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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-08-23-R lt �- SI�EN HILLS Approved: May 22, 2023 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MAY 8, 2023 7:00 P.M. - ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor David Grant called to order the regular City Council meeting at 7:00 p.m. Present: Mayor David Grant, Councilmembers, Brenda Holden, Emily Rousseau, Tena Monson and Tom Fabel Absent: None Also present: City Administrator Dave Perrault; Public Works Director/City Engineer David Swearingen; Community Development Director Jessica Jagoe; Finance Director Gayle Bauman; and Assistant to the City Administrator/City Clerk Julie Hanson PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Councilmember Fabel requested Item 7B removed from the Consent Agenda for discussion as Item 8A. Councilmember Monson requested Items I OA and 1 OB be switched in order on the agenda. Councilmember Holden stated she believed Items IOA and IOB were both important but noted she could support these items being switched. MOTION: Councilmember Rousseau moved and Councilmember Holden seconded a motion to approve the meeting ap_enda as amended. The motion carried (5-0). 2. PUBLIC INQUIRIES/INFORMATIONAL Donna Wiemann, 1406 Arden View Drive, stated Agenda Item IOB would allow the Council to have a discussion about an open house regarding TCAAP. She proposed alternative ways to involve the public in this development. She suggested formal community dialogues be held, as well as consensus building discussions and visionary and listening sessions. She believed if the City and County wished to have meaningful input and truly wanted to be transparent, she hoped ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—MAY 8, 2023 2 each party would allow the public to speak. She believed by including the public in the discussions it would help in the development's overall success. Maher Safi, 1 Maycomb Lane, North Oaks, provided staff with a handout. He stated he was a representative of Arden Hills Tobacco. He thanked the City Council for being proactive for the City. He discussed how the flavor ban was impacting his business and noted Arden Hills was the only city with a flavor ban that impacted existing businesses. He indicated his patrons were now having to drive to Roseville to buy flavored products. He asked that the Council consider an exemption for two years to allow his business to sell flavored tobacco products through the end of his lease, which is September of 2025. He discussed how COVID has impacted his business, along with inflation and now the construction along Lexington Avenue. He requested the Council reconsider the flavor ban that was put in place and allow his existing business to be exempt. Kathryn Nelson, 3475 Siems Court, stated she has been living in her home in Arden Hills since 1985. She expressed frustration with the amount of time and money that was being spent for an unnecessary roundabout at County Road E and Old Snelling Avenue. She asked the Council to put in pedestrian activated lights at this roundabout. She understood the roundabout was being installed for flow of traffic and not safety purposes, which was a concern to her. Richard Wenzel, 1931 Noble Road, stated he was waiting to see a copy of Ramsey County's proposal for TCAAP. He explained he asked for this a month ago and has not received any information. He questioned how the City can negotiate when only one side has a proposal. He encouraged the new Councilmembers to be transparent and to provide the residents with a proposal. He expressed frustration with the time limit that was being set on residents by the Council for the public comment period. He asked again for a comment from the Council on where the County's proposal was for TCAAP. 3. RESPONSE TO PUBLIC INQUIRIES A. Response to Public Inquiries from the April 24, 2023 City Council Meeting City Administrator Perrault explained the inquiry from the last meeting was regarding the density range on TCAAP and how it went from 1,700 to 2,200 units. He reported the Advisory Committee was considering different scenarios for the developer and the JDA to consider. He stated nothing has been decided on the density, but rather scenarios were being considered. 4. PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS A. Proclamation Recognizing May 21-27, 2023 as National Public Works Week Mayor Grant read a proclamation in full for the record declaring May 21-27, 2023 to be National Public Works Week in the City of Arden Hills. MOTION: Councilmember Fabel moved and Councilmember Rousseau seconded a motion to endorse the proclamation. The motion carried (5-0). B. Proclamation Recognizing May 9-15, 2023 as National Police Week ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—MAY 8, 2023 3 Mayor Grant read a proclamation in full for the record declaring May 9-15, 2023 to be National Police Week in the City of Arden Hills. He thanked the Ramsey County Sheriffs Department for the tremendous service they provide to the community. Councilmember Fabel thanked the Ramsey County Sheriffs Department for their dedicated service to the City of Arden Hills. He supported the Council endorsing the proclamation. MOTION: Councilmember Fabel moved