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. Shoreview- Arden Hills ~ A Lillie Suburban Ne",paper Wednesday, J\l<,y 8, 2002 SVB PEIIIlIlIICALS 504: Arden Hills name, master partner, City vies for share of TeAAP property Stephanie Ariganello staff writer . The Arden Hills City Council selected a development partner in the stalled war over the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant land. The selection of a 'master developer signifies Arden Hills' anticipa- tion in obtaining acreage from the old plant. The council voted 3.2 in favor of a pri_ vate development team that includes Centex Homes, ~ntex Family Housing, the Glenn Rehbein Companies and the Ryan Companies, as tentative developers in a redevelopment effort that could theo- retically double Arden Hills' popUlation. "Today the cil)' of Arden Hills is taking a slg~l1ficant step toward realizing an amazmg opportwril)' that will affect gen- paae 8A Wednesday. Mav 8. 2002 Developer from Page 1 A take that risk and work with US.'" The private-sector development conglomerate will provide Arden Hills with necessaty resources, while working with the federal government to get the land transfer. . "Our group will work to heJp ,.assure that land is transferred to the city and to also support a public process to create a plan which reflects the vision of the people of Arden Hills and surrounding commu- niti~s," Roger Fraley, Centex Multi-Family Commu- ~ties Upper Midwest Region Division Manager said In a recent press. release. "In St. Paul, our group helped transform a polluted industrial site into a new neighborhood. TCAAP represents another opportunity to again work with the public to create amazing new development that meets the needs of the community." now seeks land ,.erations to come," said Mayor Dennis ''''1"robst. "'The redevelopment of the TCAAP site is a keystone to Arden Hills' future. We now have a public/private partnership that brings us the experience, resources and a commitment to work with the community to begin this pro. cess." Arden Hills is in line for a portion of the 2,370 acres of land that could be excised by the Army. At this stage, the gQal of the city is to prepare for the potential bf having land transferred to its control. Signing a developer on the pro- ject is expected to make the process go smoother in the legislature. Council members have expressed a desire for a community-focused redevel- opment plan, zeroing in on housing and retail zonings. The piece in question is anywhere from 500-800 acres of once highly con- taminated land. The Army, in an agree- ment with the EPA, is obligated to clean up the TCAAP environment at leaRt to industrial standards. To build retail or housing on such sites would require additional cleaning in order to elevate the environmentaJ condi, tions - part of the reason Arden Hills decided to contact an outside. developer rather than tackle the development work by themselves.. "1 thought it was a little premature," said Council Member Beverlv Aplikowski. "I went with the f1n~ though. We realized that we needed someone with Washington connections and deep enough pockets to undertake such a development, so we decided to go with a developer and not just do it by ourselves. The time, .energy and money that would be expended in the process, we had to choose a developer. Fortu. nately, there were several that said they'd see Developer on Page 8A Aplikowski and Lois Rem were the two nays for the Centex group, both showing support for locally owned. and operated Opus. "It was a gut reaction," said Aplikowski. "I believe in those at my age." The one remaining obstacle is actually securing the Army land. "The [Army] has already started excising the land," said Joe Lynch, Arden Hills City Administra- tor. "That can be a process of 24-30 months if the time frame can be kept to. We could have develop" ment within 36 months, with some type of ground broken. " Arden Hills has been through this before. When attempting to acquire a chunk of land to house its new City Hall, the administration turned to the Army for TCAAP land. The process took about 10 years, and the City Hall opened last fall "That time frame probably is what's been ref~T- enced the most," said Lynch. "But it was a small piece of property. They were not as involved and wanting to get rid of that property. I understand with this project the Army wants to be involved." Others are not as optimistic. "I used to say not in my lifetime, but I suppose 1 may have to change that one," said Aplikowski in response to an inquiry regarding when TCA.AP land will be transferred to the city. "It's very difficult to project out. Somewhere between seven and 10 years. Everybody is saying the Army is ready to excise, but so far it has yet to happen. We have to go through legislative processes, and with the current climate, itls not going to happen this year or the next." Lynch said Arden Hills will seek public fee<lliack sometime within the next 90.120 days. Residents and businesses will be notified. .