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Home My WebLink About05 JUNE NL 2022 (PDF)The Official City Newsletter for Arden Hills Residents June 2022 City and Alatus Agree on Terms for the Rice Creek Commons (TCAAP) Project At the May 9, 2022 meeting, the City Council approved an agreement between the City and Alatus for the TCAAP project, otherwise known as Rice Creek Commons. The agreement on Rice Creek Commons is the culmination of months of discussions and planning between City representatives and Alatus. The agreement follows a court ruling in Arden Hills' favor in the litigation that was brought by Ramsey County against the City. The terms significantly reduce risk to the City and will be incorporated into a future Master Development Agreement (MDA). Highlights of the agreement include risk reduction for the City, Tax Increment Financing (TIF) for parking, and affordable housing on the site. One of Council’s longstanding goals with this project is to avoid burdening, or putting at risk, current residents. This agreement mitigates the risk to existing residents by having Alatus privately finance major infrastructure pieces of the project to include the construction of a water tower (estimated at $5 million), and water and sewer utilities (estimated at $3.5 million), and other necessary improvements. This financing structure alleviates the City and its residents of a debt burden should the project stall due to unforeseen circumstances. Alatus has also agreed to fund City deficits on the project during the first five years should revenues not be sufficient to cover expenses. Furthermore, the developer will reimburse the City for previously incurred planning costs of $1 million. The developer has also agreed to construct three new City parks, previously estimated at $14.5 million. These parks will be funded by the developer and turned over to the City. In addition, $17 million of TIF funding will be provided to the site for a parking solution. The Rice Creek Commons project will include 326 units of affordable housing, of which 20 percent will be owner-occupied. Of the 326 units, 180 units are planned to be affordable at 50 percent and 60 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI) for Ramsey County. Other previously established criteria of the development will remain part of the agreement. For example, the overall density on the site will be 1,460 housing units. When fully developed, the project will also create an estimated 4,000 additional jobs as well as new commercial, retail, and industrial development. The City hopes that Ramsey County will soon reach an agreement and sell the property to the developer to move this nearly $1 billion development forward.1 Looking North from the Southern Portion of the Rice Creek Commons Property Service Directory Arden Hills City Hall 1245 West Highway 96 Arden Hills, MN 55112-5734 www.cityofardenhills.org 651-792-7800 Summer Office Hours Monday–Thursday: 7:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Friday: 7:30 a.m.–11:30 a.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 Steve Scott ● 651-604-0919 sscott@cityofardenhills.org David Radziej ● 651-356-5928 dradziej@cityofardenhills.org City Administrator Dave Perrault ● 651-792-7824 dperrault@cityofardenhills.org Communications Coordinator Grace Arel ● 651-792-7817 garel@cityofardenhills.org City Council Liasons Fran Holmes and David Radziej Resident Resources cityofardenhills.org/1091/Resident- Resources 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. City News Speed Limit Hearing to be held on June 27th A public hearing will be held on June 27th at the regular City Council meeting. The Council is seeking resident input on the potential change of the city-wide speed limit. The current Ordinance sets the speed limit at 30mph. The proposal reduces the speed limit to 25mph on city roads. Changes to this Ordinance would not apply to county or state roads, such as Lake Johanna Blvd, Snelling Ave, Hamline Ave N, or New Brighton Rd. 2021 Drinking Water Report Available The City’s 2021 Consumer Confidence Report (also known as the Drinking Water Report) is now available online at cityofardenhills.org/ drinkingwaterreport. EyeonWater Need help with monitoring how much water you’re using? EyeOnWater offers a simple, user-friendly solution. It tracks usage and allows users to set up alerts that may indicate a leaky toilet or sprinkler system, for instance. Access this tool on the app or online at eyeonwater.com/signup. Garage Sales and Soliciting in Arden Hills Summer is primetime for garage sales and door-to-door soliciting. Did you know that in Arden Hills, hosting a garage sale and soliciting both require a permit? To apply for a no-fee garage sale permit, use the online Garage Sale Application found at cityofardenhills.org/garagesale. Each garage sale is limited to three days or less and no more than two garage sales are permitted per year. To advertise the sale, all signage must follow the guidelines outlined in the application. Similarly, vendors that wish to go door-to-door to promote their business are required to obtain a license from the City Clerk. They are subject to a background check and must carry their city-issued license on their person at all times. If a solicitor visits you, they must be able to provide their license (pictured) if requested. They are also subjected to regulations regarding hours of operation, which are limited to 9:00am-7:00pm everyday. If you do not wish to receive peddlers or solicitors at your home, the city encourages you to display a sign that says, "Peddlers, Solicitors, and Transient Merchants Prohibited," or something similar. If you have any questions, issues, or concerns, please contact the City Clerk at 651-792-7811 during regular business hours or call 911 outside of normal business hours. Stay informed about the latest events & news Sign up to receive "Notify Me" news notifications via text and