramsey's second major growth spurt. Havin~ wit~essed the symptoms of this growth before, the community began takiJtg 'steps to control this rapid sprawl. Development has slowed during the last l\alf o~ 1997 due to the passing of various amendments to the City Charter and .tJ1e. . placement . ofa moratoriUm. on . residential housing developments in the City, 1\s the remaining platted lots begin to dwindle and land development is b(Jcomihgmoredifficult, growth is dramatically slowing once again. 8. Historical Structu~es Only a few of the first ,otlses ~d struct1.lr'esbuilt in Ramsey remain today. The most notable structure jof historic signifiCance is identified on the National Register of Historic Pla~es, ~eRamsey l'own'Hall, which is located on the west side of Highway 47 j~~t.nor1hiof its intersection with County Road 116. This structure was built d~ ,thel19th century; an:q originally used as a schoolhouse. A significant effort has ~een :wade to preserve and maintain this building, which currently sits vacant W'a~ittg f4>r a user. 2001 Ramsey Comprehensive Plan Page IlI-4