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<br />Blue Concept: Arona site as a programmed park and recreation facility. Vehicular access is only from Arona <br />Street. Possible pedestrian/bicycle access is shown on all sides of the Arona site. A new community center/parks <br />and recreation facility is located adjacent to the existing parking lot. The scheme proposed to preserve and <br />enhance the existing trees on the Arona site. <br /> <br />Yellow Concept: Arona site as single level town homes and single-family detached homes or twin homes. All of <br />the housing is rear loaded with alley access to garages. Open space is retained around the wetland as well as a <br />green across from a small community center. The green preserves the existing stand of trees from the courtyard of <br />the former Ralph Reeder School building. Vehicular access is from Arona Street with possible access from the east <br />connecting with Terrace Drive. Possible pedestrian access is shown to the north and east. <br /> <br />Orange Concept: The redevelopment of Arona and Hamline Center. The Arona site is partially developed with <br />housing (single level town homes and twin homes). The remainder of the site is a park with soccer and softball <br />fields and open space. Vehicular access is from Arona Street. The Hamline Center is redeveloped and organized <br />along a new landscaped boulevard that bisects the site from Hamline Avenue westward to a new street that runs <br />north/south along the eastern property line of the Hamline Shopping Center. Tuck-under town homes, senior <br />apartments, and rental apartments over retail/commercial and a potential school building (including a gym) replace <br />the Hamline Center. The new town homes are located across from the Super America with garages on the first <br />level. The senior apartments (two three-story buildings) face the Centennial Gardens East Apartments. <br /> <br />Green Concept: A long-term (10-20 year) concept plan of Arona to Hamline. The Arona site is a programmed park <br />with ball fields, tennis courts, and playground. Pathways are added to make connections from the site to <br />surrounding areas. The park extends east with a green area and a community center. The community center is a <br />two level building in order to connect the two areas across the topographic change. Vehicular access to the park is <br />through Arona Street or parking at the community center with entrance off Hamline. Pedestrian access to the site is <br />from all directions, existing and redeveloped areas. Town homes are adjacent to the eastern portion of the park on <br />the north and south. Centennial Gardens East Apartments are redeveloped into for-sale town home units. The <br />Hamline Center is redeveloped in a similar manner as the Orange development alternative; however, the office <br />building at the corner of Centennial and Hamline is replaced with tuck-under town homes. The boulevard from the <br />orange scheme is extended to Pascal Street. In between the Arona site and the Hamline Center are town homes. <br /> <br />Member Mulder asked for definitions of a "community center" on the Arona site. Mike Lamb described it as a <br />flexible meeting space and exercise areas, geared to the neighborhood. <br /> <br />Member Duncan asked for details on the comparison and breakout of ownership in new housing. <br /> <br />Member Mulder asked if cost benefit analyses and financial proforma or feasibility is being done. Is this too <br />expensive for the market? <br /> <br />Member Duncan expressed concern about home value and the longer term uses. <br /> <br />Member Wilke asked if apartment owners and residents had participated. <br /> <br />Member Olson asked about Park and Recreation needs. Mike Lamb explained the possible alternative spaces. <br /> <br />Member Rhody asked if the neighbors had requested more or less park and recreation space. More space and <br />better maintenance is required. <br /> <br />Member Wilke stated that 20 years is a long time to wait for a development. Michael Lamb explained the <br />increments of development, that it is coherent and connected, as a community asset. <br /> <br />Member Olson noted that neighbors have ranked the options with green, orange, yellow and blue. <br /> <br />A general discussion of the comments with the Planning Commission ensued. <br /> <br />Member Duncan noted green and blue are similar on the Arona site. <br /> <br />Member Rhody found the traffic on the yellow concept may be too intense. He preferred the orange concept, which <br />maintains most of the areas as green open space. <br /> <br />Member Mulder noted that by using the City Center Concept there would be less need to put community buildings <br />on Arona. He favored the orange concept. Each plan has a different return on investment. The challenge is to find <br />