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(Pioneer Press: Ben Garvin)
Ramsey County’s development of the former Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant is a getting a bike and pedestrian trail.
The county announced this week that it’s acquiring an additional 93 acres of land for a multi-use trail that will run through the Rice Creek Commons development, connecting to the Rice Creek North Regional Trail and the Highway 96 Regional Trail.
The county will not need to pay for the federally owned land in Arden Hills — it’s being acquired through the Federal Lands to Parks Program, which transfers surplus federal land to state and local governments to create parks and recreation areas.
“Green space has always been an important goal of the Rice Creek Commons development — to make it bike- and pedestrian-friendly and friendly for all ages,” said development spokeswoman Sara Thatcher. “This is just one more way that the county is accomplishing that goal.”
Environmental remediation of the trail land is expected to cost $1.88 million. The county received a $1.7 million Metropolitan Council grant Oct.. 28 for the work, and the county board this week allocated $716,000 for remediation and removing structures.
The trail land is just east of the 427-acre Rice Creek Commons development site, which the county bought for about $28 million in 2013.
Remediation work is nearly complete on the larger property, and the county is waiting on final soil-testing results to make sure it’s clean enough for residential development.
A process of soliciting a master developer for the project — which will include office, residential and retail space — is expected to happen sometime next year. Once selected, a master developer would help the county set a timeline for the project, Thatcher said.
Andy Rathbun can be reached at 651-228-2121. Follow him at twitter.com/andyrathbun.
Walk-bike trail planned for former TCAAP site in Arden Hills – TC House to Home – Your Twin Cities Real Estate Agent, Liz Johnson, Call today! (651) 238-3733