and Councilmember Monson seconded a motion to endorse the proclamation. Councilmember Holden thanked the Ramsey County Sheriffs Department for their tremendous service to the community. She also thanked City and Public Works staff for their dedicated service to the City of Arden Hills and its residents. Mayor Grant stated he holds the Ramsey County Sheriffs Department in high regard. He noted he served on the Ramsey County 911 Dispatch Committee. He commented on the ride-alongs he has been on and commended the Ramsey County Deputies for being heroes in this community. Councilmember Monson reported she completed a ride-along with the Ramsey County Sheriff s Office on Friday, May 5. She noted she rode with a deputy who has a great deal of experience with mental health issues. She thanked the Public Works Department for all of their efforts on behalf of the community. The motion carried (5-0). 5. STAFF COMMENTS A. TCAAP/Rice Creek Commons Update City Administrator Perrault stated the JDA held a special worksession on Monday, May 1 where the group discussed communications planning, establishing an energy advisory committee and reviewing a roadmap for the project. It was noted JDA Commissioners Reinhardt and Monson would be serving on the Energy Advisory Committee. He explained Commissioner Fabel suggested the uses for the Campus Commercial zoning be expanded. Commissioner Monson explained the County does not have a proposal on the table. She noted the JDA was waiting for a bulleted list of items that need to be considered and noted the County was in a different financial position than they were years ago. She said that once the deal points were laid out and the economic data was available, further discussions would be held regarding each point. She stated the JDA has hired a third party consultant to assist with all communications and community engagement. She reported the Energy Advisory Committee has been tasked with completing an MOU with Xcel Energy to outline resource use and to find funding. She noted additional JDA worksession meetings would be held in between each regularly scheduled JDA meeting. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—MAY 8, 2023 4 Councilmember Holden reported the JDA hired Goff Public in the past as a third party consultant for communications. She requested further information on what Councilmember Monson meant by"deal points". Councilmember Monson stated this included density and affordability, along with environmental issues and funding for the project. She noted the attorney would be creating a list of specific deal points. Councilmember Holden asked how people would be appointed to the Energy Advisory Committee. Councilmember Monson reported she and Commissioner Reinhardt would be serving on this committee along with certain stakeholders like Xcel Energy. She was uncertain if any other members would be appointed. Councilmember Rousseau stated she was excited to see that such a committee would be formed. She asked when the AUAR would be completed. City Administrator Perrault explained staff has a proposal from Kimley Horn. He indicated staff would review the proposal and would be discussing it further with the JDA Advisory Committee. He anticipated the RFP for the AUAR would be brought to the Council for approval in several weeks. Councilmember Monson requested an update on the traffic concerns for Highway 96. City Administrator Perrault explained Ramsey County wants to review the traffic patterns on Highway 96. He stated the AUAR would review TCAAP traffic, but the City also wants to better understand outside traffic concerns along Highway 96, Hamline, Lexington Avenue, Old Highway 10, and County Road E. B. Transportation Update Public Works Director Swearingen provided the Council with an update on the work being done on Lexington Avenue and the railroad crossing. He explained the road closure at the railroad tracks would reopen on Wednesday, May 10. He noted construction would continue and access to the area businesses would continue to be open, but delays are anticipated at Lexington Avenue and I-694. He stated the most recent updates for this project can be viewed on the Ramsey County webpage. Councilmember Holden indicated none of the businesses on Lexington Avenue have been told about the roundabout by Lindey's and that access would be limited when this construction begins. Public Works Director Swearingen reported the roundabout project was bid last Thursday and the low bidder has been determined. He noted staff and the County would be meeting with the contractor for a preconstruction meeting to determine phasing and road closures. He indicated there would be two or three separate closures and this would be determined by the contractor. He noted SRF would be communicating this information to the public and local businesses. He ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—MAY 8, 2023 5 reported staff and SRF understood how important it would be to communicate the project phasing to the public. Councilmember Holden requested a communication be sent to local businesses in the next week to let them know about the upcoming project before they hire all of their summer help. Public Works Director Swearingen explained he would work with SRF and the County on this. Councilmember Monson concurred an email communication should be sent to local business owners. Mayor Grant requested the communication from staff inform business owners that this was a County led project. 6. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. April 10, 2023, Regular City Council Councilmember Holden noted she had a correction to the minutes that she discussed with staff. MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Rousseau seconded a motion to approve the April 10, 2023, Regular City Council meetinp- minutes as amended. The motion carried (5-0). 7. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Motion to Approve Consent Agenda Item - Claims and Payroll B. Motion T A„„,-eve Resolution 2023 022 Relating sting To Appr-eval of Amendment To Tv—rim—Cit�v Series—2015-Note, Series 201!A Note And Series 201 2 A Note C. Motion To Approve Acknowledgment Of The Application Of Ducks Unlimited North Suburban Chapter 239 For An Exempt Permit To Conduct A Raffle With The Event Being June 24, 2023, With No Waiting Period D. Motion To Authorize An Application For Grant Funding For Buckthorn Removal At Hazelnut And Floral Parks Utilizing Great River Greening E. Motion To Approve Invoice For Bulk Road Salt Purchase F. Motion To Approve Resolution 2023-023 Local Match Commitment For Lake Johanna Boulevard Trail Project: 2024 Met Council Regional Solicitation G. Motion To Approve Supplemental Agreement With Ramsey County For The Lexington Avenue Reconstruction Project—Vac-Truck Excavation Charges H. Motion To Approve Quotes For Pump Replacements And Pumping Services—Lift Station Nos. 7 And 13 Rehabilitation Projects MOTION: Councilmember Monson moved and Councilmember Holden seconded a motion to approve the Consent Calendar as amended and to authorize execution of all necessary documents contained therein. The motion carried ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—MAY 8, 2023 6 8. PULLED CONSENT ITEMS A. Motion To Approve Resolution 2023-022 Relating To Approval Of Amendment To The City's Series 2015 Note, Series 2011A Note And Series 2012A Note (Presbyterian Homes Of Arden Hills, Inc.) Finance Director Bauman explained the City previously issued certain conduit revenue obligations which need to be modified due to the phase out of LIBOR (used in determining the interest rate). The City's Bond Counsel has determined that the Amendments will not be considered a significant modification of the Notes and will not result in a reissuance. Staff commented further on the request and recommended adoption of a Resolution relating to Approval of the Amendment for the Notes. Mayor Grant explained LIBOR was the London Inter Bank Offer Rate which was an interest rate that was tied to the debt instruments. He reported it was his understanding LIBOR was going away. He indicated this was a housekeeping matter that needed City approval. Councilmember Fabel stated he asked to remove this item from the Consent Agenda for curiosity reasons. He explained this seems to have been a significant commitment the City made back in 2011. He indicated he was not familiar with pass-through financing and was curious with how this worked. Mayor Grant reported the City of Arden Hills and other communities have a bank qualified amount of conduit financing they can issue each year. He reported the conduit debt under consideration was issued to Presbyterian Homes to assist with their expansion. He stated the City can issue $10 million per year in conduit debt and the City receives a fee for the issuance. He noted this type of financing was still available. Finance Director Bauman stated the City currently has five or six conduit debt revenue notes outstanding. She indicated she has not been approached for a request since she has been with the City of Arden Hills, which is five years. She reported each city is allowed to issue $10 million per year in conduit debt. Councilmember Holden explained this financing was not held by the City, but rather the City simply allowed Presbyterian Homes to use the City's credit rating through this conduit debt. MOTION: Councilmember Monson moved and Councilmember Holden seconded a motion to Approve Resolution 2023-022 Relating To Approval Of Amendment To The City's Series 2015 Note, Series 2011A Note And Series 2012A Note (Presbyterian Homes Of Arden Hills, Inc.). The motion carried (5-0). 9. PUBLIC HEARINGS None. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—MAY 8, 2023 7 10. NEW BUSINESS B. Campus Commercial Use Discussion City Administrator Perrault stated Ramsey County recently issued a Request for Development Interest on the Thumb Property on TCAAP. This site is currently zoned and guided as Campus Commercial. Under the zoning code, Campus Commercial is described below: The Campus Commercial Zoning District facilitates a building format that allows multiple, single tenant buildings or campuses within the northern "Thumb" site of the Plan Area. The goal is to allow for an individual plan approach for each campus or building, based on user preferences within a range of requirements. City Administrator Perrault reported examples of currently allowed uses on the site are office, financial institution, and research and development facilities. The Joint Development Authority