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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL – MAY 26, 2015 9 <br /> <br />Community Development Director Hutmacher requested that the Council grant preliminary <br />approval of the TCAAP Redevelopment Code pending public hearings and Met Council approval; <br />authorize staff to prepare a draft Comprehensive Plan Amendment; and authorize staff to prepare <br />for public hearings. <br /> <br />Mayor Grant thanked Community Development Director Hutmacher for her presentation and <br />asked the Council if they had any questions. <br /> <br />Councilmember Holden stated that she did not believe that every intersection within the <br />Gateway Overlay District should be required to have a turret, copula, or rotunda. She requested <br />further information on how staff would define cornice edging. <br /> <br />Associate Planner Bachler reviewed several photos and discussed how staff would define <br />cornice edging along a building façade. <br /> <br />Community Development Director Hutmacher indicated that the TRC included architectural <br />features at each intersection within the Gateway Overlay District. These features did not <br />necessarily have to add to overall building height. She reported that decorative cornices could be <br />added to the list of approved architectural items. <br /> <br />Councilmember Holden asked what amount of land acreage would be used for residential <br />development. <br /> <br />Community Development Director Hutmacher explained that approximately 151 acres are <br />available for residential development, and that this number has continued to evolve after the Spine <br />Road shifted and park space has moved. She stated that once TCAAP was platted, the City would <br />have precise numbers for each of the areas. <br /> <br />Councilmember Holden indicated that she attended the Ramsey County Board meeting today. <br />She questioned what the benefit would be to increase the density as high as possible. <br /> <br />Councilmember Woodburn stated that he had the same question. <br /> <br />Mayor Grant stated that he did not have an understanding as to why the County was pushing for <br />a higher density development than what the City was considering. He understood that high- <br />quality jobs, development amenities, and various other factors were also concerns to the County. <br /> <br />Councilmember Holmes expressed confusion and wondered why the County needed 1,600 <br />residential units on TCAAP with a density of 10 to 15 units per acre. She believed that based on <br />the handout provided by the County, the proposed numbers would assist the County in reaching <br />their metrics. <br /> <br />Councilmember Holden reported that the metrics were a new development from the County. <br /> <br />Mayor Grant understood the metrics were new to the County Commissioners. He commented <br />that the return on investment metric was a higher priority to some Commissioners than others. It <br />appeared to him that the County had not discussed the metrics.