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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1.A Ramsey County Rice Creek Trailhead Concept and TCAAP North-South Trail Connection Conceptlt ,-ARZEN� HILLS MEMORANDUM DATE: November 30, 2009 Item LA TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members FROM: Ron Moorse, City Administrator James Lehnhoff, Community Development Director SUBJECT: Ramsey County Rice Creek Trailhead Concept and TCAAP North -South Trail Connection Concept Council Direction Requested Review the two parks and open space concepts in the memo and discuss courses of action. Background At the work session with the Ramsey County Board on October 20, the County Board requested that Greg Mack, the County's Park and Recreation Director, review the TCAAP property to determine if the County would have any interest in portions of the property for park and open space uses. To that end, Greg Mack would like to discuss two concepts with the City Council. The first concept is a trailhead and road access from County Road I for possible seasonal recreational activities at the Arden Hills Army Training Site (AHATS). The second concept is a new north -south regional trail corridor to connect Highway 96 to the Rice Creek North Regional Trail/Wildlife Corridor. These concepts have not yet been discussed with the full County Board. Before meeting with the full County Board, Mr. Mack would like to discuss obtaining a letter of support from the City regarding each of these concepts. A letter of support would be helpful with the County Board and for obtaining a regional designation from the Metropolitan Council. Since there are a number of unanswered questions at this juncture, this is meant to be the first of multiple discussions. City ofArden Hills P: IAdminlCounciMgendas & Packet Information 1200911-30-09 TCAAP WorksessionPacket lnformationl IA 113009 - CC Memo -RC Trailhead and Rice Creek Trail. doc Page 1 of 5 Ramsey County Rice Creek Trailhead Concept Greg Mack is currently in discussions with the Minnesota National Guard and the Army/GSA to obtain a 500 foot wide access corridor from County Road I to the Wildlife Corridor (see attachment). The purpose of the access corridor is to provide an entry road and event staging area for seasonal access to the Arden Hills Army Training Site (AHATS). The road would also provide supplementary access to the Rice Creek North Regional Trail and the Wildlife Corridor. The 500 foot wide access corridor would cross AHATS land and the western part of the Primer Tracer area. The AHATS area remains federal land and is leased to the Minnesota National Guard. The Primer Tracer area is part of the TCAAP property that is to be sold by auction in 2010. Due to the two jurisdictions, the corridor would require an agreement with the National Guard and with the Army. The portion of the corridor that crosses AHATS may be able to be leased, though the exact mechanism for obtaining access over the AHATS property has not been determined. For the portion of the access corridor that crosses the Primer Tracer Area, the County may be able to obtain ownership through special legislation or other process as part of the public sale. Under this proposal, the remaining portion of the Primer Tracer area would be used by the National Guard. The access corridor would become part of the County's park and open space system. The proposal is contingent upon seasonal access to AHATS that would not interfere with training, such as cross country skiing. Mr. Mack also recognizes that there is some contaminated land within the access corridor that would need to be addressed. Mr. Mack forwarded the proposal to Mr. Legare at the General Service Administration (GSA). According to Mr. Legare, such a proposal would be handled by the Army. As of the printing of this memo, there was no new information from the GSA or the Army regarding the proposal. To help advance this proposal, Mr. Mack would like input and, ideally, a letter of support from the City. If this project were to move forward, Mr. Mack is aware that the access corridor includes contaminated land that does not have funding sources for remediation. This would need to be investigated further to evaluate costs and cleanup methods once it is determined if a land transfer or access could occur. TCAAP North -South Trail Connection Concept The City's TCAAP Reuse Statement includes support for a north -south trail corridor from the Rice Creek North Regional Trail/Wildlife Corridor to the Highway 96 Regional Trail. The exact location for a north -south trail has not been determined because the location could depend on a number of factors, including the type of reuse that occurs on TCAAP, environmental remediation/limitation, and the potential for a transfer through special legislation. Greg Mack City ofArden Hills P: IAdminlCounciMgendas & Packet Information 1200911-30-09 TCAAP WorksessionPacket lnformationl IA 113009 - CC Memo -RC Trailhead and Rice Creek Trail. doc Page 2 of 5 has expressed support for the City's interest in a north -south trail and has stated that it could be classified as a regional trail connection. A new north -south trail connection through TCAAP would likely be called the "Rice Creek South Regional Trail." There are two general scenarios for a regional trail. The first scenario includes a trail that is integrated into the development, which would be similar to the previous RRLD concept. The second scenario involves obtaining a designated trail corridor, which could be along the eastern side of the property to create an uninterrupted trail corridor. The two scenarios are not necessarily mutually exclusive, though only one would likely be a regional trail. Trail Integrated into the Development A trail integrated into the development would be constructed by a developer as part of a park dedication requirement. The City is the beneficiary of park dedication, though the land for the trail could be transferred to the County if they were willing to accept the property. Since the entire TCAAP property has not been remediated to a residential/recreational standard, it would be reasonable to include a requirement that the City will only accept land that has been