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As interest in TCAAP accelerated, officials and residents of the City of Ardeu Hills grew more and more uueasy. In mid-April, they interviewed and hired a consulting team comprised ofCamiros, Ltd., SEH (Short-Eliot- Hendrickson), Inc., and Larkin Hoffman Daly Lindgren to assist the City in preparing a reuse plan for TCAAP and dealing with the many interests involved in trying to detennine its future. This report represents the cuhnination of Phase I of this work. The focus of this phase was to develop a TCAAP reuse plan specifically for the City, taking into account issues that the Reutilization Committee would not deal with, such as community character, fiscal responsibility and fmancial challenges. The plan was prepared under the direction of the Arden Hills TCAAP Reuse Task Force, a 14-member group comprised of representatives from the Planning Commission and all other City committees. This group met at least three times per month and held four public meetings. By mid-July, the Arden Hills Task Force was able to present four test concepts to the Reutilization Committee. In late Augnst, the Task Force adopted a refmed plan for recommendation to the Arden Hills City Council. One of the major issues confronting the City was building support for a single reuse plan, so as to avoid confusion and conflict at the federal level when the property becomes available. In September 1995, the TCAAP Reutilization Committee (Vento's group) essentially endorsed the Arden Hills plan, with a few minor modifications. This will enable the local conununity -- whether that means Arden Hills or the broader conununity -- to approacb the Army and the General Services Administration speaking with a single voice. This consensus will give the local community a much strouger position in dealing with the federal government and other potential users of the property. B. Arden Hills The City of Arden Hills is located in the northwestern portion of Rarnsey County, Minnesota (Figure f). As of 1995, its population was estimated to be 9,426. It occupies a land area of about 6,200 acres, or roughly 9.7 square miles. TCAAP occupies 2,370 acres, about 38% of the total land area. Most of the community, including TCAAP, is located within the boundaries of the Mounds View School District (621), the remainder in the Roseville School District. Arden Hills is primarily a residential community. However, it is also home to several corporate main and branch offices, including Land O'Lakes, Cardiac PacemakerslEvident and Control Data. These uses and other office/industrial uses are clustered around major roadways, particularly 1-694, which bisects the community from east to west. Other major roads in the community include I-35W, which runs along its western edge; US 10, which runs southeast-to-northwest in the center of the city; CSAH 96, which runs east-west at the southern boundary of TCAAP; and Lexington and Hamline Avenues, which follow north-south alignments and connect Arden Hills to Roseville and St. Paul to the south. Arden Hills is largely built out. One significant office/industrial parcel remains in the northeast quadrant ofI-35W and 1-694, and some inftll space is available in both office and residential areas. However, the only significant remaining development property is TCAAP. In part this is due to the character of the land: Arden Hills contains several lakes and a large number of ancillary wetlands. These areas are protected from ftlling and development by state and local statutes. The City has traditionally operated on a fairly limited budget. Budgetary expenditures for FY 1994 totaled about $1.8 million, an amount substantially less than is typical in this region for cities of comparable size. A rarity among small conununities, Arden Hills is a net contributor to the Metropolitan Fiscal Disparities Fund and receives no operating support from this fund. The City has a permanent staff of 20. Police protection is provided uuder a contract with the Ramsey County Sheriffs Office. Fire protection is provided by the independent Lake Johanna Volunteer Fire District. Camiros, LtdJSEH, lnc./LHDL. Ltd. TCAAP Framework Plan Page 3 Chapter I - .- - - - - - - - .. - - - - - - .- - -