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W inter 20 19
Best Buy is now
Aldi
Gander Mountain is now
The Fun Lab & Planet Fitness WalMart is now
At Home & Planet Fitness
What’s Inside
Kmart is now
Xperience Fitness & Auto Zone Toys-R-Us will soon be
Salvation Army Thrift Store
2019 Year in Review................................................2
Revitalization of Big Box Retail Stores Recently, city staff has received a number of inquiries about the redevelopment of some of the big box stores in the City of Blaine. In recent years, the city has seen Kmart, Rainbow Foods, Gander Mountain, Toys-R-Us, and Best Buy close. Additionally, Walmart, in The Village, changed locations. These actions have left behind large empty buildings and the public wondering what will happen to these stores. Online retail sales changed the nature of how shopping works and some big box stores have struggled with this change. In the case of Blaine, many of these empty buildings have successfully transformed into multi-tenant retail buildings with smaller, destination specific uses.
Northtown Transit Center....................................3
How Businesses Find Their Way to Blaine............................................................4
The city is in contact with real estate brokers regarding potential users for these buildings. The market dictates what happens in these former big boxes. Then the city collaborates with building owners to see how the city can assist in redevelopment, either financially or through city approval processes. It is not in the city’s, or neighborhoods’, best interest for these buildings to sit empty for a long period of time, so when the city is approached with a viable option for reuse, it works to make sure the end product of redevelopment fits well in a neighborhood. Whenever possible the city works to ensure the building ends up looking nice, meets city codes, and provides screening wherever necessary. The former Kmart is a good example of big box redevelopment where the city collaborated with the owner of the building to do facade renovations, parking lot improvements, and a rework of the screening wall on the north side of the site. Several redevelopments have taken place in the last few years. There is still more work to do in this area but it is great to see vacant stores come back to life and return to being an active part of the Blaine economy.
City of Blaine 10801 Town Square Drive NE Blaine MN 55449
POSTMASTER: TIME SENSITIVE MAIL
DATED MATERIAL PREPARED BY THE OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
ECRWSS
POSTAL CUSTOMER
PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID TWIN CITIES, MN Permit No. 32324
Highway 65 Study Makes Progress MnDOT, in partnership with Anoka County, and the cities of Ham Lake, Blaine, and Spring Lake Park began a study for the Highway 65 corridor in August 2018. The study will examine a range of alternatives to address capacity, access, and safety issues along Highway 65 between 81st Avenue in Spring Lake Park and Bunker Lake Boulevard in Ham Lake. Results from previous studies for Highway 65 are out of date due to the increased business development and increases in population in the area. In addition, previously developed solutions are too costly to construct with current funding levels. Over the last 15 months, key project stakeholders, including the general public, have worked to identify various solutions that will be presented to the public over the next six months for feedback. The solutions will also undergo a thorough analysis to fully understand their impacts. Once the study is completed in the summer of 2020, it will provide a roadmap to assist in securing funding for necessary improvements along the corridor. More information on the study is available at: BlaineMN.gov/65Study.
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2019
BlaineBiz.com - BizConnect
New Construction
Year in Review
10801 Town Square Drive NE Blaine MN 55449 763-784-6700
Michelle Wolfe City Manager 763-785-6120 MWolfe@BlaineMN.gov
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Single Family Housing Starts
New Commercial & Industrial Projects
Erik Thorvig Community Development Director 763-785-6147 EThorvig@BlaineMN.gov Lori Johnson City Planner 763-785-6198 LJohnson@BlaineMN.gov
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New Jobs Created by Blaine Business
Ground Breakings Cedar Point Apartments 1145 116th Avenue NE Goddard School 12612 Central Avenue NE HyVee 210 - 125th Avenue NE Kinder Care 12312 Fraizer Street NE Mary Ann Young Center 9150 Central Avenue NE Synergy Center 10729 Town Square Drive NE
Grand Openings
Commercial/ Industrial Additions
Total Project Value
Community Development
Aldi Autozone Body Sense Pilates Caliber Collision Crown Iron Works Harbor Freight Kwik Trip Marriot Fairfield Inn and Suites New Creations Child Care & Learning Center Panera Bread Protofab Engineering Pure Barre Sunrise Elementary Ulta Xperience Fitness X-Golf
Alterations
Tenant Finish
$171,025,707 Invested in Blaine
Development Spotlight
CommunityConnect A Crime Prevention Partnership
BlaineMN.gov/ CommunityConnect
Is buying property the right move for your The business? Cedar Point Apartment project is under construction near 117th Avenue NE and Ulysses Street NE. When
Cedar Point Apartments
Cedar Apartments will include 138 market rate apartments on the southeast corner of this Open tocomplete, Business canPoint help!
