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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-12-22 Joint Board PacketMeeting Notice Stillwater City and Town Joint Board City Council Chambers 216 North Fourth Street Stillwater MN 55082 7 p.m. Wednesday, December 22, 2010 AGENDA 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - SEPTEMBER 1, 2010 3. NEW BUSINESS 3.01 Discussion on Armory Project. BACKGROUND SITE SEARCH AND SELECTION THE BIRTHPLACE O F MINNESOTA TO: Joint Planning Board FROM: Bill Turnblad, Community Development Director DATE: December 16, 2010 RE: Stillwater Armory Project — Information Memo The Army National Guard plans to construct a new armory facility for the First Brigade Combat Team Special Troops Battalion of the 34th Infantry. Since Stillwater is the historic home of this battalion (which is temporarily located in Bloomington because it outgrew the Stillwater facility) the National Guard would like to move the battalion back here. Funds for the project are available and 100% of the construction costs would be paid by the Army. Normally, a host City is required to pay 25% of the cost of facilities that would be shared by the community, but in this case that would not be required. The City's financial contribution would be: 1) a 12 -15 acre piece of property; 2) any building additions beyond what the Guard would normally share with the community (some Cities build ice arenas, swimming pools, fire stations, etc.); and 3) the costs associated with constructing access onto County Road 12. In November the City purchased about 18 acres between Boutwell Road and Myrtle Street to keep the option of hosting the armory alive. Over the course of the next year the process of designing the facility will be undertaken. The design process will include public charette sessions. In about January through March of 2012, there would be a series of formal public meetings and hearings on the project. Several years ago the City conducted a site search for the new armory. The two main site selection criteria were at the time that the property needed to have 12 -15 acres and be within the City of Stillwater, or on land that could be annexed into the City of Stillwater. The search identified about a dozen potential properties. However, the City Council did not wish to pursue purchase of land at the time. With an approaching decision deadline, the Mayor renewed efforts this summer for the City to reach a decision on whether it would host the new armory site. As part of the renewed effort a future fire station was added to the search criteria for the site. With the westward growth in Stillwater, and increased population in areas outside of the City that are served by the Stillwater Fire Department, fire response times have been increasing in those areas. To reduce the response times a new fire station or a 2 "d station will eventually be necessary. New Armory December 16, 2010 Page 2 of 5 A fire response time study was done by the City several years ago to identify potential areas that would provide acceptable response times to the entire fire service area. The ideal areas in terms of response time were identified as existing along Myrtle Street roughly between Deer Path and Northland. When the fire response time criteria were combined with the list of potential properties identified earlier for the armory, the former Bruggeman property emerged as a preferred combined use site. FACILITY INFORMATION Brigadier General Joe Kelly of the National Guard has provided the City with information on the armory project, which is reproduced here. This building will be 100% federally funded on locally contributed (and ultimately deeded to the state) property. The city can participate in any additional enhancements without having to buy in the usual 25% local contribution. That is a tremendous advantage of this project because of how the Army is funding it. The Headquarters of the 34th Brigade Combat Team and its Special Troops Battalion will return to its historic home in Stillwater. With its return would come: 1. Number of full time jobs in Stillwater: 53 (up from 6 at the downtown armory) 2. Number of weekend soldiers coming to Stillwater: 436 (up from 184 at the downtown armory) 3. Square feet of proposed facility: 72,000 (up from 27,000 at the downtown armory) 4. Number of potential public class rooms or meeting rooms: 2 x 750 square feet and a 2,000 square foot auditorium. 5. Square feet of public gym: 6,300 -7,000 6. Number of soldiers that would qualify for a weekend housing stipend and the amount: Approximately 20 soldiers at $55 /night (up from 4). This number may vary based on commuting changes from Bloomington. 7. Number of soldiers that qualify for a meal allowance and amount: 436 soldiers at about $8 /day. We often buy groceries locally. 8. Estimated project cost: —$20M for 72,000 square feet total with $2.4M for 12,000 square feet available to public. 