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Fal l 20 23
What’s Inside Lexi Apartments 10717 Austin Street NE
Your Most Frequently Asked Development Questions Answered................3
Blaine Sees Growth in Apartment Sector 2023 was a big year for multifamily housing in Blaine with the completion of three new apartment complexes opening 389 new units in the City. An additional 184 units will be available in early 2024 with the completion of Risor of Blaine 55+ senior living complex at 370 125th Avenue NE.
Development Spotlight: 9927 Ulysses Street................................................4
June and July saw the opening of two new complexes, Arris Apartments at 9460 Ulysses Street NE and Glenfield Park Estates at 8585 Groveland Court NE. Arris Apartments is a 64-unit, four-story, market rate apartment project that started construction in 2022. Owned by Kami, Inc. Real Estate of Woodbury, Arris Apartments has 15 different floor plans to choose from ranging from 476 square foot studios to 1,412 square foot two-bedroom units. This property is being managed by Whitecap Management LLC. Glenfield Park Estates is a 152-unit market rate apartment complex split between two, four-story buildings with 70 units in one building and 82 in the other. Glenfield Park Estates has one-bedroom and two-bedroom units ranging in size from 778 square feet to 1,118 square feet. The property is being managed by Prairie Lakes Management LLC. In the first week of October, Lexi Apartments at 10717 Austin Street NE, opened to new residents. Constructed by Roers Companies, Lexi Apartments is a 182-unit, five-story apartment complex with five different floor plans ranging from a 536 square foot, one-bedroom alcove to a 1,150 square foot two bed, two bath unit. Each of these three complexes has the typical amenities for a market rate apartment including underground parking, fitness center, theatre/entertainment room, outdoor pool, in-unit washer and dryer among other amenities.
Highway 65 Improvements Funded How to Prepare for Business Disruption.......4
The November 2022 Star Tribune article “Rising mortgage rates increase demand for apartments in the Twin Cities” cited Blaine as having a 2 percent vacancy rate on apartments, the lowest in the Twin Cities metro. A low vacancy rate means the supply of apartments is not meeting current demand. The market is considered balanced at 5 percent vacancy. Diversifying Blaine’s housing stock will help the City attract additional amenities in the future.
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Invictus Brewing Company Recognized
City of Blaine 10801 Town Square Drive NE Blaine MN 55449
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at 2023 MN Brewers Cup Earlier this year, Invictus Brewing Company’s beer, Blaine It On The Rain Amber Ale took first place in the American Amber, Blonde & Pale Ales category at the 2023 MN Brewers Cup. The MN Brewers Cup is a state-wide, blind taste-test competition for Minnesota breweries and brewpubs. The 2023 Brewers Cup competition had more than 450 beers entered from over 90 breweries and brewpubs across Minnesota. Each category was judged, by 20 beer judges, based on how well each beer represented the standards of its style. In partnership with the Tipsy Steer, Invictus Brewing Company opened in Blaine in 2018 and quickly became a popular destination for food and drinks within the community. Customers can stop in and try Blaine It On The Rain or any other of Invictus’ great beers, seltzers, or ciders. Congratulations Invictus Brewing Company! Plan a visit at InvictusBrewingCo.com.
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BlaineBiz.com - BizConnect
Sponsorship & Participation
Community Development 10801 Town Square Drive NE Blaine MN 55449 763-784-6700 Erik Thorvig Community Development Director 763-785-6147 EThorvig@BlaineMN.gov
OPPORTUNITIES 2023-24 26 7:30am Blaine Business Council
25 7:30am Blaine Business Council
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25 7:30am Blaine Business Council
TPC Twin Cities
Oct
6-8pm Prince & Princess Party Blaine City Hall
Nov
Michelle Wolfe City Manager 763-785-6120 MWolfe@BlaineMN.gov
Stay Connected CIVICREADY Receive Emergency Communications BlaineMN.gov/CivicReady
Jul
TPC Twin Cities
TPC Twin Cities
7:30am Blaine Business Council TPC Twin Cities
26 4-7:30pm Winter Celebration Nov
Tom Ryan Park
9
Multiple Sessions
July 12-20
Breakfast with Santa Blaine City Hall
Dec
Target USA Cup
14 Cookie Decorating Multiple Sessions
Blaine City Hall
Dec
16 Breakfast with Santa Multiple Sessions
July 22-28
Blaine City Hall
Dec
3M Open
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24 7:30am Blaine Business Council
Connect with your community and sign up for topics that interest you BlaineMN.gov/NotifyMe
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Ruth Tucker Economic Development Specialist 763-717-2778 RTucker@BlaineMN.gov Shelia Sellman City Planner 763-785-6198 SSellman@BlaineMN.gov
Jan
Oct
TPC Twin Cities
Seasonal Photo Contest Impressions of Blaine
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Submission Dates
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November 1-30, 2023
Fall Winter February 1-29, 2024
Is buying property the right move for your business?
