Browsing by Author "Yoder, Amy"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Encouraging Small Business Growth and Expansion: Ramsey COR Retail Market Analysis
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2017) Boerschinger, Olivia; Svitavsky, Kate; Yoder, Amy
    This project was completed as part of the 2017-2018 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with the City of Ramsey. The City of Ramsey has long had a goal to create destinations in the community for residents to shop, eat, and enjoy entertainment. Market forces make achieving this goal challenging, and current efforts have fallen short of meeting community expectations. Students in Bob Streetar’s Community and Economic Development class conducted a retail market power and consumer buying power analysis to identify “gaps” in the Ramsey market that the City could capitalize on, identified barriers to commercial-retail development in the city, and made recommendations for strengthening retail demand in Ramsey by promoting housing density and developing a unique character to distinguish the city from competitor communities. The students’ final report and presentation are available.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Every Voice Matters: Citizen Engagement Plan
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2017) DesRoches, Chris; Kartheiser, Chris; Kutcher, Rachel; Li, Meng; Sherlock, Reed; Yoder, Amy
    This project was completed as part of the 2017-2018 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with the City of Ramsey. In 2006, the City of Ramsey embarked on a major overhaul of how it approaches public participation through a grass roots public engagement effort known as Ramsey3. Although the City has made great strides in engaging with residents about land use decisions, street reconstruction projects, and project proposal reviews, a biannual citywide survey suggests that residents would like additional civic and volunteer opportunities to get involved in their community on other issues. Students in Dr. Dan Milz’s Planning and Participation Processes class evaluated the city’s current engagement methods, identified guiding principles for effective public engagement through a literature review and case studies, identified a range of engagement methods and tools for the City to consider, and offered recommendations for the City going forward. A final report and poster are available.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Talent & Tenacity: Sparking an Incubator in Ramsey
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2017) Yoder, Amy; Wadsworth, Garth; Goodwin, Mathew
    This project was completed as part of the 2017-2018 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with the City of Ramsey. The City of Ramsey has a successful business retention and expansion (BRE) program that has been focused on small-business development and growth. To advance these efforts, the City would like to pursue new initiatives to attract, retain, and grow businesses, including developing a long-term vision and strategy for a business incubator. To assess the feasibility of a business incubator, students in Dr. Fernando Burga’s Land Use Planning class documented economic development assets in Ramsey, interviewed successful business owners in Ramsey to understand their needs and challenges in starting a business, outlined considerations for the City in launching an incubator, and investigated the potential benefits and challenges of several business incubator models for Ramsey. A final report is available.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    West Broadway: What is Affordable?
    (2018-05) Gemheart, Adrienne; Kohlhaas, Alex; Thao, Lisa; Yoder, Amy
    This report is intended for the West Broadway Business and Area Coalition (WBC), with the goal of addressing commercial affordability along the West Broadway corridor. Considering the history of West Broadway and North Minneapolis more broadly, the project team is guided by the belief that development can be beneficial, though it is crucial that current Northside residents, who are predominantly people of color, are the ones who benefit from such development. Decision-making processes must be inclusive and responsive to the needs of West Broadway business owners, entrepreneurs, and North Minneapolis residents. Defining the term “local”, particularly regarding ownership of property and businesses along West Broadway, is central to this discussion. Oftentimes, outside resources targeting the Northside are viewed as relief aid for the poor or needy. However, the perspective of this report is that resources should be provided as an investment in the people and place, who are deserving of the opportunities that have been freely given to White Americans, though robbed from neighborhoods and people of color.