October 13, 2026
City Council Highlights
Councilmembers in attendance were: Eric Peters, Kirsten Buscher, Ryan Heineman, Chris Riley, Dan Specht, and Shanna Stewart.
All 11 Consent Agenda items were unanimously approved by the Council.
The agenda included one public hearing to consider a request for a Private Kennel License at 15591 Iodine Street NW. Tiffani and Michael Rimstad applied for a Private Kennel License to combine households, bringing together four adult dogs and adopting two puppies under six months for agility training. Ramsey City Code Section 10-53 allows up to three dogs over six months at residential properties and requires a license for four or more dogs and/or six or more cats. The Rimstads currently keep two adult dogs at home and two in Chisago City and seek to comply with City Code while keeping all six dogs at their property. On September 30, Planning and Police Department staff inspected the property and found it clean, well-maintained, and suitable for six dogs. Staff found no concerns about the dogs’ or residents’ health, safety, or welfare. The request was unanimously adopted by the Council.
There were three Council Business cases.
The first was about the “Rum River Retreat”—Preliminary Plat and Variance Request for 17400 and 17650 Erkium Street NW (Project No. 26-106); Sundance Woods, LLC. The Applicant proposes subdividing the 61-acre property into fifteen (15) single-family residential lots. One existing home will remain, so this subdivision will technically result in 14 new homes. Lot sizes will range from 2.69 to 8.99 acres. The subdivision will be accessed via a southerly extension of Erkium Street. Some public comments raised concerns about increased traffic on existing roads. Two of the lots do not meet the required 200-foot lot depth. They are at 185 feet. The first motion to approve the variance request failed to pass 3-3. The motion to deny the preliminary plat passed 4-2.
The second case was: Introduce Ordinance #26-18 Amending Chapter 117 (Subdivision Code) Pertaining to Streets. Section 117-614(c)(7) notes that the maximum length of cul-de-sac streets is limited to 600 feet, though two other provisions ((b)(2) and (c)(11)) require extending streets to serve other properties. This creates confusion about what counts as a true permanent cul-de-sac versus a future through street with a temporary cul-de-sac turnaround. Stub streets have historically been perceived as a public safety issue. The Council passed the resolution 4-2.
The last case pertained to Introducing Ordinance #26-16, Amending Chapter 106 (Zoning Code) and the COR Framework Pertaining to Streetscaping and Bulk Standards in the COR Zoning Districts to consolidate and update land use, streetscaping, and bulk standards in the COR zoning districts. The land use updates were presented in a Public Hearing at the July 23 Planning Commission meeting, introduced via ordinance at the August 10 City Council meeting, and adopted at the August 25 City Council meeting. The motion was unanimously adopted by the Council.
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