 (Photo credit: Pioneer Press, John Autey)
In May, the Joint Development Authority selected Alatus LLC as the master developer of Rice Creek Commons. Alatus will help guide the overall residential and commercial development of the site, an area large enough to fit all of downtown Saint Paul with room to spare.
Rice Creek Commons is one of the last large-scale redevelopment opportunities in the Twin Cities, with the potential to positively impact Arden Hills, Ramsey County, and the region as whole. We are committed to getting it right and are thrilled to have excellent partners with Alatus, Inland Development Partners, and Tradition Development Corporation.
In November 2015, the soil was cleaned to residential standards, and the work is currently in the process of being verified by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) through its Voluntary Investigation and Cleanup (VIC) program and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The site is likely to be delisted from the federal Superfund list in early 2017. Site development could begin as soon as late 2017.
Alatus is now negotiating with Ramsey County and the City of Arden Hills on a development agreement for the site, and with Ramsey County on a purchase agreement for the site. Both agreements are expected to be finalized before the end of 2016.
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Founded
in 2005, Alatus LLC is a Minneapolis-based real estate developer dedicated to
creating community-minded, quality architecture, and sustainable design for
today’s livable landscapes. The firm’s Arden Hills team brings decades of
experience in full-scale planning, commercial and residential development, as
well as a knowledge of how healthy living, environmental stewardship, and
economic opportunity are possible through strategic design. By combining
quality materials and workmanship with an understanding of lifestyles, natural
amenities and future needs, the Arden Hills team sets standards of excellence
in urban and suburban single- and multi-family residential home development,
commercial development and master planning. The team’s smart, sustainable
neighborhoods provide residents with meaningful live well/work smart/play
hard environments that inform and enhance the communities to which they are
connected. With each project, Alatus’s Arden Hills team created communities
that reflect the spirit and lifestyles of the families, friends and colleagues
who live and work there, lasting through many seasons of life.
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The Ramsey County Board of Commissioners approved the
purchase of 40 acres of land adjacent to Rice Creek Commons for what will
become the largest utility-grade solar array in the metro area. The solar array
would have the potential to generate 8-12 megawatts of power – enough energy to
serve the entire redevelopment.
Ramsey County is pursuing a partnership with Xcel Energy to
manage the solar installation. The partnership is contingent on approval by the
Minnesota Public Utilities Commission.
Ramsey County will purchase the land for $1 and demolish the
buildings on site to prepare it for solar panels at an estimated cost of $1.25
million. This cost would be recouped through lease payments with Xcel Energy.
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Rice Creek remeander
Rice Creek has gone through a major transformation over the past several months. Under the direction of the Rice Creek Watershed District, the middle section of Rice Creek was transformed back to its original meandering path and stabilized along its banks with native plants and trees. Approximately 500 new feet of stream were created during the course of the project.
Water has begun to flow through the new channel. Construction crews are placing riprap, and staff are monitoring creek flows and growth of new turf to ensure the process does not cause erosion. After the remeander is complete, crews will begin filling the old creek bed and constructing a roundabout intersection at County Road H and I-35W, providing a gateway entrance to Rice Creek Commons.
County Road H
interchange
Reconstruction of County Road H from Old Highway 8 to Rice
Creek Commons began in May. This project includes replacing the bridge over
I-35W and the intersection with Highway 10.
Construction of the new, wider bridge over the interstate is
underway. County Road H and the I-35W interchange will be completed by the end
of the 2016 construction season. However, some elements of the project will
extend into 2017, including construction of a new northbound I-35W off-ramp
directly to Rice Creek Commons.
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