HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-15-2016
CITY OF MOUNDS VIEW
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
AGENDA
MOUNDS VIEW CITY HALL
FRIDAY, July 15, 2016
1. CALL TO ORDER
2. ROLL CALL
3. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
4. APPROVE MINUTES from May 20, 2016
5. EDC BUSINESS
A. EDA Levy
6. REPORTS OF STAFF
A. Mounds View Project Updates
7. REPORTS OF COMMISSIONERS
8. NEXT REGULAR EDC MEETING – August 19, 2016 if needed
9. ADJOURN
Commissioners: Chair Jason Helgemoe, Dan Larson, Jim Freichels, Gary
Stevenson, Jessica Rieland, Laurie Shoop, and Royal
Dahlstrom
City Staff: Jim Ericson, City Administrator
Brian Beeman, Business Development Coordinator
Minutes of the Economic Development Commission
City of Mounds View
Ramsey County, Minnesota
Regular Meeting
May 20, 2016
City of Mounds View, Council Chambers
2401 County Road 10, Mounds View, MN 55112
1. CALL TO ORDER
Chair Jason Helgemoe called the meeting to order at approximately 7:30 a.m.
2. ROLL CALL
Members Present: Chair, Jason Helgemoe, Vice Chair, Jim Freichels,
Commissioners, Royal Dahlstrom & Laurie Shoop
Members Absent: Dan Larson, Jessica Rieland, Gary Stevenson
Staff Present: Business Development Coordinator, Brian Beeman
Meeting Attendees: Jon Sevald, City Planner
3. APPROVAL OF MAY 20, 2016, AGENDA
Motion/Second: Commissioner Freichels moved and Commissioner Shoop seconded
the approval of the May 20, 2016 EDC agenda.
Motion Carried: 4 Ayes, 0 Nays
4. APPROVAL OF FEBRUARY 19, 2016, EDC MINUTES
Motion/Second: Commissioner Shoop moved and Commissioner Freichels seconded
the approval of the February 19, 2016 EDC minutes, as presented.
Motion Carried: 4 Ayes, 0 Nays
5. EDC BUSINESS
Introduce New City Planner
Jon Sevald, the new City Planner introduced himself and informed the Commission of
his background. Sevald stated that the comprehensive plan is due at the end of 2018.
One of the sections in the Comprehensive Plan is economic development. Sevald asked
the Commission what types of projects they were interested in as priorities. Chair
Helgemoe said the renaming of County Road 10 should be a priority as well as
connecting the corridor to Mounds View. Helgemoe also mentioned getting Crossroad
Pointe redeveloped and monitoring the Rice Creek Commons redevelopment.
EDC Minutes
May 20, 2016
Page 2 of 10
6. REPORTS OF STAFF
Crossroad Point Redevelopment Project
Business Development Coordinator, Brian Beeman provided the Commission with an
update on the Crossroad Pointe redevelopment site. Beeman stated that The Beard
Group and City of Mounds View had signed a preliminary development agreement to
allow the developer time to do their due diligence. The Beard Group conducted a market
demand study and the demand for rental housing came back much stronger than
originally anticipated. Because of the strong demand, The Beard Group is planning to
increase the number of units from 119 to 205 with 251 bedrooms. They will need the
entire 4.25 acres as originally planned.
City staff has learned that The Beard Group received an $85,000 subsidy from Ramsey
County for this project. The developer is also considering Tax Credits and a Housing
TIF. Staff is still waiting to hear back from The Beard Group. They are meeting with
architects & consultants and working through design, costs, and parking ratios. They
plan to construct the building in phases. Meaning, the outside of the building will look
completed while the inside may only have one or two floors finished with the plan to
lease those units right way while finishing the other floors. Once the developer is ready,
they will contact the city and a meeting date and time will be set to further discuss the
project. The developer plans to break ground sometime in August or September 2016
with the idea of opening the leasing office in 2017.
Commissioner Helgemoe asked if there were plans for any retail in the project. Beeman
said as of the latest plans, the entire project is slated to be all apartment units with no
mixed-use. Mixed-use facilities have struggled in the past few years therefore, the
developers have been hesitant in adding retail to their buildings.
Commissioner Dahlstrom asked if the apartments will be Section 8. Beeman said 20% of
the units will be required to be affordable as part of the minimum requirements for both
Tax Credits and a Housing TIF. Beeman explained that if a financing gap exists caused
by the primary lender not lending the entire project cost amount, then this creates a gap
in the financing. In order to fill the gap, Tax Credits as well as a Housing TIF, and a
possible land write down, in addition to the $85,000 Ramsey County already awarded,
may be required for the project to be successful.
Commissioner Dahlstrom asked if this was the best solution for Mounds View. Beeman
Said this is a policy decision and one reason to have the preliminary development in
place is for both sides to do their due diligence. When the time comes, both the
developer and City Council will discuss if the project should go forward or if any
alterations need to be made to the project in order for it to go forward. This is the reason
for a preliminary development agreement. Both sides must be in agreement before
moving forward. Beeman noted that if the EDC has any suggestions or comments, he
can bring those forward to the City Council for consideration.
EDC Minutes
May 20, 2016
Page 3 of 10
Commissioner Dahlstrom asked if someone wanted to sit in on a City Council meeting
who was opposed to this development based on the Section 8 housing, what day is that
meeting so that citizens can get out and meet. When would that be and how could they
do that.
Beeman informed the Commission that a date has not been established yet because the
developer has not contacted city staff with their formal plans since they decided to
expand the project. However, once the city has had a chance to meet with the
developer, then the next step would be to form a development agreement. The city
would meet with the developer one last time before making the final decision to go
forward or not. Once the developer has met with the city, then at some point we’ll set up
a meeting to discuss the project, however that hasn’t happened yet and therefore, no
date has been established.
Commissioner Dahlstrom asked where the information will be posted so that if people
want to know the date of the meeting, how does the city put that information out.
Beeman said all City Council meetings are public meetings. Anyone is welcome to
attend. You don’t necessarily have to be a resident of Mounds View but that is preferred.
All meetings are posted on the bulletin board in front and also on the city’s website.
Residents are also welcome to come into City Hall and ask the front desk for more
information. Once the agenda packets are ready, they are also welcome to pick up a
copy of the packet. There are a variety of ways the public can be made aware of the
meetings. Beeman said if residents are interested in this particular project, then they
should be paying attention to these notifications and be listening to the Council’s
meetings to see if the date has been established yet so that they can be at the meeting if
they so desire, to provide any input.
Dahlstrom asked if there is a reason why the City Council doesn’t post their meetings on
Facebook. Dahlstrom doesn’t ever see when the meetings will occur, dates, times, etc.
