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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-06-25 JDA amendedJoint Development Authority Worksession Meeting Monday, October 6, 2025 Arden Hills City Council Chambers Minutes 5:30 pm Roll Call Joint Development Authority: Chair Jon Wicklund, Commissioner Tara Jebens-Singh, Commissioner Kurt Weber, Commissioner Mary Jo McGuire, Commissioner Tena Monson Also present: Jessica Jagoe (Arden Hills); Ella Mitchell (Ramsey County), Jenny Boulton (Kutak Rock) Roll call taken. Public Input Rich Straumann, 4380 Arden View Court, explained he has been a resident since 1974. He commented on the mission and goals of Active Living and discussed the value of the Rice Creek Regional Trail which was ran along the northwest portion of Rice Creek Commons. He reviewed the trails that surround this development and urged the JDA to consider trails that would integrate physical activity throughout Rice Creek Commons. Lynn Diaz, 1143 Ingerson Road, stated she would like to see individual lots available for home building within Rice Creek Commons. She discussed how selling the land to developers limits options for future homeowners that would like to build their own sustainable home. New Business a. Rice Creek Boulevard Infrastructure Improvements Update Director Mitchell stated following the approval of the plat for Rice Creek Boulevard (formerly known as the spine road) at the September JDA meeting, Ramsey County staff and consultants from Kimley Horn have been working on the infrastructure improvements. She reported Kimley Horn had representatives in attendance to provide an overview of the schedule, plans, and regulatory agency coordination for the proposed public infrastructure improvements. Lorena _________, Ramsey County staff member, introduced herself and the team that has been working on the Rice Creek Boulevard infrastructure improvements. Eric Bosman, Kimley Horn representative, introduced himself to the JDA and reviewed the project schedule for Rice Creek Boulevard. He explained construction was slated to begin in the summer of 2026 with the project being completed in the fall of 2027. He commented on the final design plans and described how the roadway would transition from five to three lanes. The location of the two roundabouts was discussed. The proposed utility corridor and streetscape improvements were reviewed with the JDA. Commissioner Weber explained he would like to see the public utilities under the trails rather than private utilities in order to ensure the trails are properly maintained going forward. Commissioner McGuire questioned if the proposed walking and biking paths were adequate. Mr. Bosman explained different options have been considered for the trails and noted the proposed paths fit within the TRC. He noted he could bring back alternatives if this was the desire of the JDA. He explained a separate trail with sidewalks for pedestrians could be considered. Commissioner McGuire stated she would like to see a dedicated path for bikers separate from the sidewalk for pedestrians. Commissioner Weber indicated the Midtown Greenway would be worth looking at for their pedestrian and bike paths. He asked how the maintenance would be managed for the bike paths and trails within this development. John Mazzitello, Ramsey County Public Works Director, stated this would be part of cooperative agreement between the County and the City. He indicated the trees would be the City’s responsibility. Commissioner Monson commented she was not in favor of bikes and cars sharing the road when they do not have to. She supported there being separation for the bike path. She asked if the TRC would limit the function of the sidewalks and trails. Director Jagoe indicated the TRC was followed for the streetscape and noted she would be following up on this item to see if there was any room for flexibility or changes. Commissioner Monson inquired if the proposed roundabout would manage the traffic coming into the development if the proposed Costco site were turned into a sports facility or concert venue and now a lot of people would be coming into the site all at once. Mr. Bosman reported those types of uses were super unique and he would want to know what type of events the tournament center would be holding. He stated this would be a hard question for him to answer without this information. He indicated he had the flexibility to make some adjustments within the right of way. Mr. Mazzitello reported the preliminary models did consider all of the land uses including a big box retail, which was the most intensive traffic developers. He stated as he gets more detailed information on users the models can be altered and updated. Mr. Bosman further discussed the plans for the Rice Creek crossing and regional trails. He noted the bridge would match the current aesthetics. Commissioner Weber stated it would be nice to consider a City indicator on this bridge. Commissioner Monson supported this recommendation. Commissioner Jebens-Singh explained this property was part of a larger watershed district and asked if this project was being considered within a broader plan. Mr. Bosman reported there is a comprehensive stormwater management plan (CSMP) that was completed for Rice Creek Commons and noted he would continue to coordinate with the Rice Creek Watershed District. Mr. Bosman reviewed the location of potential environmental/protected species noting he would continue to work through this process with the proper regulatory agencies. He commented further on the regulatory agencies that he was having to coordinate with for this project which included the US Army, MPCA/EPA, DNR and the Rice Creek Watershed District. Mr. Mazzitello