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<br />2 <br /> <br />Land Use Updates <br />The TCAAP Redevelopment Code (TRC) and Regulating Plan are the zoning documents that dictate the land <br />use for the Rice Creek Commons site. In 2024, the JDA approved three amendments to these documents, <br />following the approval process laid out in the TRC. <br />Following extensive community engagement and analysis of real estate market trends, the JDA approved an <br />amendment to the TRC to increase the allowable density from 1,460 to 1,960 housing units, as reflected in <br />the TCAAP Regulating Plan. This change was largely accommodated by converting the southwest portion of <br />the site from a flex office use to a residential use. As part of this amendment, an affordable housing <br />requirement was approved, establishing that at least 20% of the units must be affordable at 60% of the Area <br />Median Income (AMI) or below. The process for approving this amendment started in 2023 and completed in <br />April 2024. Per the required process, this was approved by the Arden Hills City Council on January 8, 2024 and <br />the Ramsey County Board on March 12, 2024, and the corresponding Comprehensive Plan amendment was <br />approved by the Metropolitan Council on March 27, 2024. <br />The second amendment allowed ground-mounted solar energy systems within neighborhood residential <br />districts, in alignment with a change made to the Arden Hills Code. Per the required process, this was <br />approved by the Arden Hills City Council on February 12, 2024, and the Ramsey County Board on March 12, <br />2024. <br />The third amendment was a simple administrative update, correcting an oversight in the TRC. In 2016 <br />amendment, the JDA development review process was updated, but a corresponding attachment visualizing <br />this process was not updated to be consistent with that change. This 2024 amendment corrected Attachment <br />3 – Development Flow Chart to match the process described in Section 3.3. Per the required process, this was <br />approved by the Arden Hills City Council on March 6, 2024, and the Ramsey County Board on May 21, 2024. <br />Development Progress <br />In 2024, the JDA and its constituent parties, the City of Arden Hills and Ramsey County, made significant steps <br />toward beginning development on Rice Creek Commons. <br />Alternative Urban Areawide Review <br />The City of Arden Hills updated the Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR) for the site, which is a hybrid <br />of the environmental assessment worksheet and environmental impact statement review processes. This <br />planning tool evaluates how different development scenarios might impact the community's environment <br />before construction begins and outlines how to mitigate these impacts. This document is required to be <br />updated every five years, so the 2024 update was the first since 2019.