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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-28-25-R 'It �ARPEN HILLS Approved: August 25, 2025 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS,MINNESOTA REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JULY 28, 2025 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, Tena Monson, Emily Rousseau(attending remotely,joined at 7:04 pm), and Kurt Weber Absent: None Also present: City Administrator Jessica Jagoe; City Attorney Greta Bjerkness; Public Works Director/City Engineer Dave Swearingen; Finance Director Joua Yang; Senior Planner Elena Fransen; and Assistant to the City Administrator/City Clerk Julie Hanson PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Councilmember Holden requested Item 8C be pulled from the Consent Agenda for discussion as Item 9A. Councilmember Holden requested Item 8G be pulled from the Consent Agenda for discussion as Item 9B. MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Monson seconded a motion to approve the meeting agenda as amended. A roll call vote was taken. The motion carried (4-0). 2. TCAAP/RICE CREEK COMMONS UPDATE City Administrator Jagoe stated the Energy Advisory Committee met on July 23`d Representatives from LHB provided updates on the LEED for Communities certification process. They are still targeting Platinum certification and expect to submit to Green Business Certification Inc. for pre-certification around July 31". LHB provided a brief overview of impacts of recent federal legislation on sustainability implementation such as tax credits for solar/photovoltaics will be phased out sooner,but they noted there are no impacts on tax credits ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—JULY 28, 2025 2 for ground-source/geothermal. LHB and staff provided an update on coordination meetings with Xcel on incentives and also their thermal energy network pilot program. Staff reported that Ryan Companies has made progress on their sustainability implementation on the 10 acres of Outlot A and it is expected that there will be an update to share with the JDA in the coming months. The Energy Advisory Committee discussed how updates on clean energy and sustainability may be best shared at a future community event that the JDA will be planning. The JDA Advisory Committee has not met since the last Council meeting. The next JDA meeting will be a work session held on August 4t'. 3. PUBLIC INQUIRIES/INFORMATIONAL None. 4. RESPONSE TO PUBLIC INQUIRIES None. 5. PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS None. 6. STAFF COMMENTS A. Transportation Update Public Works Director Swearingen reported the 2025 street maintenance fog sealing began today and streets will be striped in the coming weeks. Councilmember Monson asked if the Council was open to sending a letter to Ramsey County requesting a pilot program for the installation of bollards on Lake Johanna Boulevard. Councilmember Weber explained he would like to see further background information on this topic and suggested this item be brought to a future worksession meeting. Councilmember Holden inquired what Ramsey County's response was to the City when staff requested the bollards be put back in place. Public Works Director Swearingen stated the County found the bollard placement from last year was well received and they did not believe it was necessary to extend the bollards to the south. Councilmember Holden indicated she supported the City sending a letter to the County given the safety concerns that were arising for pedestrians along Lake Johanna Boulevard. Councilmember Monson suggested the idea of additional bollards be presented as a pilot program to the County. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—JULY 28, 2025 3 Mayor Grant asked if this item needed to come back to the Council at a future worksession meeting. Councilmember Monson stated she did not believe this was necessary and asked that staff be directed to send a letter to the County requesting additional bollards be installed along Lake Johanna Boulevard as a pilot program for safety purposes. Councilmember Rousseau indicated she would support providing staff with direction at this meeting. Councilmember Holden commented when the bollards were first installed, the County said they were going to be extended once they figured out how the glue worked because the bollards were falling over. Public Works Director Swearingen explained this was what he was told by the County. However, after several weeks the bollards were still not installed. Councilmember Holden recommended staff send a letter to the County requesting the additional bollards. MOTION: Councilmember Monson moved and Councilmember Holden seconded a motion to direct staff to draft a letter to Ramsey County requesting additional bollards be installed to the south on Lake Johanna Boulevard for safety purposes with the entire City Council signing this letter. A roll call vote was taken. The motion carried (5-0). B. Night to Unite Update and Proclamation Assistant to the City Administrator/City Clerk Hanson stated Night