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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – SEPTEMBER 19, 2016 2 Jay Lindgren, Dorsey & Whitney, thanked the Council for their consideration. He discussed the project details and how Northwestern planned to utilize the Smiths Medical facility. He commented on the location of Smiths Medical, noting it was within the I-Flex District but was directly adjacent to the B-4 District. He explained this was a 14.5-acre site with 165,000 square feet available between two buildings with 583 parking spaces. He reviewed a two-phase approach that Northwestern has devised for this property, noting this site would be used for STEM purposes. He believed this was a compatible use with the neighboring uses. He encouraged the Council to consider allowing an Institutional Use as a Conditional Use in the I-Flex zoning district, or consider rezoning the property to B-4. Mayor Grant understood the City and Northwestern have participated in a restructuring of the campus. He also knew the focus of the college was evolving and changing over time. He thanked Northwestern for providing the Council with a better idea on where the University’s focus was at this time. He stated the question before the Council was the I-Flex district and the proposed use. He asked the Councilmembers for comments on this matter. Councilmember Holden stated she has always been supportive of Northwestern. She indicated she would be supportive of the Northwestern’s plan if the property was zoned B-4; however, the parcel was located in the I-Flex zoning district. She indicated the City does not allow education in the I-Flex for specific reasons. She did not believe the proposal from Northwestern worked given the fact they were proposing to locate in the I-Flex zoning district. Councilmember Wicklund explained he was new to this process and asked why education was not allowed in I-Flex. Councilmember Holden could not recall the specifics but stated this determination was made by the City Council within the Comprehensive Plan. Mayor Grant provided further comment on the Comprehensive Planning process. Councilmember Holmes stated the Smiths Medical property was in a transitional area and was zoned I-Flex due to the fact it abuts Heavy Industrial. She feared how students would be impacted by the amount of heavy truck traffic in the area. She agreed with Councilmember Holden and did not support changing the zoning of this property. Councilmember McClung discussed the zoning of the properties and access points surrounding Smiths Medical. He reported he had access, traffic and density concerns with Northwestern’s proposal. For this reason, he was not comfortable in making a change to the zoning for Smiths Medical. Mayor Grant commented further on the intended purpose of the I-Flex zoning district. He appreciated the mission of Northwestern and understood that the technological/engineering fields were evolving. He encouraged Northwestern to consider expanding on their campus. He stated that he was not inclined to change the zoning for the Smiths Medical site at this time. Councilmember Wicklund questioned when the I-Flex zoning district was created.