2A, Guiding Plan for the B2 District - Update

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(LOS) D or better and will continue to operate at LOS D or better through 2030 when redevelopment is expected to be completed. The traffic study found that the driveways on County Road E for the Holiday Inn site and the Arden Plaza site will experience significant delay and queuing in the afternoon peak hour even though the overall intersections will operate within traffic engineering standards. To reduce queuing and increase the safety and vitality of future redevelopments, the Guiding Plan calls for a new intersection on County Road E between Pine Tree Drive and Lexington Avenue. Driveways would be realigned midway between Pine Tree Drive and Lexington Avenue to provide a controlled intersection that will operate at LOS B in the 2030 afternoon peak. Recently a development proposal of the Holiday Inn site and tenant changes at the TCF building made it seem unlikely that the new intersection could be developed within the near future. The development proposal for the Holiday Inn site, however, appears that it may not proceed. It is important to recognize that the B2 Guiding Plan is a 20-year plan, and based on discussions with the County,the current traffic conditions on County Road E do not warrant an additional signalized intersection at this time. In fact, the County would not allow a new signal to be installed until the traffic volumes at the intersection meet the criteria for installing a traffic signal per the Minnesota Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Traffic volumes are not expected to warrant anew _ signal until redevelopment occurs with significant increases in intensity of use'. During the 20-year planning period, the City will likely have opportunities to acquire the right-of-way necessary to implement the new signalized intersection. Current options for a new signalized intersection are as follows: 1. Continue to implement the existing plan for a new signalized intersection between Pine Tree Drive and Lexington Avenue. Take advantage of opportunities to acquire right-of-way as they occur. 2. Evaluate other options for realigning driveways and traffic movements along County Road E. Recommendation Staff recommends proceeding with planning and design work for the streetscape improvements in 2011. The reasons for this recommendation are as follows: • The B2 Guiding Plan was approved in 2008. It is important to continue to demonstrate the City's commitment to the improvement of the B2 District. 1 A traffic study was completed in 2007. The traffic study was submitted by the developer of Arden Plaza and reviewed by both Ramsey County traffic engineers and SRF,the City's traffic consultant. The County concurred with SRF's conclusions,which stated that a new traffic signal would not be warranted until at least Phase IV of the Arden Plaza development,and possibly not until significant redevelopment of the Holiday Inn site. City of Arden Hills City Council and Planning Commission Joint Work Session—February 22, 2011 lMetro-inet.uslardenhillsWdminlCouncilUgendas&Packet lnformation1201112-22-11 WorksessionlPacket information l02-22-11-PCandCCJoint Work Session-Guiding Planfor the B2 District Update.doc page 4 of 5