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HASTINGS
<br />BY SIIANNON I'RATFIER
<br />Pioneer Press
<br />When Barb Hollenbeck walks
<br />her golden retriever around down-
<br />town Iastings at dusk, the view is
<br />that. of a ghost town. No other
<br />neighbors mill around outside, and
<br />sc~utt custo-ners window shop at
<br />her toy store.
<br />"`There's not a soul down there,"
<br />saki Follenbeck, who lives above
<br />her toyshop.
<br />Hollenbeck's view is about to
<br />change. Fur the better, she says.
<br />`I'he City Council last week
<br />approved Che first phase of a mas-
<br />ter plan to redevelop Hastings' his-
<br />turu iiverfro~rt downtown after
<br />-u~~re than two decades of false
<br />sl n ts. The developer hopes to start
<br />construction this spring.
<br />The re-envisioned dorantorvn will
<br />lre a tocu•ist desth-aLion and a trendy
<br />neighborhood that could include
<br />doze~is of new condos, row houses
<br />vul duplexes as well as shops and
<br />eateries, said the city's redevelop-
<br />ment. director acid 1~vin Cities devel-
<br />oper Sherman Associates Lic.
<br />The vision when Sherman com-
<br />pletes all phases: a breezy, tree-lined
<br />wzr_Iking district with a riverfi~ont
<br />restaurant and banquet facility.
<br />Shops and retail space will line the
<br />street level of the historic bushiess
<br />district. Condos will be nestled
<br />above bushlesses and along the
<br />river. Boaters will be able to dock
<br />aura meander through riverfront
<br />Ler-•ee Park and a plaza area with
<br />gazebo to the downtown district.
<br />'1'he plan calls for new construc-
<br />tiim on vacant lots that the city's
<br />redevelopment. agency leveled
<br />,years ago but will blend with Last
<br />Second Street's historic storefronts
<br />dating back. to the 1850s.
<br />"It's designed to bring people to
<br />our region and our beautiful river-
<br />front," said Council Member
<br />Danny L+'lling Schultz at a council
<br />meeting. "IL's something we've
<br />been begging for for ,years."
<br />ll01VN`I'OWN VISION, 3D
<br />The businesses on historic Main Street
<br />in downtown Hastings will soon have
<br />new neighbors. The City Council last week
<br />approved the first phase of a master
<br />plan to redevelop the city's riverfront
<br />downtown.
<br />"It's something we've been
<br />begging for for years."
<br />Dn~a~an Elting Schir.ltz,
<br />Hasti~ags Cvay Council nien~ber
<br />SUNDAY, JANUARY 9, 2005 NC 3D
<br />CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1D
<br />Downtown vision
<br />(conti.nued)
<br />Hastings is one of a handful
<br />of cities, including Rosemount,
<br />Farmington and Burnsville,
<br />trying to recreate the past by
<br />reviving or creating a down-
<br />town district. Hastings -one
<br />of Lhe older cities in the state
<br />- may have an advantage
<br />with its views of the river,
<br />prime redevelopment real
<br />estate and its bona fide his-
<br />toric downtown already in
<br />place. The city owns land val-
<br />ued at $1.4 million that's been
<br />razed and is now ripe for rede-
<br />velopment. The developer says
<br />Phase 1, including the city's
<br />riverfront improvements, will
<br />cost an estimated $22 million
<br />to $24 million.
<br />"A lot of suburban towns
<br />never created a city center
<br />downtown. 'T'hey have to make
<br />an extra effort to create a
<br />downtown," said Loren
<br />Brueggemann, vice president
<br />of development with Sherman
<br />Associates. "Hastings has
<br />amenities that, can be capital-
<br />ized on. They are ahead of the
<br />game. Hastings has a down-
<br />town. It needs some enhance-
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<br />ments and regeneration.
<br />'Phat's what we are trying to
<br />accomplish."
<br />The council approved
<br />Phase 1 of Sherman Associ-
<br />ate's master plan after months
<br />of public feedback and tweaks
<br />that, including adding a restau-
<br />rant, and banquet hall. Sher-
<br />man's first-phase blueprint
<br />also calls for a four-story, 28-
<br />unit riverfront condo complex,
<br />first-floor retail space along
<br />Second Street, 22 condos
<br />above those shops and five
<br />row homes on a nearby plot.
<br />The city and the developer
<br />that specializes in urban rede-
<br />velopment entered into an
<br />exclusive agreement in Febt•u-
<br />ary 2004, giving Sherman first
<br />shot.
<br />A vocal group and two
<br />council members opposed the
<br />construction of condos, argu-
<br />ing that downtown should
<br />attract tourists.
<br />"There is no way I can see
<br />condos as a destination. We
<br />are just going to build a neigh-
<br />borhood in the most pristine,
<br />beautiful area along the river,"
<br />said Council Member Edward
<br />Riveness, who voted against
<br />the master plan.
<br />`I was hopeful downtown
<br />could be a destination point. I
<br />would rather see it sit empty
<br />than done wrong."
<br />Hastings Redevelopment
<br />Director John Grossman said
<br />the city and developer studied
<br />several scenarios and deter-
<br />mined that condos and retail
<br />was the most economically
<br />viable option.
<br />"Totally commercial prop-
<br />erties at this location at this
<br />time don't seem to he much of
<br />an opportunity," Grossman
<br />said. "Having a mix of com-
<br />mercial activities supported
<br />by quite a few more people liv-
<br />ing down there seems to be
<br />right down the middle of try-
<br />ing to hit the market."
<br />The redevelopment could
<br />double downtown housing,
<br />which now consists of Obout
<br />100 apartments.
<br />The approval of the master
<br />plan is a big first step, but the
<br />city is moving cautiously. Two
<br />prime pieces of city property
<br />along the river are designated
<br />"study areas." Sherman Asso-
<br />ciates had tloated plans for
<br />condos on the two riverfront
<br />lots, but city officials want to
<br />see other options.
<br />Sherman tivill still need to
<br />negotiate the purchase of city
<br />land and must receive addi-
<br />tional council approval on spe-
<br />cific site plans before it can
<br />begin construction.
<br />In February, the City Coun-
<br />cil will consider passing a new
<br />tax-increment financing dis-
<br />trict to help pay for the prot-
<br />ect A TIF district uses
<br />increased property taxes that
<br />new development generates
<br />to finance the cost of the
<br />development for as long as 25
<br />years.
<br />"The city, the county and
<br />the school district give up
<br />those increased taxable values
<br />for a period of time so those
<br />dollars can be used to make
<br />that development happen,"
<br />Grossman said.
<br />Hollenbeck, who has
<br />owned Second Childhood
<br />Dolls & Moi•e for eight years,
<br />said she's already looking for-
<br />ward to more foot traffic
<br />downtown.
<br />"We've been tearing down
<br />buildings for 60 years," she
<br />said. "'t'his is the first opportu-
<br />nity to put a new building on
<br />the block."
<br />Sha~anon Prather can be rearhec(
<br />nt spn•ather@pi~oneerpress.cona
<br />or 651-228-5452.
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