12-06-23 PC Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION – December 6, 2023 9 affordable housing. Through the efforts of the JDA, working with the developer, they were trying to get the metric to be consistent with the comprehensive plan. Chair Vijums stated that may be the case, but noted the metric was created in order to make the 500 additional units work from an affordability standpoint. He inquired if there was a specific number of affordable housing units the City was required to have from the Met Council. Community Development Director Jagoe explained there is a goal as stated by the Met Council and the comprehensive plan outlines different pathways the City has figured could be implemented to achieve this. She indicated the City was looking to the TCAAP redevelopment site to meet its affordable housing goals. Chair Vijums reported it was his recollection that the City’s affordability goals were met through the 1,460 plan. Community Development Director Jagoe stated under the 1,460 plan, she believed the City would have largely hit the Met Council goals. Chair Vijums clarified for the record the City was meeting its affordability standards with the Met Council within the 1,460 plan. He stated Arden Hills was already doing a very good job meeting its goals when it comes to affordable housing. He reported the 1,960 plan would create an entirely new metric for affordable housing. He asked if the new metric had to be agreed upon by the Commission. Community Development Director Jagoe reviewed the language within the comprehensive plan amendments and commented on the density capacity language. She reported this language was specific to the TCAAP site and would not apply to the entire City. She explained there was a goal stated by the Met Council of the number of affordable housing units the City needs to strive to obtain by 2040. She reported the City has identified TCAAP as being how the City would reach its affordable housing goals. This provision memorializes that through that increase in density to 1,960 the City is also going to ensure that 20% of the units were at 60% AMI or below. Chair Vijums stated if the plan would have remained at 1,460 the City would have still met its affordable housing goals with the Met Council. Community Development Director Jagoe stated if the terms agreed upon by the JDA had that language, there could be, but the JDA had not agreed to that. Chair Vijums questioned what the new average density per residential acre would be with the additional 500 units. Community Development Director Jagoe reported she did not have this information in front of her. Chair Vijums stated he was asking this line of questioning because the Commission was perhaps being asked to put more residential units into an area that might be overpopulated. He indicated this would cause strains on the community based on roads and other things. He stated