[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6197651,"mediaKeyId","3850646-267713a83bb143c06d77113ed11bb10f","parentId",3850646,"title","Polco community survey: Cottage Grove residents rate economy important but see room to improve","audioSeconds",957,"startMs",3888000,"endMs",4845000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3850646-267713a83bb143c06d77113ed11bb10f&start=3888&end=4845","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3850646-267713a83bb143c06d77113ed11bb10f/thumbnail_3888000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6197651/Cottage-Grove/Washington-County/Minnesota/Polco-community-survey-Cottage-Grove-residents-rate-economy-important-but-see-room-to-improve","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6197651-5618d5b6b24e5b81aefa5671ec35ff1b/orig.mp4?Expires=1775086552&Signature=eZf5Ga6zWKDgKAhUmznJspbgTMsHJnyfwYTnUONiSujQp1rBFeQN18xRUGFHUSZFHvrFSn9e8MM0SlNj8YTd9fjZS4oaXhDQM7aC7Kd61VKcrhf8EHyZlv27-gUB4-ZZFt1INlqa92WTNH557gVH--jhKS8MxAAHG4kuXgR2zjLIKMCi6jk~fjDAJNVuZ4fLcvvQeyrrKDGQusQjALCQiF6mN4H9Yx8UhT-Fij6-6wlSrrCCU9umE9JKRIF8wPfTzNXc-k4QibinnN1pmVE74iudkd2krIiWBoiw1Xyx0Y5GOVjnRiSTtnM6Zlf2tebk9AmkxDx04BZzg5NOKTKutA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Cottage Grove, MN","date","2025-06-06T19:13:03Z","article","City consultants presented results of a Polco National Community Survey at the June 17 EDA meeting, reporting responses from 483 completed questionnaires (a 16% response rate) from a 3,000‑address probability sample.

Phil, the consultant presenting the results, said mailings began March 20, 2025, and the survey remained open six weeks; the survey was available in English and Spanish. Polco’s methodology compares results to a national benchmark of participating communities and categorizes differences as “higher,” “similar” or “lower” when the gap is at least 10 percentage points.

Key findings presented to the EDA included that 86% of respondents rated the local economy as an important area of focus over the next two years, while roughly 54% rated the current economic conditions positively. Residents rated the variety of businesses and the city as a place to visit lower than national benchmarks, and open‑ended responses emphasized a desire for more business variety, including restaurants and retail options.

Phil pointed to the survey’s gap analysis — a chart comparing importance to perceived quality — that highlighted the economy, utilities and community design as areas where residents see significant gaps between importance and current quality. The consultant also reported that 34% of respondents said they are satisfied with the current level of taxes, 32% said they pay too much for the level of service, and 11% said they would be willing to pay more for more services.

EDA members asked about the vendor and methodology. Vice President Will Olson and others praised Polco’s benchmarking approach; Phil said the vendor is used by hundreds of communities and that the results — including verbatim open‑ended responses — are available to staff for further analysis.

Staff said the survey results will inform priorities during the budget and levy process and help the EDA and council align resources with resident priorities.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Cottage Grove EDA Meeting 6-17-2025","oneSentenceSummary","A Polco survey of 3,000 households produced 483 completed responses (16% response rate). Residents ranked the economy and utilities among the highest priorities for city focus; many respondents said they want a greater variety of businesses.","taxTitle","Cottage Grove, Washington County, Minnesota","taxId",52786,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6197655,"EDA approves preliminary HRA levy for 2026 and schedules public hearing for December",862,4911000,5773000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3850646-267713a83bb143c06d77113ed11bb10f&start=4911&end=5773","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3850646-267713a83bb143c06d77113ed11bb10f/thumbnail_4911000.jpg","/articles/6197655/Cottage-Grove/Washington-County/Minnesota/EDA-approves-preliminary-HRA-levy-for-2026-and-schedules-public-hearing-for-December","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6197655-d1c9ae2c617d1823e7abb095baab8981/orig.mp4?Expires=1775086552&Signature=UKExRUkB02SeNVtLtTF6OCyFVhdzFq5GkwC-7TLHqIZskret3KJVn-n0oAiRVF1nXZhrx7Hj70dwn0W7It6tMnR0KjS3pffinkw6ItJF50eCA4pezYenosWyh6qtSM-Rysk5y6-iWvBAYDqq00z2-Aj-GPJjBQgRSIOfV4D4iPCv~4QiltBlWQxSiQhmyvnS~CR4DY-uNDHdoKyBCKO1h5vV9~1Q9PMDUjDGDW2JQnY5Z7d3CAxtBU7TFJmP9gNeE-vO8KIcldNNd85uqDGLp~t~E6L7AbHXXnYTE1q8qitxR5j0QgJH0XPZjwcRWCrLXEFXABRsArv2YZvv-GjHxw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Cottage Grove Economic Development Authority on June 17 approved a preliminary HRA levy of $142,500 for fiscal year 2026 and scheduled a public hearing for 6 p.m. Dec. 2, 2025, to consider final levy adoption.

