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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDecember 2014The Official City Newsletter for Arden Hills Residents December 2014 Presbyterian Homes begins Phase II by Susan CatheyPresbyterian Homes of Arden Hills has completed the first phase of a large redevelopment project on the shore of Lake Johanna. The original Lakeview Building is gone, replaced by a new primary facility containing a mix of assisted living units, memory care units and independent senior apartments total- ing 162 units. The company is now ready to begin Phase II of the project and requested of the City some amendments to the original Master Planned Unit Development (PUD) granted in 2010. This phase includes the construc- tion of two brownstone-style buildings that would house 40 independent senior apartments at 3200 Lake Johanna Boule- vard, on the site of the now demolished Sutton Place Building, originally Lake Jo- hanna Elementary School. Street improve- ments along County Road D are also part of Phase II. The Arden Hills Planning Commission reviewed Presbyterian Homes’ proposal at its October 8 meeting and unanimously recommended approval contingent on several conditions. There are four requested amendments to the Master PUD: • A change in the configuration of the two brownstones. The reason for this alteration is the challenge presented by the elevation change between the brownstones and the primary care building. By locating the brownstones closer to the main building and to each other, as well as constructing into the side of the slope, entries to the new buildings will be at grade and closer to facilities used by the senior residents. The revised design More than 4,200 Arden Hills residents turned out to the polls on Election Day. They re-elect- ed the City’s mayor and a councilmember and elected a new councilmember. All three City races were unopposed. Mayor David Grant and Councilmember Fran Holmes were re-elected. Robert Wood- burn was elected to fill a council seat that is opening because Councilmember Ed Werner decided to retire. The returning mayor and councilmember and newly elected councilmember will serve four- year terms, beginning in January. Voter turnout in Arden Hills was 51 percent, according to calculations from Ramsey County. A total of 4,231 residents voted, out of an estimated eligible 8,295 voters. Turnout across Ramsey County was 45 percent, which was the lowest in 20 years, according to the County Elections Office. Turnout across Minnesota was a little over 50 percent. The number of Arden Hills residents who voted absentee this year was 542. Here’s how Arden Hills residents voted in state and federal races. • State Representative (District 42A): 52 percent for Randy Jessup and 48 percent for Barb Yarusso (Al- though Yarusso did not win in Arden Hills, she did prevail districtwide and was re-elected.) • U.S. Senator: 51 percent for Al Fran- ken and 46 percent for Mike McFad- den (Franken was re-elected) • U.S. Representative: 51 percent for Betty McCollum and 43 percent for Sharna Wahlgren (McCollum was re-elected) • Governor: 49 percent for Mark Day- ton and 46 percent for Jeff Johnson (Dayton was re-elected) Here’s how we voted A look at a few key races: continued on page 5 by Kristine Goodrich drawings courtesy of Pope Architects Proposed tax levy hearing--Monday, December 8 at 7 p.m., City Hall Arden Hills Service Directory 1245 West Highway 96 Arden Hills, MN 55112-5734 Office Hours Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. — 4 p.m. City Contact Information 651-792-7800 www.cityofardenhills.org Sheriff and Fire 911 Water and Sewer Problems (During non-business hours) 651-767-0640 Mayor: David Grant 651-538-0747 dgrant@cityofardenhills.org Councilmembers: Brenda Holden 651-636-2987 bholden@cityofardenhills.org Fran Holmes 651-631-1866 fholmes@cityofardenhills.org Dave McClung 651-332-0352 davemcclung@comcast.net Ed Werner 651-636-2547 ewerner@cityofardenhills.org City Administrator: Patrick Klaers 651-792-7810 pklaers@cityofardenhills.org Communications Committee Kristine Goodrich, editor; Susan Cathey, Tina Kulzer Council Liaison: David Grant Staff Liaison: Amy Dietl Desktop Publisher: Mary Nosek Council meetings are held at City Hall on the second and last Monday of the month at 7 p.m. Meetings are televised live on Cable Channel 16. Meetings of the Planning Commission are televised as well. Visit www.cityofardenhills.org for information about taped meeting playbacks. Arden Hills Notes is the official news- letter of the City of Arden Hills, an equal-opportunity employer. 