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May 23, 2024 <br />City of Arden Hills <br />Attn: Jessica Jagoe, Community Development Director <br />1245 West Highway 96 <br />Arden Hills, MN 55112 <br />Via Email <br />jjagoe@cityofardenhills.org <br />Re: School and House of Worship- 4293 and 4295 Lexington Avenue North <br />Dear Ms. Jagoe: <br />We represent a local school and worship center (the “School”). The School desires to develop <br />a new pre-k through12 day school and house of worship at an existing industrial building located <br />at 4293 and 4295 Lexington Avenue North (the “Property”) in the City of Arden Hills (“City”). <br />Reuse of the Property for the proposed use (the “Project”) requires the following applications: <br />x Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) to allow schools and worship centers in the I-1 District <br />x Conditional Use Permit for House of Worship <br />x Conditional Use Permit School, general education <br />x Site Plan Review (collectively, the “Application”) <br />Before investing further in detailed design and planning, the School desires to receive feedback <br />from staff and the City Council through the Concept Plan review process. Our objectives are: <br />1) revitalize an existing industrial park, 2) utilize the existing space without altering the exterior <br />of the buildings or impacting surrounding office uses, 3) implement a phased approach to <br />School expansion, ensuring gradual integration into the community, and 4) foster community <br />engagement and address concerns of Council members and residents through transparent <br />communication and collaboration. The School hopes to gain a holistic assessment of whether <br />the Project aligns with the Council’s vision for the City. We believe that this is a creative <br />project that will reinvigorate existing buildings and bring a new community partner and resource <br />Arden Hills. <br />1. Project Summary <br />The Projects seeks to repurpose an existing industrial building into a school and associated <br />house of worship. School and religious uses are currently conditional uses within the City’s <br />residential districts. Uniquely for an industrial parcel within the City, the Property is bordered by <br />residential uses to its west and Cummings Park to the north. While there are significant <br />entitlement hurdles presented by the constructive reuse of the Property, we believe that this <br />initiative directly aligns with Arden Hills' commitment to develop and maintain a land use pattern <br />that strengthens the vitality, quality, and character of residential neighborhoods, commercial <br />districts, and industrial areas while protecting the community’s natural resources.