Agenda - Council - 12/16/2003 - Laserfiche WebLink

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CASE ADOPT RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING APPLICATION FOR 2004 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT (CDBG) FUNDS By: Community Development Director Sylvia Frolik and Economic Development/TIF Specialist Scan Sullivan Background: The County receives CDBG funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Anoka County awards the funds to communities with qualifying projects. A maximum of 15% of the total CDBG grant to the County may be used for public service agencies and 20% may be used for planning and administration purposes. Proposed projects must meet one of the national objectives: benefit low to moderate income persons, eliminate slum and blight; meet an urgent need. The funds requested for any one project cannot exceed $300,000.00. Funds may be used for housing, public facility needs, senior and youth programs, infrastructure, planning purposes, economic development activities, and historical preservation. For the 2003 funding year, the City of Ramsey was allocated $220,000.00 for acquisition of blighted parcels in Gateway North Industrial Park Plat 2. The acquisition of the Chics and Morrell properties has been completed and the City will pursue redevelopment of the property. Applications for 2004 CDBG funds are due to the County by January 9, 2004. Continuing with the same theme of redevelopment to remove existing blight and in this case, to also complement the town center project, Staff has identified the following properties: B&A Cylinder, Robert Debee and KIH Erecting. Acquisition of the B&A Cylinder property would allow the City to eventually close the existing access from that site onto Ramsey Blvd. N.W., reserve land for a future Hwy. #10 interchange, and possibly induce the construction of a project (up to 35,000 square feet) on the remaining land. The Debee and KIH parcels could be redeveloped with the potential for two 25,000 square foot projects. Another item requiring Council direction as it relates to 2004 CDBG applications is a request Ramsey received from the City of Anoka Parks Department. The Anoka Park Department manages the Anoka Senior Center. Part of the services include transportation to seniors in Anoka from their homes to the Anoka Senior Center, recreational activities, day trips and area shopping. The residents of Savannah Oaks expressed an interest to Anoka County Parks that their services be expanded to include them. Consequently, Anoka Parks Department is planning to expand their transportation service to include the very southeast comer of Ramsey. However, Anoka County Parks is also submitting a CDBG application to Anoka County for the purpose of expanding the senior transportation service to include a much broader area of Ramsey that would go as far north on Hwy. #47 as 160th and then southwest towards Armstrong Blvd. and Hwy. #10 (see attachment). Anoka County Parks is requesting that the City of Ramsey provide a letter of support to accompany their CDBG application.