First striking fact. Boom time building as in 2003-2005 is gone, big time. In Ramsey, operative time period, since the 2010 census to the cutoff date; 57 new dwellings, all detached single family, zippo for shared wall.
Second striking fact, despite false propaganda, mean family sizes in townhomes are equal to mean family size, detached single home - so that it is a myth that townhomes put less stress on schools, roads, and other services.
The magic number is 2.970 for detached, comfortably-distanced homes; and 2.970, for cramped-in shared wall town homes (with lower mean family density for other housing).
Numbers, for any population based public revenue sharing or adjustments; a population guess, by Met Council, of 23,865 residents (w/o adult-minor distinctions) within 8101 dwellings (8369 total dwellings discounted for a roughly 3% vacancy rate).
Above is the operative page Met Council offers for its numbers - and this is not the absolute kind of guessing game that agency plays in setting growth quotas such as for 2030, which is really nothing but guesswork and where Met Council has always overestimated growth in comparison to the State Demographer's data and estimates. They sell flushes, SAC charges, and are over-optimistic that folks will be flowing more into their coffers. Also by setting unrealistically high quotas, they cause towns like Ramsey to have to designate more zoning density than is realistic, allowing developers to then cherry pick. It's not right, but it is how it is.
Bottom line: Met Council is blowing smoke whenever it says townhome density is less costly to service, because the mean household size is identical for townhomes (which Met Council loves) and for detatched single family dwellings (against which Met Council has a bias, for instance in the regular use of the word "sprawl"). It is true that before the housing bubble collapsed the shared wall option was favorable to developer-builders, who could have lower costs from shared internal walls while getting good market prices for townhomes. Now nobody wants the things. None are being built and selling prices for existing townhomes are depressed. It's a segment that had no beauty but was profitable, and now it lacks both beauty and profitability. Despite such realities, Met Council is still beating up on Ramsey officials to keep a projected 2500 housing units for Clown Center, meaning sacrificing retail and restaurant space for more rabbit hutches. Met Council is, in short, counterproductive to what is best for existing Ramsey residents.
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Think of this: Townhouses, 2.970 is the average household size. You are a single person or married without children and you and spouse enjoy quiet, except when you want to play your stereo. You have two shared walls, shared with the next unit on each side; more likely than not one or perhaps both with children. Perhaps a couple that argue a bit. Some shouting, and they like their stereo. The child does too with his/hers. They like the TV loud. They watch it all hours of the night. It is clear why people like separation and hence quiet distance from neighbors, which in Ramsey is still attainable in some neighborhoods where lots are an acre or larger in size. Privacy is a good word. "Sprawl" is pejorative.
So who are these lifestyle salespeople at Met Council, and do they live shared wall, the planners, the council members themselves, the senior staff officers?
Come on. Guess.
Sprawl for you? Privacy for them? Do as I say preaching as an agenda?