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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDecember 2019The Official City Newsletter for Arden Hills Residents December 2019 The city’s 2040 Comprehensive plan was approved by the Metropolitan Council on November 13 and, as of the printing of this newsletter, is expected to be adopted by the City Council on November 25. Visit cityofardenhills.org/2040compplan to view the plan’s chapters and the future land use map. The Metropolitan Land Planning Act requires cities in the metropolitan area to update their comprehensive plans every 10 years. The local plans of each municipality build upon the regional planning vision, adopted as part of the Metropolitan Council’s regional development plan, Thrive MSP 2040. The comprehensive plan is a planning tool that helps guide future growth and development in the community. It establishes a community vision and set of goals that will inform decisions and policies on a range of issues, such as land use, housing, parks and recreation, transportation and natural resources, and it provides a framework for making budget decisions. Met Council Approves City’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan On November 5, voters in Ramsey County elected Nicole Joy Frethem of Shoreview to serve as the District 1 County Commissioner. Local voters also approved the Mounds View School District levy and elected school board members for the Mounds View and Roseville Area Schools’ districts, as follows: (Mounds View) Heidi Danielson, James DeMay, Jonathan Weinhagen and Sandra Westerman; (Roseville) Todd Anderson, Mike Boguszewski and Rose Chu. Visit the Minnesota Secretary of State election results web page for details at sos.state.mn.us. November 5 Election Results The City Council voted to delay its ban on the sale of flavored tobacco products until December 31, 2020, or until the District Court issues a final judgment regarding a complaint filed by a local tobacco retailer, whichever comes first. The complaint against the City Council stems from the city’s July 9 ordinance change that regulates the sale of flavored tobacco products by retailers in the city. The part of the ordinance that calls for increasing the age to 21 to purchase tobacco products went into effect on July 1, 2019. Council Delays Ban on Sale of Flavored Tobacco Holiday Hours at City Hall City offices will be open from 8:00 am. to Noon on December 24 and December 31. Offices will be closed December 25 and New Year's Day. The City Council and Staff wish you a happy holiday season. Arden Hills Service Directory 1245 West Highway 96 Arden Hills, MN 55112-5734 www.cityofardenhills.org 651-792-7800 Office Hours Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 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 612-599-2457 fholmes@cityofardenhills.org Dave McClung 651-332-0352 dmcclung@cityofardenhills.org Steve Scott 651-604-0919 sscott@cityofardenhills.org City Administrator Dave Perrault 651-792-7824 dperrault@cityofardenhills.org Communications Coordinator Dawn Skelly 651-792-7817 dskelly@cityofardenhills.org Council meetings are held at City Hall on the second and fourth Mondays of the month at 7:00 p.m. Meetings are televised live on Cable Channel 16. Meetings of the Planning Commission are televised as well. Visit cityofardenhills.org for information about archived meeting playbacks. Arden Hills Notes is the official newsletter of the City of Arden Hills, an equal-opportunity employer. City News Updates The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office is hosting a Citizen Academy course in January and February 2020. This eight-session course will take participants on a behind-the-scenes journey of the work and activities of the Sheriff’s Office. The course will begin Wednesday, January 8 and continue through Wednesday, February 26. Sessions will run each Wednesday for three hours per night, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The course is designed to give citizens a better understanding of the duties, responsibilities, equipment, training and facilities of the Sheriff’s Office. Topics include patrol procedures, K-9, criminal investigations, crime scene processing, narcotics, crime prevention and the communication center (911 system). The academy will also include the topics of court orders, civil process, criminal history and warrants. In addition to classroom training, participants will receive tours of the patrol station, the adult detention center (jail), County Courthouse, Law Enforcement Center and other Sheriff's Office facilities. To request an application via email, send your request to CrimePrevention@co.ramsey.mn.us. For additional information, call 651-266-7315. Applications must be received by Tuesday, December 17, 2019. Council Expands Neighborhood Meeting Policy Sheriff’s Office Citizen Academy scheduled for 2020 The City Council recently approved an updated policy requiring a neighborhood meeting be held for certain major land use applications for projects that are located adjacent to or within a residential zoning district. Neighborhood meetings allow the applicant to get feedback from those directly impacted by the project and to reduce concerns and issues. Neighborhood meetings were previously recommended but not required as part of the development approval process. The Council also expanded the notification distance for Planning Commission and City Council