2 City Park Profiles--a series Ingerson Park 3255 North Lexington Avenue continued on page 3 A City park that truly shines brightest in winter months, Ingerson Park is our fea- ture this month. Located on Lexington Avenue in the southeast corner of Arden Hills, Ingerson Park boasts some of the most unique and dramatic landscape among all City parks. The undisputed star of this park is The Hill: the grand slope that begins at the high ridge line that bisects the park through the middle and ends in a low-elevation flat at the park’s tree-lined southern boundary. It is picture-perfect terrain for winter sledding. With the early arrival of snow this year, Ingerson Park has a headstart on another memorable season of winter recreation for Arden Hills residents. The other amenities available at Ingerson Park reside on the higher-elevation northerly portion of the park acreage. They include half-court basketball, a playground area, and a picnic shelter. Pedestrian access to the park continues to be uniquely challenged by the park’s location off a major thoroughfare. However, vehicle parking is available in a small parking lot off the park’s entrance on Lexington Avenue, making this neighborhood park accessible to visitors from all parts of the City. One of our oldest parks Acquired for $21,000 in 1967 during the City’s first wave of park land acquisition during the 1960s, the five-acre property that would become Ingerson Park was considered ideal park space due to its combination of natural wooded areas and open and varied topogra- phy that had potential to be developed into a neighborhood play area. The goal of the City planners during this time was to ensure the preservation of the terrain within. Rental housing existed on the park property at the time of purchase, so the early stages of development at Ingerson Park required a bit more work and expense than just clearing overgrown brush and adding amenities. Over the next several years, the City completed the demolition of any remaining buildings that would not serve the City or its plans for Ingerson Park. An open basement structure remained on the park property for a time until it was filled in for purposes of safety and appearance. In 1972, an old house on the property was destroyed through a burn conducted by the fire department. Vandals then burned a garage structure on the site in 1974, which had been slated for possible use as a park equipment storage structure. By the mid-1970s, the typical park amenities (playground equipment, benches, basketball court surface/back- board, picnic tables and grills) were finally added. Volunteers shape park development In 1969, the Josephine Hills Garden Club—a civic group comprised largely of resident neighborhood women—was recruited to solicit neighborhood input on the development by Tina Kulzer Benchmarks: a review of recent City Council action 3 of Ingerson Park through a questionnaire that was to be distributed to area residents. The next year, the results were in. The City Council reported, “Of the better than 2/3 response, the majority of families seemed interested in keeping the park quite natural and neighborhood oriented.” Final park plans were submitted and ap- proved in 1972. (An initial park plan was presented and rejected in 1969.) “The plan leaves most of the terrain as it is…This recreation area will use the existing trees, change of levels and the old garage. There is also provided a turn-in for several cars, a picnic area and a horticultural plan to embellish and buffer various areas.” The garden club was also given permis- sion to establish a community planting program to bring the horticultural aspects of the park plan to life. In 1972 with the help of 70 neighborhood families, 46 trees and shrubs – donated by The Josephine Hills Garden Club - were planted to shape Ingerson Park as we know it today. October 27, 2014 • Approved the Comcast cable fran- chise extension amendment and cable franchise transfer (5-0) • Approved a proposal from Kimley Horn for design services for the Mounds View High School Trail (5-0) • Approved the Lexington Avenue Improvement Cooperative Agreement between the City of Arden Hills and Ramsey County (5-0) • Approved planning case 14-030 — a site plan review to modify site access and parking lot reconfiguration for Gradient Financial (4-1 Holden) • Approved planning case 14-031 — a planned unit development amendment for Presbyterian Homes to construct 40 independent living units on the corner of Lake Johanna Boulevard and County Road D (4-1 Holden) November 10, 2014 • Accepted the 2014 third quarter finan- cial statements (5-0) • Approved the fifth payment for the Round Lake Road Area Improvement (5-0) • Approved the MnDOT Signal Agree- ment for the Highway 51 (Snelling) Bridge Project (5-0) • Approved a resolution of support for Ramsey County to place Highway Av- enue (County Road H) on its Munici- pal State Aid route system (5-0) • Approved the replacement of the building inspections vehicle (5-0) • Certified the 2014 municipal election results (5-0) • Approved two job descriptions, one for a Recreation Coordinator and one for a Recreation Programmer (5-0) • Appointed Sara Grant to the position of Recreation Coordinator (5-0) • Approved authorization to advertise for the position of Recreation Pro- grammer (5-0) • Held a public hearing on the County Road E (B-2 District) improvements and voted to continue the public hear- ing to the November 17 City Council meeting. (5-0) Ingerson Park from page 2 4 It’s that time of year! Do you know where your skates are?Outdoor ice skating rinks in Arden Hills will be open from December 8 – February 16. (These dates are subject to