Beeman said, traditionally cities haven’t posted to Facebook. Instead, they have posted
to the city’s website and the bulletin board. By state statute, cities are required to post in
at least two places. Dahlstrom said, the reason he thinks they post to the bulletin board
is because they don’t want anyone here. No one stops by, gets out of their car and looks
at the public notices once per week just to see what is going to happen. If there was a
social medial outlet then more people could come to those meetings and be part of the
development in Mounds View.
Beeman reiterated that this is why cities are required by statute to post in two different
avenues. This is why the city posts on the bulletin board, newspaper, and city’s website.
Not a lot of cities have posted their meetings on Facebook but it is something that we
could look into. If the trend is that more people are using Facebook then maybe we
should look at posting this way. Dahlstrom said, it is 2016 and many people don’t get the
newspaper anymore. More people are getting their information through alerts, online,
mobile devices, IPads, etc.
Commissioner Helgemoe asked when the developers would like to break ground.
Beeman informed the Commission that the plan is still to start sometime in August or
September. It all depends on how much time it takes for the developer to get through
EDC Minutes
May 20, 2016
Page 4 of 10
discussions with their architect, complete site plans, estimate costs of materials,
consider parking requirements, and if they can get the tax credits or not. However, they
still plan on a fall start date.
Helgemoe asked if the plan was for them to get in before the development at TCAAP.
Beeman responded that this has been the plan and to his knowledge that strategy hasn’t
changed. The developer plans to open a leasing office in the spring with construction still
going on. The developer at the TCAAP site will be constructing 200 homes in phase I.
Commissioner Dahlstrom asked if the homes are zoned for Sunnyside or Pinewood.
Beeman said he has never run across a discussion on the topic of school boundaries
and doesn’t anticipate those districts changing unless a question is raised with the
School Board. Dahlstrom said maybe the City Council should think about how many
families would be moving in and how that would affect the schools because Pinewood is
already at capacity.
Business Retention & Expansion Visit (BR&E) Updates
Coordinator Beeman informed the Commission that a majority of the Mounds View
businesses have been visited. Some have not responded, while others have stated they
wish not to participate.
Dunkin Doughnuts was looking at the endcap at Edgewood Plaza; however Subway felt
that they would compete with them since they sell breakfast sandwiches. Therefore, staff
has been trying to find them another location. At one time the owner of AmericInn
wanted to put a coffee shop or similar business on the corner of County Road 10 & H in
the AmericInn parking lot. The square footage would need to be determined as well as
negotiating with Metro Transit to find them a new location for their Park N Ride. The lot
may not be large enough if only placed on the AmericInn lot. Therefore, the Mermaid
may also need to be approached. However, at this time, Dunkin Doughnuts has not
responded to let staff know if they are even interested.
Last week, staff received a phone call from a developer wanting to redevelop the five
residential lots at the corner of Woodale Drive and County Road 10. However, there are
three single family homes in the middle of the development and the developer is trying to
negotiate with them to sell. The developer would like the area to be a retail development.
Staff also received a call for a request to put in a flea market. They are from Blaine and
looking for a new location. They liked the Crossroad Pointe site, but the land is under
contract and the developers felt that it wasn’t a good idea as they will need to start soil
borings and other development activities. City staff offered them some other alternatives
but they informed staff that they will keep looking for space in surrounding cities.
Next Beeman informed the Commission that a bio tech company was looking for 3-6
acres in Mounds View which would bring around 50 employees and they would need a
clean room. Beeman provided the company the available options and they were going to
look at the vacant lot north or Biolife. They seemed interested in the Edina area as well.
EDC Minutes
May 20, 2016
Page 5 of 10
Magazine Distributors is out of business, as their business model caters to newspapers,
direct advertisements, and other media that is becoming less relevant. Many users today
are going to the internet to find their news which has become the preferred method of
advertising. This opens up another vacancy with a couple of drive-in doors.
The building next to Snap Market is for sale. They had about six businesses in the
building and since office space is a soft market right now, the building is slow to sell.
Both this building and Snap Market experienced vandalism. Snap Market has had to
paint over the spray painting twice in the last month. There have been two parties
interested in that space and both of them wanted a liquor license. One of them is looking
into the possibility of selling hot food as well as tobacco. The City Council will be
considering approval of the first interested party’s liquor license in an upcoming Council
meeting.
Dynex and Dymax have moved out of Mounds View. They were located in the FedTech
building; however FedTech needs the space to continue to grow their operations.
Bio Clean is still looking for a second building to construct their franchise trucks.
Originally, they had wanted the Skyline Motel site, however the owners of the Skyline
Motel wouldn’t negotiate and therefore the price was simply too high. As a result, Bio
Clean is actively seeking a location within five miles of Mounds View.
Central Transport found a new site in Blaine which will nearly double their capacity and
will be moving this fall. Saia, the new owner of the Mounds View site, will be cleaning up
the site and conducting building renovations this fall with the goal to move in the spring
of 2017.
Commissioner Freichels informed the Commission that the Dell-Comm cell tower is up
and they are negotiating a lease with Verizon and looking at AT&T. They are hoping to
have Verizon up and running in November. Commissioner Helgemoe asked where the
nearest Verizon cell tower was currently located. Freichels said it is located on I-35W
just past Hwy 96. Helgemoe said there was a dead spot in Mounds View. Freichels said
there has been a dead spot near Irondale and Edgewood and this is why Verizon is
interested in their new tower. The new tower will also cover the TCAAP site.
Commissioner Freichels asked if Bio Clean could go into the Central Transport site.
Beeman said the site was recently purchased by Saia who will be taking over this fall
when Central Transport moves out. Saia is allowing Central Transport to stay at the
Mounds View site until they can make their move to Blaine. Beeman mentioned that
another possibility for Bio Clean is the building across the street. Once their lease is over
they will be moving to Texas. Beeman believes there is about three years left on the
lease.
Beeman informed the Commission that staff has been waiting for MFI to let them know if
they will be doing their 3,000 SF build out this year or not. MFI is still reviewing what they
would like to do with the site.
EDC Minutes
May 20, 2016
Page 6 of 10
Mounds View Chiropractic has recently signed a new five year lease and they are still
interested in owning their own building. Staff will continue to communicate with them to
find them a new building when that time comes.
Alberts’s Organics is gone and this leaves approximately a 46,000 SF vacancy with a
commercial kitchen. Commissioner Helgemoe mentioned that staff should approach
Sysco to see if they might be interested. They have a food testing area and they may
need additional space. Commissioner Dahlstrom suggested a food truck hub. They
could co-lease the kitchen giving them space to produce their product and distribute
them down town. The location is good being located next to I-35W.
Beeman informed the Commission that Mounds View Square still has six vacancies.
Pastor has approached the city regarding putting in a tap room however, this would
require an ordinance. The City Planner is currently working on this ordinance.
Silver View Plaza has one vacancy. They are working on patching their parking lot this
spring and they are also looking at their sign options next to County Road 10. They have
budgetary constraints that have prevented the installation of a new sign.
