Pioneer Press Wed, 9 Jul 2008 11:16:18 MDT
From burg to 'burb
When Lori Peterson decided to move to the east metro from Eau Claire, Wis., she narrowed it down to two cities â€" Woodbury and Hugo. ... "I know I'm one of the new ones increasing the population," Peterson said. "But I also hope it never becomes as congested as some of the other suburbs."
Star Tribune Wed, 09 Jul 2008 05:00:39 GMT
State gets ready to dig in at Washington County landfill
The three-year cleanup in Lake Elmo -- at a cost of $27.6 million -- will be the most expensive for the state remediation program. Call it the big dig. State officials have elected to clean up a Washington County landfill that's releasing toxic gases and polluting area groundwater by digging out the waste, lining the landfill and then burying the waste again. The project will start later this summer and is expected to take three years. Its cost is estimated at $27.6 million, making it the most expensive landfill cleanup in the history of Minnesota's landfill remediation program. From 1969 to 1975, Ramsey and Washington counties used the 35-acre landfill, in Lake Elmo, as a garbage disposal site. 3M Co. also used the site to legally dump materials, including the chemical PFBA, a coatings compound used in photographic films and other products. In the past year or so, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has been weighing several options to clean up the site. Recently, agency officials chose the dig-and-line approach, over the objections of some Lake Elmo citizens and city leaders. They had lobbied for removing the waste permanently, either by hauling it away in trucks to a different landfill or by incinerating it on site using a futuristic technology called plasma-torch incineration.
Star Tribune Mon, 07 Jul 2008 04:37:43 GMT
Vibrant urban villages? Plans don't fit reality
As the housing slowdown dashes plans across the metro to create "livable" core communities, the Met Council is accommodating some adjusted goals. Stitched together by developers from fields and gravel pits, Apple Valley has worked for years to build the kind of downtown where residents can leave home in the morning and walk to the bus, their jobs or local stores. New restaurants and a hotel, townhouses and a park with water fountains where kids can play have already sprung up in the Central Village, but right next door, there are still empty fields. The housing market slump caused a slowdown in development that forced city leaders to plead earlier this summer to hang onto public funding that is key to their vision: a $2.3 million Livable Communities grant from the Metropolitan Council to build underground parking below an as-yet-unbuilt complex of housing and businesses on Galaxie Avenue. In the last year, Met Council officials have fielded an unprecedented number of requests from city leaders who already have Livable Communities grant money in hand, but say they need to change plans to make their community's project. And for the first time in the program's history, a shortage of deserving proposals led the Met Council to hold back about $3 million last year in money available through the program, which helps metro-area cities create thriving urban villages by cleaning up contaminated property and building affordable housing near businesses and public transit.
Pioneer Press 06/12/2008 04:34:39 AM GMT
Central Corridor station designs get cool response
It's either simple and sleek or simple and lame, depending on whom you ask. And since there will be at least 15 of them, the question of whether the design of the Central Corridor light-rail stations is cool or stupid matters. Kyle Williams, an architect for the planned light-rail line linking St. Paul and Minneapolis, presented the early design to members of a key advisory panel Wednesday. An apprentice of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe might smile at the simplicity of the concrete platforms anchoring flat glass-and-steel shelters, but a fan of Frank Gehry might stare blankly â€" as Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak did. "This is remarkably underwhelming," Rybak told Williams. "This idea about being 'simple and transparent' is not going to give the lift to University Avenue we want."
Pioneer Press 06/12/2008 04:38:16 AM GMT
St. Paul / Riverside land now part of Ford plan
The redevelopment potential for Ford Motor Co.'s Highland Park plant just got a little brighter. Ford Land, the development arm of the Dearborn, Mich.-based company, has asked the city of St. Paul to begin studying for possible reuse a prime, 22-acre parcel of land that sits just above the river and was previously withheld from redevelopment planning. "The reason we delayed was just to better understand the environmental conditions of the property," Ford Land spokeswoman Stephanie Denby said. The parcel sits below the bluff line along the Mississippi River and was once considered a potential Superfund site. The move increases the size of the potential redevelopment of prime real estate to 157 acres, a figure that includes the 122-acre Twin Cities Assembly Plant and a 13-acre rail spur. The move also is a signal that Ford is proceeding with redevelopment plans, despite renewed calls to save the plant. While Ford is seeking a master developer for the property, U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., recently called on the company to reconsider the plant's closure amid reports of strong sales of Ford Rangers, which are assembled in St. Paul.
