Background - Outside of Ramsey: First, outside of Ramsey, further along Highway 10 but at a town having an existing Northstar stop, there is another apparently completely vacant building, as of the unclear time of this undated online item.
Another town nearer Ramsey, with a Northstar stop to catalyze town prosperity, there is this, (screenshot from same undated posting):
So, Northstar stops catalyze business opportunity, or not? Single anecdotal samples truly tell us little of that story - the question remains open with only opinion and unwieldy propaganda for public consideration -and/or- consumption under a willing suspension of disbelief.
Background - Ramsey - a single example property: One above sample is on Highway 10, as is a major share of commerce in Ramsey and other towns on the road from the first light in Anoka, northwestward toward St. Cloud. The other is on Bunker, i.e., within the strip of commercial sites running contiguously from within Anoka to Ramsey Blvd, where the interposition of the Ramsey Town Center broke up the possibilities of keeping a contiguous "job band" of sites along the BNSF lines between Highway 10 and Highway 116 (Bunker, formerly known in Ramsey as "Industry Blvd." with the name changed during Town Center exploits).
I choose to focus instead upon a different commercial node property, in Ramsey. It is one at an intersection well distanced from Highway 10 and Industry Blvd., with a history that dates to well before I moved to Ramsey (the "year built" date below, 1997, being about when I moved - with what I understand to be older properties just north of this one, along the north side of 167th Street, by the golf course on Hwy 47).
Again the online posting the screen capture was taken from is unclear as to date of publication, so that the present vacancy to occupancy ratio is in question.
Also, I am no expert in commercial real estate market movements and status, so any reader with knowledge is invited to submit site specific helpful comments, or information about vacancy status metro-wide, etc., or local to Ramsey in general.
Likewise, any long term resident of Ramsey knowing the history of that commercial node is welcome to add informative comments. I have been told there was a time when that node was the only commercial one in town, before Town center, but also before the Hwy 116 bridge over the Rum River was built with the consequent strip mall development between Hwy 116, and Hwy 5, along Hwy 47. Detail history provided by readers, who originally built at the 167th - Hwy 47, node, when, etc., would be helpful. I know the City has aerial photos dating at least to the 1970's if not earlier, and they might be worth having a look. LaTourneau's, I am told, was once Ramsey's major [if not only] market, and I am unclear of its ownership-operation history.
That is about it for this post. I hope to be able to meet with Aaron Backman, Ramsey's TIF and Commercial Development head, and see if I can review documents with him - the aerial photos and what he might know of the history, the current planning to route sewer and water to that site, etc. I believe City Clerk Thieling has been on staff longer than Backman and might have helpful historical knowledge. Perhaps meeting with the two of them, if they've the time before or after the holidays, may allow a further installment or installments to this admittedly subjective posting.
Anyone having knowledge of the current status of things at the site, vacancy, plans, hopes, etc., is also invited to contact me by email or by posting a comment. My understanding is that at one point recently there was a since abandoned proposal to put an indoor gun range somewhere at that intersection. I believe that was in discussion before Sullivan left, but I may be wrong. Reader help on that would be appreciated.
Finally, does any reader know if the Anoka County Historical Society has info on retail commerce in the past in Ramsey? It would be an interesting thing to find out. It is a history worth preserving since who we are and where we are going rests upon what the past of our town has been. Any/all helpful reader comments again are welcome.
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Public records often are helpful sources of information. County assessor records indicate the property has lessened steadily in taxable assessed value over the last three years, but that it has consistently been close to a million dollar property quite recently:
Taxpayer of record is listed as "Rum River Retail Ventures LLC" with this SoS corporate record:
So, the present registered office for the property owner is not onsite or even in Anoka County but in the Lake Minnetonka neighborhood, Excelsior, Minnesota.
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My understanding from when there was a most recent review of the Landform contract with Ramsey that Landform concentrates on Ramsey Town Center promotion, but that Darren Lazan, if I remember correctly, had noted that his firm had been helpful with the elderly care facility being planned in the Lord of Life neighborhood (because another promoter had been dealing with Landform [Toti] for a Town Center location), with Lazan helping Backman and the other promoter to begin talks. I believe he also said his firm had been helpful at times for the Hwy 47 - 167th node, but I am less certain of that. I clearly remember his discussion of the elderly care hand-off, as his touting his firm's "usefulness" beyond its primary Town Center focus.