Apple Tree Dental will be moving approximately 13 employees from Coon Rapids to
Mounds View this fall. The employees will be going to the second floor where most of
the administration portion of the business will be located. City staff has been working
with them to find a parking solution. Coordinator Beeman talked to the movie theater
manager and they have approved the Apple Tree Dental employees to park on the north
side of the building between the movie theater and Tom’s Collectibles or they may park
near the walking path along County Road 10. Dr. Helgeson expressed his gratefulness
to staff or coming up with a viable solution to their parking limitations. Employees also
have the option to park along Mounds View Drive. Beeman also informed the
Commission that new lighting will be installed along the walking trail this summer which
is just in time for their employees who may be using the trail this fall.
Commissioner Helgemoe asked to go back to the Mounds View Square issue. He said
the tables have seemed to turn where Mounds View Square completed renovations a
few years back and now they are experiencing vacancies, while Silver View Plaza is now
nearly full. Beeman said there is a leasing price difference between the two facilities.
Where Mounds View Square’s leases are more than what they are charging across the
street. This is one of the reasons why El Loro is leaving and why other businesses have
left in the past year or so. It is more about the price rather than the aesthetics. The new
property manager for Silver View Plaza is also more responsive and seems willing to
work with the city. Commissioner Freichels stated another reason Silver View Plaza is
nearly full is in part because of the school district occupying about one third of the
building.
Beeman informed the Commission that Empire House would have had much of their
new building completed by now, but for the fact that they couldn’t find the true owner of
the vacant lot north of Biolife and ended up backing out of the deal. They had tried
negotiating with a company claiming to own the property, but later realized that they
EDC Minutes
May 20, 2016
Page 7 of 10
didn’t own it. As a result, Beeman contacted Biolife and received a direct contact to the
land owners which he forwarded to Empire House. Empire House will be following up
with the contact, but it is not certain if they will proceed with the new building or not.
Beeman met with the manager of El Loro and they have indicated that they will be
leaving in about three months unless there is a way they can drastically reduce their
lease rate and/or increase the number of customers. They mentioned a construction
project on County Road 10 near I-35W that occurred a few years ago, stating that
because of the construction project, it decreased the number of customers coming
through the door and they were never able to regain that customer base. They would
need to drastically reduce their lease in order to stay.
Beeman described the new restaurant Arepa Bite, which is a Latin American
establishment originating from Venezuela. The owner is from Mounds View and wanted
to start a business that was in close proximity to where she lived. This will allow her to
spend more time with her family and eliminate long commutes for work. The restaurant
was originally supposed to be a sit down restaurant similar to a Chipotle setting
however, the building was set up for fast food. As a result, they have had to compromise
to a quick serve approach. Commissioner Freichels asked where it was located.
Commissioner Helgemoe said it was where Louisiana Po Boy used to be.
Commissioner Dahlstrom encouraged anyone to go there, stating the good quality of
food served. He described that it is food stuffed into a thicker tortilla with a variety of
ingredients. Beeman said they hand roll the tortillas each day and like to keep all their
food fresh with about 11 different traditional versions and anyone can also request
custom varieties. In addition, they serve sugarcane drinks and have a machine that
slices and squeezes oranges for freshly squeezed orange juice. Dahlstrom asked if they
have plans to use their drive thru. Beeman said, he hadn’t heard, but perhaps they are
trying to see if they can smooth out their operations first. Dahlstrom noticed that they
didn’t have their hours posted anywhere. Beeman said he would notify them and also
mentioned that they were going to try it out for about three months then evaluate their
operations and customer base. Freichels thought maybe they hadn’t figured out their
hours yet because they are still trying to figure everything out. Beeman said they do
serve breakfast so they are open earlier. Beeman will notify them to post their hours.
Coordinator Beeman informed the Commission of the trends he is seeing with phone
calls and requests. He said he is seeing a higher volume of calls for industrial,
warehouse distribution and some medical space with companies wanting to build and
own their own buildings. They all like the Mounds View location next to I-35W. If we had
more industrial land we could probably fill it fairly quickly. Tires N More was listed for
sale and the owner had two good offers which he declined. He took the building off of
the listing and is now using it as a warehouse.
Beeman said, the challenge is finding these companies land. We are at the point where
Mounds View may need to start building vertically to meet the parking ratios and
conserve space. Mounds View is out of this type of space and the only possibility is to
focus on redevelopment projects. However, the City Council had not passed an EDA
levy when they discussed it about a year ago, and therefore, no funds are available to
purchase and demo sites in order to repackage them for development. One option is to
EDC Minutes
May 20, 2016
Page 8 of 10
use any remaining funds from the sale of Crossroad Pointe towards the purchase of
other properties. The Council has been hesitant to pass any EDA levy until they can
better understand how this would be impacted by the State Statues and City Charter
which address levy limitations. They are also trying to clear up who has the authority
since the original EDA documents don’t address the authority. Some interpretations of
State Statues address HRA’s as having the authority. Until the issues can be sorted out,
the city will not have a means to purchase and redevelop properties as they come
available.
A business in Mounds View recently requested funds to improve the façade of their
building. Mounds View has a loan program for this type of use, however the program
currently is not funded and therefore, we couldn’t offer the business financial assistance.
The city still hasn’t been contacted on the new proposal for Crossroad Pointe since they
decided to double the number of units. However assuming the financing gap is large,
even with the Housing TIF, Tax Credits, and Ramsey County’s $85,000 financing, a land
write down of $1 still may not be enough. We won’t know for certain until they are ready
with their new plans and they contact the city with their proposal.
Rice Creek Commons (TCAAP) Development Update
Next, Coordinator Beeman provided an update on the Rice Creek Commons
Development improvements which also affect Mounds View. Many of Mounds View’s
businesses in the construction area have complained that the County failed to place
large enough signs along the construction route for vehicles to see them and some of
the signs should be moved so that vehicles have time to turn. Some vehicles were not
seeing the signs then realized they couldn’t make a U-turn. Instead of coming back, they
kept on going and the local businesses lost customers. The County was informed and
larger signs have been installed in strategic locations. Beeman believes this will be a
major improvement to that intersection once completed this fall. However, until then,
businesses and residents will have to put up with the inconvenience. Commissioner
Helgemoe asked if the construction is still on-time to be completed this fall. Beeman
confirmed, stating so far, the construction is on schedule and the plan is to have
substantial completion this fall with the remainder touch ups to be completed in the
spring of 2017. They are trying the best they can to keep at least one lane open at all
times. There may be rare instances where they would need to close all lanes, but if this
happens it will only be temporary. The County will notify the City if they plan on closing
all lanes.