to Unite will be held on Tuesday, August 5 from 5:00 to 9:00 pm. The deadline to register to host a party was Tuesday, July 22. Staff reported the City currently has 19 registrations and stated the City Council will be provided with a list of event locations once received from the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office. This list will also be published on the City's website. Please note school supplies donations can be brought to a local neighborhood event or dropped off at City Hall Mondays through Thursdays between 7:30 am and 5:00 pm or Fridays from 7:30 am to 11:30 am until Friday, August 8. Items can also be dropped off at the Ramsey County Sheriff's Patrol Station between 8 am and 4:30 pm Monday, August 4 through Friday, August 8. Mayor Grant read the proclamation from the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office in full for the record supporting Night to Unite which will be held on August 5, 2025 in the City of Arden Hills. 7. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. June 23, 2025, Special City Council Work Session B. June 23, 2025, Regular City Council C. June 30, 2025, Special City Council D. June 30, 2025, Special City Council Worksession ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—JULY 28, 2025 4 MOTION: Councilmember Monson moved and Councilmember Holden seconded a motion to approve the June 23, 2025, Special City Council Work Session meeting minutes as presented, the June 23, 2025, Regular City Council meeting minutes as amended, the June 30, 2025, Special City Council meeting minutes as presented; and the June 30, 2025, Special City Council Worksession meeting minutes as amended. A roll call vote was taken. The motion carried (5-0). 8. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Motion to Approve Consent Agenda Item- Claims and Payroll B. Motion to Approve Renewal of Joint Powers Agreement with Ramsey County GIS User Group G. Motion to Aeeept Annual Review of Data Pr-aefiees PE)hey D. Motion to Approve Personnel Policy Amendment E. Motion to Approve Resolution 2025-048 Accepting Donation from the Spring Lake Park Lions Club F. Motion to Approve Resolution 2025-049 Appointing Alternate Planning Commission Member SJ Julius G. Motion t n e Resolution 2025 050 n eeepting a Donation f.,,,.,., the n,. e Hills Foundation H. Motion to Approve 2nd Quarter Financials MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Monson seconded a motion to approve the Consent Calendar as amended and to authorize execution of all necessary documents contained therein. A roll call vote was taken. The motion carried (5-0). 9. PULLED CONSENT ITEMS A. Motion to Accept Annual Review of Data Practices Policy Councilmember Holden asked if the five business days was enough time to allow for an inspection of the policy. City Attorney Bjerkness reported the new five business day statutory language is triggered when City staff notifies the data requester that the data is available for pickup or inspection. She indicated if this person cannot make it to City Hall in five days, they could work something out with City staff. However, if there is no response in five days, City staff is under no obligation to continue to fulfill the data request. Councilmember Holden commented on how someone could be out of the country or on vacation and they may not be checking emails or voicemails. City Attorney Bjerkness stated this doesn't mean the City can't continue fulfilling the data request at a later date, but under the new State law, the City does not have to. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—JULY 28, 2025 5 Assistant to the City Administrator/City Clerk Hanson reported this language mainly addresses physical copies of data, which does not happen very often. She indicated the vast majority of data requests happen electronically. City Attorney Bjerkness explained the existing language could be amended if the Council required additional clarity. Mayor Grant recommended the language remain as is if it was in alignment with State Statute. Councilmember Holden stated she would support the language as is but requested the Council further discuss the data practices policy at a future work session. Councilmember Rousseau noted the intent of the language changes at the State level were made to address the data practices requests that were retaliatory in nature. City Attorney Bjerkness agreed this was the case. She explained the change was meant to relieve City staff from making reams and reams of copies for data practices requests that were never picked up or responded to by the data requester. Councilmember Monson stated she supported the proposed language changes in order to protect staff s time. MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Weber seconded a motion to Accept Annual Review of Data Practices Policy. A roll call vote was taken. The motion carried (5-0). B. Motion to Approve Resolution 2025-050 Accepting a Donation from the Arden Hills Foundation Councilmember Holden thanked Aaron Goodwalt for donating funds to the Arden Hills Foundation. She explained an additional bench and plaque would be purchased with these funds. MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Weber seconded a motion to Approve Resolution 2025-050, Accepting a Donation from the Arden Hills Foundation. A roll call vote was taken. The motion carried (5-0). 10. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. Planning Case 25-005 — Planned Unit Development Amendment — Arden Plaza/Brett Foss—3529 Lexington Avenue Senior Planner Fransen stated Brett Foss of Odds & Ends Again ("The Applicant") is requesting a Planned Unit Development Amendment to allow for a Class I thrift store use in an approximately 6,943 square foot tenant space within the multi-tenant building at 3529 Lexington Avenue ("Subject Property"). A Class I thrift store use is allowed in the B-2 General Business Zoning District if the use does not have a drive through and there is no outdoor collection/donation area or receiving and transferring of goods exterior of the business. However, a Planned Unit Development Amendment is required at this location to allow for a thrift store use ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—JULY 28, 2025 6 i due to the current permitted use in the Planned Unit Development Agreement is limited to retail sales and services. Senior Planner Fransen reported the City approved a Master PUD for the Arden Plaza retail center in 2009 (Planning Case 09-011). This site is situated at the southwest corner of the County Road E and Lexington Avenue intersection and is approximately 11 acres in size. The approved plans included the demolition of an existing office complex and the phased redevelopment of the site to be completed in three stages. A total of 97,035 square feet of retail and commercial building space was approved under the original PUD. The total square footage included the existing 35,647 square foot Building #5, where the Subject Property is located, and the original PUD established the building's use as retail. Senior Planner Fransen explained the proposed use, Odds & Ends Again, a thrift store associated with the company Senior Life Management. Odds & Ends Again is a thrift store where items received through the moving and packing services component of Senior Life Management may be consigned for profit. Items at Odds & Ends Again are primarily sourced from clients of the moving and packing services. The operations of Odds & Ends Again fall under the City's definition of Thrift Store. By definition in the Zoning Code, a thrift store use is defined separately from a retail sales and services use. Senior Planner Fransen reported that the Arden Plaza PUD establishes retail sales as the permitted use for Building #5. Due to this language in the PUD Development Agreement, a PUD Development Agreement Amendment is required to allow for other uses at the Subject Property. The Applicant is proposing an amendment to the PUD Development Agreement to allow for a Class I thrift store use within Building#5 of the PUD. Senior Planner Fransen provided an overview of the request, reviewed the Plan Evaluation, and asked that the City Council hold a Public Hearing. Councilmember Holden asked if this business currently had a business license in Arden Hills. Senior Planner Fransen reported this business does not have a business license at this time. She indicated this would be a next step following approval of the PUD amendment. Councilmember Holden questioned how a business would lose a business license. Assistant to the City Administrator/City Clerk Hanson commented for general business licensing, versus statutorily required licensing like liquor, tobacco and massage, there wasn't language in place but the City could pursue an administrative fine for a violation. City Attorney Bjerkness commented after reviewing City Code, Section 300.13 addresses the suspension and revocation of licenses. Councilmember Holden stated this business must meet the original signage and lighting requirements. Senior Planner Fransen reported this was the case. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—JULY 28, 2025 7 Councilmember Holden inquired if there was any legal way for the City Council to deny this request. City Attorney Bjerkness advised that if the application satisfies all the requirements of City Ordinance, she would recommend the request be approved. Councilmember Rousseau questioned when the EDC would be reviewing the City's business licensing requirements. City Administrator Jagoe stated after speaking with Senior Planner Fransen, she understood the EDC would be addressing this matter in August or September. Mayor Grant opened the public hearing at 7:48 p.m. Paul Tufts, 1127 Amble Drive, supported this request and noted he has not seen any problems with this business in the community. Mayor Grant closed the public hearing at 7:51 p.m. B. 2026 PMP Street and Utility Improvements Project — Improvement Public Hearing Brad Fisher, Bolton & Menk, stated on July 14, 2025, the City Council adopted Resolution 2025-047 receiving the feasibility report and calling for a public hearing to consider proposed improvements for the 2026 PMP