recently met and was supportive of expanding the allowed uses in the Campus Commercial zoning to open the possibility of additional interest. If Council is supportive, Staff would discuss additional uses on the site and make a recommendation to the Planning Commission for further consideration by the City Council. Councilmember Monson stated the JDA approved the Request for Interest (RFI) on the thumb property in April. Once this was approved, the JDA wanted the Council to talk about expanding the potential uses on the thumb. She noted a lot has happened since this property was zoned Campus Commercial years ago. She stated the market conditions have changed for office space which was the reason for asking the City to reconsider the zoning for this property in order to maximize the value and expand the allowed uses of the property. She requested this item be sent to the Planning Commission in order to have them consider additional potential uses within the Campus Commercial zoning district. Councilmember Holden reported she believed Director Collins stated it best at the JDA meeting that this was not a good idea. She feared that in a rush to do this so fast, there were now complications by opening this up and changing who could bid now. She indicated the City could be missing out on a great opportunity the way it stands now. She stated if a change was made, she wanted it to be done responsibly. She did not want Alatus or Costco to get the project just because a change was being made after the fact. She stated this was the warning from Director Collins. She understood there were a lot of businesses interested in this property and she did not believe now was the right time pull the tablecloth out but rather the direction of staff should be followed. She suggested if no acceptable bids are received, the City could then reconsider what the zoning and uses should be for this property and issue the RFI again at that time. Councilmember Monson commented Director Collins was concerned about this discussion and that the City would have a preference as to who would go there. She indicated the JDA was not trying to determine this, but rather was trying to open up the property to get the best project possible. In order to best expand the pool of candidates, she supported this being further discussed. She reported the JDA does not have anybody in mind for this property. Rather, the office climate has changed and perhaps the Council could consider expanding the uses for this property. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—MAY 8, 2023 8 Councilmember Rousseau requested comment from staff. City Administrator Perrault reported at the May 1 JDA worksession meeting, Director Collins did have concerns about limiting the use on this property or messaging or signaling there was one bidder in mind. He indicated the JDA Advisory Committee met on Thursday, May 4 and had a discussion. At that point, Director Collins indicated she supported expanding the uses in the Campus Commercial district. This was followed up with an e-mail from Director Collins to the City. Councilmember Fabel read an email he received from Director Collins from Ramsey County to clear up any misunderstanding. He explained the County fully supports the City's review of land uses for the thumb parcel, and any other TCAAP parcel that will help to realize market potential and promote the creation of jobs and economic development. He reported the initial intent for this parcel was for a corporate campus, when defined six or seven years ago. However, there has been dramatic changes to office climate since COVID. He commented in the past four years of inactivity interest rates have sky rocketed along with inflation. He explained Ramsey County was not in the same financial position that they were four or five years ago and could not fund the spine road and mass grading. He reported until Ramsey County was in a position to begin funding these items, the project would continue to languish. He indicated the sale of the thumb property would assist in raising much needed capital. He noted the sale would be consistent with the vision for the TCAAP property. He discussed how the Rice Creek Commons development was to create economic prosperity, build an inclusive economy, have a long range sustainable development and develop an energy forward community by providing much needed housing at a variety of income levels, including affordable housing and creating well paying jobs. He asked that the Planning Commission be allowed to identify uses that would be allowed under the existing City Code in order to maximize the opportunity to have that property sold in order to move TCAAP forward. Mayor Grant stated he understood interest rates have changed, along with the office climate. He discussed how the thumb parcel was set aside for jobs and prosperity. He was of the opinion the uses for this property should have been adjusted prior to the County sending out an RFI. He questioned if the County was worried about not receiving proposals for the site. He believed the County was correct when Director Collins expressed her concern. He supported the development community going through the RFI process but questioned why the JDA was trying to change the rules after the game