Administrator Levitt (finance/administration staff) told the EDA the HRA levy supports economic development, redevelopment and affordable‑housing activities. The staff presentation said the EDA’s levy for 2025 was $137,500 and that the recommended FY2026 preliminary levy is $142,500 — a roughly 3.5% increase — toward a multiyear financial management plan. Levitt noted the statutory maximum levy authority for the EDA/HRA is substantially higher; staff said the levy calculation is constrained by a statutory rate (0.0185% of market value used in the calculation) and that staff will present the levy to the city council for final action in July.

EDA Vice President Will Olson moved to approve the preliminary levy resolution (listed in the packet as Resolution 2025‑001); EDA member Jean Baptiste seconded. The motion passed on a recorded voice vote and the board then voted to call the Dec. 2 public hearing.

Why it matters: staff linked the levy to priorities shown in the community survey and noted the levy funds HRA activities such as deeply affordable housing projects and redevelopment assistance. Administrator Levitt said survey results earlier in the meeting show residents placed a high priority on economic development and affordable housing, which helped justify the levy increase. The EDA will present the preliminary levy to the city council as part of the regular budget and levy process.","The EDA approved a preliminary Housing and Redevelopment Authority levy of $142,500 for fiscal year 2026 and set a public hearing for Dec. 2, 2025. The increase is part of a multi‑year plan to grow EDA/HRA resources.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6197660,"Cottage Grove EDA awards three façade grants, including $2,000 design assistance for local boutique",654,3184000,3838000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3850646-267713a83bb143c06d77113ed11bb10f&start=3184&end=3838","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3850646-267713a83bb143c06d77113ed11bb10f/thumbnail_3184000.jpg","/articles/6197660/Cottage-Grove/Washington-County/Minnesota/Cottage-Grove-EDA-awards-three-façade-grants-including-2000-design-assistance-for-local-boutique","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6197660-c8d962581c37dd4f39098f7a5045eefc/orig.mp4?Expires=1775086552&Signature=IviLyOMxiHUGEMUjI6n-vXLvIJC~nwaSatwfAOh0Jgme-rAxjCw-t53lO9B7ysa9ZoljCXkjizeABZ4aMhVnuu~ZUizlA9qNkB7iAlAm6RV-w4YDA-kfpRqJzEyJOIzSxKsefIvABNOWGZ6HEYNRWGoSSrba1K4pDrMC93pMnU2vCFnNWXCoqKtPA3o9JHvBVha1F7Ox~XG4ITxnrJWIxnFwbOWPfTb7riL61tGEITql0LnS0a~oB6sHaiafIzO561Nuc7s54fKs8AU-v~wvo5SttmJSofZ9ktX-9iZtb4H2V91Uw1~adMPxXdBhzS2PTXXoA0AusQPF6kTf-XCs4Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Cottage Grove Economic Development Authority approved three façade improvement awards June 17 to support downtown and corridor commercial upgrades.

EDA staffer Jamie presented the program, saying the grant is a 50% matching reimbursement program with awards up to $25,000 per project and up to $2,000 available for design assistance. The EDA budgeted $50,000 for the 2025 façade program and set priority zones along 80th Street and East Point Douglas.

The board approved three separate award motions: an award letter for VP Investments LLC (owner of 80th Street Crossing) for matching funds up to $24,999 plus $2,000 for design assistance; an award letter for Allison LLC / Kim Properties (Sherwin Williams building) for matching funds up to $24,999; and a design‑assistance award up to $2,000 for Boondocks Vintage Boutique to help a licensed design professional prepare a future grant application. The motions were moved and seconded by EDA members and passed by voice votes.

Jamie noted Boondocks did not yet provide final contractor quotes and that a significant portion of its preliminary estimate involved parking‑lot work, which is ineligible under the program. EDA Vice President Will Olson requested staff check whether city staff previously met with Boondocks to explain ineligible expenses and whether additional hands‑on support is needed for that small, local business.

