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Home My WebLink About12 Dec 2021 NewsletterThe Official City Newsletter for Arden Hills Residents December 2021 City Council Statement on TCAAP/Rice Creek Commons Project With the litigation brought by Ramsey County against the City concluded favorably to the City, the Council remains committed to supporting the TCAAP/Rice Creek Commons redevelopment project to achieve the same goals it established in January of 2016: The City seeks to have the development provide a true mixed-use village of office, manufacturing, retail space and housing for the area that provides new tax revenues, a diverse blend of land uses, high wage jobs, and the efficient delivery of public and private services that will enhance but remain complementary to existing development within the City. In regard to affordability, the City recognizes the need for affordable and life cycle housing with a particular focus on young professionals, move-up housing, and senior citizens. It is important to note that the City itself does NOT regulate affordable housing, in-fact the City is not standing in the way of increased affordability on the site, but it cannot divert funds from every-day operations, like police and fire protection or road maintenance to pay for additional affordable housing. The County and/or Master Developer may seek outside funding sources to make TCAAP more affordable. This would be above and beyond the affordability measures already built in to TCAAP as part of the City’s goals established back in 2016. For density, the City’s current land use and comprehensive plan contemplate a maximum of 1,460 residential units at an overall average density of no greater than 9.46 units per acre. That density is roughly three times greater than the current city average density, and unlike other developments identified that have a broader grid network of streets for access and readily available public transportation, Rice Creek Commons is dependent on a single spine road with two primary ingress and egress points north and south for its transportation needs and is planned for a higher concentration of office, manufacturing, commercial and retail uses than those other developments. The planned level of density aims to keep TCAAP a viable, long-term investment for the region, while not overbuilding to the point of creating more problems for the local infrastructure, such as, extreme traffic congestion. Times have changed, and the needs and constraints of the existing and future residents of the City will also change as the project progresses, which is why the City is committed to continue its discussions with the Master Developer and the County through the established Joint Development Authority to review the changing dynamics. But that cannot happen unless and until the County recommits to the previously agreed to process. In the absence of an open and transparent process, the public will be left to wonder. City Offices will be closed on December 24th and December 31st. The City Council and Staff wish you a very happy and safe holiday season! Councilmember Dave McClung, Councilmember Dave McClung, a dedicated and long-standing a dedicated and long-standing member of the City Council, member of the City Council, passed away earlier this month. passed away earlier this month. The January/February Newsletter The January/February Newsletter will include a longer piece will include a longer piece recognizing him and his service to recognizing him and his service to the City. The City will be taking the City. The City will be taking applications until December applications until December 29th at City Hall for the vacant 29th at City Hall for the vacant City Council spot which will City Council spot which will run through the end of 2022. run through the end of 2022. Interviews will be held the first Interviews will be held the first week of January. Visit City Hall week of January. Visit City Hall or our website for additional or our website for additional information.information. Holiday Hours Learn about proposed projects and to advise the City Council by volunteering. The current vacancies include the Planning Commission, Financial Planning and Analysis Committee, Economic Development Commission, and Parks, Trails, and Recreation Committee. Please visit cityofardenhills.org/125/ Commissions-Committees for more information about each opportunity. Volunteers Needed Speed Limit Change Recycle Your Holiday Lights Looking for a fun family activity this holiday season? Take a drive to the best and brightest local displays. The downloadable Holiday Lights Map will be available December 11 on our website. Take the tour and vote on your favorite displays by December 28. Prizes will be awarded to the top contenders. This event is a collaboration among the cities of Arden Hills, Mounds View, New Brighton, Roseville, and Shoreview. For more information, visit cityofardenhills. org/1034/Community-Events, or contact Joe Vaughan at jvaughan@ cityofardenhills.org. 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 by dropping them off at our collection bin located by the main entrance at City Tour Festive Light Displays Close to Home Hall 1245 Highway 96 W in Arden Hills from 8AM-4:30PM Monday- Fridays. Holiday lights will be accepted until Friday, January 28, 2021. For more information, visit RamseyRecycles.com The City Council has begun preliminary discussions about decreasing the Citywide speed limit on city streets to 25mph. City staff is currently planning for the next steps in this transition. Information will be provided to residents when it becomes available. The project is anticipated to begin as soon as possible and completed by Spring 2022. Arden Hills Service Directory Arden Hills City Hall 1245 West Highway 96 Arden Hills, MN 55112-5734 cityofardenhills.org 651-792-7800 Office Hours Monday–Friday: 8 a.m.