Consider Site Improvements to Parcel 46 and The Waterfront in the COR

The purpose of this case if to obtain direction to consider making / funding site improvements to Parcel 46 and The Waterfront in the COR.

Staff has been working with CBRE to market Parcel 46 in the COR. The site is generally low and needs fill and compaction to make the site buildable.  In addition, there is a wetland and a storm pond for Armstrong Blvd that do not let the site be developed efficiently and to its full potential.  The non-buildable status of the site and the uncertainty in costs to make it developable has caused interested developers to pass on the site. 

Over the past few years, we have had interest from developers showing the majority of the site being developed with twin and cottage homes. The development plans reserve areas for retail and mixed uses residential.  The EDA, Planning Commission and City Council have generally accepted this development and the allocated land for each use.  Discussion with the developers always lead to the site not being ready and the costs needed to improve the site for development and their uncertainty make the project unfeasible.  The following items need to be addressed:

Fill Needed for Parcel 46
There have been several attempts to determine the amount of fill needed for for this site. Attached are graphics showing previous attempts to identify fill needs and sources. (Exhibit 1 - Fill for Parcel 46).  This item needs to be reviewed to determine the amount of fill that is actually needed and the cost to acquire, place and compact on the site.

Wetland Mitigation and Relocation on Parcel 46
Staff is in the process of putting together a schedule and potential pricing to either mitigating impacts to the existing wetland at a 2:1 ratio by purchasing additional wetland credits in excess of what the existing City-owned banked wetland credits will not cover, or by relocating the wetland on the site by constructing a new wetland within The Waterfront park feature. Engineering will provide greater detail on this matter during the meeting. (See Site Location Map)

Stormwater Pond Relocation for Parcel 46
As part of the development of the site it is possible that the stormwater pond may need to be relocated.  This could be done as part of an new private development project or the City could be proactive and relocate the pond strategically to another location when the fill work, and wetland relocation is being completed. (See Site location Map)

The Waterfront Excavation and Rough Grade
The timing of The Waterfront park project is not scheduled within a particular year at this time. However, plans for The Waterfront have envisioned enlarging and excavating the low area present on site as the beginning point for the park project.  This grading (excavation) could be used as a source for fill for parcel 46.  It would make sense to coordinate these activities if economically feasible. Additional things to consider include the ability/feasibility to relocate the wetland from Parcel 46 on this site, and the probable need to line the water feature to prevent infiltration since this site is within a wellhead protection area. Some preliminary work has been done with design and site work (See Exhibit 2 - Soil Boring Reports), and concept plans and cost estimates have been generated for the park work.

Infrastructure Improvements
Zeolite Street NW needs to be reconstructed and brought up to current city street standards.  Coordinating this project with the filling of Parcel 46 and relocation of the wetland would make sense due to the traffic and hauling of the dirt between Parcel 46 and The Waterfront.  The connection of West Ramsey Parkway and related utilities should also be considered as part of this project. (See Bolton and Menk Study)

In order to bring Parcel 46 to the market, Staff is asking for this project to be considered for 2022

Alternatives include:

1) Direct Staff to gather more information on cost for each facet of the project internally and report back to Public Works Committee for further discussion.
2) Recommend to City Council to have Staff hire consultants and have staff gather more information for each facet of the project. 
3) Recommend to City Council to commit to the project to obtain and place fill on Parcel 46, relocate the wetland and to coordinate with The Waterfront site planning and development.
3) Something else.

To be determined. It is likely that different facets of this project would be handled by different funding sources.  Potential funding sources include:

• PIR
• Sewer and/or Water Fund
• Park Dedication / Trust Fund,
• TIF
• EDA
• Wetland bank

Direct Staff to gather more information on cost for each facet of the project internally and report back to the Public Works Committee for further discussion.

Based on discussion.