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<br /> H;aHWA¥ 10 ConmDOn
<br />
<br />Minneao~a Real EsmuJournal
<br />
<br />.June 12, 1995
<br />
<br />continued/rOm previous pase
<br />
<br />year Champ)lin had about $5 million in
<br />industrial ~d commercial building per-
<br />miL.
<br /> This year thc most algni~canl activity is
<br />in Opus Co~.'s nov 50--acre light industri-
<br />al park, cail~l Elm Creek Commerce cen-
<br />ter; Iocate. d ~! 109rh Avenue and Highway
<br />169, Cox ~s. The first end-user that will
<br />take root in:the 750,000 square foot park
<br />is Baxter {-~allh Care, a hospital equip-
<br />ment supplier based in Chicago. Thc
<br />176,000 sqdare foot facility is a $5.4 mil-
<br />]ion projoa.
<br /> Also in _E~ Creek Cornmcr~ C~ntcr is
<br />thc 130,000~luaro foot Mcl...~an Midwest
<br />facility. T'~e company manufacturers
<br />enclosure cxt~ollng products, like ab' condi-
<br />tloncrs and tiest exchangers. McLean Ivild-
<br />west will b~Champlin's second induslrial
<br />company. ~eier Tool and Engineering, a
<br />10,000 squl/ke foot machine shop with :25
<br />cmployces,(has been thc extent of thc
<br />induslry the~ so tar. Cox says 95 pcrcenl
<br />of Champl~*$ labor force conunutes Io thc
<br />mctm asea f~ work.
<br /> Thc indust~'ial pask will soon sac sevcnd
<br />other compa~miea come in as well, Cox says.
<br />Hc adds thai Opus's dccisinn to locate ill
<br />industrial p~k in Champlin had much to
<br />do with thc ~ighway 610 extension, giv-
<br />ing cosier a~ to the no.west Fommu-
<br />niliea.
<br /> Along with induslrl. I development.
<br />idcntlal dev01opmcnt in Champlin is very.
<br />active as w~ll, Cox says. Adjaosnl Io Ihe
<br />Elm Creek Commerce Center is a
<br />single family housing dcv.clopmcnt with lot
<br />
<br />sizes ranging from 8,000 square fcet to
<br />one-half acre. Thc developer for thc pro-
<br />jcct is'Robert Engstrom Cos. of Blooming-
<br />
<br /> In addition to thc single-family project,
<br />Pultc Home Corp. of Champlln is steering
<br />a 43-acre, 278-unit townhousc develop-
<br />mcnL Acoording to Cox, onc-foorth of thc
<br />townhousos arc completed.
<br /> Beslde~ these new housing develop-
<br />
<br />Elk Park'Valu Center in Elk River..
<br />
<br /> meats, Schnitker says Champlin is seeing
<br /> a lot of reinvestment in older properties
<br /> along the Mississippi River. Hc says many
<br /> of these properties arc being platted.for
<br /> higber valued home~
<br /> Champlin, Schnilker says, has b~n suc-
<br />cessful at balancing out housing needs.
<br />"It's possible now to purchase a lot on thc
<br />ML~issippi River in Champlin for as much
<br />· as $100,000," he says. 'But at the same
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<br />time, people can also rent an apartment
<br />along the river for $400."
<br /> What Champlin needs now, Schnitker
<br />says, is more independent-living choices -
<br />for seniors in thc community. "We're
<br />actively pursuing projects and dsvciopers
<br />for senior housing. We want to be able to
<br />provldc a breadth of housing opportunl- ·
<br />ties." - - ·
<br /> While Co~ ~ays hc ~ a demand for
<br />
<br />offico spaco in Champlin, he says thc city
<br />has a lack of d~velopers for it. There ar~
<br />many people, ~specially those in the set-
<br />vice businesses, working oul of their
<br />Immes that n~l office space, Cox ;cporll.
<br />Ha says ~e city may soon be acEvciy pm--
<br />suing developers for office space, but noth-
<br />lng is in thc works.
<br /> What is in thc works is a 100,000 squa~
<br />foot retail center to be built at ll4th
<br />Avenue and Highway 169. Thc city is
<br />working with Welsh Cos. Inc, Blooming-
<br />ton, on thc project. Cox says tenants are
<br />lined up but be cannot reveal the names yeL
<br />The project has been in the planning stages
<br />since 19~0. It will have two big-box use~
<br />with a variety of smaller tenants. Cormnt-
<br />ly, the city's main shopping center is
<br />Champlin Plaza, a 100,003 square foot
<br />center with a Snyder Drug and an IGA
<br />cery store.
<br />Dayton
<br /> Resting along th~ south sid~ of the MLs-
<br />sissippi River with a population of 4,915,
<br />Dayton, a more rural community, repre-
<br />senti how many of the 'IVvin Cities suburbs
<br />must have appeared before the develop-.
<br />ment wave swept through lbem. Dayton
<br />remains a 'q:~trcom community," meaning
<br />ill citizens llve in Dayton but. commute
<br />elsewhere for work, says Dayton's City
<br />Administrator Shiley Sister.
