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_________________________________________________________________________________________ <br /> <br />Page 7 of 29 <br />BACKGROUND <br /> <br />On October 10, 2016, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 2016-008 An Interim Ordinance <br />Temporarily Prohibiting Land Use Applications and Reviews for Higher Education Uses in <br />Residential, Business, Industrial and Other Zones (Appendix A). This moratorium can last up to <br />one year to prepare a study to determine the impacts and benefits from higher education land <br />uses and provide recommendations for possible Zoning Code and/or Comprehensive Plan <br />amendments regarding higher education uses. Due to the concurrent requirement for the <br />decennial Comprehensive Plan, the City Council directed that this study would involve the <br />economic impact of higher education uses within the commercial and employment zones. <br /> <br />To address these joint desires, this study is comprised of five components: <br />• Background gathering and analysis of the existing Campus Master Plans for the <br />University of Northwestern and Bethel University. <br />• Analysis of the Commercial and Employment Uses currently allowed in the various <br />Commercial and Industrial Zones. <br />• Analysis of the Employment and Economic Activity that results from the allowed <br />Commercial and Employment Uses. <br />• The regulation of Higher Education Uses within other communities. <br />• Analysis of existing parcels and buildings within the Commercial and Industrial zones. <br /> <br />With the information provided from these five components, this study will provide <br />recommendations to both regulate higher education uses in Arden Hills’ commercial and <br />industrial zoning districts and guidance for economic development issues addressed with the <br />2040 Comprehensive Plan update. <br /> <br /> <br />BETHEL UNIVERSITY AND UNIVERSITY OF NORTHWESTERN CAMPUS <br />MASTER PLANS <br /> <br />Arden Hills has approved a Campus Master Plan (CMP) for Bethel University (last amended in <br />2015) (Appendix B) and a CMP for the University of Northwestern in 2007 (Appendix C). Both <br />CMPs show opportunities for additional buildings and classrooms on their respective campuses, <br />but both universities have requested the development of higher educational facilities off their <br />campuses. Bethel has classrooms and administrative offices at the Anderson Center located at 2 <br />Pine Tree Drive, formerly occupied by Country Financial. In October 2016, Northwestern <br />submitted an application to convert the former Smiths Medical buildings at Grey Fox Road and <br />Snelling Avenue into a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) facility. <br /> <br />To evaluate the development opportunities available on their campus and the near-term plans of <br />the universities, the President of Northwestern and the President and other staff from Bethel have <br />been interviewed for this study. A summary of their responses are described below. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Dr <br />a <br />f <br />t <br /> <br />07 <br />/ <br />2 <br />6 <br />/ <br />2 <br />0 <br />1 <br />7