2A, Guiding Plan for the B2 District - Update

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The City has made progress in implementing the more immediate portions of the Guiding Plan. Additional discussion is needed regarding the proposed infrastructure improvements, including funding and a timeline, if there is a consensus to move forward. Completed Implementation Since the approval of the Guiding Plan, the City has implemented certain aspects of the Guiding Plan: • Comprehensive Plan—After acceptance of the Guiding Plan in October 2008,the 2030 Comprehensive Plan was amended to reference and be compatible with the Guiding Plan.. The 2030 Comprehensive Plan has since been approved by the Metropolitan Council, and has been fully implemented by the City. • Zoning Code Design Standards—The Planning Commission and City Council adopted a significant update to the design standards in the Zoning Code for the B2 District in November 2008. The design standards were then extended to the B3 District in December 2008, which includes those properties along Lexington Avenue. These design standards have been applied to the 2009 Arden Plaza redevelopment proposal,the 2010 Arden Hall proposal, and the 2011 McDonald's proposal. Although the Arden Village and Presbyterian Homes projects are not in the B2 or B3 districts, those proposals were reviewed through the Planned Unit Development(PUD)process and were evaluated against the B2 design standards since the adopted B2 design standards represent the City's overall design expectations. Future Implementation Issues Some decisions regarding the B2 District, while part of the long-term improvements planned for the area, are not the focus of this particular discussion: • Pedestrian/Bike connection over Trunk Highway 51 —The existing bridge over Trunk Highway 51 is inadequate for non-motorized users and is considered substandard. MnDOT has plans to replace the bridge in 2015. The City has the option of advance constructing the bridge sooner, in which case MnDOT would reimburse the City in 2015. Due to the construction schedule of the Highways 10 and 96 intersection, however, the soonest that the bridge could be reconstructed would be 2014. • Lake Johanna Boulevard name change—The Guiding Plan proposed to rename the section of Ramsey County Road E between Old Snelling and Lexington Avenue to Lake Johanna Boulevard. It was felt that the Lake Johanna Boulevard name would be more distinctive to Arden Hills and provide better way-finding for businesses and residents. The City considered using Lake Johanna Boulevard as a supplementary name to County Road E, but staff research has determined that the supplementary name cannot be used on maps or for City of Arden Hills City Council and Planning Commission Joint Work Session—February 22, 2011 Wetro-inet.uslardenhillsW dminlCounciMgendas&Packet lnformation1201112-22-11 WorksessionTacket Information102-22-11-PC and CC Joint Work Session-Guiding Plan for the B2 District Update,doc page 2 of 5