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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1A, Consider Approval of TCAAP Reuse Statement EN HILLS Request for Council Action -—-------------------------------- Prepared By: Ron Moorse, City Administrator James Lehnhoff, Community Development Director Council Meeting Date: November 16, 2009 Consider approval of the TCAAP Reuse Statement Budgeted Amount: Actual Amount: Funding Source: N/A N/A N/A Recommendation: Consider approval of the TCAAP Reuse Statement for distribution at the November 18, 2009, TCAAP Bidders' Conference Supporting Documents: 1. November 16, 2009, Memo to the City Council 2. TCAAP Reuse Statement E HILLS N MEMORANDUM DATE: November 16, 2009 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members FROM: Ron Moorse, City Administrator James Lehnhoff, Community Development Director SUBJECT: DRAFT TCAAP Reuse Statement Action Request Consider approval of the TCAAP Reuse Statement for distribution at the November 18, 200% TCAAP Bidders' Conference Backiround At the November 9, 2009, work session, the City Council discussed the draft TCAAP reuse statement for distribution at the November 18, 2009, bidders' conference. Since the City is just starting the process of preparing new zoning and design standards for TCAAP, the primary purpose of the statement is to represent the City's interest and expectations for the future reuse of the TCAAP property. The TCAAP reuse statement has been updated to reflect the suggestions made at the November 9 work session. If anything needs to be edited, changes can be incorporated prior to approval. The future land use map from the 2030 Comprehensive Plan has not been attached to the draft. It will be included with the version that is distributed at the bidders' conference. Attachment DRAFT TCAAP Reuse Statement (without future land use map attachment) City of Arden Hills C:I Documents and Settings I Becky.brazys I Local Settings I Temporary Internet Files I OLK15F1111609-CC Memo-TCAAP Reuse Statement.doc Page 1 of I HtLLSI DRAFT TCAAP Reuse Statement for the Bidders' Conference—November 18, 2009 TCAAP Reuse Statement: The City of Arden Hills has been looking forward for many years to the opportunity to convert the TCAAP property to a reuse that benefits the community and the region. The TCAAP site provides a unique opportunity to start with a blank slate and create a singularly exceptional new future for the site. The TCAAP Reuse Statement sets out the City's baseline expectations for the reuse of the property. It is the City's strong desire to work with a buyer who will use the City's expectations as a starting point, and will bring the creativity and commitment necessary to accomplish a truly exceptional development. The recently adopted 2030 Comprehensive Plan is set to guide the community over the next twenty years. The primary purpose of the Comprehensive Plan is to support and implement the City's vision: Arden Hills is a strong community that values its unique environmental setting, strong residential neighborhoods, vital business community, well-maintained infrastructure, fiscal soundness, and our long-standing tradition as a desirable City in which to live, work, and play. Arden Hills is a strong community with established neighborhoods, an extensive park and open - space system, and stable business community. Except for the former Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant (TCAAP)property, the City is almost fully developed. The TCAAP property occupies a significant portion of Arden Hills and its potential reuse offers both benefits and challenges. Reuse of the TCAAP property must be able to benefit the community and region without placing undue financial burden on existing residents. The General Service Administration(GSA), on behalf of the Army, is selling the land in an "army industrial" condition. The condition of the property varies, and there are portions that meet, exceed, or are below the army industrial condition. The City will expect the property to be remediated to allow for the land uses described in the Comprehensive Plan. The remediation must be in conformance with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency(MPCA)requirements for the approved land uses. The 2030 Comprehensive Plan provides guidance for the future of the TCAAP property and includes the following goal for the reuse of the TCAAP property: 1 Develop TCAAP in a way that accommodates a mix of land uses that is sensitive to the natural environment, economically sustainable, and a benefit to the community. The Comprehensive Plan will form the basis of the land use regulations; however, the City reserves the right to amend the Comprehensive Plan to ensure that the former TCAAP property becomes a positive contribution to the established part of the community and the region. The regulations will also need to recognize the inherent limitations of the property. The City is in the process of preparing land use regulations, densities, design standards, and a list of permitted uses for the TCAAP property. The 2030 Comprehensive Plan currently divides the TCAAP property into four land uses,which are shown on the attached future land use map and defined as: • Mixed Residential (-240 acres)—provides for a variety of housing types and densities in close proximity, including single-family detached homes, single- attached homes, condominiums, townhomes, apartments, and senior housing options. The anticipated average density is 10.4 units per acre with a minimum average density of six units per acre up to a maximum density of 46 units per acre. This land use is designated for the proposed TCAAP redevelopment, and the density is subject to change once a final land use plan is selected. • Mixed Business (-220 acres)—areas designated for a variety of businesses, including commercial, certain light industrial uses, warehousing, office, general business, retail. This designation will be