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March 3, 2010 James Lehnhoff, Community Development Director City of Arden Hills 1245 West Highway 96 Arden Hills, MN 55112 Re: Response to Request for Proposal: TCAAP Zoning Preparation Assistance Dear Mr. Lehnhoff: Cuningham Group Architecture, P.A. (Cuningham Group) and CR Planning are pleased to respond to your request for proposals to assist the City in formulating zoning regulations for the TCAAP property. The TCAAP has a fascinating history both as a World War II ammunition plant and as a long-running planning saga. Almost 20 years of plans and studies have resulted in agreements for public use of much of the origina12,400-acre property. Sensitive environmental areas have been set aside for public open space or for permanent protection. However, the future of the remaining 585 acres remains unsettled since the withdrawal of the private developer in May 2009. The General Services Administration has proposed a sale of the property by public auction in June 2010. The impending auction of the TCAAP property makes it imperative that appropriate zoning is established and put in place. The Comprehensive Plan has established policies and land use categories for the property: a Mixed Residential and a Mixed Business area, in combination with parks and open space. Yet the lack of an adopted master plan for the property means that the zoning regulations must establish a process for master planning within the broad parameters established by the Comprehensive Plan. The zoning regulations must: • Establish the ground rules from which discussions between the City and a future developer can proceed; • Establish requirements for environmental remediation to be completed to a level that will support the proposed uses; • Protect sensitive natural areas and promote preservation of regionally signi�cant open space resources on the property. The new regulations are also intended to create well-connected, walkable districts providing a variety of land uses and housing options within an attractive and sustainable built environment. The regulations may enable, but not require, traditional neighborhood design, with elements such as narrow tree-lined streets and pedestrian-oriented building frontages. Constraints that will affect the site include limited access, whether from Highway 10 or from Highway 96 and County Road H, and the lack of detailed information on contaminated "hot spots." We recognize that the intensive involvement of Arden Hills citizens in the previous planning efforts have resulted in some degree of "planning fatigue," and that a large-scale public involvement effort is not needed for this proj ect. However, it will be important to present the proposed regulations to the public in a concise and understandable way. The Planning Commission and City Council will also need sufficient time to review and comment on the draft and final regulations. CUNINGHAM G R O U P Cuningham Group Architecture, P.A. St. Anthony Main Z01 Main Street SE Suite 3Z5 Minneapolis, MN 55414 Tel: 61 Z 379 3400 Fax: 61 2 379 4400 www.cuningham.com John W. Cuningharn, FAIA John Quiter, AIA Thomas L. Hoskens, AIA Douglas A. Lowe, FAIA John W. Culligan, AIA Timothy Dufault, AIA Jack Highwart, AIA Ro�er W. Kipp, AIA Margaret S. Parsons, AIA John G. Pfluger, AIA James 5. Scheidel, AIA David M. Solner, AIA Michael P. Strand, AIA Brian Tempas, AIA Kathryn M. Wallace, AIA Jonathan V. Watts, AIA