Brainerd EDA approves design revision for BlockMetrics project at 1911 TC Drive despite questions about future expansion and noise

The Brainerd City Economic Development Authority on Feb. 14 approved a resolution revising the purchase and development agreement for BlockMetrics’ project at 1911 TC Drive to incorporate construction documents that reserve space for a possible ninth cooling/data unit. The resolution passed on a roll call vote; all members present voted yes.

The change updates the construction documents and the minimum improvements required under the agreement, staff said, and reserves footprint space should an additional cooler or data unit be added in the future. James Kramvik, Brainerd City staff, told the EDA, “BlockMetrics has proposed a slight redesign as part of the design and bid package for the project at 1911 TC Drive.” He said the building footprint remained at the 25,000-square-foot minimum used for tax-abatement purposes and that some equipment layout changes, not a larger building, produced the revision.

Why it matters: the revision allows a potential future equipment expansion without a new building footprint, which affects how the city monitors noise, zoning and utility capacity. The…