had started. He understood the City wanted to get the highest and best use for this property. He indicated this parcel was in a prime location because it was directly off I-35W and was near I-694. He supported the RFI staying the course. Councilmember Holden agreed with Councilmember Monson that the idea was to get as much out of this parcel as possible. However, she did not believe now was the right time to rethink the uses for this property, given the fact it was right in the middle of an RFI. She indicated Ramsey County had an opportunity to not give up the State money and phasing that was discussed for this project. She understood Costco and Alatus are interested in this parcel. She feared how it would look if the City were to suddenly change the use. She supported the City waiting until July 28 to see how many RFI's come in. After this time, the City could change the uses properly and responsibly instead of this mad rush. She fears this could open things up to other complications. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—MAY 8, 2023 9 Councilmember Monson stated she believed the action being requested was pro-development. She indicated she was pro-development, noting she wanted the best and highest use on the thumb property. She did not believe looking at other uses would preclude anyone else from bidding. She stated the process may have not been perfect, but she did not believe an imperfect process was not enough to be anti-development. She supported the City showing that it was open for business. Councilmember Rousseau indicated she has heard both sides of this matter. She explained an option would be to send this to the Planning Commission for further consideration which would push this matter out to June. She anticipated if the Council requested the Planning Commission review this matter, the item would not be back before the Council until July some time, which would align well with the July 28 date. Councilmember Holden questioned if the JDA would accept bids and then take more bids if a change was made to the Campus Commercial district. Councilmember Rousseau explained she was simply stating she would like the Planning Commission to consider this matter. Mayor Grant commented this was not like selling a house. He reported developers look for tenants and businesses to build on a site and proposals are built on this information. He indicated developers were given 90 days to complete this work in order to complete a comprehensive proposal. He stated the County and JDA opted to send out the RFI. He noted the City was open for business and the property was zoned. He reported the City was actively encouraging businesses to submit proposals for the thumb property in order to bring the highest and best use to this site with great jobs that brings prosperity to the area. He did not believe it was fair to change the process while developers were in the middle of their plans. He was of the opinion Director Collins was spot on with her initial assessment. He supported the City staying the course. He recommended the City review the proposals on July 28 and either accept one or consider a new course at that time. Councilmember Fabel stated he was not asking the Planning Commission to come back with an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan. Rather, he was asking for clarifying language in order to remove a discouragement from what otherwise might be an available use for the property that would be consistent with the overall vision for the TCAAP development and would move the project forward at a more rapid pace. He wanted to see this project start moving. Councilmember Holden questioned why the solicitation wasn't canceled in order to do the process right. She stated this would make sure the process was clear,honest and transparent going forward. MOTION: Councilmember Monson moved and Councilmember Rousseau seconded a motion to direct staff to discuss clarification of the Campus Commercial zoning district and potential additional uses and make a recommendation to the Planning Commission for further discussion by the City Council. Mayor Grant stated there has been some discussion about interpretation of what was already there. He requested comment from staff on what was being meant by this. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—MAY 8, 2023 10 Community Development Director Jagoe explained the comment was regarding the language that was existing today within the Comprehensive Plan. She reported staff did discuss with the Met Council sector rep for the language that exists today regarding the Campus Commercial District. It was the Met Council's opinion that the language within the comp plan was sufficiently flexible enough to make the land use changes in the TRC to expand the types of land uses that were allowed and this city code amendment would not trigger a comp plan amendment. Mayor Grant asked if the request was to expand the land uses. Community Development Director Jagoe reported this was the request within the TRC. Mayor Grant stated he did not believe it was responsible to do this in the middle of an RFI process. Councilmember Holden commented it was the intent of the JDA to change what developers were bidding on. City Administrator Perrault explained the intent