change depend- ing on weather conditions.) Rinks will be closed if the temperature is -20 degrees Fahrenheit and/or the wind chill is -20 degrees Fahrenheit. Skating opportunities are available at the following City parks: • Cummings Park (pleasure rink only) • Freeway Park • Hazelnut Park • Perry Park (hockey rink only) Warming houses are available for use at these locations as well. Warming house hours for all locations are: • Monday through Friday – 4:30 – 8:30 p.m. • Saturday –10:00 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. • Sunday – 1:00 – 7:00 p.m. Vacation and holiday hours for the warming houses are: • December 22, 23, 26, 29, 30 – 10:00 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. • Christmas Eve – 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. • Christmas Day – CLOSED • New Year’s Eve – 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. • New Year’s Day – 10:00 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. • Martin Luther King Day (January 19) – 10:00 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. • President’s Day (February 16) – 10:00 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. Outdoor rinks are also available for rental. Charges for rink usage after normal hours are $28 per hour for both residents and non- residents. During regular rink hours, rinks cannot be reserved, with the exception of youth hockey associations who may schedule practice time for a maximum of two hours per week. All after-hours rentals must have an Arden Hills rink attendant on site. A damage deposit is required for all rentals. Call Sara Grant at 651-792-7845 with questions or to reserve a rink. This fall, the Business Insider website studied approximately 300 suburbs with populations between 5,000 and 100,000 that are located “within 40 kilometers of the nearest metropolitan area.” From a variety of data, Business Insid- er developed a list of the “50 best suburbs in America.” Using census and other data, they looked at aver- age commuting times, median household incomes, poverty and crime rates (using FBI statistics), and public high school rat- ings from GreatSchools.org. We’re among the top 50 suburbs in America! Wondering what those little blue lights on traffic signals around the County are for? They aim to reduce crashes caused by people run- ning red lights. The blue lights provide confirmation to law enforcement officers that the signal has turned red. The lights are on the back side of the signals, so officers can know from additional angles that there has been a violation. Blue lights help catch red-light-runners by Lois Rem by Kristine Goodrich They also considered household afford- ability—the percentage of homeowners paying less than 30 percent of monthly income on housing. Several selected com- munities are from Minnesota. Arden Hills ranks highest at No. 26. It is followed by Edina (30), Eden Prairie (39), Plymouth (40), Shoreview (41), and Kas- son (45). Six County roads now have the blue lights: Highway 96, County Road D, Lexington Avenue, Silver Lake Road, Larpenteur Avenue, and Cleveland Avenue. A total of 128 blue lights were installed this fall at 49 Ramsey County intersections. A federal safety grant funded 90 percent of the $133,000 cost, and the County funded the remainder. 5 also includes a link between the two new buildings that will better connect them visually and provide additional common space. • A revision in the construction sched- ule to reflect the delayed starting date on the brownstones. The original plan called for completion of the project by spring of 2015. The amendment would require Presbyterian Homes to obtain a Grading and Erosion Control Permit and begin preliminary site work by December 31 of this year and to begin construction of the buildings by June 30, 2015. All final improve- ments, including landscaping, would need to be completed by December 31, 2016. • Reallocation of the four hospice units that were to be constructed in the Lakeview Building to the brownstone buildings as independent senior units, increasing the number of units from 36 to 40. Since Presbyterian Homes decided not to implement a hospice program, the designated space is now being used as storage and will not be used for residential purposes. This request would not increase the total of 410 dwelling units approved in the original Master PUD. • A change in the conditions in the PUD agreement to allow for the removal of the required speed bumps on the County Road D driveway if the traffic study to be completed one year following the completion of the redevelopment project supports such removal. Presbyterian Homes continued from page 1 The City Council considered this request at its October 27 meeting. The PUD amendments were described and illustrat- ed by City staff, following which Pamela Belz of Senior Housing Partners, repre- senting Presbyterian Homes, answered questions posed by Council members. During discussion, the Council added requirements for additional screening landscaping at the corner of Lake Johanna Boulevard and County Road D and bike racks for the new buildings. It stipulated that any lighting