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Government Center 2100 3rd Avenue, Suite 700 Anoka, MN 55304-5025 www.anokacountymn.gov Office: 763-324-4000 Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer TO: Cities of Columbus, Forest Lake, Hugo, Lino Lakes, and Washington County CDA FROM: Gregory Frahm-Gilles, Anoka County Economic Development Director DATE: October 31, 2025 RE: Minnesota Technology Corridor – Elmcrest / 24th Ave / Hornsby St Corridor Study BACKGROUND The Minnesota Technology Corridor is a collaborative economic development initiative for development areas in the I-35E and I-35W corridors. First initiated in 2018, this collaboration between the cities of Blaine, Centerville, Columbus, Forest Lake, Hugo, and Lino Lakes, along with Washington County CDA, Anoka County Economic Development and Connexus Energy, creates a unique corridor spanning more than 1500 acres of future development potential. Regional assets include proximity and visibility from the I-35 corridor, fiber-optic backbone and two electric transmission lines. All partners believe that a regional strategy will yield higher quality development compared to each entity operating independently or a completely hands-off approach. The core development area of the Minnesota Technology Corridor is along the eastern side of I-35E, straddling both sides of Elmcrest Ave/24th Ave/Hornsby St. This road stretches from Cty Hwy 14/Cty Hwy 8 on the south side and proceeds 6.5 miles north to State Hwy 97. Currently, most of this road is unimproved and not suited for business use. The road centerline also serves as a jurisdictional boundary between six of the governmental entities. CHALLENGE With the jurisdictional boundary being in the middle of the road, the Elmcrest Ave/24th Ave/Hornsby St. corridor impacts six different governmental entities. They are: - Cities of Columbus, Forest Lake, Hugo and Lino Lakes - Counties of Anoka and Washington Long-range planning documents between these six entities has created mis-matched standards on what should ultimately be constructed. This confusion will hinder projects, and a lack of a unified plan will prevent our future ability to apply for outside grants. OPPORTUNITY Staff representatives from the six entities have met on multiple occasions and reaffirmed that this is an important economic development initiative for all parties. While there are many questions about future aspects, it was agreed that this step of the process should remain in the sphere of economic development visioning and those finer details for implementation are more appropriate for future discussions. The plan identified is to create a corridor study for Elmcrest Ave/24th Ave/Hornsby St., to be completed by an outside professional engineering firm to ensure impartiality and accountability for the work product. This plan will identify the best design for the corridor, factoring in each city’s unique Comprehensive Plans, land-use goals and growth ambitions.