of the JDA was to expand the opportunities allowed on the Campus Commercial zoning district. Councilmember Holden stated the answer to her question was yes. The City would be throwing out the current language in hopes of receiving more bids. Councilmember Fabel called the question. A roll call vote was taken. The motion carried 3-2 (Councilmember Holden and Mayor Grant opposed). A. TCAAP Open House Discussion City Administrator Perrault stated this item was added by a Councilmember for Council to consider holding a TCAAP Open House for members of the public. The Open House would be facilitated by the City. The reasons for holding the Open House are below. Should Council want to move forward, Council may want to discuss planning and details at a future worksession. • Meet JDA members • Explain City's Vision for TCAAP • Explain the sale for the Thumb Parcel • Explain process and negotiating path going forward • Educate residents on history of the project • Outline costs and financial burdens • Address traffic concerns Councilmember Holden explained she added this item to the agenda because she was receiving a lot of questions from residents regarding TCAAP. She indicated there seems to be a fear of lack of transparency and fear of who is protecting or watching out for the City. She anticipated an open house would be an ideal situation for Arden Hills residents at this time. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—MAY 8, 2023 11 Councilmember Rousseau recalled the Council had discussed an open house earlier this year. She commented the list of concerns stated by Councilmember Holden was not what she was hearing from residents. She explained she was hearing concerns about the plans for schools, the energy plan for the site, environmental concerns, and what the plans were for a civic center. Councilmember Holden reported she would be open to adding any other items the Council may find important to address with the public as the list she provided didn't include everything and she agreed the points Councilmember Rousseau brought up are important. Councilmember Monson agreed it was a good idea for the City to have an open house that was run by the City. She questioned if the JDA would be presenting this information to the public. Councilmember Holden stated she would like this event to be put on by the City and not the JDA. Councilmember Monson believed this type of event would be appropriate. She agreed an open house was needed. She indicated the JDA does have a community engagement event that would be coming and she wanted to make sure this event coordinated with this plan. She supported the list of topics being expanded. Councilmember Holden stated the residents that live on Hamline were very concerned about traffic. She discussed how an open house would allow the City to provide residents with detailed information on the roadmap and plans for TCAAP going forward. Councilmember Fabel indicated he was looking forward to this conversation, but he was hoping more information could be shared than what has happened since 2016, given the fact nothing else was on the table. He discussed how interest rates have increased and the office market has changed since COVID. He understood the financial capacity of Ramsey County was dramatically different when the City could have agreed to go forward with something and unfortunately did not. Councilmember Holden asked for a point of clarification. She explained Councilmember Fabel's comment about the City choosing to not move forward was not a true statement. Councilmember Fabel stated he recognized that there were two sides to the story. He understood Councilmember Holden and Mayor Grant had a position of why things broke down and many other people have a different view. He indicated there was no denying that things broke down. Whether the Council was to blame or County Commissioner Ortega was to blame, things have changed dramatically in the years since then. He reported there could be a meeting tomorrow and the only things that could be shared was that the JDA was working on a plan from 2016 that had a lot of favorable aspects, but this plan was not approved. He reported four years have since passed and the JDA was trying to understand the changes that have taken place in this time. He stated a new plan was not yet in place so he questioned how helpful an open house would be at this time. He believed it would be more helpful to do what Councilmember Monson has proposed, which was to wait for the JDA to better understand what the economic consequences are, what the inflation rate is doing, and the financial capacity of Ramsey County. He did not find it useful to discuss what happened in 2016, but rather thought the progress of this development should be the ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—MAY 8, 2023 12 focus. He reiterated that in November the people of Arden Hills spoke and stated they wanted this project to move forward and not backwards. Mayor Grant commented in listening to the JDA worksession, Director Collins recommended the group review where they are and what happened in the past. He stated in terms of having an open house, he believed the City should do more than tell the public, and should interact with the public to see what was