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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES Page 7 ,July 1987 • Business development efforts in these communities take a variety of forms. Andover has established a tax increment financing district to develop the city's industrial area. A major residential development is now underway in the southern portion of Champlin. In 1985, the city completed a market study to identify business development opportuni- ties. Maple drove has a full-time economic development director. Ramsey hopes to encourage development in the Gateway North Industrial Airport by acquiring and upgrad- ing the runway. .1 Redevelopment cities include: Anoka,Columbia Heights,Crystal,Fridley,New Brighton and Robbinsdale. Each city is focusing on its major commerical center,usually its central business district. Since the mid-1970s downtown Anoka has benefited from about$30 million in public and private sector investment. New Brighton's efforts are focused on its downtown/Highway 8 corridor. Downtown Columbia Heights(40th Ave. NE and Central Ave.)has been redeveloped and the city is now at work on 40th Ave. NE and University Ave.. The patterns in Crystal, Fridley and Robbinsdale are similar. Downtown and the adjacent area have.been the focus of commerical redevelopment efforts. Development is not a high priority: Dayton, New Hope,St.Anthony and Spring Lake Park. Dayton is largely rural and likely to remain so for the at least the next decade. The city is outside the Metropolitan Council's urban services eyed. It has no municipal sewer or water service. And,the minimum lot size is 10 acres for most of the city. New Hope and St.Anthony are newer,fully developed communities. As such,development is not.a high priority. Spring Lake Park is also fully developed However,city leaders have been active supporters of growth in neighboring communities,especially Blaine. o Current development objectives complement each other. ,1 Business growth cities are concentrated at the center of the region. Residential/business growth communities and redevelopment cities are on the region's perimeter. The former could become the region's "downtown"with regional shopping,corporate and recreational/ cultural facilities. The downtown will act as a "center of gravity" for 1ne region,giving it an anchor for new development and a distinct economic profile. Map 3 presents one possible outline of the"downtown. Office development has begun at both ends of the horizontal axis(1-694 in Brooklyn Center,Brooklyn Park and Shoreview). The vertical axis is less defined, possibilities include highways 252, 169 and/or county road 14 on the west and highways 65 and/or 47 on the east. There is no conflict over specific industries. Manufacturing and distribution functions appear to be growing on the region's perimeter. Office operations are growing more toward the center of the region. BLAZAR RESEARCH