email. Construction project updates and this newsletter are just a few examples of items you can receive updates about. Visit cityofardenhills.org/list.aspx to sign up for news that is important to you! Unsubscribe at any time. 2 Benchmarks: A Review of Recent Council Action 3 May 9, 2022 City Council Meeting All items were approved unanimously by a 5–0 vote. • Proclaimed the week of May 11-17, 2022 as National Police Week in Arden Hills. This proclamation publicly salutes the service of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Department, the law enforcement officers of our community and the service of law enforcement officers in communities across the nation. • Held a special assessment hearing and adopted the assessment roll for the Snelling Avenue North and Cummings Lane Street and Utility Improvement Project. • Adopted Term Sheet for Rice Creek Commons, a contractual agreement between the City of Arden Hills, and Alatus Arden Hills LLC, subject to a definitive Redevelopment Agreement by the City and Alatus. May 23, 2022 Special City Council Meeting Except where indicated, all items were approved unanimously by a 5–0 vote. • Approved the 2021 City of Arden Hills Financial Report and Audit Results. The auditors have issued an unmodified (“clean”) opinion on the City’s financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021. • Accepted donation from the Arden Hills Foundation in the amount of $1,000 for gardening work done in Floral Park, given by Graco Corporation & resident Dan Dietz. • Passed a Resolution supporting the City of Arden Hills commitment to the Suburban Ramsey County Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Network, uniting the cities of suburban Ramsey County in support of service members, veterans, and military families. • Approved a Resolution providing Municipal Support Parks & Recreation Upcoming Events: Snake Discovery on June 21 Join us at Cummings Park at 10am to learn about reptiles and amphibians. The audience will get to watch a salamander eat, debunk turtle myths, and touch snakes, free of cost! Arden Hills' Bees Event on June 30 Join us for a presentation at 10am in Hazelnut Park where kids and parents alike can learn about Arden Hills’ bees! Bees are a vital part of our ecosystem. Bring your questions and bee ready for a great time! Penny Carnival on July 22 Gather up your change and celebrate the end of the 2022 Parks and Recreation Playground Programs at the annual Penny Carnival. Don't miss fun carnival games, face painting, a caricature artist and more, free of cost! Bark & Rec on July 30 Join the Arden Hills Parks and Recreation Department for the annual Bark & Rec Day at Perry Park from 1:00-3:00 p.m. Bring your dog to the off-leash area and make a fun craft your pet will love to wear. Free refreshments and snacks will be offered. Free of cost. Night to Unite on August 2 This annual statewide event will take place on Tuesday, August 2, 2022. It is designed to forge and strengthen bonds between citizens, businesses, and public safety organizations such as the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office. To organize and register a Night to Unite event in your neighborhood, you can find inspiration, information, and materials at cityofardenhills.org/ unite for Ramsey County’s recommended roundabout improvement at the intersection of County Rd E and Old Snelling Ave planned for construction in 2023. The City and the County engaged in a community engagement process as part of the preliminary design effort to gather and consider public feedback for the proposed project. (Motion carried 3-2, Radziej, Holden opposed). • Approved the Site Plan Review for Baker Hostetler LLP on behalf of Saltbox to reconfigure the parking lot layout for tenants of the 113,000 square foot office and warehousing facility at 4440 Round Lake Road W. • Approved a variance to allow an addition onto the rear of the single-family dwelling located at 1152 Benton Way. (Motion carried 4-1, Holden opposed). For a complete listing of recent City Council actions, visit cityofardenhills. org and click on “View Agendas and Minutes.” Inside Speed Limit Hearing on June 27th Garage Sale Information Parks and Recreation Upcoming Summer Events 2021 Drinking Water Report Postal Customer Arden Hills, MN . 55112-5734 ECR-WSS PRST STD U.S. Postage Paid TWIN CITIES, MN Permit #1710 6 With the summer here, many residents enjoy having recreational fires. Such fires are allowed in the Lake Johanna Fire Department district; however, the following rules apply. • The fire can be no larger than 3 feet by 3 feet, and no higher than 3 feet. • The fire must be constructed in a fire "ring" or pit at least 25 feet away from any combustible material or structure. • The wind speed must be below 10mph. • Flammable liquids or accelerant may not be used. • Any person having a recreational fire must be aware of local burning restrictions, which can be found at cityofardenhills.org/ burning-restrictions. • Any open burning is restricted to vegetative, non-polluting material that cannot be practically composted or chipped. Only clean natural wood may be burned. Treated or painted wood, plastic, rubber, leaves and grass are not allowed. • Buckets, shovels, garden hoses or a fire extinguisher with a minimum 4-A rating must be readily available for use at recreational fires. • A person knowledgeable in the use of fire extinguishing equipment must constantly attend the fire until such fire has been completely extinguished. The fire department is authorized to require that recreational fires be immediately discontinued if it is determined that smoke emissions are offensive to occupants of surrounding property or if the fire is determined to constitute a hazardous condition. Violation of any of the above rules will result in the immediate extinguishment of the fire and potential citation with fines of $150. Visit ljfd.org/recFire for more information. Recreational Fires