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IIISupporters say a transit-oriented comeg ty along the Northstar •
<br /> Corridor will be built even if the Le islatt oesn't fund the rail line.
<br /> Ramse envisions billion-dollar urban village
<br /> By Larry Werner City officials envision a Norman, Ramsey's city ad- builders for all the housing tion, where commuters
<br /> Star Tribune Staff Miter transit-oriented communi- ministrator. The Ramsey lots.And it is all buttressed will board the Northstar
<br /> ty similar to the North Town Center "will place by a market study showing commuter train,if the Leg-
<br /> Ramsey, the Anoka Shore suburbs of Chicago, Ramsey as one of the hubs the area will support the islature ever funds it. Sup-
<br /> County city known to met- with the flavor of a Europe- of the metropolitan area, a planned retail and enter- porters say the project will
<br /> ro residents as a stoplight an town square. destination." tainment components. happen even if lawmakers
<br /> amid RV dealerships along "Ramsey has been for The project won seed On the southern edge of don't fund the line, but
<br /> busy Hwy. 10, will break years the poster child for money from the Metropol- the development, where they say the train would
<br /> ground soon on a billion- urban sprawl where people itan Council,support from the Burlington Northern help.
<br /> dolldr plan to turn 322 moved up and bought in- prominent developers who tracks run alongside Hwy.
<br /> acre of vacant farmland expensive land for their have purchased the land 10, the project's architects RAMSEY continues on A7:
<br /> into an urban village. starter homes," said Jim and letters of intent from envision Front Street Sta- —Asenseofplaceisthegoal.
<br /> RAMSEY from Al Burns Twp._ _�-T At a glance
<br /> Anoka and Coon Rapids are >l•
<br /> >~Population:18,510
<br /> ce i Ramsey Twp. (,,,,,,,,„ * Character:Semirural
<br /> considering similar projects' ,Ti: Itasca L. developeddcommunity
<br /> , Ecld L. > in 2 h acre
<br /> Eddy
<br /> �z lots with septic tanks.
<br /> Other developers also are City Council member and ) c p
<br /> investing tens of millions of member of the Met Council. Sunfish i; ) a s Natural features:
<br /> dollars in the 80-mile corridor The council gave $850,000 to @ s Grass L ,':.t-' Mississippi and Rum
<br /> between Minneapolis and St. the project. '•... .,---....2:,•i H rivers, significant
<br /> Cloud hoping that a commuter "I think it's irresponsible 2 miles jss�.rs• , ,'t woodlands and
<br /> 1p�,' •• Anoka 1
<br /> line will be a catalyst for new and shortsighted not to do it," [ wetlands.
<br /> communities of housing, retail she said. "We're trying to make ANoka , '- 0
<br /> AREA OF Future:Becoming more
<br /> and offices clustered around a downtown center so we can ' ppm. ,WAS [I urban, with smaller lots,
<br /> train stations. say: This is Ramsey; this is
<br /> Just up Hwy. 10 from Ram- where we live; we're proud of HENNEPIN 'RAMSEY and is planning a town
<br /> sey, for example, Pratt Homes this.'" i t„,,, 'i center with shops,
<br /> y p4 -r Star Ti dune
<br /> and Oakwood Development Mpls• , j,,,.,., St. restaurants, offices and
<br /> are beginning work on a cluster Overcoming obstaclesCARVEk Paul more than 2,000
<br /> of homes and commercial Steffen has worked to over- townhouses and
<br /> buildings adjacent to the depot come obstacles to the town apartments.
<br /> planned for Elk River. In Big center and its 2,000 multifam-
<br /> SCOTT DAKOTA
<br /> Lake, Edina Development is ily homes, stores, movie the- —1
<br /> planning a similar mixed-use aters, offices and public build-
<br /> project of multifamily homes ings. She persuaded the Met future in the artist's renderings that he and his partner, Bruce
<br /> and commercial development Council's then-chairman, Ted of shops, restaurants and con- Nedegaard, don't need city
<br /> on 300 acres near the proposed Mondale,and her fellow coun- dos near the train station. money to make the town cen-
<br /> Big Lake Station.The company cil members to increase a Terry Hendrickson sees ter happen.He said that the va-
<br /> is planning a larger develop- $50,000 grant to $850,000 un- government subsidy of private cant land is under contract and
<br /> ment on 1,500 acres along the der the state's Livable Commu- enterprise and an urban threat that builders have signed let-
<br /> tracks in southeast St. Cloud, nities Act. And she persuaded to the lvay of life he moved to ters of intent for all of the lots
<br /> said company owner Rick David Elvig, a businessman Ramsey to find. planned for townhouses,
<br /> Lewandowski. whom she had taught in confir- He was the most vocal op- apartments and senior hous-
<br /> Anoka and Coon Rapids are mation class when he was a ponent on the City Council, ing.And, he said, a market-re-
<br /> considering similar projects. child,to run what turned out to and he was able to block the search company has studied
<br /> With encouragement and be a successful campaign project from moving forward the Ramsey trade area and has
<br /> funding from the Metropolitan against,the only City Council when the city charter and state determined that the project
<br /> Council, the planning agency member who consistently op- law required four of the five can work commercially if the
<br /> for the seven-county metro posed the dream. council members — a "super- town center captures only 10
<br /> area, cities have been develop- Now, she and Elvig dream majority" — to approve the percent of the shopping and
<br /> ing projects with main-street together of the new downtown. zoning changes necessary. His entertainment dollars now be-
<br /> shopping, restaurants and of- Ground will be broken on the opposition was neutralized by ing spent in nearby cities.
