In this unprecedented moment, it is impossible to ignore how interconnected we are and how essential stable housing is to our collective health. As the supposed safety conferred by income and status evaporates in the face of a global pandemic, we all recognize that our well-being is deeply reliant on the ability of all our neighbors to be safe and healthy.
In this context, the flippant tone and inaccurate content of the recent commentary from the mayor and City Council members of Arden Hills ("Why did Ramsey county ghost Arden Hills in planning?" March 19), rejecting their important role in shaping accessible housing options for our communities, is particularly jarring.
The fate of the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant (TCAAP) property has been a subject of government planning for years — and for good reason. The 427-acre property in Arden Hills is the largest tract of undeveloped land in our region and, since it acquired the site in 2012, Ramsey County has invested tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to remediate the superfund site for new, private development.
In 2018, the County entered into an agreement with the city of Arden Hills that outlined the planned development of Rice Creek Commons: 1,460 homes, 1.4 million square feet of commercial/office space, and a 200-room hotel.
Missing from the agreement: real affordable housing.
In their commentary, Arden Hills officials conjure a demonstrably false narrative, casting themselves as victims. They complain that the county somehow surprised them with new requirements at the last minute and then left them to find a path forward for the project. In reality, despite four months of court-ordered mediation, Arden Hills has driven the plot of this drawn-out conflict with its staunch and protracted unwillingness to ensure that a once-in-a-generation development doesn't intentionally exclude a massive swath of the county's population.
Now petitioning to join the lawsuit between the county and city, the Alliance and Housing Justice Center have been monitoring the development of TCAAP since the start. In 2018, when the city and county agreed to a deeply inequitable plan, we pointed out that Rice Creek Commons' "affordable housing" does not reflect real regional needs — instead catering to moderate income, predominantly white households.
As responsible stewards of the millions in public tax dollars already invested in or promised for the TCAAP site, our county commissioners rightly reconsidered the terms. They weighed the fact that 90% of Ramsey County renter households who need affordable housing earn $50,000 or less per year (for a household of four) — but the only affordable housing at the TCAAP site would be for families earning $75,500. The county decided that equation was not in the public interest — and asked the city to commit to housing that would meet some of our actual needs.