Fridley, MN - Official Website

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Columbia Arena FAQs

1. Cost: Will the existing neighbors pay for the new roads?: No. The development would pay for those improvements.

2. Design: Will all Public Works vehicles and equipment be inside the building?: Yes. Outside storage, as it is done now, shortens the useful life of the equipment. Many vehicles were damaged by hail in last year's storm.

4. Design: Why not push patio homes to the east?: The Grade lowers significantly and we want to preserve park land.

5. Design: What is the separation between patio homes?: Approximately 15-20' (Fifteen to Twenty Feet)

6. Design: Will the amphitheater duplicate that at Springbrook?: No, it will have very different purposes. Springbrook, limited to nature education, may be more small and entertainment oriented.

7. Design: Can the grade of University Ave be lowered for fire access?: This is currently not under consideration.

8. Design: How many parking stalls would be at City Hall?: Approximately 256

9. Design: How many people will the housing add to the area?: The current proposal estimates 750-1000.

10. Design: Will the walls of the Public Works Building be designed so they don't look so large?: Yes, the architects will take this into consideration.

11. Design: Will environmental amenities be considered like solar power and light pollution?: Yes. These will be evaluated as an overall project cost.

12. Design: Will the buildings look like those at the Cielo project?: Building design has not yet been conceived for this project.

14. Environmental: Will the pond result in excessive geese in the park?: The pond design will include elements to prevent geese over use.

15. Fire: Will response times to the south part of the City be jeopardized?: Fire studied this at great length and found the increase would be insignificant as they can control signals through optacon.

16. Parks: The soccer fields are a desirable amenity for the city. Will they be replaced elsewhere?: Yes, the Park Commission continually monitors field use. Softball participation has been decreasing and soccer increasing. The Commission discussed the possibility of moving the fields to Commons Park. The advantage of this is there is ample parking. The current configuration of the soccer fields does not provide for any onsite parking. In the past, the Arena parking lot was inappropriately used.

17. Parks: Should we be concerned about impact to Locke Park?: No. An Environmental Assessment Worksheet was completed and found no significant impact will occur to the park. Click Here for the Complete EAW Report

18. Playground: What impact will there be to Woodcrest Church and its use of the park?: A representative of the church attended the July Open House and said they view the proposal as progress for the good and will not impact the availability of the park.

19. Process: Why not call for a referendum?: The project is still in the planning stage so it is premature for either the Council or the public to vote on it. We are still gathering all the information and costs.
State law does recognize the need for cities to build essential service buildings without the requirement to go to a public vote. It does this by recognizing the differences between essential and non-essential buildings. Essential buildings include police, fire and public works. Non-essential buildings are golf courses, pools, libraries, etc. with regard to financing construction. City councils may bond for essential city buildings without a referendum. More will be known in November when a total price is determined and tax impact is known.

20. Schedule: What is next?: Platting to be finished, a schematic design, cost estimates and another meeting in October. There are multiple goals within this project including providing a park that is desirable for the entire community, housing that is in demand for Fridley residents, and building space for city operations that will serve the community for many years to come.

21. Schedule: If approved, when would groundbreaking begin?: May 2017 is the current target time frame.

22. Schedule: When would patio homes be available to purchase?: Our best guess at this time would be fall of 2017 if everything proceeds in an expected time frame. Fall 2017 would be the soonest possible; it may be later.

23. Traffic: Can 71st access at University? Will there be access to 73rd through the development to ease backups on 69th?: MnDot says 71st cannot access at University, but it might be an option for emergency vehicles. Other options include possible additional turning lanes at 69th. Plans do include a new connection between 73rd and 71st.

24. Traffic: Will Rice Creek Blvd be open to the new streets in the development?: Yes, this will make for better ingress and egress for the neighborhood.

25. Zoning: What will the setback be for patio homes from 69th?: Fifty feet (50')

26. Zoning: What is the distance allowed between apartments and patio homes?: This is not currently specified but it will be similar to Gateway East townhomes.