Laserfiche WebLink
Regular City Council Meeting <br /> Monday, February 24, 2014 <br /> Page 15 <br /> future; intensity of land use matters; new partnerships can drive change; and the <br /> need to build on the existing foundation. Mr. O'Connor addressed ways to build <br /> strong,mixed income communities; three major areas as key initiatives in Ramsey <br /> County; and identifying opportunities for collaborative initiatives. <br /> Discussion among presenters and Councilmembers included noteworthy statistics <br /> and various perspectives on housing and industrial issues based on fiscal dispari- <br /> ties; how the City could contribute and inform the county and how they could <br /> work together to achieve the goals; encouragement for greater collaboration with <br /> Ramsey County, especially the huge priority for Roseville and the region in side- <br /> walks and connectivity, including along County Roads; assistance in developing <br /> the Twin Lakes Redevelopment Area and clean up of pollution in smaller areas <br /> beyond TCAAP for the broader community; and increasing economic prosperity <br /> and redevelopment efforts for the entire region throughout the county; and how to <br /> overlay comprehensive plans throughout the county to connect redevelopment <br /> pieces and provide greater markets for the entire Minneapolis/St. Paul area. <br /> Further discussion included more emphasis on the need for connectivity in bring- <br /> ing the communities and regional opportunities together to avoid concentrated ar- <br /> eas of poverty or disconnects for the broader region; efforts of"Greater MSP" in <br /> recruiting businesses for the entire region and unique opportunities throughout the <br /> County and potential for future economic development efforts by the County to <br /> assist regional and individual community interests; better integration throughout <br /> the county of public infrastructure with the workforce as well as better marketing <br /> internationally. <br /> Mayor Roe suggested that, with the different residential to commercial ratio of <br /> Roseville compared to the rest of the county, it may serve as an exemplar to other <br /> communities in getting the balance right and serve as an object lesson going for- <br /> ward. Specific to help with connectivity, pathways, and addressing or avoiding <br /> poverty pockets, Mayor Roe noted that there were several High Density Residen- <br /> tial (HDR) complexes in Roseville that had no sidewalk or pathway access to <br /> transit routes, including several multi-family areas on County Road B and Dale <br /> Street, with people having to walk on the street to access bus stops. Mayor Roe <br /> suggested that the County leverage funding when available versus the City having <br /> to rely on federal funding to improve that access for those residents to get to work <br /> and improve their situations and quality of life in terms of poverty concerns. <br /> Commissioner McGuire noted that she had also heard this from others; and while <br /> there were some things that the county could do, some they could not. Commis- <br /> sioner McGuire offered to get back to the City Council on whether some access <br /> could be approved, with passage of the wheelage tax, allowing for installation of <br /> more sidewalks on those roadways to include pedestrian facilities, even though <br /> the list of needs was long. <br />