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ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – JANUARY 3, 2023 12 <br /> <br />City Attorney Jamnik stated this was what he recalled, noting there was movement on the <br />density before the goals were adopted in December of 2015. <br /> <br />Mayor Grant explained his comments were regarding the May terms sheet, noting Bob Lux <br />came to the City and asked to move forward with 1460. <br /> <br />Councilmember Fabel stated he understood Mayor Grant and Councilmember Holden worked <br />very hard to move this project forward but it had stalled. He reported he ran a vigorous campaign <br />that would change direction and get this project done. He stated he would not be resuming the <br />stalled process but rather he would like to bring forward an agreement from the JDA which would <br />receive wide public support. He believed this was both the socially and fiscally responsible thing <br />to do. <br /> <br />Councilmember Holden stated she had an issue with the fact Councilmember Fabel believed this <br />project had not moved forward because it was all the City’s fault. She indicated the City moved <br />through different proposals with the County and had begged the County to install Phase I to see <br />how traffic flows. She reported this project could have been built with 3,000 people living on <br />TCAAP, but the County said no. <br /> <br />Councilmember Fabel indicated he did not say that. He understood this project has been stuck <br />since 2018 and he would like this to become unstuck. He anticipated there was plenty of blame to <br />go around. <br /> <br />Mayor Grant stated he hoped the options for moving this project forward would come from the <br />City Council in concert with the residents of Arden Hills. <br /> <br />Councilmember Fabel reiterated that this process has been followed and the process has been <br />stuck since 2018. He stated this process would now move forward. <br /> <br />Councilmember Holden commented on the 36 JDA meetings that the County had failed to <br />attend in order to move this project forward. She questioned how this was the City’s fault. <br /> <br />Mayor Grant stated there was a fundamental difference in where the negotiations would go. He <br />asked why the Council was not interested in having the residents a part of this process. <br /> <br />Councilmember Rousseau explained this was why she had asked if a work session could be held <br />with Stacie Kvilvang in order to bring the process to the people. She believed it would be <br />important for residents to learn as she learns. <br /> <br />Mayor Grant questioned how the Council would learn from the public. <br />Councilmember Fabel stated one way to learn from the residents would be to learn by the votes <br />that were cast in November. He believed the public learned that they do not want this process to <br />drag on for another four years, but rather the election showed the public wants a progressive plan <br />to move forward. <br /> <br />Mayor Grant reported there were 8,000 voters in Arden Hills and only 4,000 showed up. He <br />asked that the Council work to ensure that the TCAAP development was something that all <br />residents of Arden Hills would be proud of.