Star Tribune Thu, 12 Jun 2008 05:20:45 GMT
U changes direction on light-rail trains
University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks said the university will support running the trains on Washington Avenue. The University of Minnesota will set aside its long-held objections and support the running of light-rail trains on Washington Avenue, University President Robert Bruininks said Wednesday. "The university does not want to be in the position of bringing this project to a grinding halt or jeopardizing its possible future," said Bruininks, who will urge the Board of Regents to approve the route in meetings today and Friday. In an interview at Morrill Hall, he said the university's negotiations with other public agencies have resulted in "enormous progress" on concerns such as traffic, hospital access and the impact on sensitive research equipment -- and who might pay for solutions.
Star Tribune Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:17:46 GMT
Green roof takes root at Minneapolis City Hall
The courtyard roof of Minneapolis' City Hall and the Hennepin County Courthouse is going green. Workers will plant it with more than 40 varieties of plants, wildflowers, grasses, shrubs and vines, most of them native to Minnesota. The courtyard roof of Minneapolis' City Hall and the Hennepin County Courthouse is going green. Weather permitting, workers will continue planting more than 40 varieties of plants, wildflowers, grasses, shrubs and vines at 11 a.m. Thursday. Some of the planting began Tuesday, said Spokesman Matt Laible. Most of the plants being used to cover the 5,000-square-foot space are native to Minnesota. Among them are Bottlebrush Grass, Jack-in-the Pulpit, Prairie Clover, Phlox, Virginia Creeper and wild strawberries. The courtyard roof is a outdoor rectangular area on the interior of City Hall. The roof top covers some of the lower levels of City Hall and can be seen only from windows inside the building at 350 S. 4th Street.
Star Tribune Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:45:52 GMT
Minor league stadium proposal a hit with Burnsville
City leaders said they like the idea, but they warned developers to cover all their bases. A $27 million proposal to bring minor league baseball to Burnsville with a historic Twin Cities team and a new stadium met with guarded enthusiasm from city leaders, who will be asked to put taxpayer money behind the idea. On Tuesday night, the City Council got a first look at sketch plans of a 7,300-seat stadium for the Metro Millers on 18 acres of a former dump near the intersection of Interstate 35W and Hwy. 13. The concept would revive a team that folded when the Twins moved to Minneapolis in 1961 and bring the independent Northern League back to the metro area after the St. Paul Saints joined the American Association in 2005.
Star Tribune Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:52:57 GMT
Lake Street developer cites arbitrary demands in suit
Basim Sabri says a city requirement for certain building exteriors is unfair. The city says it's law. Lake Street developer Basim Sabri has sued Minneapolis over a city requirement that his proposed condo development be finished all in brick. Sabri's lawsuit in Hennepin County District Court contends that the city is applying the brick exterior requirement arbitrarily to his planned 77-unit development a block north of Lake between Pleasant and Pillsbury Avenues. The city approved Sabri's site plan in April but rejected his plans to incorporate stucco and cement into the development. It incorporates the brick building once occupied by Midwest Machinery, plus an extensive addition. ... Sabri contends that his right to due process was denied and that the city is replete with mixed stucco-brick exteriors. He is asking that a judge declare the brick requirement unenforceable and is seeking an unspecified amount of damages.
Star Tribune Tue, 10 Jun 2008 23:23:12 GMT
The forecast for Woodbury: More of everything
Futuristic Woodbury: A much bigger city with more parks, more jobs and a sprawling athletic complex. Already Washington County's largest city, Woodbury will grow substantially more by 2020, thriving on its prime location at the intersection of Interstates 94 and 494. As the city prepares its latest comprehensive plan for the Metropolitan Council, trends emerge that show a bigger, more robust Woodbury. Explanations come from Janelle Schmitz, the city's planning and economic development manager, and Mike Barrett, who chairs the city's comprehensive plan task force. • Friends and neighbors: The current population of about 58,000 will rise to 73,500, according to Metropolitan Council projections. The median age is now 33.4 years old -- a bit younger than the metro area's median age of 34.2 -- but Woodbury will see some graying by 2020. The city will have more "empty nesters" and less of a need for two-story houses. But young families will continue to move to Woodbury, Schmitz said, drawn to schools, parks and jobs in the city's retail and office districts.
