Fridley's Columbia Arena will be torn down at the end of this summer, and planners now have a better idea of what's next for the property.
Through four planning sessions in March and April, the city worked with community members to develop ideas, generating a seven-page report that will be given to the city's planning commission as it considers how to proceed. The report is not binding.
The city owns three 11-acre parcels in the area — the property where the old ice arena sits, a public works site and an adjoining park and soccer field — and is considering fusing them in three different ways.
One option, an aggregated 33-acre parcel, would create a complex that includes a civic center, a residential area and recreational space. A second option is to develop the arena property alone, with the possibility of adding a city hall building on the site.
But the majority of community members said they preferred a 22-acre plan that would combine the arena and public works sites to create a civic center that would include services like city hall, public works, and police and fire. There might also be retail, residential and office spaces.
This plan would not include development of the adjacent park area.
Scott Hickok, Fridley's community development director, said strong community interest in the arena site prompted the sessions.
The last workshop took place April 22. "By the end of the night there was a final report and input from everybody in the room and a sense of balance," said Hickok. He noted that the report is a recommendation, not anything binding.