Beeman mentioned that the Rice Creek Commons development committee selected
Alatus as the master developer who beat out Opus and Ryan Companies. The first
phase of development will be to construct 200 homes and find an anchor grocery store
like Cub Foods. They are also looking for a medical anchor. Once these have been
established, they will begin phase two. They are setting aside 40 acres for light industrial
which could help out some of the expanding businesses in Mounds View. This will at
least keep them in the region instead of them going to another state.
EDC Minutes
May 20, 2016
Page 9 of 10
Mounds View Project Updates
Coordinator Beeman informed the Commission that the City Council is looking to update
the city’s website. Currently, the website if very manually intensive and it doesn’t allow
some of the features other more modern websites offer. A website in the IT world needs
to be updated about every three years and Mounds View’s website is approximately six
years old. At their last workshop meeting the Council decided to wait until after the
League of Minnesota Cities Conference to come back with information on the website
vendors they talked to. At that time, the Council will decide if they should form a
committee and who would be on the committee, and the budget for this type of project.
The idea would be to have a resident, business person, a Council Member, and one
person from each department to serve on the committee. The committee would hear
proposals from the different website venders and they would bring a recommendation to
the City Council for further consideration. The plan is to have the project completed by
year end 2017.
The Silver Lake Park trail reconstruction project that was supposed to be completed last
year will instead be completed this summer. The city had been waiting for the Housing
Association to make a decision and get back them with signed agreements before they
could finish the project.
The last two trail extensions will be completed this summer. The first segment will be
from Edgewood Plaza to the corner of County Road 10 and H2 near Moe’s restaurant.
The next segment will continue from the Crossroad Pointe corner to the intersection of
County Road 10 and Woodale Drive.
The city is working on a new sign to be installed at the Community Center. It will look
similar to the existing sign at City Hall and may be located on the other side of the
Community Center driveway. Currently, there are too many signs in one location and
people driving by can’t see all of the signs in one passing. In addition, the current sign is
away from the roadway and it does not fit the city’s newest branding design. The new
sign will not have the dynamic display like the City Hall sign, but it will have a similar look
with the stone. It will be a static monument sign. The sign is expected to be completed
and installed this year. The Public Works Department will be taking over the project.
The Snyder building has not seen much activity in the past few months. The high price
continues to be an issue as well as the city’s parking ratio requirements. Currently, the
city’s regulations on parking do not allow for a restaurant type use for this site because
of the lack of parking stalls.
Bel Rae is up to 70% capacity now and they continue to get more and more applications
in all the time.
Concerning changing the name of County Road 10, staff and a Council Member met
with Ramsey County officials to discuss the renaming of County Road 10. The County
agreed to allow the City to change the name as long as County Road 10 remains as the
designation. There is a possibility that the County can get some funds for signage from
the Rice Creek Commons improvements. Some of this money could potentially be used
to install new signs with the new name.
EDC Minutes
May 20, 2016
Page 10 of 10
Coordinator Beeman contacted around 90 businesses asking them their opinion on
changing the name to Mounds View Boulevard and how this would affect their business.
Overwhelmingly, the businesses were in support of the name change. As a result, the
City Council has decided to change the name to Mounds View Boulevard. Beeman also
contacted the U.S. Post Office and they confirmed that mail under all of the alternate
addresses will continue to be delivered. The City will need to notify them when the
change occurs and they will put it into their database. Once the database with the new
name change and alternate addresses has been updated, the New Brighton post office
will automatically get the update and mail should not be disrupted. The name change will
take effect sometime in June of this year. Commissioner Freichels asked if the amount
of money required to pay for the new signs has remained the same. Beeman thought
that the amount would remain the same.
Mounds View Business Council Meeting
Beeman informed the Commission that the next Mounds View Business Council meeting
will be held at the Community Center June 8. The speaker will be Ron Wencl, Director
from U.S. Geological Survey.
Other Upcoming Events/Reports
Movies in the Park will begin June 16 at dusk following the Music in the Park. Other
dates will be July 21 and August 18. All events will be held at Silver View Park. National
Night Out will be held August 2 and the 2016 Festival in the Park will be held August 20.
7. REPORTS OF COMMISSIONERS
Chair Helgemoe asked for reports from Commissioners. The Commissioners had no
reports.
8. NEXT REGULAR EDC MEETING
Chair Helgemoe stated that the next EDC meeting will be held June 17 at 7:30 a.m. if
needed. Helgemoe asked if anyone knew for a fact that they will not be there. All
Commissioners present felt that they would be around for the next meeting. Helgemoe
said that it appears activity in the area is heating up however; we will wait to see if there
are items that need to be discussed.
9. ADJOURN
There being no further business, Chair Helgemoe adjourned the May 20, 2016, meeting
at 8:32 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
_______________________________
Brian Beeman
Business Development Coordinator
Item #: 5A
Meeting Date: July 15, 2016
Type of Business: EDC
City of Mounds View Staff Report
To: Economic Development Commission
From: Brian Beeman, Business Development Coordinator
Item Title/Subject: EDA Levy
Background
Mounds View is situated in a highly desirable location along I-35W with great access to
the Twin Cities and surrounding suburban cities. It is also highly desirable for its school
district. However, Mounds View is limited in land availability. This creates a challenge
for businesses needing to expand and/or locate to Mounds View. A similar situation can
be seen with residential housing as many of the lots have been built upon and much of
the housing stock is aging with very few residential lots available to build ne w housing.
In order to continue to improve upon and provide opportunities for growth in the form of
newer buildings, better aesthetics, an increase in property tax values, and an overall
better quality of life in the City of Mounds View, land will need to be purchased, older
buildings need to be demolished, soils need to be remediated, and the parcels need to
be packaged and marketed in such a way that it is attractive to private developers.
The City of Mounds View has had several opportunities in the past to purchase
dilapidated buildings and distressed properties. However, funds have been limited or
nonexistent and many opportunities have been lost. While there currently exists several
opportunities for redevelopment, redevelopment will not occur or is highly unlikely to
occur without funds to purchase and package parcels together. Other issues with the
lack of funding are explained in the discussion section of this staff report.
Minn. Stat. 469.107 authorizes a city, at the request of the EDA, to levy a tax for the
benefit of the EDA. The tax must be not more than 0.01813 percent of estimated
market value. The amount levied must be paid by the city treasurer to the treasurer of
the authority, to be spent by the authority. Statute does not expressly limit the proceeds
to any particular use, but the implication is that they may be used for any activity an
EDA is authorized to carry out under the EDA Act. Those uses include:
1. Housing and redevelopment activities under the HRA Act
2. Broader economic development activities.
July 15, 2016 EDC Meeting
Item 5A – EDA Levy
Page 2 of 8
If an EDA levy is imposed under the authority granted in Minnesota Statutes, section
469.033, subdivision 6, it is a levy for housing and/or redevelopment purposes under
the EDA’s authority to exercise the powers of an HRA.
