EDA moves to offer $180,000 for alternate industrial park site; prior site work stopped

The Roseau Economic Development Authority and city staff on June 1 reported that land negotiations for expanding the Roseau Industrial Park failed on the previously pursued south site. The EDA presented an alternate 41‑acre parcel on the northeast side of the water tower owned by Tri Crown LLC and approved making a purchase offer with terms of $180,000 purchase price, $5,000 earnest money and a one‑year contingency to close; the earnest money is refundable if the deal fails.

CDC Todd Peterson and EDA representative Darrin Fleener said the EDA also instructed Houston Engineering to stop work on the prior site and begin preliminary engineering for the new northeast site to meet impending EDA grant application deadlines. Fleener told the council that Roseau Electric Cooperative's cooperative status makes it an ineligible beneficiary for some federal EDA grants, which complicated the prior site's eligibility and contributed to stopping that work.

The EDA authorized the purchase offer at a special May 14 meeting and reconfirmed activity in its May 27 regular meeting; staff noted an EDA application deadline in June 2026 for the current funding cycle. No final city council vote to purchase the Tri Crown property was recorded in the June 1 council minutes; the EDA action was reported to the council as an update.

Next steps include completing preliminary engineering on the new site and resolving beneficiary eligibility for grant applications before moving forward with infrastructure work or formal acquisition.