Pioneer Press 06/07/2008 04:18:33 AM GMT
Roseville's new inspection program seeks to educate residents, prevent code violations
Roseville residents can expect to see a team of city inspectors browsing through their neighborhoods soon, looking for code violations. The city is launching a pilot inspection program this month called the Neighborhood Enhancement Program. Code inspectors will systematically inspect neighborhoods, instead of driving around town chasing complaints. The idea is to keep residents educated and prevent serious code violations, City Manager Bill Malinen said. "Some people might not like it because they'll be subjected to inspections and enforcement, but on the flip side there might be 10 neighbors who are appreciative of that," Malinen said. "We're just trying to maintain the appearance of our city and the value of the properties." City officials started hammering out program details about six months ago, looking for a way to improve the enforcement process and efficiency. The idea came from Imagine Roseville 2025, a community study in which residents were asked about their vision and priorities for the city. Code enforcement and problem properties were issues they said they'd like the city to improve upon. So Roseville officials looked to their neighbors, Malinen said. They modeled the Neighborhood Enhancement Program after Shoreview's SHINE (Shoreview Housing Inspections for Neighborhood Enhancement), which has been in operation for five years.
Star Tribune Thu, 05 Jun 2008 01:44:55 GMT
Twin Cities residential construction shows signs of life
With buyers on the sidelines, residential construction in the Twin Cities area in May was about half of what it was last year, but it showed some signs of improvement from April -- thanks in large part to a bump in multifamily building, according to data released Wednesday by the Builders Association of the Twin Cities. During May, home builders were issued 255 permits to build 498 units. That's a 52 percent decline in permits and a 34 percent decline in new units. Association President KC Chermak of Pillar Homes said the monthly increase "may not spell the beginning of a sustained recovery," but he added that there's some evidence that the market has hit bottom. In February, construction activity hit a 10-year low of 170 permits to build 217 units. (More than one unit can be built with a single permit.) The market got a modest boost last month from an increase in multifamily construction, including condominiums and rental apartments. Minneapolis, for example, issued more permits last month than any other community -- six permits to build 89 units.
Star Tribune Wed, 04 Jun 2008 06:21:14 GMT
Richfield garage's low-impact design stands out
The Earth-friendly new home for Richfield public works sets a high standard of efficiency. ... The building should be 30 to 35 percent more efficient than a structure built to standard construction codes, said architect Nancy Schultz of Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. in Minneapolis.
Star Tribune Fri, 30 May 2008 04:23:56 GMT
Keeping watch in the western suburbs' wetlands
... But annual wetland monitoring has fallen to volunteers because state money, time and energy is focused on keeping lakes and streams clean, said Mark Guerness, research scientist for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. "No one else is monitoring the quality of wetlands." Hoping to fill this void, Hennepin and Dakota counties have been enlisting volunteers since 1997. Volunteers are recruited each year between February and May to be ready to take the field in June. Dakota County has another group of 40 volunteers working in the southern suburbs.
Pioneer Press Wed, 28 May 2008 17:51:26 -0600
Met Council approves rail route over U's objections
The U is now officially alone, and an influential lawmaker says arrogance has landed them there. The University of Minnesota cast the lone dissenting vote this afternoon against a Central Corridor route through campus along Washington Avenue at a meeting of a key advisory panel. The 11-1 vote by the advisory panel was affirmed by the Met Council in an overwheliming voice vote this evening , officials said. Among the 11 were representatives of the following entities and interests: cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Ramsey and Hennepin counties, state departments of transportation and finance, Met Council, neighborhood groups and the business community. The university, which initially wanted a tunnel under campus and now is advocating for a detour along the northern edge of campus, has maintained a series of objections for months, centered around disruptions as a result of removing cars from Washington. The impact of the university's opposition is unclear, but local officials fear it will delay, or possibly kill, the project, as costs increase with inflation and the federal government â€" needed to fund half the nearly $900 million line from St. Paul to Minneapolis â€" regards local discord as cause for denial.
