Agenda Packets - 1998/06/22 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Item No. -74 Staff Report No. Meeting Date: 6/22/98 Type of Business: CB WK: Work Session;PH:Public Hearing; CA:Consent Agenda;CB:Council Business City of Mounds View Staff Report To: Mayor and City Council Members From: Rick Jopke, Community Development Director Item Title/Subject: Authorization to Enter Into an Option to Purchase the Midland Videen Property and to Send Out a Request For Proposals. Date of Report: June 17, 1998 Background: The Midland Videen property is located south of the Community Center property and east of Edgewood Drive. The property is approximately 9.4 acres in size. A wetland occupies a major portion of the property. There is approximately 1 %2 acres at the southwest corner of the site that is developable. When Edgewood Drive is relocated,the City will have an additional 1 1/2 acre site which could be developed. Because the two sites would be contiguous it would make sense to market them together to get the best development. It also makes sense for the City to control what gets developed on the site to ensure that the development is compatible with the Community Center, City Hall, and the wetland. The City would have the most control over development if it controlled both sites. This would require that the City either acquire the Midland Videen site outright or acquire an option to purchase it. The City also needs to solve the parking problem at the Community Center. The best option for solving the problem is remove the wetland on the east side of the Community Center site and mitigate the loss by replacing it on the adjacent Midland Videen property. There is room to do the wetland replacement adjacent to the wetland on the Midland Videen property. The City could also develop trails and other passive recreational opportunities on Midland Videen property which could compliment the Community Center site and provide an amenity to attract development on the two 1 1/2 acre developable sites. The City previously considered purchasing the Midland Videen site for$330,000. The current asking price for the site is $250,000. The City could also take out a six month option on the property for $20,000. The option would give the City control over the site while a mitigation plan is finalized for the Community Center parking lot and while the developable sites are marketed to developers. Any required comprehensive plan, zoning, and subdivision issues could also be addressed during this time. An alternate course of action would be to not purchase or option the the Midland Videen property at this time. The City could ask for proposals which include both properties. The RFP could require that developers include in their submittal proof of control of the Midland Videen property and what they would sell the wetland to the city for. This alternative would limit the