7A, Draft Guiding Plan for B2 District

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Current Physical Conditions There is little or no land available for new construction without undergoing redevelopment. Minor opportunities may include the northern end of the Catholic Aid Association office property along Lexington Avenue south of the Arden Plaza shopping center. Redevelopment opportunities may include the former Holiday Inn property, the office component of Arden Plaza, and the Pot 0' Gold bingo property. In 2007, a planned unit development application was presented to the City to remove the office building from Arden Plaza and build a freestanding pharmacy, a freestanding retail building and a mixed-use retail and office building (on the southernmost end of the parking area between the pond and the existing retail center). South of Harriet Avenue is a residential neighborhood of narrow-lot, single-family homes with a distinctive 1970s design. This neighborhood includes two wetlands and backs up to the wooded area owned. by Country Financial. Along the east side of Lexington Avenue in Shoreview, there is a mixed-use retail and office building north of County Road E. South of E, there is a convenience store and a series of four attractive office buildings. West of Highway 51, development consists of an attractive, low-density, wooded neighborhood of single-family homes. North of the railroad tracks are large industrial and retail buildings including a Cub Foods grocery. East of Lexington Avenue is a Super Target (goods plus groceries) store. Study Area Identification and Identity The study area lacks a sense of identity, which would be helpful both for business marketing and to build a sense of central place for the Arden Hills community. There are no entrances signs, monuments, landscaping or special lighting at the eastern or western ends to the district announcing arrival or place. Some people have called the study area ("downtown," but that term has not caught on, perhaps because it lacks many of the physical characteristics usually associated with a downtown: a grid of streets, sidewalks lined with buildings, and civic buildings, plaza or parks. Another identity shortcoming is the name of the major road. The county road designation does no evoke warm and local identity. It has been suggested that the Lake Johanna Boulevard moniker be extended from Old Snelling to Lexington Avenue and possibly into Shoreview. 20 October Guiding Plan for the 82 District 2-15