6. HRSR 01-03-2005 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

c ITY CE ELK RIVER d0'vti,+NTOL^.-iJ RIVER; RONT REVITALILATIOf~i C2&A NE~~J ~LETTE'i Q. Who is paying for this redevelopment? A. MetroPlains will be required to secure about $14 million in funding for this project to construct developments in the Jackson and Bluff Blocks and the new King Avenue parking lot. Under the terms of the development agreement, the City will provide approximately $2.3 million in financial assistance through the tax increment generated by the project. Q. How will the use of Tax Increment Financing impact taxing jurisdictions? A. The taxing jurisdictions will continue to get the same amount of taxing revenue as they did before the development. Only the increased taxes from the new development will be used to assist the development. Q. What can you tell me about plans for a riverfront park area/gathering place for residents? A. The Elk River Park and Recreation Commission is currently working on a plan for a park area including a gathering place along the river to allow all Elk River residents to take advantage of river views. There is also the potential for the development of a river walk. The planning and design phase should be completed by Spring 2005. Construction will either be phased with downtown construction, or could occur a short time later. Q. With the new development, will there be parking problems downtown? A. Ensuring the downtown has adequate parking is an impor- tant issue to the City and to downtown businesses. A vibrant and thriving downtown will always have certain times when there are traffic congestion and parking issues and redevel- opment by its nature will bring more visitors to downtown. Successfully addressing parking concerns means both pro- viding physical parking spaces and implementing parking management and enforcement strategies. By their very nature, downtowns are significantly different in character than shopping malls or strip and commercial cen- ters. One of those key differences is a lack of large masses of parking that are located immediately in front of business- es, consuming large amounts of space. Downtown parking is designed around existing buildings. Currently, there are 240 public parking stalls downtown in addition to private parking provided by Dare's, The Bank of Elk River, First National Bank of Elk River, Nadeau's, U.S. Bank, and behind the Sunshine Depot. New development in the Bluff and Jackson Blocks will include about 176 new parking stalls, mostly underground; dedicated to building tenants. The King Avenue parking lot that is being construct- ed will provide approximately 44 parking stalls to replace the 21 lost in Jackson Block construction. Finally, the City has established the King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force and will be working with downtown business owners on issues of parking design and enforcement. Q. How will construction workers' parking be handled? A. The City Police Department and other City staff will monitor the situation and address any complaints that arise through the duration of the construction period. Police will enforce the construction parking plan to ensure there is still adequate and convenient parking for everyone who is shopping, visit- ing or working in downtown. Q. Will it be tough to get around in downtown when construction occurs? A. No, not on a regular basis. As with any construction project, there may be certain times when the construction impacts traffic in certain areas of downtown. However, the City will provide clear and frequent communications throughout the construction period to make sure residents and businesses are aware of what is happening in downtown at critical points during construction. Information will be provided through a variety of means including the City Web site at www.ci.elk-rivermn.us, news releases to the Elk River Star News, and the City newsletter -The Current. Q. Do we know yet what retail businesses will be located in the new buildings on Bluff and Jackson Blocks? A. No, not yet. MetroPlains will be working with potential busi- nesses and more will be known about the tenants of down- town commercial space later next year. ~. When will the new housing units be ready for occupancy and who do I contact about them? A. At least some of the new housing units are expected to be ready for occupancy by Fall 2006. Anyone who is interested in rental or for-sale housing in Jackson and Bluff Blocks should contact Vern Hanson of MetroPlains at (651) 646-7848 to learn more about the availability. Q. How can I stay informed? A. There are several ways you can stay informed: • Visit the City's Web site at www.ci.e/k-rivermn.us and click on the "News & Events" sidebar to view the Downtown Revitalization Project Update page. • Attend HRA and City Council meetings or watch them on ERtV Channel 12. Meeting information is available on the City Web site. • Attend regular Rivers Edge Downtown Business Association meetings held on the second Wednesday of each month at 8 a.m, at the Elk River Chamber of Commerce office. • Read the Elk River Star News. Articles on the project fre- quently appear in the Star News and in the City's newsletter, The Current, which is distributed as a Star News insert every other month. • Contact the Economic Development Department at (763) 635-1040.