Economic Development Authority - Erik Thorvig, Community Development Director
Title
Title
Adoption of the 105th Avenue Redevelopment Master Plan
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Executive Summary
Adopt the 105th Avenue Master Plan.
Background
The 105th Avenue/Radisson Road industrial area has been identified in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan as a priority redevelopment area. It has also been identified as one of the four priority areas by the City Council through the visioning process that occurred in early 2021 and is also identified in the “Growth Management” portion of the City’s strategic plan. Based on direction from the City Council, the City embarked on a visioning/design process for this area to assist in future marketing and development efforts.
The industrial area consists mostly of older industrial buildings that have either become antiquated due to their age or have excessive outdoor storage which is not consistent with the vision for the area. The EDA has been active in purchasing property over the last five years and continues to discuss further acquisitions as property becomes available. The National Sports Center (NSC) and Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) are also key property owners in this area.
General discussions by the City Council identify this as a potential “city core” where the City should encourage walkable, entertainment type of uses that take advantage of the NSC and be an amenity to Blaine residents and visitors.
In Fall, 2021 an architectural and planning team was selected through a request for proposals to assist in designing the vision. Sperides Reiners Architects (SRA) was selected as the architect to assist with the project with assistance from Mike Lamb Consulting and Confluence. Under the guidance of the consultant team, staff, city council, and key stakeholders completed a planning/design process to establish the vision for this area both visually and descriptively.
Attached is the draft plan which was the result of the planning and design effort. In general, the plan identifies new uses such as hotel, restaurant, retail and residential with urban development style characteristics. Public infrastructure improvements may include new roads, parking ramp and park/green space improvements. The master plan will change based on market conditions and developer feedback as the process moves forward. The purpose of the plan is to provide a framework to guide development in the future.
Next steps for redevelopment will be to select a master developer that will work with the City towards private development and public improvements. Its likely the master developer will not develop the entire project, but instead bring in various partners that specialize in various construction types such as hotel, residential, commercial, and restaurant. Various contracts will be negotiated as part of this process including land sale of EDA properties, etc. The City anticipates hiring a redevelopment consultant to assist with this effort. This is a common practice for cities with projects of this scale. A master developer will likely be selected by the end of the summer at which point the master plan will be revised to reflect the vision of the developer. Public infrastructure costs, funding and timing will also be identified. There will be additional analysis needed to address environmental conditions and traffic on the local and Anoka County roadways. It’s realistic to expect private and public improvements to begin sometime in 2023 and full development to occur over several years depending on the market and land availability.
The master planning effort also included undeveloped land near Blaine City Hall. Though it’s included in the plan, there will be further discussions regarding land use for this area and isn’t necessarily the focus of the 105th Avenue Redevelopment Plan.
Strategic Plan Relationship
The 105th Avenue/Radisson Road industrial area has been identified in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan as a priority redevelopment area. It has also been identified as one of the four priority areas by the City Council through the visioning process that occurred in early 2021
Staff Recommendation
By motion, adopt the 105th Avenue Master Plan
Attachment List
Draft Master Plan