issues be resolved within thirty days. The fourth amendment was changed to state that the City Council will revisit the need for traffic calming measures following the traffic study. With these changes and the original conditions required by the Planning Commission, Planning Case 14-031 was approved. Twin Cities Free Market: Save money, save the earth, make someone’s day! The Twin Cities Free Market (www.twincitiesfreemarket.org), a program of Eureka Recycling, is an Internet listing service for residents who want to give or get free goods in reusable condition for the home, garage, and garden. Eureka Recycling has recently updated the site to make navigating the site even easier. Come check it out. You’ll be surprised at how fast items can be taken off your hands! You can include a brief description and up to two photos of your item. Giving away or getting items on Twin Cities Free Market is quick, easy, free, and it’s good for the environment!The amount of the City’s maxi- mum 2015 levy increase was incorrectly stated in a story in the No- vember edition of Arden Hills Notes. The levy might increase by as much as $165,500. The Council was expected to make a final decision at its December 8 meeting. Look for details in the Janu- ary/February issue. Correction Time to make that year-end donation? When you’re making decisions about what organiza- tions to support at year’s end, consider the Arden Hills Foundation. The Foundation is dedicated to im- proving life in Arden Hills for the people who live and work here. Learn more by contacting Foundation Board Member Fran Holmes at franh1116@aol.com. Postal Customer ECR-WSS PRST STD U.S. Postage Paid St. Paul, MN Permit #1962 I n s i d e Arden Hills, MN . 55112-5734 Presbyterian Homes--Phase II Election results Ingerson Park Time to strap on the skates! Notes from the Mayor It is that time of year when people look back at what hap- pened in 2014 and ahead to 2015. The notable events in 2014 are too many to include in a short letter, but I would like to share a few notable events from this past year. The first phase of Lexington Station opened bringing nine new retail businesses to our community. While future phases are several years out, the long-term out- look for this area seems bright. Road work for the County Road 10 and Highway 96 interchange was finally com- pleted. Arden Flats was completed and the units were rented out. We don’t have many apartments in Arden Hills. This develop- ment provides a housing type that we were short on. As many of you know, the former Car- roll’s Furniture on County Road E has sat noticeably vacant over the past year. Late this year the building was sold. Reuse of the building is expected next year. Comcast has been seeking a new franchise agreement for several years following the expiration of the current agreement. Late this year the ten member cities of the North Suburban Cable Commission along with Comcast agreed to extend the current contract for two years while working on a new agreement. Rice Creek Commons (also known as TCAAP) continued to move forward, through the efforts of the City council, residents, consultants, City staff, and Ramsey County commissioners and staff. This year the final building was removed and a final ground breaking ceremony took place on June 6, the 70th anniversary of D Day. This year the City moved from dual sort to single sort recycling. A single sort recycling program allows us to mix our paper and plastics together, eliminating the need to sort items. Other improvements are planned for next year. Looking forward to 2015 Presbyterian Homes will be adding 40 units of independent living on the corner of Lake Johanna Boulevard and County Road D. This is the final phase of the Planned Unit Development. Construction of bridges will be in full swing with County Road E, Highway 96 and I-35W, and Lake Valentine Road over I-35W all scheduled for improve- ment. While the County Road E Bridge is being rebuilt, the City will begin work on improvements in the B2 zoning district. This will include several improvements along County Road E: new lighting, sec- tions of sidewalks, medians and a double left turn from eastbound County Road E to northbound Lexington Avenue. In 2015 utility bill payment will include an auto-pay feature. This auto-pay feature will work for a bank account or credit card. Signing up means one less bill to remember to pay. The focus of Rice Creek Commons (formerly called TCAAP) will turn from cleanup to grading and infrastructure work. It will be a year of getting the land ready to sell. A note of thanks As I look back on 2014, I want to say thank you to everyone who made things possible. They include: residents and businesses who provided input; residents who serve on committees, commissions, and task forces; City Council members and City staff. I want to thank all of them for their contributions. A special thanks to Councilmember Ed Werner for his four years of service to the City and welcome to a new Councilmember, Robert Wood- burn. I want to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season. Sincerely, David Grant Mayor A look back at 2014