05-26-15-R - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – APRIL 13, 2015 4 Mayor Grant did not support Option 2 of the Fit Test. He believed that no matter the number of units on TCAAP, the product types can be diversified. He recommended that this argument be avoided. He believed that the Hill and Town neighborhoods would benefit from more flexibility. He feared that it would be difficult for people to build to exact zoning classifications, and for this reason, the Council was recommending more flexibility. Mayor Grant did not like the way the Hill neighborhood was redesigned. He understood that the County wanted to achieve a nice taxable value for the property, but he also wanted to create unique and desirable neighborhoods that are not overly dense. He saw the value in the Fit Test and learned a great deal about how the Town neighborhood should be designed. Mr. Lamb provided further comment on the Creek neighborhood as discussed with Ms. Bujold from Maxfield. He indicated that she felt it would be appropriate for this neighborhood to have larger single family lots abutting the creek and smaller lots to the central portion of the Creek. The density should then be increased in the other portions of the Creek neighborhood. Councilmember Holmes expressed concern that none of this information has been provided to the Council and differed greatly from the previous Maxfield Study and developer information that the Council has received. Councilmember Holden hoped that the County would provide the City with additional information regarding how the property would be marketed as well as address the water feature in the near future. Mr. Ruff stated that there are always uncertainties with development. He provided further comment on how municipal entities can manage land sales. He suggested that the City Attorney and JDA Attorney work through and discuss the issues surrounding the land sales. Mayor Grant explained that the Council would need to consider how to amend the TRC given the new information that has been provided to the City. City Administrator Klaers discussed the Council’s meeting schedule and upcoming agenda items. Mayor Grant was in favor of moving forward and taking action on the TRC. He wanted to see the City and County make some headway on the water feature and some other outstanding issues. Councilmember McClung was prepared to meet when necessary in order to get the TRC approved. However, he did not see how the City could bridge the differences between Fit Test Option 2 and the City’s TRC. City Administrator Klaers stated that the City has learned a lot from the Fit Test. He believed that the City Council needed to digest this information and would then need to review the TRC in detail in order to keep this item moving forward. Mayor Grant recessed the City Council work session at 6:58 p.m.