Army to sell 585 acres of TCAAP land in Arden Hills; council...

2,370 acres in Arden Hills and the visionary council wants to leave 50 acres for development?

What kind of BS is this?

This hads been going on far too long, but for a vocal few, this development could have been underway well before the peak of the housing boom.

Its time for a takeover of Arden Hills City Hall, the councilors and Mayor are clearly not capable of leading a development like this and instead choose to stick thier heads in the sand.

Arden Hills residents are not being well served.

If we had ANY kind of representation in the Senate, this area would again be a thriving munitions plant.

Instead, we have the Hand Wringer's Coalition, debating yet another freaking NA Casino.

Pitiful.

There has to be some middle ground option. I think that we should have a Minnesota owned casino. That would create jobs and revenue for the state, county and city. It would also leave plenty of room for a park and other development. It wouldn't bother me any if it pulled a little revenue away from the Indian casinos either.

Great location for the VIKINGS new home.

Putting a motorsports facility there is a non-starter. The noise and stink and mess of such a facilty, along with the crowding and congestion at events - forget about it. I love watching motorsports the way Baby Jeebus intended it: on my widescreen teevee, beamed from somewhere below the Mason-Dixon line.

Unlucky timing on the Ryan development deal. Some might say the city chased Ryan away, but it may just have been the recession and the credit and housing bust. That's how Ryan told it. The city has largely lost control over what happens. Whoever buys TCAAP now is going to steal it. Private development with jobs, non-subsidized homes, private businesses, and property tax revenues getting generated would be the best way to go.

Hello from 'Tonka is right, the TCAAP site is too big for the Arden Hills City Council members, and for years these people have put their head in the sand and have not wanted to and are not capable of deciding soley the re-use of this prime piece of real estate. It can easily haved mixed-use of wildlife/greenspace while accommodating and incorporating tax/revenue producing commercial development.
Ryan and others have failed,and a motor sports complex which would include NASCAR, IRL, and NHRA would anchor and draw the people needed to cashflow the surrounding development that would follow.
With the newer designs and technology used in noise remediation, it would be possible to accomodate the plan of the motor sports developer who is wanting to use TCAAP for their $500,000,000 project. It is also ignorant to imply that the only demographic paying hundreds$ to attend races are just 'beer drinkin' rednecks who live down in Dixie...welcome to the 21st century and maybe mix in a little time at the library if you can pry yourself away from your widescreen and satellite dish. NASCAR is second only to the NFL in viewership, and each week NASCAR stops in someone's town they have the same economic impact of having had the Super Bowl. We have Target, Best Buy, 3M, General Mills, Northern Tool, Menards who have home offices in our area and comprise 20% of the entire sponsorship dollars in all of NASCAR...do you think they might be interested in dropping their dimes hear locally when someone finally builds the track, it is only a matter of which city and county rakes in the revenue and new business it will create.
A motor sports complex would be a last best chance to finally clean-up another military induced natural disaster.
Good luck with that casino, the slaves are already tapped-out from pull tabs, the lottery, Mystic Lake, Vegas, etc. Deep down everyone knows the casinos and the lottery just play and minipulate mostly the poor and lower incomes, giving them brief moment to dream of a better life without having to work for it, while extracting as much money out of them as possible...really an unhealthy way to generate(re-distribute)income.

Must be why Brainerd International Raceway is such a magnet for tourism.

You'll get laughed and jeered out of City Hall and the city itself if you try to build a motorsports ghetto in TCAAP. Build instead up in a no-collar zone such as Ramsey or East Bethel where you'd be welcomed. You'll have to sue the city to get your motorsports dump built at TCAAP. Give it up, Bubba. You'd have a five month season for road racing. One NSCAR event per year, you hope? Tell us, where , pray tell, is there room in the NASCAR season for a Sprint Cup series race? How does that noise remediation work in the winter when trees have dropped their leaves and you're running snowmobile races there. Get lost.

Oh, Yah heydere, you bethcha, let's make it a park. Now then, just who wouldn't like that eh? All that other stuff is just too busy don't cha know.

The loony liberals are taking over, the Twin Cities will degenerate and become another Detroit.

WWE NASCAR wrote:

The loony liberals are taking over, the Twin Cities will degenerate and become another Detroit.

Wow; we get to hear from a World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. fan. What a thrill. Thank you, Governor.

To become another Detroit, the Twin Cities would have to have been the home of several major haughty clueless manufacturers which finally got their comeuppance in the marketplace. Yes, Detroit is a gigantic sphincter of Democrat economic fire and brimstone, but it didn't get that way for lack of a motorsports venue.

Thanks for playing and enjoy your parting gifts.

What else can you do with this place? "Get your facts right hear" taking shots at the good folks in East Bethel and Ramsey really takes the cake. This guy must really be in the know. The fact is "Bubba" could be your boss - co-worker or State Representative. Motorsport fans come from all walks of life and don't have to live in Ramsey or East Bethel. The story also goes on to talk about jobs and NASCAR. I am a NASCAR and motorsport fan and hold a professional job but it says "NASCAR like events". Quit with the stereotypes "Get Your Facts". These guys are talking about a redevelopment of this place that nobody wants to take on and a mixed development that includes something like makes alot of sense.

I live approx 1.5 miles from the site. Drive by everyday and often have though what a waste not to be put to use. But what is the better use? I agree that the City Councel could be more aggressive in addressing the situation. Anything done on the site will generate jobs and money ... just have to find what is right. I am a NASCAR fan but would prefer not to see a racetrack on the site ... that might be better suited where the Vikes were to build in Blaine. A mixed development of shops, single family, row houses, senior retirement center that are family friendly with walking/biking/blading paths and a park for all to enjoy seems more appealing at this stage. I gamble ... but dont necessarily want to see a casino either. Besides ... I dont think in my lifetime you will see a state supported/run casino that rivals a Treasure Island or Mystic Lake. Interesting posts ... should share with the City Council.

That land needs to be developed to bring jobs to this area. Another park, bike paths, and natural preserves. What will that do to create jobs and revenue for the area. Nothing. There are parks and paths everywhere. I am not going to drive across the city to walk, jog, bike or look at a duck.

Anything would be better then to let it sit at idle. If this development company wants to spend there money, let them have a shot.

I live a couple miles away and feel a motorsports complex would fit perfectly.

Go home and watch lifetime you idiot.