Street and Utility Improvements Project. Projects involving special assessments generally require two public hearings commonly known as an Improvement Hearing and an Assessment Hearing. The subject hearing for July 28 is the Improvement Hearing. The purpose of the Improvement Hearing is for the City Council to discuss a specific local improvement before ordering it done. The second public hearing is the Assessment Hearing which is scheduled after the project has received contractor bids to provide property owners with an opportunity to express concerns about the actual special assessments. Mr. Fisher provided further information regarding the scope of work that would be completed, which included pavement resurfacing, watermain improvements as well as storm sewer and water quality improvements. The proposed trail improvements and trail resurfacing that would occur were described. He commented on the resident input he has received to date, noting the common themes. He discussed preliminary costs, noting how the project would be funded, which included special assessment. He further reviewed the project schedule and requested the Council hold a public hearing for this project. Councilmember Holden asked that the next time Mr. Fisher provides the Council with a presentation, that he also include the cost for the total reconstruction of a street. She discussed how the City Council was working to address street repairs before streets required a total reconstruction. Councilmember Monson commented on the cost breakdown noting the City would be paying for $1.1 million of the costs and $931,000 will be assessed. She asked how accurate staff believed the project estimate was. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—JULY 28, 2025 8 Mr. Fisher stated the estimate was based on prior projects with a similar scope and project that were completed this year in the metro area. He reported it was his goal to target the average bid price. He indicated he was fairly confident that the estimate was falling in line with the proposed contingency amount. Councilmember Monson requested staff speak further to the payment options for the proposed assessments. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen explained after receiving bids the City would be able to determine the low bidder and actual costs. From that point, the City will recalculate the assessment rates and notices will be sent to property owners. He stated the Council would then approve the assessment rates and a letter will be sent to property owners confirming the assessment amount. He reported property owners would then have 30 days to pay the assessment without any interest. If the assessment is not paid in 30 days the assessment will be rolled into the property taxes and will be repaid over the next 10 years. Councilmember Rousseau stated she has been having conversations with her neighbors regarding the City's decision to move forward with assessments instead of higher levies. She discussed the life cycles for streets and requested further information regarding the work the City has been doing on its street improvement project and how does the Karth Lake neighborhood fit into this. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen reported the entire City was on a 20 year Pavement Management Plan. He stated every street within the City should see some type of repair or rehabilitation on a 20 year cycle. He commented on the procedures the City was following in order to preserve and protect the City's street. Councilmember Rousseau questioned when work was last done to the streets in her neighborhood. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen indicated Amble Drive has not been rehabbed since 1994. He explained Pleasant Street and Karth Lake Drive were pushing 20 years. He stated a lot of the neighborhoods in the City were constructed in the 1980's and the design of the pavement sections did not have 12 inches of sand, which meant some roads were deteriorating prematurely. He discussed how the full depth reclamation adds more structure to the pavement, which adds integrity to the pavement. Councilmember Rousseau inquired when conversations with the watershed district would begin. Mr. Fisher stated he contacted the watershed district today and a meeting would be scheduled with this organization once he has direction from the City Council. Mayor Grant commented on how the City had hired a company to rate the health of the roadways throughout the entire community. He explained this has helped the Council determine which roads should be rehabilitated and when. Further discussion ensued regarding how asphalt standards and mix design specifications from MNDOT have improved over time. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—JULY 28, 2025 9 Mayor Grant opened the public hearing at 8:44 p.m. Chris Mertz, 1131 Karth Lake Drive, commented on the preliminary special assessment calculations and questioned why there was a discrepancy between the benefit between lakefront and non-lakefront property. Mayor Grant stated the benefit to the individual homeowner on a lakefront versus non-lakefront property does differ. