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ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION – March 9, 2016 2 PLANNING CASES B. Planning Case 16-001; Zoning Code Amendment – Rezoning – Public Hearing City Planner Streff stated that in April of 2014, the City Council approved a change to the Zoning Map to begin the process of rezoning the land owned by the federal government east of the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant (TCAAP) known as the Arden Hills Army Training Site (AHATS). At that time, four parcels or approximately 2/3 of the AHATS property was rezoned to Conservation District (CD) in order for the City’s Zoning Map to correspond with the approved Future Land Use Map. City Planner Streff indicated that the remaining properties, adjacent to the eastern half of the TCAAP site, to be rezoned to either Conservation District or Park and Open Space District, were not included in the rezoning in 2014, as the Ramsey County Parks and Recreation Department was working with the federal government to purchase some of these lands to be incorporated into their park system. Three additional properties, to the north of TCAAP, to be rezoned Civic Center District, also remained unchanged during the rezoning in 2014, as thes e properties were expected to be rezoned with the remaining properties east of TCAAP. City Planner Streff reported that while the majority of the property to be rezoned to Conservation District remains under federal ownership and is being leased to the Minnesota National Guard, the City recognizes that portions of AHATS could be sold to private parties in the future and developed based on the underlying zoning classification. The main purpose of the Conservation District is to provide a “holding zone” for these lands to ensure that any future development on AHATS maintains a sustainable level of public expenditures for utilities and services. City Planner Streff explained that the proposed amendment would rezone the remaining four parcels on AHATS to Conservation District. These parcels cover the area bounded by County I on the north, Highway 96 to the south, to the east by a line extending directly north from Snelling Avenue North to County Road I, and west by TCAAP and the Rice Creek North Regional Trail. The rezoning to Conservation District would not include the Rice Creek North Regional Trail Parcels A, B, C, and D. City Planner Streff noted that parcels to be rezoned to the Parks and Open Space District are located directly adjacent to TCAAP and the Rice Creek North Regional Trail and include the Rice Creek North Regional Trail Parcels A, B, C, and D and a portion of 1900 County Road I West. The Minnesota Department of Transportation facility adjacent to the Rice Creek North Regional Trail area would not be included in the rezoning to the Parks and Open Space District. City Planner Streff stated that as proposed three parcels located in the southeast quadrant of Interstate 35W and County Road I would be rezoned to the Civic Center District. These properties include 1900 County Road I West (less the Rice Creek North Regional Trail area), 5400 Old Highway 8, and 5420 Old Highway 8. City Planner Streff commented that in September of 2009, the City Council adopted the Arden Hills 2030 Comprehensive Plan. The plan outlines the City’s general vision and goals, which are intended to guide the City’s policies and strategies. The adopted Future Land Use Map designates 1,472 acres on AHATS as Park Preserve, approximately 120 acres of Park & Open Space immediate ly adjacent to the TCAAP Development and the Rice Creek North Regional Trail, and