HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-04-24 CC WS Minutes - Approved
City Council 2013-04-24 6:56 p.m.
Minutes of Work Session
Present were Mayor Tom Wilharber, Council Members D Love, Jeff Paar, Steve King,
and Ben Fehrenbacher. Also present were City Attorney Kurt Glaser and City Engineer
Mark Statz.
Bill Beard of Beard Group was present to discuss the Downtown Redevelopment Plan.
He reported that the housing market is improving throughout the metro area, however the
slowest recovery is in the northeast portion of the Twin Cities area. Residential rental
market is doing pretty well with a very low 2% vacancy rate. He indicated that the type of
housing that is being constructed is changing to meet a market that is demanding a
different type of unit than what has been constructed in recent years. The “Boom
generation” and the Gen-Y group are fueling a demand for rental units. The townhome
market is over-supplied, but single family detached homes are still being built, but in
lesser quantities than prior to the recession. Some communities in the area are running
short of available building lots, while in other communities, the demand is very light. He
noted that communities are reducing the amount of anticipated commercial space in
redevelopment areas, and those commercial spaces are often focused on hospitality
business. Mr. Beard suggested that the city may wish to invite the Urban Land Institute to
come for a presentation.
Mr. Beard was asked whether the City-owned land in Block 7 could be an immediate
opportunity for some type of project. He will visit with his associates and offer some
suggestions.
After all questions were asked and answered, the work session was adjourned at
approximately 7:30 p.m.
Dallas Larson, Administrator