Ramsey Resident - 2007 - September

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Development ~ Ramsey Town Center Update Recently, there has been a series of newspaper stories about the current status of the Ramsey Town Center proj ect. As the news reports indicate, the project's private devel- oper, Ramsey Town Center LLC has encountered financial difficulties in continuing the development. This has been exacerbated by the death of the main principal of the project, Bruce N edegaard, this past November. Due to these continued financial difficul- ties of the private developer, the lend- ing banks have initiated foreclosure on Ramsey Town Center LLC. It is important to note that only a portion of the Ramsey Town Center development is subject to foreclosure. Over 170 acres of the original 320 acres of Ramsey Town Center are owned by other parties and are not subject to the sheriff's sale. These properties will continue to develop, with three new projects planned to start in the Spring of 2008. The projects include the Crest View Senior Community, which will have a 100 independent living units and two dozen assisted living units for seniors; ACCAP Apartments, which will have 40 affordable housing units adjacent to the Ramsey Municipal Center; and the Anoka County Medical Examin- ers Office. In addition, housing units continue to be constructed, albeit at a slower pace due to the overall slow real estate marl<-et. While it is understood that there may need to be some consider- ation to change portions of the plan, the Ramsey City Council remains committed to the original vision of the development, namely a pedes- trian- friendly, transit-orientated, mixed-use development that will create Ramsey's "downtown". The City Council is also committed to maintaining a quality development and insuring the Ramsey's taxpayers are protected. The sheriff's foreclosure auction was originally scheduled for July 9 and then was rescheduled to July 27, which was subsequently rescheduled to August 31. While it is uncertain what will occur on the day of the auction, the city is lool<-ing for- ward to having the ownership issue of the remaining portion of the Ramsey Town Center resolved and the project moving forward. City Continues Efforts to Implement Abatement Procedures Into Code Enforcement Program On July 20, 2007, the City Council adopted an ordinance to implement abatement procedures into the code enforcement program. The abatement program gives the city authority to clean-up, or remove, the public nuisance if the property owner fails to do so within the prescribed 14-day time frame. The city would then bill the property owner for the costs incurred to correct the violation. Failure on the part of the property owner to reimburse the city for costs incurred in correcting the viola- tion will result in those costs being certified to the property taxes for that parcel. If a property owner feels that the violation cited is not warranted, they do have the right to mal<-e an appeal to a hearing officer at the local level. If the hearing officer finds that the violation is non-existent, then no corrections are required. However, if the hearing officer upholds the find- ing of a violation, the property owner is required to correct the violation within the specified time frame. With the adoption of the abatement program into Chapter 5 (Municipal Regulations) of City Code, it became apparent that there are more amendments necessary to Chapter 5 to clarify and update what constitutes a 'public nuisance' . City Council has also requested that language be added to give the city authority to impose fines at the local government level for certain types of code violations where abatement may not be the appropriate course of action. City Staff will be prepared to present a draft ordinance for ad- ditional amendments to Chapter 5 at the August 14 Council meeting. For more information on the proposed amendments to Chapter 5 of City Code, please contact the Community Development Department at 763-433- 9824. www.ci.ramsey.mn.us 3