reported all of the individuals within these agencies has been very cooperative and support the Rice Creek Commons development moving forward. Commissioner McGuire requested further information regarding the PFA’s testing. Ms. ____________ discussed the PFA’s testing that would be required going forward by the EPA given that this was former US Army property. She reported screening would begin this fall and test results would be available early next year. Chair Wicklund questioned what the biggest miss was within the plans at this time. Mr. Mazzitello stated the biggest lift within this project was the relocation of the TGRS system. Chair Wicklund inquired if there were any items within the plan that should be amended now before this project moves forward. Mr. Bosman commented he did not have any recommendations at this time. He indicated coordinating with the Army on the TGRS system was the only hold up at this time. b. Review Sustainability Information Session Presentation Director Mitchell stated a draft slideshow for the Sustainability Information Session was being provided to the JDA for feedback. After getting feedback from the JDA, staff will make edits, refine existing content, and clean up formatting. She reported early November was being targeted for this virtual informational session due to schedules and to allow time for promotion. Commissioner Monson thanked staff for their efforts on the sustainability slideshow. She stated this information was being presented just how she envisioned and expected. She suggested the value of the proposed development be further addressed within the slideshow. Chair Wicklund stated the JDA wanted to communicate with the City’s constituents regarding the sustainability efforts being pursued through this development and noted this would be done via webinar. Commissioner Jebens-Singh supported residents being allowed to submit questions whenever they view the webinar and that these questions be forwarded to staff. Chair Wicklund questioned who would be presenting the slideshow within the webinar. Director Mitchell reported this would be done by herself and Rick Carter along with Ryan or Michael from Evergreen Energy who would address district energy. Chair Wicklund stated he believed it would be nice to have a JDA Commissioner open the webinar. Commissioner Monson volunteered to open the webinar on behalf of the JDA. Commissioner McGuire suggested the introduction include information regarding the partnership between the City and the County through the JDA. Commissioner Jebens-Singh recommended the presenters walk through the presentation with an individual not on the JDA to see if the information being presented was too technical in nature, in case some of the information needs to be further explained. Commissioner Weber commended staff for pulling this slideshow presentation so quickly and comprehensively. Commissioner McGuire encouraged staff not to use too many acronyms within the presentation as the public may not be familiar. Commissioner Monson recommended a map of the project area be included in this slideshow. Commissioner Jebens-Singh suggested staff provide links to more detailed information regarding the JDA’s sustainability efforts be provided for those individuals that would like to take a deeper dive into this topic. c. Communications Update Director Mitchell stated Goff Public worked with Ramsey County to prepare and distribute the fall Rice Creek Commons newsletter. The newsletter was sent to 3,398 subscribers on Monday, September 29. Topics included the release of the Request for Information, the approval of the plat for Rice Creek Boulevard, and a construction update on Outlot A. The newsletter had a 2% click rate and 19% open rate, which is similar to the last newsletter. There have been three recent inquiries through the Rice Creek Commons microsite contact portal on topics including opportunities for development, plans for senior housing, and construction at Outlot A. Staff responded to each inquiry directly. Commissioner McGuire requested staff forward the most recent newsletter to her. Chair Wicklund asked if anyone has responded to the RFI to date. Director Mitchell stated the RFI was available on the County’s webpage and she had reached out to several project partners to see if they could assist with distributing the RFI. She noted she had received on RFI response to date. She indicated the deadline for submittal was October 24, 2025. d. Review Road Map Director Mitchell reviewed the Road Map with the JDA. Administrative Director’s Report Director Mitchell stated she submitted for precertification for LEED for Communities last week. She reported the goal still remains to achieve platinum certification. Development Director’s Report Director Jagoe introduced the City’s new Community Development Director Jacob Reilly to the JDA. Commissioner Updates Commissioner Monson asked how conversations were going with the Army regarding the TGRS system and Building 116. Director Mitchell stated Lorena and John were having the conversations with the Army. Commissioner Monson supported the JDA having a conversations regarding Building 116 to ensure this building is moved. Commissioner Weber supported the JDA having this conversation as well. Commissioner Jebens-Singh indicated she was uncertain who was responsible for Building 116 and she had no objection to the JDA holding a conversation. Commissioner McGuire agreed and stated the Ramsey County Board would be reaffirming their commitment to Rice Creek Commons at their meeting tomorrow. Adjournment Meeting adjourned at 6:56 pm. Approved _____________________________________ _______________________ Jon Wicklund, Chair Date November 3, 2025