intersection. The developer, Tyr Development, LLC, is constructing 18 studio apartments, 57 one bedroom
Our free, confidential advisors can assist you in apartments, and 63 two bedroom, two bath plus den apartments. The rents for these units range from evaluating a purchase price, comparing ownership $1,000 to $2,000you depending Is buying property vs. leasing costs, and connecting to financingon the size and location of the unit. resources. Open to Business can also often provide the right move unitsequity will have covered decks, solid surface and stone countertops, stainless steel kitchen appliances, full gap financingAll to keep requirements manfor yourForbusiness? more information: sized washer/dryers in the units, tile/wood flooring, and carpet. All ceilings will be nine feet in height with ageable. Whether you are negotiating a purchase, www.opentobusinessmn.org Open to Business can help! contract for wood deed, ortrimmings. just exploringThere will also be common areas for residents inside and outside of the building, BizConnect is office published OR call the Anoka County at 763-438-7315 twice refinancing a extensive Our free, confidential you inand your options,with Open secure to Business canand help.package units, a fitness area, and an upper floor event room with a panoramic view. annually by theadvisors City can of assist Blaine mail
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.
Underground and above ground parking stalls will be available.
Construction on this apartment building is expected to last through the winter.
Winter 2019
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Coming in 2020 Why are there are so many banks on one corner? What is that huge construction project on Lexington Avenue or Radisson Road? Why does the city use roundabouts? Who is making planning decisions for the city? Well, if you have asked these questions, you are not alone and city staff notices that there are plenty of questions and misconceptions out there about local developments and the development process.
Blaine Business Council
In 2020, residents can expect to see some new efforts on behalf of the city to make learning about projects more accessible to the public, including opportunities for everyone to learn about the different layers of the development process. Residents can expect to see some changes to the city’s website that will include maps that provide development updates throughout the city. There will be newsletter articles, videos, and other communication efforts to get the word out on how the city plans for the present and future.
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.
Blaine Community Development staff will also continue to explore some additional educational opportunities geared toward teaching the public about how businesses find Blaine, how the development process works, and the challenges that the city faces when competing viewpoints come into play on developments.
2020 Blaine Business Council Dates January 23, April 23, July 9, October 22
All Blaine residents are encouraged to call or email city staff and/or councilmembers with any questions at any time.
For more information please visit the Metro North Chamber of Commerce at MetroNorthChamber.org.
Contact City Staff: BlaineMN.gov/CommunityDevelopment Contact Blaine City Council: BlaineMN.gov/CityCouncil
Small Business Loan Program
Northtown Transit Center Redevelopment Northtown Mall and Metro Transit are in the process of relocating the existing transit center located on the west side of the mall. The owners of Northtown Mall, Washington Prime Group (WPG), and Metro Transit have been in discussions over the past several years as to how the relocation of the facility could occur. Over the past several months this discussion has become more prominent given the fact that WPG would like to start the revitalization of the property around the mall, including the property on which the center is located. WPG believes the redevelopment of the land around the mall is critical for the future of the mall. Northtown is one of Blaine’s largest employers and the largest taxpayer in the city. WPG and Metro Transit are working on a proposal that will, if approved, move the current transit facility to the south side of the mall property along Sanburnol Drive. The property on which the center would be located has recently been re-platted to facilitate a land swap between WPG and Metro Transit for their current land/facility. Metro Transit is preparing to submit a site plan to the City of Blaine that will include the plans for the new facility. Metro Transit will need to obtain a conditional use permit from the City of Blaine for a shared access prior to any work beginning on site. The conditional use permit process involves a public hearing before the Blaine Planning Commission, and then the Blaine City Council will need to grant final approval prior to the project beginning. Neighbors will be invited to the public hearing when it is formally scheduled. Furthermore, Metro Transit held two neighborhood meetings on this proposal and the results of those meetings will be presented with the conditional use permit submittal documents. The city will carefully look at screening, traffic, and bus route patterns with this proposal. All parties understand that some amount of screening will be required along Sanburnol Drive. The screening will need to meet city standards and will provide a barrier from the transit center for the Spring Lake Park residents who live along Sanburnol Drive.
