02-09-2026-WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — FEBRUARY 9, 2026 3 Community Development Director Reilly said the fire department will complete a review, as they would with any development of this kind. Nick Asta, Developer and Sam Schroeder, Analyst for Roers introduced themselves and began the presentation. Mr. Asta said Roers Companies is a developer, construction company and management company based in Plymouth. They have built just over 15,000 units in over 100 housing projects. The company is based here, with offices in Arizona, Texas and Florida. They have developed all types of housing projects. They build market -rate housing, senior housing, 55 plus active adult, affordable housing and work force style products. This proposal is for a standard, market -rate project. Their bread and butter is a suburban, four over one, 100-200-unit buildings, similar to what they are proposing today. Mayor Grant asked for clarification that four over one means one story with concrete and four stories above that. Mr. Asta confirmed. The one story is structured parking underground with four stories above that. Mr. Asta said they looked at the City Vision when putting this project together. They tried to include as many of the aspects as they could in this design. What stood out for them is the live, work, play aspect of living, working and playing within the community. They are proposing a modern, high -quality project. It's adjacent to retail and another apartment building. It mixes in well with the neighborhood and adds to the housing stock. There are strong employers in town, offering residents the advantage of living where they work. There are a lot of larger units on this property. We have seen a shift of people wanting to work from home and wanting the extra space to allow for that flexibility. This project will be highly amenitized. There will be trails and sidewalks as was already mentioned. There will be a pool deck with ample green space and pickleball. They have a high -end architect who they work with on multiple projects. They are very thoughtful with the design and know how to preserve the character of the neighborhood. Mr. Asta showed a high-level site plan. They think it would be wise to have connectivity from this project to the retail center. There are some existing trails they could connect into, as well. They are trying to use the storm water basin as a nature aspect. They were thoughtful of the single-family homes across the street. The height of the building is taller than the building to the west and they are hoping to minimize the impact of that taking advantage of the grade change, berming and tree lines to help blend it into the neighborhood. He pointed out the water management area where they are hoping to add some amenities and noted the pool deck with grill stations, pool deck, lounge area and green space. Councilmember Holden said she can see a sidewalk on Lexington. That would be the only strip of sidewalk on Lexington. How will people get to the Shoreview side where they can walk on a sidewalk. She asked if they are willing to install a crossing light and pay for it at the Regional Trail connection. This won't be any help to the residents to walk to work. Mr. Asta said that is something they can explore. He presumes that most people would actually drive to work.