9. Miscellaneous economic and non - economic benefits. a. Local spending (gas, meals, incidentals, entertainment, haircuts, dry cleaning, etc.) for both full time support and weekend soldiers. b. Large public facility available for community events with much more parking than the current site. c. Local spending for office supplies, groceries for unit meals, fuel, etc. d. Return of one of our most historic and prestigious units to its historic home. There are only 7 heavy brigade combat teams in the Guard across the country. e. Large public facility for emergency sheltering and other disaster response uses. f. Redevelopment opportunity at the current building and lot. g. More than twice the number of soldiers available for community support missions around the city. New Armory December 16, 2010 Page 3 of 5 ACCESS h. Future expansion opportunities for the city to add onto the facility depending on needs. i. Increased economic activity for local merchants and businesses during construction of the new building. j. Annual federal spending attributed to the local economy estimated at $6.1M (up from $1.3M). k. Potential boost to local school district and real estate market if full time soldiers decide to relocate to Stillwater. Tough to predict in the current market. I. Upon executive order of the governor, the community would have a much larger local unit available to respond to emergencies and better facility in our area if disaster strikes. The project site has frontage on two roadways. Along the north property line is Boutwell Road, which is designed as a "Minor Collector ". Along the south property line is County Road 12, which is designed as an "A Minor Expander ". Depending upon what uses ultimately share the property with the armory, either road might have the capacity by itself to carry the traffic and continue to function at a satisfactory level of service. However, the City Council on a 4 -1 vote clearly stated that access to both roads will be pursued. Washington County has reviewed the access question and would approve a roadway intersection on County Road 12 under three conditions: 1) It would have to be built immediately across from Maryknoll Drive, and nowhere else along the property line; and 2) A public through street would have to be built connecting this intersection to one on Boutwell Road; and 3) Turn lanes would be necessary on County Road 12. The turn lanes on County Road 12 are likely to cost about $250,000. This cost would be the city's responsibility. Construction and design costs for the public road through the site will likely be about $450,000. Though, the National Guard would construct and pay for the entire road up to /through its parking lot. They would also construct and pay for the road base from the parking lot to the eastern property line. (See attached map.) All stormwater and wetland mitigation needed for the through road would be the responsibility of the National Guard. Therefore, the City would be responsible for about $150,000 of the $450,000 road cost. Acquisition of about a quarter of an acre of land from the property owners east of the project site would be required to meet the County condition to align with Maryknoll Drive. (See attached map.) The cost of this land has yet to be negotiated. So the total road costs to the City are estimated to be about $400,000 plus the cost of the extra quarter of an acre. New Armory December 16, 2010 Page 4 of 5 SITE USES Site design details and site use details are not known at this time. They will become clear over the next year. But the immediate primary use of the site would be for the armory. A fire station would likely also be constructed on the property. Though, it is not yet known when that may occur. Depending upon community desires, other uses may also be considered for the property. Until construction starts (ca. April 1, 2014), the property will continue to be used for two homes. NEXT STEPS The next major step for the project will include: site use charette; design charette; review of annexation and plans by Joint Board, City Planning Commission and City Council. Though this is still in draft form, the timeline could look like this: ARMORY PROJECT — TENTATIVE TIMELINE October 12, 2010 October 20, 2010 October 21 -22, 2010 November 1, 2010 December 22, 2010 January 2011 January 2011 March 2011 April -June 2011 July- September 2011 January 2012 January 2012 February 2012 March 2012 June 1, 2012 October 2012 April 1, 2014 October 2015 Environmental investigation: site visit Environmental investigation: Drilling team on site Cultural survey Closing date on purchase of property Informational meeting with Joint Planning Board City Council adopts a Resolution of Intent to provide the National Guard with land for an armory facility. National Guard submits host city information to National Guard Bureau for budget. City zoning and design/performance standards need to be forwarded to the National Guard. Planning Programming Design Charette (PPDC) National Guard conducts planning charette (this would include any partner organizations that would share the facility to capture all requirements in conceptual layout/orientation of the facility) Design charette National Guard conducts an architectural and site design charette. Public hearing before Planning Commission 1) annexation, 2) ordinance amendment allowing armory by SUP in RA zoning district; 3) rezoning from TZ to RA; 4) SUP for armory Design Review before HPC Public hearing before Joint Planning Board Public hearing before City Council Certificate of Title transferred from City to National Guard Design complete Likely construction start Likely occupancy of armory building The April 1, 2014 construction start date is subject to change depending upon how fast the National Guard receives bid authority from the National Guard Bureau (NGB), the NGB releases funds, the weather, etc. Attachment: Location Map New Armory December 16, 2010 Page 5 of 5 is ..tnp �- - - ■ .1% rl..- ♦ ■ > 94 so \` 4It p .1 ���- fir, ifs.♦ ��`�i1 Pi v ► i u \� ri : t. : ,�� /■ munraU� Ki II �,� I I� �� t '°i %a 1lI 141111; , te a .� uoor ilia _ r t ban l ID T "N 1 y 'mi "tw ill , Ai mil setz Imr s o, Iwo* Oj a f l o7r ',Alb ,.,•y� 1 141 . 11111 I I 411111.0 El Alifi Et* Oililito � °• SAL' J 1 2 .. 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