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Rice Creek Commons Solicitation – AMENDED February 29, 2016 Page 4 <br /> <br />developer is expected to collaborate with the City on a plan to fund the increased maintenance <br />costs for these amenities. <br /> <br />Q: Will the JDA/City/County consider different acreages for the various land uses if a certain desired <br />user requires more or less space? <br />A: The adoption of the Master Plan was intended to offer insight into the City and County’s vision for <br />the site and to provide an expedited approval process for those portions of the development that <br />meet the Master Plan guidelines. The City and JDA anticipate requests for variation from the Master <br />Plan. Changes to the Master Plan require City Council approval. The JDA process flowchart in the <br />Appendix of the Solicitation lays out processes for projects that meet or do not meet the Master Plan <br />and the TCAAP Redevelopment Code. Developers should expect that amendments to the Master Plan <br />or TCAAP Redevelopment Code will require a longer approval process than a typical planning and <br />zoning variance. <br /> <br />Q: When will the RFP be issued by the JDA for the solar installation? Will there be any assessments <br />toward the real estate developer for use of this power? <br />A: The Ramsey County Board of Commissioners has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with <br />Xcel Energy to develop a solar array on approximately 40 acres of the Primer Tracer Area (PTA) of the <br />former TCAAP. The County is working directly with Xcel rather than issue a RFP for a solar developer. <br />The PTA is located outside of the RCC development site. The County is negotiating with the US <br />Government to acquire the PTA. It is envisioned that the County will acquire the site and enter into a <br />long term lease with Xcel for development and operation of the solar array. The development is <br />subject to regulatory approval by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC). <br /> <br />Power generated by the facility will feed into the Xcel electrical grid. The filing with the MPUC may <br />include options to identify solar power for RCC customers. The details of the filing request and MPUC <br />approvals are not known at this time. However, there will be no assessments for the real estate <br />developer for the solar installation. It is possible that end users who choose to subscribe to solar <br />power in the future could do so through a green tariff, if something of that nature is approved by the <br />MPUC. <br /> <br />Q: What involvement will the Army and/or National Guard continue to have on the site? <br />A: The Army will continue to have liability and responsibility for the ongoing water treatment <br />infrastructure and system. The Army also has a continuing obligation with respect to environmental <br />contamination discovered at the site as provided in the statutory CERCLA warranty appearing in the <br />Deed transferring title to 397 acres of the site to the County. The National Guard has no involvement <br />on the site. <br /> <br />The Energy integration Resiliency Framework (EIRF) identifies opportunities to cooperate with the <br />Guard on certain energy initiatives that may be of mutual benefit; however, there is no obligation to <br />implement these initiatives. <br /> <br />Q: What size are the existing Xcel energy lines outlined in the Solicitation and will the lines be <br />required to be moved at the developer’s cost? <br />A: Existing overhead electric distribution lines owned by Xcel Energy that conflict with public <br />infrastructure construction will be relocated by the County as a part of the infrastructure <br />construction in 2017. Other remaining overhead electric distribution lines will be required to be <br />relocated/buried by the developer as City ordinance requires electric lines be underground.