Eye of the beholder

Star Tribune Sun, 03 Feb 2008 04:07:02 GMT
Backers insist Heart of the City still a success

The Burnsville City Council is pondering its next move after a major component of the development fell through. But some say the real job is trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. The latest setback for Burnsville's highly touted Heart of the City project has given critics one more reason to characterize it as a failure. But Mayor Elizabeth Kautz stands by the 54-acre redevelopment that's providing revenue and a downtown area for the suburb. "Heart of the City is a success," she said Friday. She commented during a meeting in which the City Council planned its next steps after a developer backed out of building a $20 million office complex and parking ramp next to Nicollet Commons Park. The mayor blames the lagging economy for Anderson Builders' decision not to redevelop one of the last parcels in the huge project. The dilemma has left the city once again seeking a developer -- and scrambling to provide parking for a $20 million arts and convention center scheduled to open next fall. With some of the completed projects already struggling with occupancy rates, one Burnsville developer has called the entire project a failure.

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