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The City of Blaine Economic Development Authority offers a small business loan program to provide additional financial assistance to small business owners who are improving an existing building and/or redeveloping a commercial or industrial property. In general, projects will increase tax base, improve blighted properties, increase employment, and bring properties into conformance with existing city and state codes. Loans are available up to $75,000 with a private match required. Eligible expenses include exterior site improvements such as parking lots, trash enclosures, signs, fences, and landscaping. Exterior building improvements such as additions, windows, awnings, masonry repairs, and demolition are also eligible. For more information please contact the Economic Development Department at 763-785-6147 or BlaineMN.gov/ EconomicDevelopment.
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BlaineBiz.com - BizConnect
Business Visits
How Businesses Find Their Way to Blaine Selecting a location is one of the most important decisions any business will make. Depending on the type of business, different factors are considered. For example, a retail business often considers area demographics that include household income and population within certain distances, along with access and visibility to major roadways. A manufacturer may consider a location based on the distance to where their employees live, availability of workforce, and how real estate taxes compare to other locations. In Blaine there are typically three pathways to how a business will locate in the city. City Outreach There are certain sectors the city has identified as a need in the community, based on citizen input and data analysis. For example, the City of Blaine reached out to several grocers that are not currently located in the city such as Whole Foods, Lund’s, and Trader Joe’s. These businesses are aware of the positive growth in Blaine. However, based on their location criteria they decided not to build in Blaine yet. The growing population and household incomes that occur with new housing are factors these businesses take into account and Blaine may eventually be attractive to them. Hy-Vee is a successful example of where the city and business worked together to find a location in the city that was attractive to them. The city has also reached out to hospitality and entertainment businesses that would benefit residents and guests that visit Blaine. Real Estate Broker/Business Contact Businesses quite often hire a real estate broker to help them identify potential locations. City staff is in constant communication with the real estate brokers with clients looking to locate in the community. Staff provides real estate brokers with information on available buildings and sites. Often these are industrial users relocating from another city. In certain instances the city may consider financial incentives to help a business redevelop a site and invest in the community or to convince them to select Blaine over another community. The City of Blaine Economic Development Authority also acquires blighted property in an effort to encourage redevelopment and investment by businesses looking to locate in Blaine.
The vitality of a local economy depends upon a healthy, growing business community. In recognition of this fact, the City of Blaine offers a business visit program. The primary purpose of the program is to establish a connection between city government and private businesses and industries in the community. By visiting with and gathering information from companies through this program, the city can become aware of expansion needs and anticipated business growth, address any needs or concerns you may have, and offer city assistance and support where possible. Business visits are scheduled at a time that is convenient for the business owner. Visits are meant to be both productive and helpful to the growth and longevity of businesses here in Blaine. Generally one or two members of city staff and the Blaine City Council attend. If you would like to participate please contact Erik Thorvig at ethorvig@blainemn.gov or by phone at 763-785-6147.
Market Driven Decisions Many national businesses in all sectors have real estate professionals that assist them in finding locations. These professionals have access to data and real estate listings to assist them. In this instance the city often is not made aware that a business has made a decision to locate in Blaine until they contact city staff to either obtain a building permit or receive development approvals. Recent examples include, Planet Fitness, Harbor Freight, Taco Bell, and Aldi. Market conditions outside of the control of the city often dictate retail, hospitality, and service business decisions. What the city can continue to do is make Blaine attractive to businesses by providing efficient review processes, low taxes, quality infrastructure, and housing for their employees. Does the city have the ability to say yes or no to any business? No. The city has various zoning districts that identify permitted and conditionally permitted uses. If a permitted use desires to go into a certain space the city does not have the legal authority to say no. In fact, a permitted use does not require review by the Blaine City Council and is allowed to go in via administrative approval. In other instances a use may have to acquire a conditional use permit and approval is then required by the Blaine City Council. However, a conditional use permit is not a mechanism to approve or deny a business, but instead place conditions on a business to reduce its impact on nearby property. The only time the city has the authority to say yes or no to a business is if the use is not allowed in the specific zoning district, the city is selling land, or the use requires a rezoning.
BizConnect Online BlaineMN.gov/NotifyMe
Blaine BizConnect online is a monthly newsletter delivered right 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 Minnesota and always has new and exciting projects on the horizon. Sign up online at BlaineBiz.com/NotifyMe, choose BlaineBiz Update.