<br /> fices adjacent to transit ser- project this summer, and pro- a 2001 change in state and city The project will be driven,
<br /> vices. Met Council and state ponents say the effort will pro- law that said a simple majority Feges said, by the hot market
<br /> planners identified the 80-mile vide an alternative lifestyle in could change a city's compre- for townhouses and condo-
<br /> corridor between Minneapolis Ramsey, where ramblers and hensive plan, and he lost his miniums. That has allowed
<br /> and St.Cloud as the best bet for two-stories sit on 21/nacre lots seat to Elvig last fall. Ramsey Town Center to get the
<br /> commuter rail, and federal and where there is little to offer His cause was hurt also by a financing needed to build the
<br /> funds await an agreement by those who want condos or referendum in which 61 per- billion-dollar development.
<br /> the Legislature to provide$123 places to shop without driving cent of the voters said they Commuter rail, he said,
<br /> million in state money. to Elk River or Coon Rapids. support a town center. would make everyone more
<br /> Meanwhile, all eyes are on I think what's happening is Despite that result, he said: comfortable, including other
<br /> Ramsey, developer Lewan- that people are starting to real- "I believe the majority of peo- developers along the tracks.
<br /> dowski said, because no other ize there are no services here," ple who moved to Ramsey did Lewandowski said that Gov.
<br /> metro suburb has promised a Elvig said."And they're starting so because they wanted to be Tim Pawlenty, who hasn't yet
<br /> more ambitious transit-orient- to realize we're going to have to out of the city. Now what's taken a position on the North-
<br /> ed makeover of its community continue to raise taxes until we happening is they're being star Corridor, will eventually
<br /> along the Northstar corridor. get some commerce. So you're asked to spend or guarantee a see that it gets built.
<br /> Yet the process has created getting a different groundswell lot of the financial investment "We're making investment
<br /> political intrigue and legal ac- of people here — people that in order to change that which based on it's going to happen,"
<br /> tion in a big-lot bedroom con- are young adults,dual income, attracted them to Ramsey in he said. "He IPawlentyl may
<br /> munity that has such an identi- working hard every day. They the first place." not have said it yet, but we in-
<br /> ty problem its officials often don't want to have to drive over tend to give him a lot of rea-
<br /> have to explain,"We're the city, to Coon Rapids to buy their Good prospects sons why he should say yes.To
<br /> not the county." groceries and have their ice John Feges, president of us it's a foregone conclusion."
<br /> "We intend to watch the cream melt by the time they get land acquisition and develop-
<br /> Ramsey project and follow home." ment for the Ramsey Town Larry Werner is at
<br /> what they're doing," Lewan- Not everyone sees Ramsey's Center, disagrees. He insists lwerner@startribune.coul.
<br /> dowski said."We intend to look
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<br /> to what Ramsey's doing and
<br /> use it as somewhat of a pat-
<br /> tern."
<br /> Why Ramsey?
<br /> "Why not?" Norman said.
<br /> The Ramsey city administrator
<br /> got the ball rolling in the spring
<br /> of 2001 by taking 40 communi-
<br /> ty leaders to suburban Chica-
<br /> where people have lived
<br /> and shopped near commuter-
<br /> rail stations for generations.
<br /> That civic field trip sparked
<br /> a campaign to transform the
<br /> heart of Ramsey into a devel-
<br /> opment of townhouses and
<br /> places for shoppers, workers
<br /> and commuters headed south
<br /> to Minneapolis or north to St.
<br /> Cloud on the Northstar line.
<br /> It also will provide a badly-
<br /> needed seise of place, said
<br /> Natalie Haas Steffen, a former
<br />
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