David Elvig is the longest tenured council member, with Sarah Strommen's first council service predting Dave's, so they may know more. I will try to contact them. Also the former mayor was in office on the council and as mayor for years so that he might be consulted. Jerry Zimmerman and Terry Hendriksen both served for years both on the planning commission and the council, and hence are resource people. Sean Sullivan before leaving was a long-serving staff person, and the EDA members probably are familiar with the site history so that attending an EDA meeting and asking may help look at the commercial vacancy situation in Ramsey in general, and in terms of this example property. I believe all residents of Ramsey might enjoy following such a historical and current-events thing, hence I look forward to posting more on the subject. Sakry of ABC Newspapers may know of archive materials the Anoka County Historical Society might not be aware of. It is an interesting study in which I hope the Historical Society might take an interest.
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The City has online records, e.g., an aerial photo of the intersection (showing both sides of 167th), and a costing statement for the sewer/water extension (it being unclear whether this is going to be a tab the City picks up with taxpayers helping the adventurers, or whether the costs of upgrading the site will be properly held to be an expense of the benefiting business capital interests).
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| Ben Dover |
Below are screenshots of those noted items. Click each thumbnail image to enlarge and view. Note that the costing statement only says "water" extension; south side of 167th. Was the sewer extended thee earlier, and if so, how was the cost paid - taxpayer socialism, or a venture paid upgrade?
Not to come across as a Tea Party loudmouth, which I am not nor do I pretend to be, but ---
Taxpayers should stay vigilant.
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Worst fears confirmed. This link.
The city - taxpapers - eat a big one, so a freebie can be given to a Crabgrass interest. Or at least things are headed that way.
The next election can come none too soon. This offends. What has this Joel guy to offer, how has he such influence?
There are homeowners being foreclosed of their shelter, and they get a cold shoulder while a millionaire gets a pleasant deal. Or am I wrong?
Mayor Bob, you pressed this thing with Backman, his agenda item says so.
What's the story, Mayor Bob? Why the subsidy? What's this Joel guy done for Ramsey?
This thing is a joke.
The owner will install sprinklers. His duty regardless.
Because he is so willing to improve his land and increase its value, the city gives a $180,000 freebie.
What kind of a joke of a deal is that?
It stinks.
Peterson paid six million for his getting sewer and water privileges to the gun club and his corn field project up on Nowthen Blvd. by Trott Brook. This guy gets it free?
Is it all politics? Is there another explanation? Mayor Bob?
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At any rate, things about this example property make it more interesting moment by moment - what is at play - why should the city be doing this - what are the explanations - who is this guy - how does he get this? That agenda memo, alone, begs all the real questions.
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I was wrong.
I made a mistake.
I am sorry for the error.
I am correcting it.
Jason Tossey deserves credit for having corrected things for me. I am appreciative.
He emailed:
You do know that the Mayor, McGlone, and Wise were not in favor of this, right? I too am opposed to any water line at taxpayer expense to this location. This was shot down in EDA and hopefully will not come forward before council.
[...]
There may be politics involved, but it's not from the Mayor. Talk about piling on!
To be clear, my opposition or support to any particular project will be based on principle and not politics.
I did not know that, and this memo shown below, in noting that the mayor along with the property promoter met with Aaron Backman, the community development director who wrote the memo favoring the free water extension to 5900 167th - and indicating that the meeting was not simply between the property speculator and the staff development person: written up that way, led me to the wrong conclusion that the mayor was advocating the effort and present to add his weight behind the proposal.
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Looking at the Anoka County Assessor's tax statement, showing that a property purchased in 2007, after the real estate market had started to go bad, at a price of $1.8 million and assessed for tax base purposes at less than half that amount currently, made me wonder if the owner was politically connected. Then the memo suggesting that the mayor met with a staff person and a developer-promoter had me inferring the mayor was favorably inclined and was intervening between staff and a promoter.
I was wrong. That inference was incorrect.
Again - Jason Tossey was courteous enough to have helped me understand things better, he promptly let me know facts I was unaware of, and I wanted to post this correction as soon as I learned I was in error.
Circumstantial inferences from the memo that were not unreasonable, were wrong. Thank you, Councilmember Tossey.
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Aaron Backman in an email stated:
It would not be correct to say that Mr. Buttenhoff is seeking financial assistance or consideration from the City. He is dealing with a City requirement to install a fire suppression system in his building due to the type of use by a tenant. Mr. Buttenhoff's property is currently not served by City water and a fire suppression system would require additional water pressure than what he has. He has a couple of options--tying into the existing water main to the west or installing a tank system in his building using his existing well. My understanding is that he will be installing water tanks to meet the fire suppression requirment at his cost.
If a work-around that is acceptable to fire safety personnel and in code exists and the owner is willing to carry full costs, then it ceases to be a public subsidy question.
It is only a question then of zoning and safety, but subsidy is not at issue.
This shows there are reasonable ways to answer needs without subsidy.