5. EDSR 09-11-2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

The city of Anoka has completed a master plan for its Commuter Rail Transit Village project and North Central Business District, which could provide up to 400 units of housing. Coon Rapids, with about 62,000 people, already has a retail center in Riverdale Mall, but is expected to add some housing developments, Yantos says. Fridley, an established community with little open land, probably will see some smaller developments. Ironically, the largest development, set to hit $1.1 billion by the time all the components are in place, is in Ramsey, a town not yet officially named to have a station on the new line. That honor went to nearby Anoka. The Ramsey experiment could prove whether so-called Smart Growth ideas can become smart investments. The project, which includes a city core, retail, more than 2,500 units of mid- to high-density housing, a hotel and waterpark, is being coordinated by Ramsey Town Center LLC, led by Bruce Nedegaard of Nedegaard Homes. City Manager James Norman says that when project planning began in 2001, city officials had to take people to Chicago to show them examples of TODs. "There weren't any in Minnesota," he says. The idea came together with lightning speed. In May the city opened the first bids for a new City Hall complex, expected to cost just under $18 million. Some big players have moved into housing in the city, including Pulte Homes, Ryland Homes, D.R. Horton and U.S. Homes. A Japanese firm, Yamagata Corp., is working on senior housing. "Retail is trickier," says Norman. Talks are underway with lots of companies, and the developers have a consulting firm working specifically on lining up key restaurants. The city currently is on the line to build a downtown cinema, with local investors in negotiations to run it but no major chain on board. A local fitness center is negotiating to run apublic/private community center. The keys to success along the Northstar corridor, as they are through the region, will be whether demand for condominiums can keep up with the phenomenal growth in supply -- and whether those residents can give up their cars, drink enough lattes, buy enough gifts and eat enough meals out to keep TOD streets busy and retailers happy. Norman and developers are betting that they will -- and that the resulting spike in population and rider demand will be enough for transit officials to reconsider their request for a formal spot for Ramsey on the Northstar line.