Discussion
In order to address several economic development issues, the City is considering an
EDA levy as a mechanism to provide much needed funding in support of its program
goals.
Summary of Mounds View Program Goals Being Proposed:
Specifically, this program will provide the resources necessary to purchase land, demo
buildings and package parcels as redevelopment projects that, when completed, will
add to the tax valuation and ultimately the tax base. Some projects may assist in
creating additional jobs as well as the attraction, retention, rehabilitation and
preservation of commercial, industrial, retail, residential, recreational, and public service
centers.
Other goals of the EDA levy is the support of senior/mature adult and /or other housing
development partnerships or other multi-use housing projects and facilities, other public
utilities (including telecommunications), business incubator loan and other business
programs, and transportation systems. Through programs funded by an EDA levy, m ore
emphasis will be placed on those items which increase the tax base, eliminate blight,
and meet the City’s economic and redevelopment goals. The remaining goals of the
EDA levy will be to assist in funding operational costs associated with economic
development activities.
Authority:
The City of Mounds View has granted to the EDA pursuant to Minnesota Statutes,
Section 469.09, subdivision 1, specific authority to exercise all powers granted to a
Housing and Redevelopment Authority under Minnesota Statutes, Sections 469.001 to
469.047. This power was granted to the EDA on November 23, 2015 through
Resolution 8467; a resolution amending and restat ing resolution 4532, an enabling
resolution establishing the Mounds View Economic Development Authority under
Minnesota Statutes, Sections 469.090 through 469.108.
Due to lack of funding, the city has been restricted or hasn’t been able to support
the following:
Marketing: Currently there are no funds budgeted in marketing. Normally, marketing
funds are used for new signage, branding, marketing redevelopment sites, and
promoting the city in the attraction of new businesses. Many cities pay their staff to
July 15, 2016 EDC Meeting
Item 5A – EDA Levy
Page 3 of 8
travel with DEED to trade shows, complete the Shovel Ready Certification Program,
market the city in several publications through articles and sponsorships, and participate
in recruiting events. With limited or no funding, marketing efforts have been limited.
Advertising: Currently, there are no funds budgeted for advertising. Advertising is
accomplished by placing ads in business publications that reach key personnel in
targeted corporations. Articles are used to promote the city’s redevelopment sites, i ts
business friendly atmosphere, as well as community events like the Festival in the Park,
through Mounds View Matters, and other venues. Advertising has been limited.
Small scale incentives: Cities across Minnesota are offering many variations of small
business loans set up to be revolving loans. This means that when one business pays
back their loan another business can benefit with the continuous replenishing of funds.
Each program has its own policy and has different purposes. For example, some loan
programs target job creation; others target property valuation, while others qualify the
project by the community benefit in relation to its social value. Still others focus on the
aesthetics like improving the façade of small businesses. All these programs make it
easier for business to get over the hump so that they are sustainable and create long -
term value to the community.
The City of Mounds View has a Business Improvement Loan Program and we have had
businesses that have asked for this loan. However, the program has been unfunded for
several years and therefore, the City has not been able to use the business loan
program to help our local businesses.
Property acquisitions: The city keeps an inventory of vacant and distressed properties
with the idea of purchasing these properties then packaging them together for
redevelopment. Several opportunities have come up that the city has been forced to
pass on because there hasn’t been a funding mechanism to purchase the properties
without issuing bonds to cover the debt. If Mounds View wishes to continue its growth, it
must concentrate on purchasing and redeveloping properties with the cooperation of
private developers.
Surveys: When redeveloping property it is sometimes necessary to conduct surveys of
the parcels. With limited funding, completing surveys is an added cost that puts a strain
on the city’s budget. An EDA levy could help solve this problem.
Appraisals: When purchasing property, appraisals are sometimes required in order to
negotiate a fair price. Appraisals are normally only good for 6 months and are an added
tool in the negotiation process.
July 15, 2016 EDC Meeting
Item 5A – EDA Levy
Page 4 of 8
Professional Fees: When redeveloping property to increase the long-term benefit to the
community, attorneys must review the legal documents and be involve d in the
transactions. Financial consultants also review economic development projects and
conduct their financial analysis to determine the feasibility of each project and if
subsidies are appropriate and legal for each proposed development. An EDA levy c ould
help cover these types of costs.
Training & professional development: In order to stay current on state statu tes and
economic development programs, cities must continuously send their staff to training
and professional development. Current training helps in preventing missteps and
violations and ultimately law suits which can be costly to cities. Adequate training also
helps staff stay abreast of the new economic development programs available and any
changes to the policies of each program. A knowledgeable staff is good for business.
The chart below, sourced from the Minnesota Department of Revenue, outlines the
organizations that have an EDA/HRA levy.
EDA's Port Authorities, & Development Commissions
Certified Special Taxing District Levy Changes for CY 2015
February 27, 2015
HOME Pay 2014 Pay 2015 $ Change
%
Change
COUNTY Final Certified Levy Levy
SPECIAL TAXING DISTRICT NAME ID ID Levy Levy
TOTALS
90,348,467
91,678,374
1,329,907 1.5%
VICTORIA EDA 017 10 0 188,000 188,000 #DIV/0!
COLUMBUS EDA/HRA 059 02 75,267 81,375 6,108 8.1%
EAST BETHEL EDA 063 02 123,022 123,022 0 0.0%
ST CLOUD ECONOMIC DEV AUTH 065 73 333,000 353,000 20,000 6.0%
RENVILLE COUNTY HRA-EDA 099 65 276,000 270,000 (6,000) -2.2%
DAKOTA COUNTY CDA 113 19 6,643,476 6,829,714 186,238 2.8%
SCOTT COUNTY HRA/CDA 164 70 2,445,823 2,517,278 71,455 2.9%
WATERTOWN EDA 185 10 41,386 42,237 851 2.1%
CARVER CO CDA (FKA HRA) 190 10 1,850,205 1,954,904 104,699 5.7%
DAYTON EDA 216 27 10,867 10,867 0 0.0%
NORTH BRANCH EDA/HRA 230 13 242,005 241,802 (203) -0.1%
ARROWHEAD REG DEV COMM 301 69 550,133 566,637 16,504 3.0%
July 15, 2016 EDC Meeting
Item 5A – EDA Levy
Page 5 of 8
REGION 5 REG DEV COMM 303 77 283,595 292,103 8,508 3.0%
HEADWATERS REG DEV COMM 305 04 280,435 288,848 8,413 3.0%
ST CHARLES ECON DEV AUTH 306 85 33,497 34,086 589 1.8%
REGION 9 REG DEV COMM 307 07 519,682 535,272 15,590 3.0%
REGION 1 REG DEV COMM 309 57 249,503 256,988 7,485 3.0%
REGION 6E REG DEV COMM 311 34 307,195 307,195 0 0.0%
LAC QUI PARLE COUNTY EDA 314 37 165,000 147,500 (17,500) -10.6%
REGION 8 REG DEV COMM 315 51 330,732 340,654 9,922 3.0%
UPPER MINN VALLEY RDC 317 76 280,435 288,848 8,413 3.0%
EAST CENTRAL REG DEV COMM 319 33 275,016 283,266 8,250 3.0%
METRO LIVABLE COMM FUND 502 62 11,194,036 11,342,458 148,422 1.3%
BECKER ECON DEV DIST 506 71 110,300 113,280 2,980 2.7%
BIG LAKE ECON DEV DIST 508 71 70,000 20,000 (50,000) -71.4%
ELK RIVER ECON DEV DIST 512 71 561,154 616,467 55,313 9.9%
ST PAUL PORT AUTHORITY 513 62 2,835,000 2,795,400 (39,600) -1.4%
WINONA PORT AUTHORITY 515 85 548,290 538,200 (10,090) -1.8%
RURAL DEV FINANCE AUTH 523 49 75,000 75,000 0 0.0%
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTH 526 16 210,000 223,550 13,550 6.5%
NORTHFIELD EDA 531 66 203,591 214,180 10,589 5.2%
NEW ULM EDA 534 08 117,000 117,000 0 0.0%
CHAMPLIN EDA 535 27 310,439 306,000 (4,439) -1.4%
NEW HOPE EDA 537 27 0 150,000 150,000 #DIV/0!
