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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL — SEPTEMBER 11, 2023 2 Mayor Grant commented as long as there were bidders in the auction, the sale of the primer tracer property would continue. He noted the initial bid was $110,000 and the price was now up to $800,000. He explained the auction would continue until there were no bids for a 24 hour period. Councilmember Rousseau asked if the County has set a minimum range for the density within this project. City Administrator Perrault stated Ramsey County has not set a floor for the density. He anticipated the number would be above 1,460. He reported zoning code amendments would have to happen if the number were increased above 1,460, they could go up to 1,785 to 1,790 without Met Council approval, but this would mean increased density in the Town Center. He noted the developer does not recommend increasing the density in the Town Center due to the cost of concrete. Councilmember Holden reported she was surprised by Commissioner Frethem's comment, noting the City had offered this number of units many years ago. She indicated she was surprised by the fact the JDA meeting did not include a real estate market expert. She questioned if staff would be bringing someone forward to speak to the housing market. City Administrator Perrault stated as of right now, the JDA was not planning to have any other outside experts coming in to address the JDA. He noted the next update would be from Bob Lux with Alatus to talk about his proposed development scenario and what he believes would be a good fit for the site. Councilmember Holden explained she was concerned with how the focus of the discussion was about cramming a large number of people into a small area in order to feel safe. She indicated this was not working right now in Minneapolis and St. Paul. She indicated the panelists were not market experts but rather were people invited in to provide their perspective. Councilmember Fabel asked if the 1,460 number would require an amendment to the zoning code because the building heights would be lowered in the Town Center area. City Administrator Perrault reported the developer was requesting the elimination of some of the Flex Office space in the southwest portion of the development in order to allow for more housing. He recommended the developer speak to this question further. Mayor Grant noted there is no Master Developer at this time as there is not a signed memorandum of understanding with the developer for this project. He hoped Bob Lux would sign an MOU at some point. Councilmember Monson commented she believed the experts that were brought in for the JDA worksession were really good. She understood staff had worked to find a realtor and to get the developer in attendance, but noted fantastic information was provided. She commented on how the post -pandemic world was discussed and stated she looked forward to hearing from the developer on September 27. She looked forward to a consultant coming in to assist the Energy Advisory Committee.