Big Lake presents industrial and residential growth plans; wastewater expansion seeks large funding
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Summary
A City of Big Lake presenter updated the Sherburne County EDA on recent industrial land sales and building expansions, redevelopment cleanup needs with state involvement, two pending annexations for residential projects, and a $2 million federal design award toward a roughly $60 million wastewater expansion project.
A City of Big Lake presenter gave the Sherburne County EDA a progress report on commercial and residential projects, redevelopment cleanup and infrastructure needs, saying recent land sales have put more than 120,000 square feet of new industrial space under construction and that several local firms are expanding.
"We have just over a 120,000 square feet going up, currently," the presenter said, describing new sites for companies including White Bear Clothing, M and M Precision Machining and Raw Organics. She said M and M is moving from Elk River into a roughly 60,000-square-foot facility and that White Bear Clothing is more than doubling its space.
The presenter also described an EDA-owned redevelopment site near the railroad that has contamination traceable to prior agricultural fertilizer distribution. She said the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is coordinating cleanup oversight and will issue a "letter of no association" in the coming weeks to clarify legal responsibility; the MDA has a program that can cover up to 80% of cleanup costs but local governments are not eligible to apply directly.
"Because we're talking probably 3 to $400,000 to clean up the soil of the site," she said, adding that the EDA hopes a past owner will join the state's voluntary program to fund remediation.
On planning and zoning items tied to growth, the presenter said the city has two annexation applications heading to city council review in April, including a 50-acre residential concept called the Shores of Elk River that will require rezoning after annexation. She said the city expects more zoning requests by midyear should interested parties pursue the parcels now on the market.
The presenter described ongoing infrastructure planning as projects arrive: city staff have pursued state and federal assistance for a wastewater treatment expansion and said a federal office provided a $2,000,000 award toward design work. She added the most recent estimate for the full wastewater project is about $60,000,000 and that the city will seek additional state and federal funds to move construction forward.
The presenter also noted last year's development activity increased the city's taxable valuation by about $66 million and that staff are completing housekeeping updates to city code and a shoreland-ordinance refresh expected in May or June.
The board did not take formal action on the items during the update; staff said several proposals will return for further review and public hearing as required.