MONTEVIDEO EDA 539 12 26,200 29,568 3,368 12.9%
BROOKLYN PARK EDA 541 27 918,460 916,487 (1,973) -0.2%
FARIBAULT EDA 544 66 193,354 218,551 25,197 13.0%
BECKER COUNTY EDA 545 03 160,748 160,748 0 0.0%
ST MICHAEL EDA 546 86 90,000 90,000 0 0.0%
PRIOR LAKE EDA 548 70 150,000 159,000 9,000 6.0%
ROBBINSDALE EDA 551 27 155,778 0 (155,778)
-
100.0%
HANOVER EDA 552 86 44,927 49,000 4,073 9.1%
BURNSVILLE EDA 562 19 542,500 567,500 25,000 4.6%
DULUTH SEAWAY PORT AUTH 566 69 898,555 919,718 21,163 2.4%
DULUTH TRANSIT AUTHORITY 567 69 1,391,900 1,391,900 0 0.0%
RED WING PORT AUTHORITY 569 25 307,409 334,177 26,768 8.7%
WASECA CITY EDA 581 81 78,918 78,159 (759) -1.0%
KANDIYOHI / WILLMAR EDC 582 34 455,000 455,000 0 0.0%
JORDAN EDA 591 70 60,072 67,200 7,128 11.9%
LAKES AREA ECON DEV AUTH 593 21 194,000 213,000 19,000 9.8%
WADENA PORT 595 80 25,739 26,495 756 2.9%
HUTCHINSON EDA 596 43 150,450 152,442 1,992 1.3%
NORWOOD YOUNG AMERICA EDA 598 10 34,995 39,300 4,305 12.3%
July 15, 2016 EDC Meeting
Item 5A – EDA Levy
Page 6 of 8
What are these cities accomplishing with their EDA/HRA levies? Staff polled
organizations listed on the previous chart. Below is a list of their responses.
City of Columbus: Advertise/Branding, Marketing, Attracting New Development &
Businesses-Retaining Current Businesses, Shovel Ready Program, and website.
City of Dayton: small incentives; a business summit that we hope will be an annual event;
and other city marketing improvements to encourage new businesses.
City of Hutchinson: Our EDA levy supports the operations area of our budget. We typically
don’t use any of those dollars to support program activities (those are operated through
separate funds). Consequently, levy dollars pay for staffing primarily, along with our
marketing. Salaries, Office Supplies, Operating Supplies, Professional Development,
Travel, Software & Licensing, Advertising, Dues & Subscriptions, Business Retention &
Expansion, Downtown Improvement, Industrial Park Recruitment, Skilled Workforce
Development, Fund local loan programs, update policies, etc.
City of North Branch: In 2009 we issued bonds for land purchases that the City made for a
multi-use development (housing, commercial and industrial). Our HRA/EDA levy is solely
used to pay the bonds for the industrial land purchases. Our operational budget for EDA
activities is through our general fund levy.
City Brooklyn Park: The City of Brooklyn Park created its EDA in 1989 and set EDA/HRA
levies in the early 1990s. The EDA oversees both levies as we do not operat e an
HRA. The EDA/HRA levies are two funding sources that contribute to the funding of a
number of programs. Marketing, Video Promotion, print advertising campaign, launching
merchandise sales in City Hall. Vision of Light Rail Transit Station: artistic renderings for
planning purposes, DEED Site Selector Program, Open to Business Program, funding of
the SAC/WAC Deferral Program, Business Forward Forum, Annual Banker Breakfast, and
Redesign Newsletter.
City of Prior Lake: The largest piece of the budget pays for ½ salary/benefits for two staff
persons (myself and the Community Development Specialist). Another piece relates to the
operation of a small business incubator program. The City created a Targeted Commercial
Assistance Program to support retention of existing gateway center businesses, Salaries,
Training & Professional Development, legal fees, dues, SAC Deferred Loan Program, etc.
City of Watertown: The EDA currently supports a building façade and Revolving Loan Fund
(RLF) program in addition to downtown free downtown WIFI. One of our most recent items
is the acquisition of a former county public works site that we are working to redevelop. The
July 15, 2016 EDC Meeting
Item 5A – EDA Levy
Page 7 of 8
EDA also provides some staff support and marketing. We have primarily used the EDA levy
to fund property acquisition and redevelopment activities like demolition, environmental,
etc. We are exploring a housing stock rehabilitation program as well.
City of Becker: Overall, the EDA levy goes towards staffing, training/professional
development, dues/subscriptions and promotional activities. Becker is proactive with
professional development and is very supportive of staff furthering their education. Specific
expenditures examples: Attendance of the National Development Council (NDC) course for
the Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP) certification, participation in the
Site Selectors Guild to connect to site selectors working worldwide, rebranding, dues to two
different regional development organizations, dues to the Economic Development
Association of Minnesota (EDAM) and American Planning Association (APA), DEED’s
shovel ready process to certify approximately 70 acres in our industrial park, purchase old
homes to be demolished. We are also looking into implementing a revolving loan fund or
smaller incentives, updating the website, participation with the Ch amber of Commerce,
BR&E’s, Broadband Initiative, community videos, update marketing brochures, hire broker
to market the city, trade shows, update maps & newsletters, marketing plan, Twin Cities
business articles, demographic studies, traffic counts, policy updates, etc.