–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 Grace Arel ● 651-792-7817 garel@cityofardenhills.org Communications Committee Council Liaison Fran Holmes Council meetings are held at City Hall on the second and fourth Mondays of the month at 7 p.m. Meetings are televised live on Cable Channel 16. Planning Commission meetings are also televised. Please 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. Benchmarks - A Review of Recent Council Action November 8, 2021 Special City Council Meeting All items were approved unanimously by a 5–0 vote. • Approved the 2022 Curbside Recycling Fees for Republic Services, the city’s curbside recycling provider, to increase from $57.50 to $58.00, which amount is added to the upcoming year’s property taxes. • Approved the 2022- 2024 Agreement for Law Enforcement Services with the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office. The total 2022 budget for the Sheriff’s contract is $10,728,194.74, and Arden Hills’ share of this is $1,394,124.89 or 13 percent of the Sheriff’s total budget. • Approved the appointment of Katlyn Adair to the position of Accounting Clerk. State of the City November 22, 2021 City Council Meeting All items were approved unanimously by a 5–0 vote. • Accepted a donation from the Arden Hills Foundation in the amount of $3,668.00 to improve our City parks with hot coal receptacles, large charcoal grills, and concrete pads. • Approved appointment of Steve Thorp to the position of Building Official. • Approved a Professional Services Agreement with HR Green for proposed improvements at Arden Manor Park (funded, in part, through a Community Development Block Grant) and Floral Park, which includes design, public engagement, council meetings, Open-House, Did you know that one teaspoon of salt permanently pollutes five gallons of water? Salt can make sidewalks and roadways safer, but salty run off settles in lakes, wetlands, and soil. Salty run off raises the risk of surface and groundwater contamination. So, how much salt do you need? A 12 oz. mug is enough salt for 10 sidewalk squares or a 20-foot driveway. Here are some smart salting tips: • Shovel walkways before snow turns to ice and before you apply salt—the more snow you clear manually, the less salt you’ll need. Smart Salting CDBG administration items, Rice Creek Watershed grant application and administration, design for both parks, bidding assistance, and construction observation. • Approved Site Plan Review for Scannell Properties, LLC to install an additional parking area for tenants of the 250,000 square foot office and warehousing facility, located south of the cul-de-sac on Gateway Blvd and north of Interstate 694 and east of 35W. This parking area was previously identified as proof of parking during the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) approval. For a complete listing of recent City Council action, visit cityofardenhills.org and click on View Agendas & Minutes. The State of the City address is on the City’s website, tune-in for updates from the Council about the City. Due to COVID, the presentation was pre- recorded again this year. View the video at cityofardenhills.org/ CivicMedia?VID=16. • Salt doesn’t melt ice if the pavement is below 15 degrees, so use sand for traction when it’s too cold. • Use salt only where it’s critical, leaving plenty of space between granules. Sweep up leftover salt, sand, and de-icer to save and reuse as needed. Inside Arden Hills, MN . 55112-5734 ECR-WSS PRST STD U.S. Postage Paid Twin Cities, MN Permit #1710 Postal Customer City Council Statement on TCAAP Holiday Lights Information Smart Salting City Council Benchmarks The Arden Hills Foundation was created to provide an opportunity to connect generous donors with community needs and desires. It was founded nine years ago, in October 2012, as an incorporated 501(c)(3) charity. It is run solely by community volunteers. Although it bears the city’s name, it is not part of city government. It has its own Board of Directors and finances. No money comes from the city. Quite the opposite, the Arden Hills Foundation has made several donations to the city for the purchase of items that were not in the city budget. It has made donations to other organizations as well. All donations to the Arden Hills Foundation (AHF) come from local residents, businesses, and organizations. Because this is an entirely volunteer run organization, overhead expenses can be kept to a minimum. The Arden Hills Foundation’s mission is to use donated money to maintain, enhance, and enrich the quality of life for those who live, work, and play in Arden Hills by: • Identifying opportunities to aid our community • Providing tax deductibility • Aggregating smaller donations to fund larger-ticket items • Accepting and tracking donations given for designated purposes • Satisfying the requirements of donors whose gifts must be given to charitable organizations • Making wise use of donated funds The AHF does not directly purchase items or run programs; it is a source of funding for those who do these things. To date the AHF has: • Donated $1,800 for Park and Recreation scholarships • Donated money for 15 park benches • Supported 10 projects to improve water quality in Karth Lake • Donated to 3 projects to improve basketball facilities in city parks • Donated to four park landscaping projects • Donated money for 14 new or replacement Neighborhood Watch signs This fall the AHF is funding improvements for city parks— you may notice new trash barrel lids have started getting installed. Cummings and Perry Parks will see hot charcoal receptacles installed and planning is underway for the addition of charcoal grills in those parks. If you would like to contribute to these types of projects, donations can be dropped off at City Hall (they will forward them to the AHF) or mailed to: Arden Hills Foundation 3673 Lexington Ave N, H-2, #315 Arden Hills, MN 55126 If you have questions, ideas for future projects, or are interested in becoming active on the Board of Directors, please contact the Arden Hills Foundation at ardenhillsfoundation@gmail.com Arden Hills Foundation