used for the future business uses on the TCAAP property. • Park and Open Space (-76 acres)—areas designated as public parks. • Park Preserve (-49 acres)—areas designated as natural or scenic areas that are to be preserved for public use or open space. The "Mixed Residential" and "Mixed Commercial" categories have the potential to allow a broad variety of land uses. Additionally, the mixed residential and mixed commercial areas must also have accommodations for parks, open spaces, and pathways integrated with those uses. - While the future land use boundaries and acreage may be adjusted depending on the proposal and benefit to the community, the future land uses are anticipated to form the basis of the zoning, design, and use regulations. Reuse Expectations and Considerations With any reuse scenario, the City has expectations that must be met. Additionally, it must be understood that there are other limitations that need to be considered when preparing a reuse concept. The following list of expectations is not all-inclusive and is not listed in order of importance: Expectations 2 • An environmental remediation plan that cleans all of the land up to the required levels to accommodate the land uses outlined by the City. The plan will meet all Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Environmental Protection Agency requirements, including financial commitments to ensure that that all contamination cleanup requirements are met. • Environmental remediation of the land in a timely matter is a top priority to the City. A reuse plan will need to include timeline information related to the cleanup and redevelopment. A reuse plan that selectively uses or"cherry picks"parcels while ignoring other parcels will not be considered. • A bike and pedestrian trail corridor from Highway 96 Regional Trail to the Rice Creek North Regional Trail to ensure a connection from the southern portion of Arden Hills. • Substantial park and open space requirements will be incorporated within the mixed business and mixed residential uses to provide parks and open space areas and amenities to serve the community and the development. • The City will require designated park land,park land dedication, and/or park dedication fees. • The City has a tree preservation and landscaping ordinance in the Zoning Code. The City will expect substantial landscaping and trees, and the requirements may be enhanced for the TCAAP property. • All utilities, including electric service, will be installed underground. • All Rice Creek Watershed District requirements will be met. • The on-site storm water ponding could be incorporated into the open space amenities. • The redevelopment will incorporate green building and design principles where feasible, such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. This could include using the Army's water treatment process to develop a geothermal energy generation capability and/or the use of some land for solar or wind energy generation. • Buildings must be constructed from high-quality, long-lasting materials. • All roads and paths must meet City requirements if they are dedicated to the City. • The redevelopment must be able to pay its own way and demonstrate that its tax base will support the long-term maintenance of the on-site infrastructure and support City services such as police, fire, and inspections. • A reuse scenario must seek to create a walkable environment with"complete streets"that are pedestrian and bicycle friendly. • The residential and commercial areas must be connected by sidewalks and trails to each other and other parks and open spaces. Residential sidewalks and commercial sidewalks/trails will be privately maintained. • The reuse must consider opportunities for transit connections (i.e. a park and ride lot). • The design and construction of any bridge over Rice Creek must be coordinated with Ramsey County and respectful to the adjacent open space. • The Wildlife Corridor, the Primer/Tracer area, and the north south trail corridor along the eastern border of TCAAP will be dedicated for park and open space related uses separate from any park dedication requirements. • All costs related to consultants to facilitate the redevelopment will be the responsibility of the developer. 3 Additional Considerations • The City will seek to diversify its commercial tax base and generate high quality jobs (i.e. high technology,medical). The City is interested in a corporate campus to help diversify the City's existing commercial tax base. • The City will seek to establish viable retail groupings to enhance long-term sustainability. • The City will seek to provide a variety of housing options on the site to accommodate the current and future needs of Arden Hills. This may include affordable housing and market rate housing with a focus on owner occupied housing. • The City will seek to have uses that generate property taxes. • The City has not guaranteed the use of Tax Increment Financing(TIF) or any other type of financial incentive for the redevelopment of the property. • The only access points to the property are at County Road 96 just west of Snelling Avenue and at the intersection of Interstate 35W and County Road H. The development capacity of the TCAAP property is limited by the capacity of these two access points. The City does not have funds to upgrade these intersections. • All development and permitting fees in the City's fee schedule apply. • In addition to the Metropolitan Council sewer and water access charges, the City charges a sewer and water access charge. • The United States Army operates a network of wells, underground pipes, and a treatment plant to clean the groundwater contamination. This groundwater treatment must be able to continue along side any redevelopment. • Additional information, such as environmental data, may be available from RRLD, LLC. To find out what is available and how to obtain the information, it is necessary to contact RRLD, LLC directly. 4