meetings. Minnesota State Statutes requires cities to notify all property owners within a minimum of 350 feet of a subject property when a public hearing is to occur related to a land use or zoning application. The approved policy expands the mailing distance to all property owners within 500 feet of the subject property for all land use requests that do not require a public hearing and to 1,000 feet for land use requests that do require a public hearing. The intent of this change in policy is to encourage involvement of residents in the planning process. Benchmarks: A Review of Recent City Council Action Development Updates October 28, 2019 All items approved unanimously by 5-0 vote. • Accepted a donation from the Arden Hills Foundation in the amount of $500 to be used to provide scholarships for residents in need of assistance to participate in City Parks and Recreation programs. • Approved a variance at 1314 Cannon Avenue to permit construction of a four-season porch addition to the existing home within the current legal- nonconforming side yard setback. • Approved a variance at 1932 County Road E to permit construction of a detached garage to encroach into the front setback. • Approved a site plan review for Johanna Shores at 3200 Lake Johanna Boulevard to construct an emergency power supply system on the north side of the property, which will replace two existing systems. • Approved an interim use permit to allow the temporary use of the building at 1901 Lake Valentine Road for a temporary weight room/fitness center for a period to expire no later than October 1, 2020. November 12, 2019 Councilmember Holden excused. All items approved unanimously by 4-0 vote. • Appointed Jennifer Shull to the position of Public Works Office support specialist. • Approved the 2020 annual curbside and non-curbside recycling fees for residents and approved the recycling services contract with Republic Services to extend the current contract from May 4, 2020, to May 3, 2021. • Held a public hearing and approved a wine and beer liquor license for Namaste India, formerly known as Nutmeg Brewing (Bidhipur Brewing Company) located at 3673 Lexington Avenue. • Held a public hearing and approved vacation of easements for Northridge Apartments Addition, which is to be developed as Summit Senior Living located at 4177 Old Highway 10. For a complete listing of recent City Council action, visit cityofardenhills.org and click on View Agendas & Minutes. The Pot O’Gold Bingo Hall property located at 3776 Connelly Avenue is for sale. The property is zoned B2 General Business and comprises 2.19 acres. Bethel University Expands Academic Commons Building Marriott Springhill Suites Frames up New Hotel Pot O’Gold Bingo Hall Property for Sale Bethel University is constructing a new 20,000-square-foot addition to the Academic Commons Building for its science programs. The property is located at 3900 Bethel Drive. Construction is continuing at 3920 Northwoods Drive, where Hawkeye Hotels is building a Marriott Springhill Suites hotel that will include 139 guest room suites. Site work began in fall 2017 and the developer began construction in January 2019. The exterior structure has been built and a roof has been placed. Congratulations to city Building Official Rob Ward, who recently received state delegation to begin inspecting schools and other state- regulated building projects. Congratulations Rob Ward Winter Weather Tips Salting and Sanding • Use salt and sand for driveways and walkways sparingly. De-icing salt typically stops working when temperatures fall below 15 degrees. • Be sure to sweep up salt and sand from bare driveways and sidewalks for reuse and to prevent it from washing away and into storm drains. • Ramsey County has free salt and sand mix for county residents only. This can be a good alternative to using straight salt on driveways and walkways. The mix is available behind the Ramsey County Public Works building at 1425 Paul Kirkwold Drive (off of Hamline Avenue and Highway 96). Follow the service road around the west side of the building. Residents can take bucket-sized amounts, and must bring their own containers. Truckloads are not allowed. The site is not staffed, so please plan to remove and carry the mix by yourself. The mix is in a truck and labeled free for use. It will be available as long as it lasts. Snow Clearing • Remove your vehicles from the street when snow has accumulated to two inches and until plows have cleared the street. Overnight parking on city streets is prohibited. • Do not push snow from your driveway into or across the street. • Place trash recycling containers at the end of your driveway, rather than in the street, during winter. • Keep nearby fire hydrants clear of snow to save emergency response time. • Under Minnesota law, it is illegal to leave the car unattended and running with the keys in the ignition. • Make certain your tires are properly inflated. Never mix radial tires with other tire types. • Do not use cruise control when driving on any slippery surface (wet, ice or sand). Phishing is the fraudulent practice of sending emails purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers. Security organizations reported that cybercriminals have been increasing their use of fraudulent shipping notifications to spread malware and steal login credentials and/or money. Security organizations expect these attacks to increase during the holiday season. These malicious