11-18-2016 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Reports of Staff November 18, 2016 Page 3 of 6 Tom’s Collectibles: Coordinator Beeman recently talked with Tom Frantzen, owner of Tom’s Collectibles. Tom has decided to stop doing business in the hobbyist industry and instead, has leased space in Roseville as a business consultant. Tom thanked the City for working with him and helping his business in the past years and said it is time to move on. Inventory in the current location in Mounds View is being liquidated and they expect to be out of that location in about two months. A chiropractor has shown some interest in the space but nothing has been finalized. Empire House: Empire House had intentions to build a new building in Mounds View and decided to stop any and all negotiations on the land north of Bio Life because the land owner has many shell companies and their attorneys were busy trying to determine who actually owned the property. Once it was determined who owned the property, the land owners decided that they wanted to sit on the land in case Bio Life needed it for future parking. Coordinator Beeman connected the Owner of Empire House to a decision maker on the Baxter Board of Real Estate. They indicated that they would be in touch. To date, Empire House has not notified the City of any immediate plans to build on the property and they are actively looking for other locations. Mermaid Event Center: Business Coordinator Brian Beeman talked to the owner of the Mermaid a few months ago about the idea of putting in a coffee shop or similar business on the corner of County Rd H & 10. This was initially an effort to find Dunkin Donuts another option since they were not allowed to move into the Edge wood Plaza space. Since that time, the owner has indicated that he is in discussions with one or more businesses that may be interested in the corner site. Staff will be meeting with the owner on October 13 to discuss his ideas for that area. Western Bank: EDC Commissioner Gary Stevenson and Business Development Coordinator Brian Beeman visited Western Bank on November 9, 2016. The bank is owned by a parent company out of Omaha, Nebraska. They have 6 FT and 3 PT employees. Their business has been stable but expects a slight increase in the coming years. They praise the Police for their great response time and the new trails the City installed this summer as well as the Mounds View Boulevard street name change. They would like the City to participate in things like Rotary and more Chamber events. They seem to think that the water and waste water rates for businesses is too high and believe that transportation for the western side of the City should be considered, like an arterial bus route. Mounds View’s geographic location and school district are positives. C. Rice Creek Commons (TCAAP) Development Update Construction on Rice Creek Commons and Mounds View Boulevard & County Road H is nearing completion and is expected to be open in December with final completion in early 2017. The building construction, development process, and County Road H & I roundabouts are on schedule for construction to begin in 2017.