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen commented on the City's assessment policy. He reported to support the proposed assessment calculations, the City had an appraiser come out to further investigate the benefits for lakefront versus residential properties. He stated traditionally the City follows the assessment policy and these rates were applied as proposed. Mr. Tufts, 1127 Amble Drive, questioned why the City stopped doing chip seal projects. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen reported the City was part of a JPA with 15 other cities. He explained that other cities have raised concerns with chip sealing and delamination. Mr. Tufts commented he did not have a choice when it came to the chip sealing that was completed on his roadway and indicated he would like the City to take some ownership over why his road was in such poor condition. Mayor Grant indicated the City's roadway standards have changed over time and reported delamination has impacted streets all over the State, not just Arden Hills. Mr. Tufts questioned if sub-grade testing would be completed on his roadway. He anticipated his sub-grade would get a failing grade because his roadway was failing. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen stated soil borings and pavement cores were taken in order to better understand the sub-grade. He indicated Braun Intertec would then provide the City with recommendations on what type of rehab should be done to the pavement. He explained additional testing, roll testing and density testing would be completed prior to applying pavement. Mr. Tufts asked if the City had considered any alternative materials, such as concrete. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen reported concrete has not been considered for cost reasons. Mr. Tufts stated he would like to see a cost comparison between asphalt and ultra-thin wide topping. He explained if his road was damaged due to chip sealing and the life expectancy was reduced, this was not his problem. He indicated he would like to better understand what the life expectancy would be of the new pavement. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen commented that the life expectancy of a full depth reclamation project was 20 years. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—JULY 28, 2025 10 Mayor Grant questioned why chip sealing would extend the life of a roadway and not reduce it. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen stated the theory is chip sealing protects the top layer of asphalt from the sun, rain, ice, heat and cold. He reported chip sealing can be very effective in protecting the asphalt, but there were cases where if the chip sealing was applied to the surface too late, the top layer could delaminate. He indicated the City was moving away from chip sealing and was moving towards Reclamite. Salamaan Khan, 4533 Pleasant Drive, asked how the new roadways would be protected from the snowplows in the winter. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen commented the newer roads tend to allow the blade of the plow to glide over them better. He indicated when pavement comes up, this is typically occurring in areas that have pothole patching. Ms. Khan explained she has lived in her neighborhood for the past eight years and questioned when the new roadway would receive resealing in order to keep the street protected. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen commented on the City's pavement maintenance schedule noting at year three crack sealing and Reclamite would be completed. He noted this process would be completed again at year nine and year 15. Ms. Khan asked why every road in the neighborhood was being redone, when some were in better condition than others. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen explained the core borings assist staff in assessing both the surface and underlying condition of each roadway. He stated that based on this geotechnical review, some of the underlying pavement sections were starting to fail. He commented further on the reclamation process that would be followed for the roadways within the improvement project area. He clarified that Karth Lake Circle would only be receiving a mill and overlay. Ms. Kahn inquired if the City has considered replacing other utilities such as outdated gas and fiber lines. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen explained the City does not maintain or own the gas lines. He indicated the City would be coordinating with the private utility companies with these projects. Subbaya Subramanian, 1128 Amble Drive, reported he moved to Arden Hills eights years ago. He stated his road has been in terrible condition. He indicated he submitted a request to fix the potholes in front of his home every year since he moved to the community. He questioned why the City was now deciding to rehab the road instead of doing this work three or five years ago when costs and inflation were lower. He expressed frustration with the fact residents would now be assessed $6,000 when the assessment could have been $3,000 if the work had been done five years ago. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen explained the City was aware of the fact Amble Drive was in poor condition. However, he noted it was not the worst street as there were ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—JULY 28, 2025 11 multiple streets that were in worse condition. He commented on the organized approach the City was now taking with its street replacement projects. He reported the City has been working through addressing the worst streets first. He apologized that Amble Drive was in its current condition and that the work was delayed as long as it was. He discussed how aging out this road over the past six years has allowed for a more comprehensive street improvement project to be created with the neighboring roadways. Councilmember Monson discussed how the City has been completing well planned street improvement projects noting the entire City was now on a 20 year cycle. She reported these projects were exceptionally expensive and 50% of the project was being paid for by the levy and the remainder was being assessed. She indicated there was a cost constraint to how many roads the City can complete each year without having to raise taxes for all residents. She understood that costs were on the rise,but noted the roads that needed the most work were completed first. Mayor Grant commented on how the City pays half and the residents pay half for the street improvement costs. Councilmember Holden explained many of the neighborhoods in Arden Hills were built in the 1980's and the streets were not properly maintained for some time. She indicated this led the City to let roads go, which then required complete street replacements. She discussed how some areas of the community had sandy soils and others were more clay, noting this greatly impacted the roadway conditions. She commented on how the City Council has been working with staff to create improvement projects that were neighborhood based so equipment didn't have to be brought in repeatedly, which would disrupt and damage streets. She indicated after this project was completed, the City would have one of the highest ratings in Minnesota regarding the roads, noting our rating would be at 75 points. She stated she was extremely proud of the work the City has done to improve its roadways throughout the entire community. Mayor Grant commented in the 1980's Arden Hills was the fastest growing community in the State. He reported this led to a huge expansion of the City's roadways and after 40 years, it was time to replace these streets. Russ Bertsch, 4419 Amble Circle, reported that Amble Drive has to be the poorest roadway in the City. He stated it has been brutal for years. He explained it appears the proposed assessment would be $5,850. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen stated this was an estimate and the actual assessment would be determined after the project was bid. Mr. Bertsch expressed concern with the fact his property value would increase substantially after his road was improved. He explained this would adversely impact all of the homeowners living within the project area because not only would these residents have an assessment to pay, but their property taxes will also increase substantially. Mayor Grant commented on how the assessed value of a home was based on the condition of a house and the land value. Mr. Bertsch stated he anticipated his property taxes would increase dramatically and he believed the residents of Arden Hills have had enough. He discussed how the State of Minnesota would be ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—JULY 28, 2025 12 deferring all of their deficits to counties and cities, which would also adversely impact property taxes as well. Kristen Hansen, 1160 Karth Lake Drive, questioned what other cities were doing when it came to taxing residents for street improvement projects. Mayor Grant stated road assessments were expensive and he did not have detailed information on how other communities assessed their residents. He reported the City put an assessment policy in place in 2004 after getting a group of residents together to discuss a fair way to assess residents for street improvement projects. Mr. Fisher explained assessment rates vary greatly from city to city. He estimated over half of cities still assess for streets and noted 50%was a standard percentage. Ms. Hansen commented the proposed street improvements should last 20 years. She asked what would happen if this street were to fail prior to 20 years. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen stated the City would complete routine maintenance and large area patching if a portion of a roadway were to deteriorate in order to g p g p Y ensure the roadway makes it to 20 years. Ms. Hansen questioned what would happen if costs were to come in over the engineers' estimate. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen reported the City would be assessing residents based on the low bid prior to construction. He noted a contingency would be built into the project,but if any large expenditure were to occur, this would be at the City's expense. Councilmember Holden explained she greatly appreciated the level of detail that was discussed by the residents that were on the committee when the City's assessment policy was created. She stated Arden Hills was different than Roseville because they have grid systems for their streets. She explained the City used to calculate assessments based on linear feet, but this didn't work well and wasn't fair to everyone. She was of the opinion all of the neighborhoods in Arden Hills were unique and lot sizes were larger than in neighboring communities. She noted this led to slightly higher assessment costs because there were fewer homes and less people on each City block in Arden Hills versus in Roseville. Joe Freking, 1130 Amble Drive, questioned if the industrial reclamation costs were covered by the adjacent industrial property. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen reported this was the case. John Shields, 1144 Karth Lake Drive, asked when this neighborhood was last assessed for streets. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen stated he believed Karth Lake Drive was last improved in 2003. Mayor Grant questioned when the open house for this project would be held. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—JULY 28, 2025 13 Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen explained the open house would be held later this fall. Mayor Grant closed the public hearing at 9:34 p.m. 11. NEW BUSINESS A. Resolution 2025-051 Approving a Planned Unit Development Amendment for Planning Case 25-005—Arden Plaza/Brett Foss—3529 Lexington Avenue Senior Planner Fransen stated the Applicant is proposing to amend the Arden Plaza PUD to allow for a Class I thrift store use and the operation of the thrift store business, Odds & Ends Again within Building #5 at the Subject Property. The Applicant is proposing that Odds & Ends Again be allowed at the Subject Property as a Class I thrift store as defined in the Zoning Code and provided for in the criteria in Section 1325.046 Thrift Store Additional Criteria. In the May 27 City Council approval, a Class I thrift store was added as an allowed use within the B-2 General Business Zoning District, the underlying zoning district of the Subject Property, if certain criteria are met. Senior Planner Fransen reported the Planning Commission reviewed this application at their July 9, 2025, meeting and have offered the following findings of fact for your consideration: 1. Brett Foss has requested approval of a Planned Unit Development Amendment to the Arden Plaza Master PUD to allow for a Class I thrift store use at 3529 Lexington Avenue, located within Building#5 of the Master PUD. 2. The original Master PUD for the development was approved in Planning Case #09-011. Subsequent PUD Amendments were approved in Planning Case #11-016, Planning Case #15-002, and Planning Case#15-016. 3. The original Master PUD established retail sales and services as the permitted use for Building#5. 4. A Planned Unit Development Amendment is required to allow for a thrift store use in Building#5 of the PUD. 5. A Class I thrift store may be permitted if they meet the conditions for all thrift stores, conditions in the thrift store, Class I definition and the thrift store, Class I conditions. 6. The applicant has demonstrated that the proposed tenant space is located within a multitenant building and is under 7,000 square and less than 20 percent of the total multi- tenant building square footage, meeting the definition of a Class I thrift store. 7. The applicant has submitted materials with their request to demonstrate that the proposed thrift store use would comply with the Zoning Code requirements. 8. A public hearing for a PUD Amendment request is required before the request can be brought before the City Council. 9. The Planning Commission held a public hearing for this land use application on July 9, 2025. Senior Planner Fransen explained the Planning Commission reviewed this application at their July 9, 2025, meeting. At that time, they recommended approval with conditions of the land use application for a Planned Unit Development Amendment to the Arden Plaza PUD by a 6-0 vote. The Commission recommended approval of Resolution 2025-051 for Planning Case 25-005 for a PUD Amendment to the Arden Plaza PUD at 3529 Lexington Avenue, based on the findings of ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—JULY 28, 2025 14 fact and the submitted plans, as amended by the conditions in the July 28, 2025 Report to the City Council: 1. The PUD shall continue to abide by the conditions of all previous Master PUD Agreements, permits, and reviews, except as hereinafter amended for Building 5. 2. A PUD Amendment shall be prepared by the City Attorney and subject to City Council approval for the Development. 3. Prior to issuance of the business license, the PUD Amendment shall be recorded with the Ramsey County Recorder's Office. 