shipping alerts—which mimic messages from familiar companies like UPS, FedEx, DHL, and USPS— are being seen across a variety of industries and individual consumers. Because organizations and consumers frequently receive valid shipping alerts, it is important to be vigilant and look carefully at all messages in order to spot malicious messages that imitate well-known brands. Do not respond to requests to verify your password or credit card information unless you initiated the contact. Legitimate businesses will not contact you in this manner. Beware of Fraudulent Shipping Notices This Holiday Season Driving & Safety The holidays are a great time to recycle, because Americans throw away 25 percent more trash than other times of the year. Some of that trash can be recycled. Consider recycling the following items this season: Holiday Lights Do you have strings of holiday lights that no longer work? Perhaps you’re switching to energy efficient LED lights this year. Recycle holiday lights and old electrical cords by dropping them off at Arden Hills City Hall in our collection bin at 1245 Highway 96 W., or bring them to Ramsey County’s household hazardous waste collection site at 5 Empire Drive, St. Paul. Live Christmas Tree Keep your tree out of landfills by bringing it to any Ramsey County yard waste collection site where it will be mulched. Please remove all decorations, wire, lights and tinsel. Flocked trees are not accepted and may be placed in the trash. The Arden Hills yard waste site is located at 3530 Hudson Avenue and is open Saturdays 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from December through March. Leftovers If you anticipate leftovers, ask your guests to bring their own leftover containers so everyone can enjoy leftovers and limit food waste. Food Scraps Get started with food scraps (organics recycling) and bring to your scraps to your local collection site at the Arden Hills Yard Waste Site, 3530 Hudson Avenue. Wrapping Paper Most mass-produced wrapping paper you find in stores is not recyclable because of the shiny coatings, foils and colors, and therefore needs to be thrown away. Try these wrapping alternatives: newspaper, tin cans or jars, paper grocery bags, fabric scraps, scarves, maps or even pillow cases. Gifts The best gifts are experiences: tickets to a sports game, trips to a zoo, lessons of some type, transit passes or even a homemade dinner. Commit to Going Green for the Holidays Ramsey County’s Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) program accepts all types of rechargeable batteries, as well as some non-rechargeable batteries. Rechargeable batteries can be found in cell phones, computers, drones and toothbrushes, and are becoming more common in lawn mowers, chainsaws and all kinds of power tools. When they wear out or are no longer needed, they must be disposed of safely. Lithium batteries can cause fires in the trash, at recycling facilities and in collection trucks. Only alkaline and carbon zinc batteries are safe to throw in the trash. All other batteries should be brought to a HHW collection site, where staff will sort them and tape the terminals (positive and negative ends) for safe transport to a recycling facility to be made into new products. Check the battery label for battery type, or staff can assist you. Mobile HHW collection is at the Public Works Facility, 1245 Paul Kirkwold Drive during weekends in May and July. The HHW site at 5 Empire Drive in Saint Paul is open year round. Hours are Fridays and Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., December through March. For more information, visit www.ramseycounty.us. Ramsey County Collects Batteries for Recycling Courtesy of Ohio EPA Inside Arden Hills, MN . 55112-5734 Met Council Approves Comprehensive Plan Development Updates Winter Safety Tips Holiday Recycling Ideas Made in Arden Hills Features Sweet Chocolat Sweet Chocolat is a small artisan chocolatier located in Arden Hills at 3537B Lexington Ave N in Arden Plaza. The company makes fresh- tempered chocolate daily for sale in store or online. Individual or boxed chocolates are sold in a variety of types and flavors, along with gift baskets, shapes and logo’d items. “Sweet Chocolat was born out of a love for good chocolate, and with our commitment to quality and customer service, we feel we provide high value to our customers as well as provide a fun place to shop,” said Jeff Hansen, owner. Three Things to Know 1.Sweet Chocolat offers unique chocolate selections for individuals, families, friends or business clients that are hand- made and custom-designed. “Endless possibilities exist to combine different types of chocolate, flavors, colors and decorations for assortments, gift baskets or party trays,” Hansen said. 2.Customers can sweeten their events with personalized chocolates that bear their name or business logo. After emailing the logo artwork, customers receive a proof for approval. It takes 1-2 weeks for the custom molds to be produced and then 3-4 days to actually make the chocolates. 3.Sweet Chocolat carries and makes a variety of shapes such as loons, baby booties, lipsticks and scissors, to name a few. Assorted truffles, sea salt caramels, cherry cordials and cherry licorice bites with white chocolate are available for purchase, as well as chocolate covered nuts, cookies, potato chips and pretzels. For more information, contact Sweet Chocolat at 651-488-6340, or visit mysweetchocolat.com.