EDA Program Goals: Creation of a strong and diverse tax base, higher quality
commercial/industrial development with a higher tax base density per acre , a mix of wage
rates which meet or exceed the livable wage as per the City’s municipal subsidies policy,
depending upon the types of businesses that locate here, development and redevelopment,
professional, medical and technology oriented business/office, heavy and light
manufacturing/office warehouse/rail users, business/office park with higher development
standards, commercial/retail centers, appropriately zoning industrial land when annexed
into the City.
City of Robbinsdale EDA: The HRA/EDA levy goes into the Robbinsdale EDA General
Fund to be used for staff time working on economic development projects including
attorneys and consultants. The EDA has a long standing scattered site residential program
– we acquire severely blighted homes, demolish them, and sell the lot for new construction.
New construction is not for a starter home – the homes are typically 3-4 bedrooms, with lots
of kitchen upgrades. The difference between acquisition plus demolition and sale of the
home averages around $50,000; depends on asbestos removal. The EDA has a downtown
loan program and has also been involved in larger scale downtown redevelopment
involving administration of funds from other agencies – County, Tax Base Revitalization
Account (TBRA) through the Metropolitan Council for the cleanup of polluted soils, and TIF.
City of Hanover: If an incentive program is approved by our EDA, the Council gives final
approval. Our levy covers a consultant fee, member salaries, and website costs on an
annual basis. In the past they have also funded studies to determine growth of the city and
specific needs for businesses, traffic studies, etc. They also donate to the annual town
July 15, 2016 EDC Meeting
Item 5A – EDA Levy
Page 8 of 8
celebration, we offer three local incentive programs (low interest loan, rent reimbursement,
and a matching grant/0% interest loan program), Our EDA did issue bonds for a lease to
buy on the City’s Fire Hall.
City of Staples: The state sets our tax levy and we use the funds for staff time on planning
& program delivery such as; municipal comp planning, transportation, broadband,
managing our EDA revolving loan funds, (we have 4 lending programs at Region Five)
business, transportation, energy, local foods, and much more! The Regional Development
Commissions (RDC’) across the state do not have levy authority beyond what the state
offers. Per state statute the only property RDC’s can own is the property on which our
offices reside. Our tax levy contribution is less than 1/3 of our annual budget. The levy
share of MN RDC budgets vary among the 9 MN RDCs.
City of Northfield: The EDA purchases property and assists with TIF and Tax Abatement
Districts and manages a Revolving Loan Fund. The Micro-Grant program is an annual
budget appropriation of $25,000 for up to $5,000 grants that are available to local
entrepreneurial businesses for expansion projects. A business must be in operation for at
least 1-year, have a qualified project, and be awarded funding from this program one time
per business. The Northfield Enterprise Center (NEC) is a local entrepreneurial support
program funded primarily by the Northfield EDA. The NEC has been in business for 15
years and has assisted with over 100 local business start-ups in Northfield.
City of Champlin: The EDA levy pays for operating costs including salary, benefits,
insurance, marketing, consulting expenses for our development activities. Salaries &
Benefits, operating supplies, minor equipment, Consultants, Auditing & Accounting
Services, Engineering fees, Legal Services, Contract Services, Travel Expenses,
Marketing, Advertising & Publishing, Insurance & Bonds, Electric Utilities, Sewer Utilities,
Subscription & memberships, taxes & Licenses, Special Events.
Staff Recommendation
Discuss and make recommendation to the EDA highlighting the EDC consensus regarding
adopting an EDA levy for 2017. The EDC recommendation will be presented to the City
Council at its August 1, 2016 Council Work Session.
Respectfully submitted,
____________________________
Brian Beeman, Business Development Coordinator
Item #: 6A
Meeting Date: July 15, 2016
Type of Business: EDC
City of Mounds View Staff Report
To: Economic Development Commission
From: Brian Beeman, Business Development Coordinator
Item Title/Subject: Reports of Staff
A. Crossroad Pointe Redevelopment Project
On January 25, 2016 the EDA approved the predevelopment agreement between The
Beard Group and the City of Mounds View. The purpose of the predevelopment
agreement is to allow for a period of time to complete the due diligence on the site. If it
is determined that The Beard Group and City wish to move forward with the project, a
formal development agreement will be completed. The Beard Group recently was
awarded an $85,000 grant from Ramsey County for the Mounds View housing project.
The market study came back very strong and as a result, they are doubling the size of
the project from 119 units to 205 units with 251 bedrooms.
The Beard Group has indicated to staff that they are seeking Tax Credits rather than a
Housing TIF and this is taking time. Much of the funds for Tax Credits have dried up due
to the popularity of the program. They are waiting to contact staff until they can fully
understand the Tax Credit program and they are comfortable with the de tails of their
design etc. There intentions have been to build all market rate apartments, however the
Tax Credit program requires them to have at least 20% of the project affordable. This
requirement makes the project more expensive and they are working through their
financing options. If building 205 units, then approximately 41 units would be required to
be affordable with the remaining 164 units to be at market rates. They are still hoping to
break ground late fall 2016 or spring of 2017.
B. Business Retention & Expansion (BR&E) Visits
Nearly all businesses in Mounds View have been visited. The few remaining businesses
have not returned phone calls or emails. Some have said they wish not to participate.
The Business Development Coordinator will continue to attempt to schedule more visits.
Snap Market: Mr. Ankur Chopra of Keshav Enterprises, Inc. will be moving into the old
Snap Market space. His intent is to open an off sale liquor store. Their Liquor license
was approved May 23, 2016.
Bio Clean: They are still looking to build a new building to assemble their franchise
trucks equipped with power washers. They tried negotiating a deal with the Skyline
Motel and the owners of the Motel wouldn’t negotiate enough on the price to make the
Reports of Staff
July 15, 2016
Page 2 of 5
deal work. As a result, they are still looking for land to build a new facility or an existing
building to refurbish. They would like to stay within 5 miles of their existing site if
possible.
Mounds View Square: They still have six vacancies. They have talked about a possible
tap room but would need the city to update their ordinance on this type of use. Jon
Sevald, City Planner is working on this ordinance. The ordinance would address brew
pubs, tap rooms, micro brews, distilleries, wineries, etc. The City Council is expected to
adopt the Ordinance August 22, 2016, with the intent to go into effect by the end of
September.
Empire House: The company was trying 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. As a result, Empire House may be leaving Mounds View to build their new
building.
El Loro: They are moving in about two months. They said they have experienced a
decline in customers and they won’t be able to recover unless they can reduce their
lease and/or somehow pick up the customer base. They are encouraged by the new
proposed apartment development at Crossroad Pointe, but they don’t believe they can
hold on for another year. If the apartments had been built a year earlier, they may have
been able to survive. This brings to light a common theme. Many people who I’ve talked
to mention they want a better variety of restaurants in Mounds View, particularly during
lunch time. However, historically they have not supported our local restaurants and they
end up leaving to find a better location or close down all together. Hopefully with the
new apartments getting built this will change the trend for the better.
