City Council

City of South St. Paul SPECIAL MEETING CITY COUNCIL AGENDA Monday April 12, 2021 8:00 p.m. Please be advised that the regular meeting location is City Hall Council Chambers located at 125 3rd Ave. N., South St. Paul, but pursuant to Minn. Stat. 13D.021, under the current emergency declaration due to the COVID-19 health pandemic, some or all of the council members may participate in remote locations using WebEx. Any member of the public wishing to monitor the meeting may do so electronically by logging in as follows: WebEx Meeting For the Public Join by phone: 1-312-535-8110 Access Code: 133 266 6440 1. CALL TO ORDER: 2. ROLL CALL: 3. AGENDA: A. Approval of Agenda Action – Motion to Approve Action – Motion to Approve as Amended 4. GENERAL BUSINESS: A. Resolution 2021 58 – Community Project Funding 5. ADJOURNMENT:  CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT A DATE: APRIL 12, 2021 4-A DEPARTMENT: Economic and Community Development Prepared By: Ryan Garcia ADMINISTRATOR: JRH AGENDA ITEM: Resolution 2021 – 58, Resolution Supporting a Request for Community Project Funding through United States Representative Angie Craig’s Office ACTIONS TO BE CONSIDERED: Motion to approve Resolution 2021 – 58 as presented. OVERVIEW: In March 2021, the Administration was notified by Representative Angie Craig’s office that Congress would be considering requests for Community Project Funding (CPF) for the Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations process. Through the new CPF program, Members of Congress will be able to request direct funding for specific entities and projects in their districts to serve the public good and help ensure that taxpayers and local governments in the community get a greater say in the federal spending process. Rep. Craig suggested that South St. Paul (and all communities in her district) consider what, if any, community priorities might be presented as candidates for this one-time funding. While there are numerous needs throughout the community, in Staff’s assessment of the requirements and guidelines for this funding, we believe that the establishment of additional job creation and tax base enhancement opportunities aligns well to the CPF framework. As such, we’re proposing a CPF of $15,000,000 for the purposes of acquiring land and conducting site preparation for the “Wakota Crossing” Industrial Concept. As Council may recall, there are nearly 60 acres of underutilized lands located immediately south and north of the Wakota Bridge, just west of the Mississippi River; we envision leveraging CPF funding to address the issues presented by this underutilized land and take critical first steps to put these properties to significantly more productive use. DISCUSSION: As discussed at the March 8, 2021 Council Worksession, the South St. Paul HRA played an instrumental role in the last quarter of the 20th Century to transform most of the property east of Concord Street between Grand Avenue and I-494 to the thriving BridgePoint Business Park. As it stands in early 2021, that transformation is mostly complete and the EDA has effectively “run out of” vacant, developable industrial land. The most significant opportunities for new development that is focused on job creation are located near the I-494 interchange with Hardman Avenue, and are (generally) privately owned. Private developers continue to show interest in industrial development in this area, but frankly have found it difficult to negotiate in good faith with the current property owner. For better or worse, Staff has maintained an open and active dialogue with the property owner and we feel that if awarded, CPF funding provides us with a unique opportunity to obtain control of, and ultimately facilitate the private redevelopment of, a new industrial park that should yield more than 750,000 square feet of new construction, nearly 1,000 new jobs, and more than $1,500,000 in annual property tax revenue. FUNDING SOURCES AND OTHER FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS: It is anticipated that CPF funding, if fully allocated, would provide sufficient resources for all acquisition and site preparation activities needed to position the sites for new development.  City of South St. Paul Dakota County, Minnesota RESOLUTION NUMBER 2021 – 58 A RESOLUTION SUPPORTING A REQUEST FOR COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING FOR THE FEDERAL FISCAL YEAR 2022 APPROPRIATIONS PROCESS IN SUPPORT OF THE WAKOTA CROSSING INDUSTRIAL PARK WHEREAS, the City of South St. Paul (the “City”), through its Housing and Redevelopment Authority (the “HRA”) and Economic Development Authority (the “EDA”) have a legacy of transforming blighted, contaminated, and otherwise underutilized property to economically and socially productive land uses; and WHEREAS, the City’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan (the “Comp Plan”) calls for improving the aesthetics and economic viability of lands adjacent to the Mississippi River and along the I- 494 corridor; and WHEREAS, the City and its EDA have undertaken planning and predevelopment studies (the “Studies”) to determine the highest and best use of properties located between Hardman Avenue and the Mississippi River, both north and south of Interstate 494, and determined that a new manufacturing, technology, warehouse, and distribution park would benefit the City, County, Metropolitan Area, and State of Minnesota by creating new employment opportunities and expanding the local property tax base; and WHEREAS, in order to implement the vision and policies espoused by the Comp Plan and the Studies, it is essential that the City, through its EDA, acquire certain underutilized properties for assembly and preparation for future private development; and WHEREAS, the City is aware of the Federal Fiscal Year 2022 Community Project Funding program and has determined that financial assistance through this program is critical in order to assure the timely, economical, and beneficial redevelopment envisioned by its Comp Plan and Studies. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City of South St. Paul hereby authorizes its City Administrator or his designee(s) to prepare and submit any necessary documentation to be considered eligible for Federal Fiscal Year 2022 Community Project Funding in support of the Wakota Crossing Industrial Park. ADOPTED this 12th day of April , 2021. ______________________________________ City Clerk Orientation Map - “Wakota Crossing” Industrial Park Concept Concept Development Layout - “Wakota Crossing” Industrial Park Concept