important to them. He believed the JDA documents called for the creation of an interactive process of involving residents. He hoped that feedback would be allowed because this shouldn't be that the Council just shows the residents as it is their community. He commented on the reference to 2016 and recalled that there was a legal battle that occurred thereafter that took some time to be resolved. He stated it was terribly unfortunate that this matter ended up in the court system and public funds were used to resolve the matter. He reported the County took this action and gave up one of the best times for development. He agreed this project needed to move forward. He discussed the history of this property and all ways in which he and Councilmember Holden had worked to develop this site. He reiterated that he supported the City holding an open house in order to inform and gain feedback from the public. Councilmember Monson suggested the Council was in agreement an open house should be held. She suggested the details for this open house be further discussed at a future worksession. She supported further information being placed on the City's website or that links be created to the Rice Creek Commons website. Councilmember Rousseau asked if the City's new Communications Coordinator has met with Goff Public. City Administrator Perrault reported they had met but they had not discussed the project yet. Councilmember Rousseau supported the Council having more conversations regarding environmental concerns and also having further discussions with the school district. She also supported this item be moved to the next Council worksession. City Administrator Perrault stated he understood there were issues that were important to the residents of Arden Hills, but he did not want the City to be stepping outside of its lane. For this reason, he recommended he speak with the JDA Communications Coordinator and Advisory Committee. Councilmember Holden supported the City holding an open house. She stated she keeps hearing things are moving, but she did not understand what was moving. She reported residents had a lot of questions and it would be nice for the City to address these questions. She commented on how important it was to reeducate the public on this development, given the high level of turnover there has been in the community. She discussed how Councilmember Fabel keeps eluding to how the City stalled this project, and noted she would clarify for the record each time he does this that this was not a fact. Mayor Grant stated Commissioner Rafael Ortega was a dedicated public servant. He did not believe anyone should imply that discussions broke down because of County Commissioner Ortega. He reported if you listen to the JDA discussions, one can hear Commissioner Victoria ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—MAY 8, 2023 13 Reinhardt eluding to the fact the City would be holding its own open houses. He reiterated that he represents all residents of Arden Hills and he wanted all residents invited to an open house for TCAAP. MOTION: Councilmember Monson moved and Councilmember Holden seconded a motion that the Council consider holding a TCAAP Open House on the condition staff has coordinated sufficiently with the JDA and Goff Public Consulting and that the matter be further discussed at a future worksession. Councilmember Holden stated her only concern was with the events that occurred in the City Administrator's life. She hoped that the open house could be balanced out. She wanted to make sure City Administrator Perrault was taking time for his family. Mayor Grant explained the Senior Planner would be coming on full time on June 51' which would provide the City more bandwidth. Councilmember Holden asked if this item would be on the next Council worksession agenda. Councilmember Monson stated her intent was to allow City Administrator time to discuss the open house with the JDA and Goff Public Consulting prior to bringing this item back before the City Council at a worksession meeting. Councilmember Holden supported the Council discussing this topic further a worksession in order to provide staff with the items and matters that should be addressed at the open house. Mayor Grant stated he would like to see this happening faster rather than slowly. He hoped the City could hold an open house in the next six weeks. Councilmember Monson did not believe this was a sufficient amount of time to hold an open house. She recommended a worksession on the open house be held in June or July and that the open house be held at the end of summer. Councilmember Rousseau asked if the Council were to discuss this at a high level at the next worksession and from there staff could be directed to proceed with planning an open house for later this summer. City Administrator Perrault commented his only concern was that it would be difficult to understand how to move forward and what the different aspects of the project would be. He stated it would be hard to tell what direction this project was heading early this summer. Councilmember Holden stated because this was a fluid situation, the public would not be expecting fine details, but rather would like to know some simple facts at a face to face open house. Mayor Grant questioned how many open houses the City held in 2013, 2014 and 2015. