7E, Arden Village Letter of Support Request

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approved, SCI will move forward with the formal application for public assistance along with the development review process. It is important to note that a letter of support is not an approval of the project. The project must still meet all TIF statutory requirements, undergo a detailed financial review by the City, and conform to City development requirements. Offering any type of financial assistance in a letter of support is not an automatic approval of the project. However, the letter of support is a good faith commitment from the City to provide the requested support if the housing tax credits are approved by MHFA and if the project meets City requirements. Location During the August work session discussion, there were several comments about the proposed location of the workforce housing project. There are pros and cons to the proposed location, and the 2030 Comprehensive Plan did not contemplate housing in this area. Traffic along County Road F, noise from Interstate 694, accessibility to parks and open space, and access to transit on Lexington Avenue do present some concerns. Finally, developing this site as a residential use would remove this land from future commercial/industrial use. Despite those concerns, the location provides a number of positive attributes. Since housing tends to have a different traffic pattern than commercial/office uses, the traffic impact from a development this size would likely be minimal, though further study is needed. The applicant is proposing to construct a tot lot playground on the site for occupants to help offset the lack of recreational space. Floral Park is accessible from the site, but one would need to cross County Road F and Hamline Avenue to access the sidewalk to the park. The workforce housing site is located close to many jobs at Boston Scientific, Land O'Lakes, Fair Isaac, and other employers along County Road F and Lexington Avenue. There is also relatively quick access to Cub Foods and Super Target on the south side of Interstate 694 for food and other retail services. In order to improve pedestrian access to Lexington Avenue, it would also be important to extend the sidewalk on County Road F from Land O'Lakes to the housing site. There is currently a commuter bus service on Lexington Avenue to downtown Saint Paul. A tta Ph m on N. • Draft Letter of Support • Preliminary Review based on the Business Subsidy, B2 Design Standards, and TIF Options City of Arden Hills City Council Meeting for September 14, 2009 llMetro-inetlardenhillsWdminICouncilWgendas & Packet Information12009109-14-09 RegulaHPacketInformationl7E 091409 - CCMemo - Arden Village - Sand Companies.doc Page 3 of 3