Arden Hills has an idea for old ammunition site

In a major shift from previous plans for one of the metro's largest and most talked-about developable properties, Arden Hills city leaders are now pushing to make most of it a regional park.

The vision, supported recently by several City Council members, represents a dramatic change in the city's publicly stated wishes for the former Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant (TCAAP).

For years, city leaders have favored a mix of commercial and residential development and green space for a 585-acre parcel that's located just off Hwy. 10 and Interstate 35W.

That tract represents a large swath of the entire TCAAP property, a roughly 4-square-mile site that for more than 50 years was owned by the U.S. Army and used for weapons manufacturing.

Last spring, developer Ryan Companies pulled out of the deal, opening the door for a new direction.

Then, this summer, the council voted 3-1 in favor of a resolution in support of a re-use plan that would dedicate about 475 acres as a regional park.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Army and the General Services Administration are moving to hold a public auction of the 585 acres that have been deemed surplus. The auction could occur in the spring.

Mayor Stan Harpstead says he'd like to see some of the TCAAP land designated as open space, but not the parcel in question.

That land is flat and already has Army buildings on it, which would have to be torn down to create a park. Part of the land is contaminated and would require extensive cleanup, the exact costs of which are not known.

Harpstead was on vacation when the council acted. Had he been there, he would have opposed the resolution, he said.

A much better use of the property, he said, would be to make it a mix of residential and commercial buildings with some open space.

But the community has clamored for a regional park for years, said City Council Member Fran Holmes.

The resolution passed by the council also calls for the remaining acres of the 585-parcel to be used for "other compatible uses," such as a corporate campus.