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Reports of Staff December 19, 2014 Page 2 of 4 C. Business Health and Welfare Visits Since October, staff has visited over 70 local businesses in health and welfare visits. Health and welfare visits are different from BR&E visits, in that they are less formal. They are meant to provide the business owner a business point of contact from the city in a short meet and greet interaction. The business owner/manager or person on duty normally gives a quick snapshot of their busi ness and production. They may or may not offer a quick tour of their facilities and they provide valuable information to city staff who in turn, can make a determination of business needs, overall health of the business , and identify any issues the city may be able to assist with. A follow-up is conducted if the business requests additional information or if staff deems necessary. Once, several visits are conducted, staff normally is able to identify trends and patterns. Some examples of trends identified so far are questions about yard signs and temporary signs, when and if the name of County Rd 10 will be changed, lots available for expansion, and space available for lease. Overall, businesses seem to be maintaining or increasing productivity since last year. Many of the manufacturing companies are increasing production and having preliminary discussion of future expansions. While this is normally beneficial, it also creates an issue in Mounds View since there is limited land available. This may cause som e companies to leave to other communities that have larger acreages available for development. The businesses very much appreciated someone from the city showing interest in their operations. Some business owners said that this is the first time they have been visited since they started their operation. Some seemed skeptical at first, thinking I was an inspector. However, once they realized that I was there to help, they appreciated the visit. Follow-up has been completed with most of the businesses. Staff will attempt to visit every business in the city the first year, then establish a regular schedule and alternate business visits over a 12 month time frame thereafter with the goal of visiting at least one business each week. (Please see Attachment 6A for a summary list of BR&E and Business Health and Welfare visits) D. TCAAP Development Update Remediation activities are expected to be completed on the TCAAP site by October 2015. The Environmental Document, Area wide Urban Alternative Review (AUAR) has been completed and the preliminary land use plan has been approved by the Arden Hills City Council. The site regulations and policies will be completed early 2015 and the site infrastructure design and County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 96 & CR H interchange design is underway. Based on the current Master Plan, redevelopment of the site could generate 4,000 residents and 4,000 jobs. A new diverging diamond interchange is proposed at the I-35W/Highway 96 Interchange. Design is being finalized and construction is expected to begin in spring 2015. More information can be found at http://www.sehinc.com/online/35W96 A public open house was held at the Ramsey County Public Works facility in Arden Hills on December 9, 2014 providing information on roadways, site grading, drainage, wetlands, and storm water management, utilities, I -35W interchanges, parks and trails,