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—MAY 8, 2023 14 Councilmember Holden anticipated the City held at least eight open houses during that time span. Mayor Grant reported this open house did not have to answer every question every resident in Arden Hills had, but rather should serve as an informational forum for the public while also being an opportunity for residents to provide input on the project. He stated he wanted to involve the public and invite them into this process. Councilmember Holden supported the Council coming together on the high points at a worksession in order to bring this item forward to the public. Councilmember Fabel called the question. A roll call vote was taken. The motion carried(5-0). 11. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None. 12. COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Monson congratulated City Administrator Perrault on the birth of his third daughter. She stated she was glad the City had parental leave in place for him. Councilmember Monson explained she attended the Fire Appreciation Dinner. Councilmember Fabel offered his congratulations to City Administrator Perrault and commended him for his efforts on behalf of the community. Councilmember Holden reported she attended the re-grand opening of the Cub Foods. She was happy to see this grocery store thriving in the community. Councilmember Holden stated buckthorn removal would be completed by ICWC again this year and noted this is the fifth year the City has contracted with ICWC for buckthorn removal. Councilmember Holden explained upgrades would be done at Arden Manor and Floral Park. She stated this work has been programmed since 2019 but due to grading and drainage issues that needed to be corrected, the project was unable to move forward until this year. Councilmember Holden commented on the fire that occurred on Glen Paul in which the garage burned and noted there was also significant damage to the neighbor's house. She stated the recent setback that was approved on Ingerson was a good reminder that Council needs to keep a situation like this in mind when considering setbacks in order to protect neighboring properties. Councilmember Holden reported the Starbuck's in Arden Hills became the first Starbuck's in Minnesota to be the Military Family Center. She noted there were only 120 of these Starbuck's in the United States. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—MAY 8, 2023 15 Councilmember Holden indicated the City was considering having youth serving on its Committees and Commissions. She stated youths have always been welcome on committees and noted Councilmember McClung served on a City committee as a youth. Councilmember Rousseau explained she toured the Public Works Department with Public Works Director Swearingen and the Public Works Supervisor. She thanked this department for their great planning for the City's aging infrastructure and for providing great services to the residents of Arden Hills. Councilmember Rousseau commented the PTRC was working to battle buckthorn and stated she appreciated the fact a grant was pursued to assist with this effort. She thanked PTRC Member Kristine Poelzer for coordinating volunteers. She also thanked George Kruse for all of his efforts to address buckthorn in the community. She recommended he be recognized and asked that this be discussed at a future worksession. Mayor Grant noted he would put this on the next worksession. Councilmember Rousseau thanked the Planning Commission for bringing awareness to racial covenants in the community. Councilmember Rousseau indicated she was looking forward to the next worksession where the Council will be discussing rekindling the Economic Development Committee. She was hopeful the Council would be seeking volunteers for this committee. Mayor Grant stated he also attended the Cub grand re-opening. Mayor Grant explained he attended the Starbuck's dedication and was proud that the Arden Hills branch was especially welcoming to the military personnel in the community. Mayor Grant reported May is Ramsey County Recycles in Arden Hills on Friday and Saturday. He noted a wide variety of items could be recycled through this program. He explained additional information was available on the County's website. Mayor Grant indicated he met with City Administrator Perrault at the Mayor and Administrator's meeting. He reported this group shared information on what each community was addressing at this time. Mayor Grant stated there were a number of volunteers in the community that were interested in taking down buckthorn. He discussed how each Committee member serving the City was a gift and he thanked each of these individuals for their service to the community. Mayor Grant thanked Public Works for their tremendous efforts on behalf of the community. He stated the City would be hiring seasonal workers to assist with park maintenance through the summer. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—MAY 8, 2023 16 ADJOURN MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Monson seconded a motion to adiourn. The motion carried (5-0). Mayor Grant adjourned the Regular City Council Meeting at 9:31 p.m. JqTlHanson David Grant C Clerk Mayor