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EDA gives staff a short deadline to review two proposals for city-owned industrial parcel; recommends sale if rival does not respond
Summary
The EDA received formal interest from Ascot and a second company for a city-owned parcel. Members directed staff to set a short deadline for the rival proposal and voted to recommend selling the land to the responding proposer if the other party did not submit documentation in time; a public hearing is required before disposal.
Pine City’s EDA reviewed two competing inquiries for a long-vacant city-owned industrial parcel adjacent to existing manufacturers.
Steve Birch (Ascot) submitted a proposal and drawings describing a new 100-by-120 building and said the company expects to add roughly a dozen to 15 jobs tied to increased production (the proposal referenced a large federal contract opportunity). Another local firm (variously transcribed as Brokema/Brocoma/Brokoma) expressed interest in the same parcel for outside storage/parking.
Board members discussed soil borings that showed poor, soupy soils on part of the parcel, what improvements would cost, and the legal process to dispose of public land. The city attorney advised that selling a parcel for a nominal price requires public notice and a public hearing; leasing for a dollar with long-term lease terms was flagged as an alternative.
After discussion, members agreed to set a short deadline for the second firm to submit a formal proposal. The board voted to recommend to council that, should the rival not provide a proposal by the deadline, the EDA recommend selling the parcel at a nominal price to the responsive proposer (motion carried by voice vote). Staff were directed to confirm the exact legal steps with the city attorney and prepare public-notice materials and a council agenda item.
The board requested both proposals be circulated to members immediately and suggested a special meeting or expedited review if documents arrived within the short deadline.