4. A violation of any condition set forth in the approval shall be violation of this Code, and shall be cause for revocation of the approval. 5. The PUD Amendment shall allow for a combination of retail sales and services and Class I thrift store use in Building#5 of the PUD, subject to the Zoning Code use definitions and requirements. Class I thrift store uses in Building #5 shall not exceed 7,000 square feet or 20 percent of the building square footage in the multi-tenant building, whichever is lower. 6. The project shall be completed in accordance with the submitted plans as amended by the conditions of approval. Any significant changes to these plans, as determined by the Community Development Director, shall require review and approval by the Planning Commission and City Council. Mayor Grant questioned if the applicant for this request was Brett Foss or Arden Plaza. Senior Planner Fransen stated the applicant was Brett Foss and the PUD amendment would apply to Arden Plaza. Mayor Grant inquired if Arden Plaza has consented to this request. Senior Planner Fransen reported the property owner has provided their signature on the land use application that was submitted. Councilmember Weber stated it appears a severe storm was moving in and he recommended this meeting move along quickly. MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Weber seconded a motion to approve Planning Case 25-005 adopting Resolution 2025-051 for Planning Case 25-005 for a PUD Amendment to the Arden Plaza PUD at 3529 Lexington Avenue, based on the findings of fact and the submitted plans, as amended by the conditions in the July 28, 2025 Report to the City Council. AMENDMENT: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Weber seconded a motion to amend Condition 4 to read: A violation of any condition set forth in the approval shall be violation of this Code, and shall be cause for revocation of the approval if not remediated by the Property Owner. Councilmember Holden stated she was bringing this amendment forward to ensure the property owner was responsible instead of Brett Foss, given how he has behaved with staff in the past. A roll call vote was taken. The amendment carried (5-0). ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—JULY 28, 2025 15 Councilmember Holden asked if the City had any policies or language in place to address starting an illegal business in Arden Hills. Senior Planner Fransen explained the City did not have any language in place to address this matter. Councilmember Monson stated she supported the EDC further addressing this topic and suggested some sort of fine be considered for businesses that operate in this manner. Councilmember Rousseau indicated she also supported this topic going to the EDC for further discussion. A roll call vote was taken. The amended motion carried (5-0). B. Resolution 2025-052 Ordering Improvement and Preparation of Plans and Specifications—2026 PMP Street and Utility Improvements Project Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen stated this item was presented to the Council under Item 1 OB. MOTION: Councilmember Monson moved and Councilmember Holden seconded a motion to Adopting Resolution 2025-052 Ordering Improvement and Preparation of Plans and Specifications for the 2026 PMP Street and Utility Improvements Project. A roll call vote was taken. The motion carried (5-0). 12. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None. 13. COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Rousseau thanked the City Council for accommodating her at this meeting. Councilmember Weber thanked the volunteers and staff members that put on the penny carnival. Councilmember Holden reported the neighborhood meeting with Boston Scientific would be held on Tuesday, July 29. Councilmember Holden commented on the Rec To Go program that was held at Hazelnut Park on Saturday, July 26. Councilmember Holden explained the Rotary Club would be hosting a Taste of Hops and Vines on Thursday, August 14. She indicated tickets for this event were available online. She asked that staff provide her with a one page document on the rules that were in place for accepting donations. Councilmember Holden requested staff follow up with the thrift store applicant to ensure they apply for a business license with the City. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—JULY 28, 2025 16 Mayor Grant stated he completed a ride along with the Ramsey County Sheriffs Department last Saturday and commented on how important it was for residents to have a copy of their insurance card in their vehicle. He encouraged residents to not drive under the influence and to be safe on the City's roadways. He strongly encouraged the other Councilmembers to complete a ride along with the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department. ADJOURN MOTION: Councilmember Monson moved and Councilmember Holden seconded a _motion to adjourn. A roll call vote was taken. The motion carried 4-0-1 (Councilmember Rousseau had excused herself from the meeting at 9:45 U.m.) Mayor Grant adjourned the Regular City Council Meeting at 9:49 p.m. q�a&, —40", j Julie Hanson David Grant City Clerk Mayor