<br /> Although there are industries operatiug
<br />on the south end of the city, Da)qco's {ack
<br />of city water and sewer discourages most
<br />indus~e~ and oth~r business from coming
<br />In. However some of the industries lhat
<br />have located there ~tcenfly or an: plannlng '
<br />to soon, include Farms Constzuction, C.'Ts-
<br />~ Welding, Nationsi Communication Sar--:..'
<br />vices Inc. and He~ting and Cooling 'l%vo
<br /> Slatcr says people who want'to Eve in a
<br />rural community come to Da)ion for
<br />large residential lots. There are many 2-
<br />ao'e and larger loll, as well as 10-ecru lots
<br />in the agricollura] area, Sister reports. The
<br />community s~ll has many farmers operat-
<br />ing ihcre. -
<br /> As far as retail in Dayton, it consists
<br />mostly of neighborhood commerc~l areas.
<br />There are some small r~stanreuts, a PDQ
<br />grocery store; but most people I~r,'e{ to
<br />River, Maple Grow, Anoks or Ramsey for
<br />shopping-- and they like it that way, Slatcr
<br />
<br /> "I ~ us s~aying a bedroom comm..u~
<br />for a while," Slaler says. "People llke
<br />bern b~.aus~ they know their neighbors
<br />
<br />and it's an old-fashioned community. Once
<br />· city sc'wcr and water is cxtcndcd here, it's
<br />hard to say what will happen."
<br /> Slater adds that becuuse Dayton is close
<br /> to the metro area, has good highway
<br /> access, cheap land and a large labor pool,
<br /> it will likely be attractive to developers and
<br /> industry once city and water is extended
<br /> there. - ·
<br />· Ramsey ' -:'
<br /> Ramscy'a C~i)~ Administrator Ryan
<br /> ' $chroeder describes "the Ramsey of 10
<br /> yea~ ago" as a "sleeping giant." "Nobody
<br /> knew where Ramsey was,"' Schroeder
<br /> says. "Now they're starting to figure it OUL~
<br /> ago, the 28-square-mile city's
<br /> ~ and commercial activity consisted
<br /> ) businesses that relocaled out of
<br /> profitable. "But
<br /> over the last I0
<br /> years and particularly over the past five to
<br /> six yeats," Schroedcr says.
<br /> Devciopmenl in Ramsey slowed during
<br /> the last three years, Schrocder says,
<br /> becuuso of high interest rates. However, it's
<br /> picking up again. In 1995, Ramsey will see
<br /> 311,000 square feet of mostly industrial
<br /> development. The projecll will' range
<br /> belween 9,000 and 130,000 squa~ feel, but
<br /> most will bo around 20,000 square feel
<br /> Schroe&r says.
<br /> The largest of these nov developments
<br /> will be the Anoks Electric Cooperatlve's
<br /> 14S-acre project, ofwhich 80 ac~s will be
<br /> dedicated for its AEC Energy Park· The
<br /> company will use pan of the land--which
<br /> used to be occupied by an ab.port--for
<br /> nov beadquaners location and servlce cen-
<br /> ter.
<br /> Schrc~der says he expects AEC
<br /> Park will be similar in concept Io Energy
<br /> Park in St. Paul. Construction on the pa~k
<br /> will begin this fall and should be complet-
<br /> ed by October 1996, he says.
<br /> Wandells Manufacturing is r~locating
<br /> from Minneapolis to Ramsey. The compa-
<br /> ny's 2~,000 square foot facility will open
<br /> in July.
<br /> The city recently purchased 10d i;cres of
<br /> land for the purpose of aiding industrial
<br /> development, Schrocder says. Ramsey
<br /> Business Park will occupy 85 of those
<br /> acres. The city is putting in the infrastruc-
<br /> ture for the park and expels it to be ready
<br /> by {uly.
<br /> ~We didn'l have land 1o de~elop until
<br /> this yeas," Schro~der explains. ~With the
<br /> doldrums of the early '90s... we didn't
<br /> want to put in the infrasU'ucture for devel-
<br /> opment and then have it just siL~ .
<br /> The land in 1be Ramsey Business Park
<br /> is definitely being put to use now. Coming
<br /> up later this summer Trend Scientific wiU
<br /> undergo an exp. anslon, building a
<br />
<br /> of Coon Rapids wiU be exl~anding, build-
<br /> ing a 50,000 s~am foot facility in the busi-
<br /> ness park., . . .
<br /> · -Also in Ramso); Business Park, Carbon
<br /> Product Technology Inc., an C)ssuo based
<br /> company providing cquipment for the tool
<br /> and dye industry, will begin constructioa
<br /> oa a 10,000 Io 13,000 square foot facility
<br /> in late fall or early spnng of next year.
<br /> There are also other projects planned for
<br /> tbe park in the nea.r fame.
<br /> Schrocder says he thinks devalopmenl
<br /> is on Ihe rise in Ramsoy because land is
<br /> still inexpensive. He says the city paid on
<br /> the average of $5,800 per acre for u~ I:~sl-
<br /> ness park, which he says is a low price.
<br /> 'And we're turning it mound and selling it
<br /> with no intention of making a profil,"
<br /> Schrcoder says, adding that the city is
<br /> proaclive toward industrial developmenL
<br /> Like A.noka and some of the other citios
<br /> along the northwast portion of Highway
<br /> I0, Ramsey's labor force has been com-
<br /> muting to the meUo asan for work. Corse-
<br />
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