Star Tribune Thu, 29 May 2008 18:25:10 GMT
Voters will decide fate of Eagan golf course in November
Development plans for the Carriage Hills golf course have fueled untold hours of public debate in Eagan, stiff opposition from the city and a four-year court battle that went all the way to the Minnesota Supreme Court. But when Wensmann Realty, the would-be developer of the golf course, came back to the city Tuesday night with a proposal to build up to 480 homes on the site, the Eagan Planning Commission took less than two hours to sign off on preliminary plans. But that doesn't mean a single one of those houses will ever be built. Instead, Eagan voters will decide the fate of the golf course at a referendum in November, part of a contingent legal settlement reached this spring in a dispute that has pitted the city against Wensmann and the golf course's owner. Many neighbors of the golf course, which closed in 2004, have fought development, arguing that it would destroy valuable green space in the largely built-out city and put too much traffic on area roads.
Star Tribune Wed, 28 May 2008 02:57:01 GMT
Plan for new homes on former Carriage Hills Golf Course moves forward
A controversial plan for new homes on the former Carriage Hills Golf Course moved one step forward when the Eagan Planning Commission recommended approval of preliminary development plans Tuesday night. But Eagan residents will still weigh in on the fate of the land at a November referendum, part of a legal settlement reached this spring after a four-year legal battle waged against the city by the golf course's owner and a developer. Many residents have fought to preserve the 120-acre site as green space, while landowner Ray Rahn and Wensmann Realty have argued that they should be able to develop it.
Star Tribune Tue, 27 May 2008 22:11:03 GMT
Stillwater will get a downtown parking ramp
The project came in over budget, but city leaders say the multimillion-dollar ramp is key to riverfront vision. It will cost more than expected, but it looks as if downtown Stillwater will get a much-discussed parking ramp. The City Council approved the plan last week, voting to authorize a bond sale to finance construction. But the price tag for the project is roughly $1 million more than what city leaders say they were expecting, and now they're looking to cut costs or dip into the city's reserves to finance it. All this comes as Stillwater faces another tough budget year and the City Council has been challenging department heads to operate more efficiently. City leaders have been exploring the downtown parking ramp idea for the past five years. The ramp would provide about 300 public spaces and would be on two acres just north of the Historic Lowell Inn, between 2nd and 3rd Streets. Estimated costs to build the ramp with all the planned upgrades and options totaled $6.5 million. City administrator Larry Hansen has said the project costs need to stay at $5.3 million as planned. Last week city staff presented a list of possible changes, noting that after the changes, the project would be $321,000 over budget.
Pioneer Press Sat, 17 May 2008 02:15:28 -0600
New Brighton Northwest Quadrant / Four homebuilders to pitch plans for New Brighton
Despite a sluggish housing market, four developers have lined up to build homes in New Brighton. The city requested proposals about two months ago from companies interested in building in the Northwest Quadrant â€" 100 acres of former commercial and industrial land near Interstates 694 and 35W that the city has spent millions cleaning up. K. Hovnanian Homes, Ryland Homes, Stuart Management Corp. and Sherman Associates Inc. recently came forward, said City Administrator Dean Lotter. City officials hope the selection of a developer â€" which could happen as early as May 27 â€" will build momentum for future Northwest Quadrant development. It's a bright spot after a slew of problems, including the pull-out of the project's lead housing developer last fall and environmental issues on the land. "This one area being developed won't be the antidote for the overall challenges that face the project, but it will be a great step forward," Lotter said. In October, Rottlund Homes pulled out, citing the city's failure to adhere to contract terms. The city sued, saying Rottlund was in breach of contract. The parties settled this week, and the city agreed to return $950,000 of the builder's $1 million advance deposit.
Star Tribune Mon, 19 May 2008 03:23:09 GMT
New website shows where, why
A new website gives businesses the opportunity to easily research potential sites for development in the 11-county metropolitan area. ... The site was created and will be administered by a group of public and private partners organized by the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce. "Unlike site-selection websites in other markets, MetroMSP.org answers both sides of the site-selection question: why a company would want to base here, and what is the ideal site to meet its unique needs. The data and the story go hand-in-hand," said Anne Hunter of Marketing Source USA, which helped develop the site.
