Laserfiche WebLink
Joint Development Authority <br />Monday, February 3, 2025 <br />Arden Hills City Council Chambers <br />Special Worksession Minutes <br />5:30 pm <br />Roll Call <br />Joint Development Authority: Chair Jon Wicklund, Commissioner Tara Jebens-Singh, <br />Commissioner Kurt Weber, Commissioner Kelly Miller, Commissioner Tena Monson <br />Also present: Jessica Jagoe (Arden Hills); Ella Mitchell (Ramsey County), Rachel Tierney <br />(Kennedy & Graven) <br />Roll call taken. <br />Public Input <br />Lyle Salmela, 1480 Arden Vista Court, congratulated resident Audrey Partridge for being <br />appointed as a Public Utilities Commissioner. He discussed how requiring solar on every home <br />with Rice Creek Commons may be burdensome for homeowners given the cost. He questioned <br />if this requirement was prudent. He suggested residents be allowed to purchase their own <br />batteries and grid energy from Xcel at the renewable rate. He commented further on the <br />expense for geothermal heat pumps and suggested changes be made to the design criteria. He <br />was of the opinion Scenario 3 was the best model for the project. <br />New Business <br />a. Review Communications Update <br />Ms. Mitchell stated Goff Public is working with Ramsey County to develop content for a winter <br />2025 newsletter to be sent via email to the Rice Creek Commons subscriber list in February. The <br />newsletter will share updates on Joint Development Authority board membership and <br />organization, development updates and sustainability guidelines. Goff Public continues to <br />discuss communications opportunities with county staff for future development updates. There <br />have been no media inquiries since the December update. Rice Creek Commons development <br />updates were featured in Ramsey County Board Chair Rafael Ortega’s January column in the <br />Community Reporter. There have been two inquiries through the Rice Creek Commons <br />microsite contact portal that staff responded to. <br />Commissioner Monson requested further information on what was included in the recent <br />column. Ms. Mitchell explained she had not read the column in full, but understood it provided <br />a status update on the development.