Minutes - Planning Commission - 05/01/2003

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Allina Hunter stated it has been interesting for the Task Force going over the different districts. She indicated they started out with six or seven different districts, and reviewed why they would need so many with such minor differences. She stated they went through the possibilities with a fine tooth comb, determining what should be allowed in each use, how high the buildings should be, what the view fi'om Highway 10 should be, etc Chairperson Nixt indicated that looking at Table 1, there are a few things that are concerning without knowing the thought process. For instance, TC4 encompasses large areas, and appears to allow apartments through the whole area. He needs to understand more what that means. Ms. Hunter agreed, indicating the Task Force wants to have the opportunity to explain, as there may be some things they have thought of and resolved, and some issues they may not have covered well enough. Chairperson Nixt asked if they were going to try to do the traffic studies and everything else that was needed only once, so if the final development is consistent with the plan it does not have to be reviewed again. Principal Planner Trudgeon indicated they have some of that done, and staff is still working with the development team to discuss and make decisions, such as when is a traffic light needed, not just where. Commissioner Watson indicated the Task Force has done some of that and has seen some of the traffic analysis. He indicated that information should be shared with the Planning Commission prior to the joint meeting so they have a chance to review it. Principal Planner Trudgeon noted there is a workshop with the City Council and Town Center, LLC on May 6, and asked if that would work for the Planning Commission as well. Consultant Gordon stated he and Principal Planner Trudgeon spent several months looking at what they could do with the districts. He noted they looked at other cities that have done a Town Center to see how they did it and if it worked. He indicated it came down to the realization they could not do this the same as other things that am done in Ramsey, therefore the Town Center districts do things that other parts of the city cannot do. The Town Center plan calls for density in some areas, height in some areas, and tries to put the whole thing together cohesively. Consultant Gordon explained that for development standards, they also are trying to force things to happen. They have listed minimums on some density areas, rather than the maximum number of units as is usually reflected. They also looked at scale, with story minimums in some areas, which is a different approach froln the norm. He noted they have specific standards for gas stations, as they did not want this to be an auto area, but more pedestrian focused. He advised that with the development guidelines, the Task Force will be able to evaluate each plan that comes in to ensure it complies with those guidelines. Planning Commission/May 1, 2003 Page 7 of 17