Is buying property the right move for yourForbusiness? more information:
Spring May 1-31, 2024
Summer August 1-31, 2024
Open to Business can help! BlaineMN.gov/ Our free, confidential advisors can assist you in ImpressionsofBlaine evaluating a purchase price, comparing ownership
vs. leasing costs, and connecting you to financing resources. Open to Business can also often provide gap financing to keep equity requirements manageable. Whether you are negotiating a purchase, www.opentobusinessmn.org Open to Business can help! for deed, or just exploring BizConnect is office published OR call the Anoka County at 763-438-7315 twice refinancing a contract Local businesses are invited to become a RecPartner through supporting community events. Our free, confidential you inand your options, Open to Business can help. annually by theadvisors City can of assist Blaine
moreprice, information: evaluating For a purchase comparing ownership
distributed to all residents and OpentoBusinessMN.org vs. leasing costs, and connecting you to financing OR call the Anoka County office businesses. Past copies areoften available resources. Open to Business can also provide at 763-438-7315 gap financing to keep equity requirements at BlaineMN.gov/Newsletter. manageable. Whether you are negotiating a purchase, refinancing a contract for deed, or just exploring your options, Open to Business can help.
Become a RecPartner
In addition to the events listed, the summer Performance in the Park series is looking for season long sponsors. Concerts take place all summer long in Tom Ryan Park. For more information on RecPartnership opportunities visit BlaineMN.gov/PartnershipPackages
Fall 2023
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Blaine Police Department Reminds Businesses to Stay Vigilant Against Crime as the Holidays Approach As the holidays draw near, the Blaine Police Department wants to remind businesses of ways they can combat scams that harm their business and members of the public. 1. Be cautious when accepting payments via check – Blaine Police Department continues to receive reports of fraudulent checks. 2. Ask for identification when someone is purchasing a large volume of gift cards and paying with a credit card. Gift cards are one of the most common items purchased with stolen credit cards. 3. Be cautious of quick-change scams. In these situations, scammers often try to buy a low-cost item like gum or a soda and pay with a large bill. They will then try to pay with a smaller bill and/or ask the cashier a series of questions to distract them. They look for young and/or inexperienced cashiers and target establishments including fast food restaurants, gas stations, convenience stores, and pharmacies. If you believe that you have been a victim of a scam please call the Blaine Police Department to file a police report at 763-785-6168 or by calling 911.
Blaine Business Council Do you want to connect with other Blaine businesses and hear about updates in the community? The Blaine Business Council is open to all Blaine businesses and is held quarterly at the TPC Twin Cities in Blaine. The meetings start at 7:30AM, no RSVP is necessary and we hope you can attend. 2024 Blaine Business Council Dates January 25 | April 25 July 11 | October 24 For more information, visit the MetroNorth Chamber of Commerce at MetroNorthChamber.org.
Development Questions? Your Most Frequently Asked Development Questions Answered How do businesses decide to locate in Blaine? A decision to move to a particular location is often based on market factors. Currently Blaine is an attractive market to many businesses due to its growing population, the incomes of our residents, and our great access to major roadways like Highway 65 and Interstate 35W. However, Blaine has some market challenges as well. The biggest challenges we see in Blaine are high rental rates on retail space, low vacancy rates on industrial spaces under 20,000 square feet, and a shift from large box retailers to smaller boutique retailers and restaurants.
Why is Blaine seeing so many national chains? What about sit down restaurants? Due to high interest rates and increased building costs, the cost of retail space across the metro has increased in some instances to over $50 per square foot for space in a new building. In Blaine, we have seen rental rates as high as $40 per square foot. As the cost of space in new buildings has increased, so has the cost of space in existing buildings due to increased demand and increased cost of maintenance and utilities. With that, national chains are better positioned to pay higher rental rates than are a small locally owned sit-down restaurant, boutique retailers, or a small chain owned by a local restaurateur. Restaurants are also facing challenges of rising labor and food costs. With their three major expenses increasing, food, labor, and rent, small locally owned restaurants and restaurant chains are finding it increasingly challenging to find space that fits their brand and budget to expand or move into a new space. Blaine also severely lacks available second generation, turnkey restaurant space. This primarily impacts entrepreneurs trying to open their first or second restaurant location and smaller scale restaurateurs. Due to the high cost of commercial kitchen equipment, second generation space is highly sought after by individuals looking to start their own restaurant.
What has the City done to attract businesses that residents want to see here? Over the last two years, Blaine’s economic development staff has worked to identify businesses for attraction, with a strategic focus on restaurants, sit down and fast casual, unique retail including high-end grocers, and experiential retail. City staff has reached out to over 75 businesses across the US to attract them to Blaine and the overall response has been positive. Over 20 percent of the businesses contacted have sat down for a meeting with the City to talk about the potential for expansion and determine whether Blaine is a good fit for their business. In addition, city staff has been working to share the vision of Blaine with local developers and commercial real estate brokers, each of whom have a list of businesses they’ve targeted and attracted to other projects across the country. The decision for a business to expand does not happen overnight. City staff continues to develop relationships with these businesses and keep them up to date on city happenings and development so that when they are ready, Blaine is a top choice. The City has also expanded its Small Business Loan program to allow businesses to utilize funds for capital expenditures in existing spaces and updates that prevent blight. In addition, Blaine works closely with Anoka County Open to Business to provide counseling and technical assistance to local entrepreneurs looking to start or grow their business. If you have more questions or are looking for more information on business attraction in Blaine, reach out to Blaine’s economic development staff at 763-717-2778 or email RTucker@BlaineMN.gov. Resources and information are also available on the City’s website under Business and Development at BlaineBiz.com or under the Planning sections at BlaineMN.gov/Planning.