The program requires recipients to complete work and submit paid invoices before the city reimburses eligible expenses. Staff will return to the EDA with final documentation and cost reports before issuing grant funds.","The EDA approved three separate façade improvement awards: up to $24,999 plus $2,000 design assistance for Eightieth Street Crossing, up to $24,999 for Sherwin Williams property, and up to $2,000 design assistance for Boondocks Vintage Boutique.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6197665,"Cottage Grove study finds major hotel-night leakage; EDA agrees to buy 3.59-acre site to attract hotel",2775,404000,3179000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3850646-267713a83bb143c06d77113ed11bb10f&start=404&end=3179","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3850646-267713a83bb143c06d77113ed11bb10f/thumbnail_404000.jpg","/articles/6197665/Cottage-Grove/Washington-County/Minnesota/Cottage-Grove-study-finds-major-hotel-night-leakage-EDA-agrees-to-buy-359-acre-site-to-attract-hotel","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6197665-15643961d8173536798ba1dcaf6562bc/orig.mp4?Expires=1775086552&Signature=OYaIhOiebkaX5EDk10~Xhyn6MV8G6wtlV7I90S-kZEV8rtCh-QbwutsIaGBChuDzMBkLYnf-RizRNE6sfIaCYfF~xHTpvaCtX2DVGuJ4G5bj6pfgVwK4ZCt7aBYs-cIIDv7wE-G9T76V2HDfYGfQe~brIn74D16w~f45XjmmCOZd7Pz6EPxOdbkLF30zDVB3EtirG-LRjDPS2XzffVJetO69rJOZjry9OlzxC79cndH12PF34eBgYgBVaXmuCNc1EGOm7V0yT9jxrKtzR1tYjLM-g2-qX3W6s5k2DMxj-gvEXTM23BJB7yVcTHKwWICCg50~8fGLkuk6irGCMU~WCA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Cottage Grove Economic Development Authority voted June 17 to authorize purchase of a 3.59-acre parcel adjacent to Walmart as the city steps up efforts to recapture hotel demand after a consultant estimated roughly 58,000 room nights leaked outside the city in the most recent 12 months.

The finding comes from a hotel-room leakage analysis presented to the EDA by HES Convention Sports and Entertainment. Tom Husinski, managing director of HES Convention Sports and Entertainment, introduced project leads Henry Detmer and Tarika Jain, who presented the data and methods the firm used.

“Over the last full 12 months, 99,500 distinctive overnight visits were made to Cottage Grove,” Henry Detmer said during the presentation, and the team estimated “about 58,000” room nights leaked to hotels outside the city. Detmer summarized the local lodging supply as 107 rooms in Cottage Grove (about 76 upper‑midscale rooms and roughly 31 economy rooms) and said that supply is “insufficient to meet the lodging needs generated by corporate activities, sports and recreation.”

Why it matters: the report translated leakage into dollars. Using an average daily rate of $125, consultants estimated more than $7 million in annual hotel revenue is leaving the city; at the EDA’s 3% local occupancy tax rate, that equates to roughly $220,000 in lost occupancy‑tax revenue and about $20,000 in lost sales tax revenue, the presenters said. Husinski cautioned the data are estimates, explaining the team relied on Placer.ai location analytics and Smith Travel Research hotel performance data: “these are estimates... we deem them to be pretty accurate, but... they are estimates.”

City staff and EDA members discussed what product would fit the market. The consultants and EDA vice president Will Olson noted that branded, limited‑service hotels (for example, Marriott Courtyard or Hilton Garden Inn) in the 90–120 room range are the most likely fit; consultants said extended‑stay rooms (40–60) are sometimes paired with a business‑class hotel as a dual‑brand product.

Following the presentation, Jennifer Lovett (economic development staff) told the EDA the city has negotiated a purchase agreement with Martha Ross to acquire a 3.59‑acre site at 9430 East Pointe Douglas Road, adjacent to Walmart. Lovett said the parcel is currently zoned residential but is guided for mixed use and that consultants verified a 90‑room hotel would fit on the site. She said the city has begun a Phase I environmental report and would complete demolition (house, well, septic) and any environmental remediation before closing with a hotel developer to make the site shovel‑ready.

“We would be sending [the leakage study] to all of those that are currently holding our RFP,” Lovett said, and she noted an RFP deadline in August with a possible developer proposal for EDA consideration in September. Lovett also said the city has obtained just over $3 million in federal infrastructure funds to construct a spur road, realign the Walmart access road and provide sewer and water service that would serve the hotel site.

EDA action: EDA Vice President Olson moved to authorize the EDA president and city administrator to execute the purchase agreement with Martha Ross; EDA member Scott seconded. The motion passed on a voice vote.

Context and limitations: presenters emphasized limitations of the study. The leakage estimate is based on a 12‑month lookback and modeled visitor behavior; the report does not assign causation for leakage and does not project how a new hotel would perform. Detmer noted corporate demand is harder to capture because of brand loyalty and corporate room blocks, while sports and tournament demand is more captureable but seasonal.

What’s next: staff said they will continue RFP outreach, complete environmental and site work prior to closing, and use the leakage report in marketing the site to branded hotel developers. EDA members said some hotel developers who met city staff at a recent industry convention have already toured the site and plan to submit on the RFP.","An HVS-conducted analysis estimated about 58,000 room nights leaked from Cottage Grove over the past year, and the Economic Development Authority voted to buy a 3.59-acre site adjacent to Walmart to help attract a branded, limited-service hotel.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Polco community survey: Cottage Grove residents rate economy important but see room to improve

EDA approves preliminary HRA levy for 2026 and schedules public hearing for December

Cottage Grove EDA awards three façade grants, including $2,000 design assistance for local boutique

Cottage Grove study finds major hotel-night leakage; EDA agrees to buy 3.59-acre site to attract hotel