Thursday, November 06, 2008

Ramsey Comp Plan Session, Tonight, 7 pm.

Subpages off the City of Ramsey homepage give the info, e.g., here, stating:

A Public Hearing on Draft 2008 Comprehensive Plan Update has been scheduled for the November Planning Commission. The Public Hearing on the draft plan is Thursday, November 6th at 7:00 p.m. Copies of the draft plan will be available online or at the Ramsey Municipal Center starting Friday, October 31, 2008.

Ramsey Municipal Center
Council Chambers
7550 Sunwood Drive NW
Ramsey, MN 55303


The main map, a pdf file you can open and enlarge and study, is online, here. The map has no major surprises for those who attended the last session and stayed until the end.

Natalie Haas-Steffen was at the last session, and her information was very helpful.

One important insight is that phrasing such as "a density of three units per acre" means per buildable acre.

Acreage taken up in wetland, road surface, powerline right of way, etc., are excluded when looking at actual or proposed densities. I do not recall whether it was Ms. Steffen or staff that clarified that.

Also, and this was Ms. Steffen speaking, the Met Council is concerned that plans meet targeted projections of growth, as totals of housing units in a community, entirely independent of how many are hooked up to municipal sewer and water; with existing demographics suggesting that trunk and other sewer/water growth will not be pushed any time soon (if at all) in existing neighborhoods of single family housing on private septic and well services.

Some City Charter protective language exists, and the charter is always open to more protective amendment by council/official action, or citizen charter amendment petitioning and proposal methods set by state statute.

The present Comp Plan draft version [for circulation to neighboring communities] is reviewable online, off of this link.