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15 <br />B. Northwestern Also Plans to Give the City a $80,000 Charitable Gift to Be <br />Used for City Parks or Workforce Development. <br />In order to deepen its partnership with the City, Northwestern also proposes to give the City a <br />sustaining gift of $8,000 annually for the next 10 years to be used towards the City’s parks or to <br />facilitate student internships. The Comprehensive Plan stresses the importance of creating and <br />maintaining the City’s parks, pathways, and open spaces. Id. at 3-2. The Plan recognizes <br />“Northwestern [University] ha[s] abundant natural resources that are open for use to the residents <br />of Arden Hills.” Id. at 13-11. <br />Unfortunately, the Property will not provide Northwestern a chance to expand acreage of natural <br />resources on Northwestern’s campuses. One possibility to overcome this limitation is to use this <br />opportunity to expand Northwestern’s collaboration with the City to provide green space to City <br />residents. Therefore, the University could give the City an annual $8,000 charitable gift for 10 <br />years to be used for City parks. Alternatively, the City could use the gift for an internship <br />program for students coordinated through the City that benefits the City and business <br />community. <br />Either way, not only will this gift strengthen the City’s institutional relationship with <br />Northwestern, but it will facilitate students leaving campus to interact with Arden Hills’ <br />community. Connecting students with the City’s parks and businesses will help showcase Arden <br />Hills to students and encourage them to remain in the City after graduation. Preserving and <br />expanding Arden Hills’ green space will also attract other young families to the City. Included <br />with this application is a draft gift agreement, which can be used to memorialize Northwestern’s <br />charitable gift. See Exhibit F. <br />IV. A Zoning Code Amendment and Conditional Use Permit Are Necessary to <br />Complete the STEM Development. <br />Because the I-Flex District does not clearly allow higher education uses and Northwestern’s <br />proposed Code Amendment would allow such uses only as a conditional use, a Zoning Code <br />Amendment and CUP are necessary to allow the STEM Development. <br />The I-Flex District allows for medical offices, manufacturing and processing, research and <br />development, and offices. Arden Hills, Minn., Code of Ordinances § 1320.05. These uses are <br />very similar to Northwestern’s planned STEM Development. See, supra, § II. But the I-Flex <br />District does not include “School, higher education” as a permitted or conditional use. Arden <br />Hills, Minn., Code of Ordinances § 1320.05. To make clear the STEM Development is an <br />approved use under the Zoning Code, the “School, higher education” designation should be