CareerForce Holds Workforce Wednesday Events Each Month Many businesses across all sectors of industry are facing workforce related challenges. The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Workforce Strategy Consultant team offers business assistance on the first Wednesday of the month from 11AM to Noon. This series of virtual meetings focuses on highlighting proven strategies to build talent pipelines, hearing and sharing best practices, and networking with other Minnesota employers about all things workforce. Workforce Wednesday covers topics that teach employers how to increase their number of applicants and new hires, provides tools for reviewing and enhancing their current training programs, teaches methods to enhance diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) within the workplace, 3 and guides businesses on how to be recognized as an employer of choice in their industry.
Topics for 2023 Workforce Wednesday November 1: Navigating the International Hiring Process December 6: Still Utilizing Passive Recruiting Strategies? Why Active Recruiting is Now Essential Your business can register for upcoming sessions, view recordings of past sessions and download related resources and more at CareerForceMN.com/ WorkforceWednesday.
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BlaineBiz.com - BizConnect
Development Spotlight: 9927 Ulysses Street Commercial Building Businesses are moving into the brand new 4,063 square foot commercial retail building on the corner of 99th and Ulysses Street. General Contractors of Minnesota designed the new space to accommodate two new restaurant/ retail spaces including one with a drive through lane. The building has a modern architectural design featuring wood paneling and stone. In August, Planet Smoothie and Great Steak opened in Suite 100. This shared space offers cheese steaks and a wide array of smoothies and smoothie bowls to hungry customers. Micholandia is expected to open in Suite 110 sometime this fall. Micholandia will serve ice cream, drinks, shakes, smoothies, and Mexican inspired snacks.
Blaine Recognized as a Top 50 City for Small Businesses The City of Blaine was recognized in the July issue of Site Selection Magazine as a top city for small businesses. Cities across the United States are considered, and top performing cities meet several criteria including a growing population, highly educated workforce, laborfriendly commute times, favorable tax climate, easy access to capital, and widespread broadband access. Blaine made the listing along with three other Minnesota cities: Maple Grove, Lakeville, and Eagan. If you are looking for a great place to start or grow your small business, Blaine is the perfect place for you. With its businessfriendly environment, strong economy, and access to transportation and talent, Blaine has everything you need to succeed.
Northtown Mall is Sold to New Owner In mid-August, the sale of Northtown Mall closed and 4th Dimension Properties took ownership. Northtown Mall has approximately 654,000 square feet of leasable space which is currently around 87 percent occupied. 4th Dimension Principal, Feliz Reznick, is considering the development of lots around the perimeter of the mall and attracting new tenants within the mall to increase foot traffic and help Northtown thrive. Headquartered in Hollywood, Florida, 4th Dimension Properties has sole ownership in three other malls and co-owns 17 malls across the country.
Highway 65 Improvements Funded How to Prepare for Business Disruption Highway 65 improvements, from 97th Avenue to 119th Avenue, have been fully funded with construction expected to start in 2025. Businesses and those who shop along the corridor will experience some impacts as traffic is rerouted to other major roadways throughout the City. It’s important for businesses and customers to stay up to date on construction happenings. Businesses can connect with the City and begin to create a strategy to keep customers visiting during construction.
Preparing Your Business for Road Construction One Year Ahead of Construction • Attend public meetings related to the construction project to become aware of updates, plans and timeline for this project. Connect with key contacts at the City and MnDOT and share with the project team on how to best contact your business. • Stay connected with the project team and inform project staff of any unique needs of your business such as upcoming events, access needs, questions, or concerns. • Request to be included on any public email lists that may be created for the project. • Identify and list concerns about access, parking, deliveries, and other logistical elements that may impact your business. • Begin to think about temporary signage and other need-to-know information to help customers and other businesses in the project footprint. • Brainstorm a promotional campaign for your business or the businesses in your area. • Look for opportunities for partnerships, promotions, and resources that extend beyond your business by discussing with other businesses, local business groups, and local government. Businesses and customers can follow the project at BlaineMN.gov/ThriveOn65.
BizConnect Online BlaineMN.gov/NotifyMe
Blaine BizConnect online is a monthly newsletter delivered directly to your inbox that will keep you up to date on development happenings in the City of Blaine. From commercial to industrial to residential, Blaine is one of the fastest growing cities in the Twin Cities metro area and always has new and exciting projects on the horizon. Sign up online at BlaineBiz.com/NotifyMe, choose BlaineBiz Update.