Event Center: City Planner, Jon Sevald and Business Coordinator Brian Beeman met
with a group wanting to purchase the Tires N More building and the adjacent EDA
owned lot. They wanted to hold weddings and gatherings on the weekends and catering
throughout the week. They would have had around 200 vehicles on the weekend
events. However, they have notified staff that they have decided to continue to look
elsewhere and are no longer interested in the site.
C. Rice Creek Commons (TCAAP) Development Update
Construction on Rice Creek Commons and County Road 10 & H has begun. Final
completion is expected early 2017. Information on the project and an explanation of
roundabouts was posted to the website and Facebook. The building development is
expected to begin in 2017.
Reports of Staff
July 15, 2016
Page 3 of 5
Alatus has been chosen as the master developer who beat out Opus and Ryan
Companies. Alatus will be negotiating a development agreement soon then it will begin
plans for Phase I construction calling for 200 homes. In addition, Alatus will begin its
search for a large grocery store and medical facility to serve as an anchor in the hopes
that it will spur more commercial development.
D. Mounds View Project Updates
Website: The City Council will be discussing the possibility of upgrading the existing
website or installing a completely new website. The current website is very manually
intensive and doesn’t allow some of the features that more modern websites have to
offer. They will discuss forming a task force and brining in web companies to present
their proposals at an upcoming work session.
Silver Lake Park Trail: The Silver Lake Park Trail is expected to be installed this
summer. The trail was supposed to be completed last year; however the project was
delayed due to the association negotiation process.
Trail Segments: The city plans on completing the final trail segments this year. Segment
6 will be placed from the County Rd 10 & H2 intersection in front of Moe’s to the corner
of County Rd 10 & Woodale Drive. Segment 11 will run from Red Oak Drive near
Western Bank to Groveland Road near Steve’s Appliances and will tie in with the newly
constructed sidewalk at Groveland Road. With the completion of the new bridge over I -
35 this fall, Mounds View will have continuous access to the county regional trail
system.
Community Center Sign: The city is in the preliminary stages of contracting with a sign
company to install a new Community Center monument sign across from City Hall. This
project is expected to be completed this year.
Tap Room Ordinance: At its July 6th meeting, the Planning Commission considered an
Ordinance relating to Micro-Breweries, Taprooms, etc. The Planning Commission is
recommending approval to the City Council. This will go to the City Council on Aug 1
(Workshop), Aug 8th (First Reading), and Aug 22 (Second Reading & Adoption). The
ordinance amendment would go into effect 30 days after adoption (i.e. end of Sept).
Separately, the City will be amending the liquor licensing ordinance, which should
coincide with the City Council meetings. In general, Tap rooms would be an accessory
to the manufacturing of beer, and would be allowed (as proposed) in our B-3, B-4, and I-
1 districts.
E. Snyder Building
Staff is in regular contact with the realtor offering ideas and leads. The main issue is the
price and lack of parking. The asking price has been reduced from $2.5 mill to
Reports of Staff
July 15, 2016
Page 4 of 5
somewhere between $1 to $2 mill. The lease is over $14 p/sq. ft. Many businesses like
the location but can’t afford the price and/or require more parking spaces. The owner
has been forced into paying the loan payments without income from the building and
has indicated that he is accepting reasonable offers and is open to creative financing.
Staff may be discussing the possibility of addressing parking in the city. If parking ratios
were reduced then this could potentially open up the possibility of recruiting a restaurant
to this location.
F. County Road 10 Addressing (Mounds View Boulevard)
County Road 10 signage has caused much confusion over the years with multiple signs
displaying different naming of the road. Sign replacement and updating is the sole
responsibility of Ramsey County. The county is aware of the issue; however replacing
the signs has proven too costly. As a result, City Administrator, Jim Ericson and others
met with Ramsey County officials in February to discuss the matter. The County
indicated that the City could effectively change the name of the road as long as County
Road 10 remained as the designation. The County communicated to the City that there
may be a possibility of funding with the Rice Creek Commons development p rojects.
Because of the County’s position to allow the city to change the naming of the street
and the overwhelming positive response from local businesses, the Mounds View City
Council passed Ordinance 918 June 13, 2016 renaming County Road 10 to Mounds
View Boulevard. The name change goes into effect the end of July. The Post Office will
continue to deliver mail to the old addresses as well as the new address.
G. Mounds View Business Council Meeting
The next meeting will be held September 14, at 7:30 a.m. at the Mermaid Event Center.
The speaker for the next meeting will be a company representative from Alatus which is
the Master Developer for the Rice Creek Commons project. The Twin Cities North
Chamber of Commerce would like to join Mounds View, Arden Hills, and Shoreview to
the Business Council meetings. Jason Helgemoe would continue to chair the meetings
and the group will need to agree to a new name. Some ideas have been North Metro
Business Council or Northwest Ramsey County Business Council. If any EDC Member
has ideas on the new name or comments on joining the cities please make Jason
Helgemoe or Brian Beeman aware of your comments and either of them will bring those
forward at the next Business Council meeting.
H. Other Upcoming Events/Reports
Music & Movies in the Park: Silver View Park, “The Bazillions” (children’s
songs) will be performing July 21 starting at 7:00-8:00 p.m. The movie “Inside
Out” rated PG will begin at approximately 8:30 p.m. starting at dusk. The next
events will be held August 18.
National Night Out: Will be held Tuesday, August 2. It’s a great way to meet
your neighbors, enjoy some good food, and become familiar with
Reports of Staff
July 15, 2016
Page 5 of 5
members of your Police Department. If you would like to host a party on
your block please call Officer Nate Garland at 763-717-4092.
Filing for Municipal Elections: August 2 at 8:00 a.m. – August 16, at 5:00 p.m.
for Mayor and two Council Members. All Mounds View residents are welcome
to file. Filing fee is $20.00.
Primary Election: August 9 at City Hall from 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. The ballot
will have two parts: one for the mayoral office and one for the school board
office. For the mayoral only, voters will have the option to rank the candidates
in order of their preference. You can rank as many candidates as are on the
ballot, up to a maximum of six. You are not required to rank more than one
candidate when voting.
Festival in the Park 5K Run: Registering before July 22 is just $20, if
registering before August 18 the cost is $25, and if registering the day of race
then the cost is $35. Proceeds go to support the YMCA scholarship program
that directly supports Mounds View area families in need of assistance and
allows them to participate in programs at a discounted rate.
Festival in the Park: August 20. For more information please go to:
http://www.mvfestivalinthepark.com/
I. Reports of Commissioners (Agenda Item 7)
J. Upcoming EDC Meetings (Agenda Item 8)
August 19 at 7:30 a.m. if needed.
______________________________
Brian Beeman
Business Development Coordinator