6. HRSR 05-01-2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Ehlers Advisor March 2006 INFER ~~`' Take a look at some of _~ -;~ ~ our clients "on the move" .~-~ - CLIENTS ON THE MOVE with new projects! The Crosby-Ironton School District has completed construction of new additions and renovations to the Crosby-Ironton High School to replace their aging facilities and accommodate growing enrollment. The project included 83,500 square feet of new construction and 129,414 feet of remodeling on the existing school site. Built for 700 students, the current building houses 644 students and serves grades K-12. District voters approved the $20,525,000 project in December 2002. The school opened for the start of the 2005-06 school year. The architects for the project are ATSB~R Architects located in Minneapolis. The construction manager is Donlar Construction of St. Cl The Northfield Riverfront Redevelopment will n grace the Cannon River with ~ a public park, thanks to a redevelopment project by Mendota Homes called The Crossing. This project will include 110 residential condominiums in two buildings, along In 2005 83,500 sq. ft. of new construction and 129,414 ft. of with office condominiums, a restaurant, and commercial space on the site. It remodeling was completed at Crosby-Ironton High School. will provide much needed housing options that will complement the beauty of Northfield's downtown, restore the riverfront to public use, and provide office, commercial and restaurant space on a main thoroughfare. Mendota Homes will be restoring the river bank, re-grading the area, installing sidewalks and landscaping, and adding a canoe launch area. Tlus will make new connections to the City's existing sidewalks and trails allowing for much greater public usage of this valuable comm>_uuty asset. The property - - - - - - - ~ ----------- - -. value will increase from $1.9 million to over $ 51 million after redevelopment. ~ _ I _ ~. "he City Council did a great job of articulating the overall vision for the .development, and Mendota Homes did an equally great job of incorporating this vision into the end result of the redevelopment project," said Brian O'Comiell, Northfield Economic Development Director. This was not Northfield's first attempt to redevelop the area. Previous efforts at redevelopment had failed, and the City was eager to fmd a quality reuse of the 6.5 acre site which serves as a gateway to its historic downtown. The City and Economic Development Authority (EDA) had acgtured a substantial part of the site over the past 15 years, which contained 17 parcels, many with dIlapidated buildings. Some of the remaining owners were in the process of having their property condemned by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) for widening and reconstnicting a stretch of Highway 3. The Ciry was able to purchase of the remnant portion of each parcel that was not necessary for road reconstruction. The City moved quickly to inspect the properties. Many of the buildings were determined to be substandard prior to MnDOT acquiring and demolishing the structures. The blight~fmdings allowed for a redevelopment tax increment fmancing (TIF) district with a 25-year life. Even though there was no developer actively pursuing the site, the City undertook this process to preserve its options in redeveloping this area. After various proposals failed since 2001, the City entered into negotiations with Mendota Homes in January, 2005. The Ciry Council created a series of nine redevelopment goals which were used to guide the overall redevelopment. These goals addressed issues such as providing public open space, encouraging visual and aesthetic compatibility with the downtown, improving the environmental corridor of the Cannon River, providing lequate structured parking, and providing a mixture of residential and _ommercial uses. (NDRTHFIELD RIIIERFRONT continued on page 5) Elevation and concept plan for the Northfield Riverfront Redevelopment i - 'T I I i I 1 ~ ~~.. I 1 I 3 'f i ~~~ ~ ~~ i I I 0 U 0 •4•