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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-02-16Joint Development Authority Monday, May 2, 2016 Arden Hills City Council Chambers Minutes 5:30 pm Present: Joint Development Authority: Chair David Sand, Commissioner Blake Huffman, Commissioner Brenda Holden, Commissioner David Grant, Commissioner Rafael Ortega Also present: Jill Hutmacher, (Arden Hills); Heather Worthington, (Ramsey County) and Josh Olson (Ramsey County) Roll call taken. Approval of agenda. Motion by Commissioner Huffman seconded by Commissioner Holden to approve the agenda as presented. Motion carried. Approval of April 4, 2016 minutes. Motion by Commissioner Grant seconded by Commissioner Holden to approve the minutes as presented. Motion carried. Public Inquiries/Informational None Consent Agenda None Old Business None Public Hearing None New Business Master Developer Solicitation Selection Development Director Hutmacher reviewed the master developer solicitation process and noted that the JDA interviewed the three final candidates on April 19 and 26, 2016. Chair Sand commented after reading the various initial written proposals submitted; reviewing the Solicitation Review Committee's summaries of initial interviews; listening to the presentations and evaluating the supplemental written materials submitted to the JDA by the teams, he had the following observations and conclusions: 1.) All developers are well respected, talented and financially capable teams; 2.) All developers were prepared for interviews and presentations — both written and oral; 3.) All developers presented an interesting mix of vision, implementation and teamwork; 4.) Finally, the JDA, County and City are fortunate to have teams with this level of talent who have proposed to redevelop land long lost to lack of development. Chair Sand believed each team had its own unique vision for redevelopment that included — with various degrees of importance — residential, commercial/retail, town center, and flex use, along with open space. In addition, he thought each team presented different and well thought out phasing, land draw -down, and financing proposals. Lastly, he believed each team provided the JDA and himself with a clear idea of where, when and how the 427 acres would be developed. Chair Sand stated that although the JDA, County and City — as well as the current and future residents and tenants of Arden Hills and, more specifically, this site — would be well served by any of these teams, he believed one team had provided the best vision and implementation plan. This team has a vision that is responsive to the Master Plan, will provide a unique, welcoming and beautiful town center, a diverse housing mix, a solid commercial and retail base, abundant green space and energy efficient design. This team also has an implementation plan that will provide an immediate impact on the site, yet be sufficiently flexible to respond to market demands, and be guided by a collaborative effort that is necessary in order to meet the ongoing needs of the City, County and region. Chair Sand explained his assessment and conclusion about which team can best lead the JDA, County and City into the future is also based on this team's past successful developments, its written submissions and oral presentations, as well as recommendations from public officials who dealt directly with this team on past projects. Chair Sand concluded his personal interest in seeing the construction of a well-balanced development that includes diversity in housing choices, strong interest in providing — as soon as possible — an active, attractive Town Center (or, as the team stated in its submission: "establishing a sense of Place quickly and very early'), as well as a strong desire to focus on a viable commercial and retail development, green space and energy efficiency led him to vote in favor of the team consisting of Alatus LLC, Inland Development Partners, Tradition Development Corp and Robert Thomas Homes, Inc., Mary Bak, as well as Lakota Group, Hightower Initiatives, EVS Engineering, Enebek Construction and, finally, Isles Ranch Partners. Commissioner Holden said that she approached her decision in a different manner than Chair Sand. She reviewed the approved AUAR and the TCAAP Redevelopment Plan. She discussed City goals and the need to connect existing Arden Hills to TCAAP. She emphasized the importance of communicating with current Arden Hills' residents. Based on her analysis, she chose Alatus, LLC. Commissioner Ortega stated that his primary concern was to identify a corporate sponsor. He wanted to choose a master developer that would best be able to be an advocate for the JDA in attracting corporate users. Given the County's significant financial investment in this project, he was concerned with making the County financially whole. He discussed his experience working with Opus in Saint Paul and named the Opus/Pulte team as his first choice for master developer. He added that he wanted the JDA to work as a team, however, and would support the majority decision. Commissioner Grant stated that for him one master developer demonstrated the attention to the vision, quality of development, and sense of place that he felt was very important. He felt that one developer best brings a group of diverse housing types to TCAAP. He named Alatus, LLC as his choice for master developer. Commissioner Huffman discussed the expectations going forward and noted he would support the consensus of the group. Motion by Commissioner Holden seconded by Chair Sand to approve the selection of Alatus, LLC as Rice Creek Commons Master Developer, and direct staff to negotiate a Development Agreement with the Master Developer. Motion carried unanimously. Chair Sand thanked each of the developers for submitting proposals for this project. He understood the time and effort that was involved in this process. Development Director's Report Development Director Hutmacher had no new information for the JDA. Administrative Director's Report Administrative Director Worthington presented information on the remediation of the site. She anticipated the County would be receiving final certification on the site sometime this summer. She noted the County was in negotiations for the primer tracer site for the solar panel installation. She commented on the County Road H project noting construction would begin next week. She was pleased to report the project came in under the engineer's estimate. She explained the creek re -meander project would be completed mid -summer. Commissioner Holden asked if any remediation work was needed on the primer tracer property. Administrative Director Worthington reported remediation work would be needed. Commissioner Updates Commissioner Grant thanked the JDA staff for all of their work on the master developer process. Commissioner Ortega appreciated the JDA staff as well and thanked them for a job well done. Future Meeting Schedule The next meeting will be Monday, June 6, 2016, at Arden Hills City Hall. Meeting adjourned at 5:55 pm. &�z — Approved C%xJ� David B. Sand, Chair Date