remediated to a residential/recreational standard as part of the park dedication requirement. The advantage of a trail integrated into the redevelopment is that it could be designed and located to provide the most benefit to the redevelopment. However, the City would need to be aware of the limits of the park dedication requirement. While the City has quite a bit of leeway in setting a park dedication requirement, it must be in proportion to the need generated by the new development. Additionally, State Statutes require cities to have a plan for how or why the park dedication is needed. The City would want to be cautious in how the park dedication requirement is applied to ensure the most benefit is received. In this case, a regional trail corridor would have a major impact on the City's park dedication requirement. Under this scenario, it would also be difficult to obtain or integrate a wider corridor that allows for a more natural, meandering trail. Dedicated Trail Corridor The second scenario involves a dedicated trail corridor that would likely be transferred through special legislation prior to the public sale. The trail corridor could be along the eastern edge of the property from Highway 96 to the Rice Creek North Regional Trail and Wildlife Corridor, which would provide for an uninterrupted trail. Other options could include a trail corridor along the western side of the property, though that may be less inviting with the adjacent freeways. A third option could be an undefined corridor of a specific size that the City selects after the auction and during the redevelopment process. The undefined corridor option would provide the most flexibility, but additional research is needed to determine if it is feasible. Mr. Mack has suggested that a dedicated trail corridor should be no less than 150 feet wide, though there could be some flexibility depending on the location. Generally speaking, a wider City ofArden Hills P: IAdminlCounciMgendas & Packet Information 1200911-30-09 TCAAP WorksessionPacket lnformationl IA 113009 - CC Memo -RC Trailhead and Rice Creek Trail. doc Page 3 of 5 corridor would allow for a more natural looking trail corridor. For reference, each 100 feet of trail corridor along the eastern edge of TCAAP from Highway 96 to the Wildlife Corridor includes approximately 16 acres of land. A benefit to receiving a dedicated trail corridor through special legislation is that it would not impact the City's park dedication requirement. Additionally, a wider, dedicated corridor provides an opportunity for a natural trail corridor that would be an amenity to the redevelopment and the community. Special Legislation for a Land Transfer As noted, the City and County would explore options for a special legislation land transfer to separate the designated trail corridor from the rest of the TCAAP property. It may be easier to receive a special land transfer if the corridor is defined because there would be a specific request. However, even with a dedicated trail corridor, the City would still expect any redevelopment to include sidewalk connections, which can be required separate from the park dedication requirement. Depending on the location of the trail corridor, there may be contaminated land within the corridor that would require remediation. If the trail has a regional designation, it would become eligible for funds from the Metropolitan Council. The County and City could also seek an appropriation to complete the remediation with the transfer. Before the County or possibly the City takes ownership, the remediation issues would need to be addressed. A dedicated trail corridor would help ensure that the City receives the north -south trail connection without impacting the park dedication requirement. If a defined trail corridor is selected, the City may still want some flexibility to be able to modify or move the corridor in the future if a better corridor is identified as part of a future redevelopment. Council Direction Requested Regarding the regional trailhead concept on AHATS and the Primer Tracer area, is the Council prepared to discuss a letter of support for the County to pursue this project? What additional information is needed? Discussing trail concepts within a future redevelopment on TCAAP is part of the overall land use discussion. It is likely that the City would require some type of a sidewalk or trail connections within any redevelopment. However, the dedicated north -south trail corridor concept could be an opportunity to obtain a special land transfer for an uninterrupted trail corridor from County Road 96 to the Wildlife Corridor and Rice Creek North Regional Trail. If the City Council is interested in pursuing a special land transfer for a dedicated corridor, a letter of support for the concept could be prepared for Council approval. Greg Mack has stated that a letter of support City ofArden Hills P: I4dminlCounciMgendas & Packet Information 1200911-30-09 TCAAP WorksessionPacket lnformationl IA 113009 - CC Memo -RC Trailhead and Rice Creek Trail. doc Page 4 of 5 would be helpful when he presents the idea to the Ramsey County Board. Both the City and County recognize that additional information would be needed; however, we could begin pursuing additional information and options for a special land transfer. Additionally, the City could begin incorporating the dedicated trail corridor into our land use discussions. AttarhmPnt • Regional Trailhead Concept from Ramsey County Parks and Recreation (prepared by Ramsey County) • TCAAP North -South Trail Connection — Eastern Border Trail Corridor Concept City ofArden Hills P: IAdminlCounciMgendas & Packet Information 1200911-30-09 TCAAP WorksessionPacket lnformationl IA 113009 - CC Memo -RC Trailhead and Rice Creek Trail. doc Page 5 of 5 i a _w 41 d v 13 a _w 41 d v 13 500' WIDE ENTRY CORRIDOR EXISTING COUNTY BUILDING Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant (TCAAP) Arden Hills Army Training Site (AHATS) [. 1 Rice Creek North Regional Trail (Ramsey County) = Vento Wildlife Corridor Regional Toww"Wihead Concept ENTRY ROAD TO PARKING TRAIL EVENT STAGING AREA TCAAP - Regional Trail Concept Each trail segment is 100 feet wide and incorporates approximately 16 acres of land.