Page Title

Huber

Funeral Home & Cremation Services

952-474-9595

Pediatric Rehabilitation Clinic.

Occupational Therapy. Speech Therapy.

952-443-9888

Victoria’s Corner Bar. Nightly Specials and Menus. 952-443-9944

Buying or Selling Victoria?

Call Nan Emmer. 612-702-2020

Specialized assisted living for those

with memory challenges.

Victoria. 952-908-2215

Weinzierl

Jewelers

8 First Street in Waconia. 952-442-2885

Preschool and Childcare in Victoria.

Call 952-443-2121.

MVT Excavating

No job is too small. 952-446-9341

The Key

The Key to advertisers

in the Victoria Gazette.

Located at www.VictoriaGazette.com.

Prairie Lawn & Garden

Service is what we sell. 952-937-2100

Discussion among councilmembers continued and involved the difference between an option agreement and a developer’s agreement.

March 27th. Reported Steve, “The Board of Directors of the grocer met. They are not looking to proceed to come to this site. Shingobee would look at more retail now, make it more suburban. Council has two options: 1) Stay with Shingobee and ask them for more retail in their plan or 2) go back to Doran who has expressed continued interest.”

Added Steve, “It’s good that people know we worked hard on this. It wasn’t us who backed out. It was the grocer.”

Councilmember Kim Roden commented that she isn’t surprised that the grocer backed out: “My brother has been in the grocery business for 35 years. He said you need a population of 10,000 for a grocery store to work.”

Said Steve, “I think we should give Shingobee the opportunity to present a new plan. If they can’t, we can move on quickly.”

Said Councilmember Tim Amundsen, “It’s good foresight that staff has stayed in touch with Doran.” Councilmembers had chosen Shingobee 3-2 over Doran.

Councilmember Jim Paulsen said he feels a dual track won’t work, that it’s going to be either Shingobee alone or Doran alone who will develop the 13.5 acres for the City of Victoria.

Part of the issue involving the transfer of title from Three Rivers Park District to the City of Victoria centers on the location and construction of a trail. Reported Planner Holly Kreft, “The Moravian Church owns 600 feet of lakeshore (on Lake Auburn), not 100 feet. The trail can go around the back of the church property.”

ALL THE KING’S MEN CONSIDER DEMOLITION

OF CITY-OWNED PARCELS IN DOWNTOWN VICTORIA

Council voted 5-0 on March 27th to obtain quotes for the demolition of four city-owned properties in downtown Victoria. They include the three boarded up adjacent homes on Quamoclit Street plus the one boarded up cafe structure on Main Street. The actual decision to demolish the buildings was not made, however.

If the buildings were demolished, the city would forfeit future Tax Increment dollars that entice developers to come in and develop the properties. Tax increment is allowed for blighted property, not vacant green sodded lots. The Business Development Committee, however, believes the buildings as they exist are a blight that is detrimental to existing businesses.

Asked City Administrator Steve Sarvi, “Is it worthwhile to leave the buildings in the condition they’re in or do we want to remove them? It’s not simply a dollar and cents issue. It’s pretty difficult to get these things marketed. We’ve got letters from downtown businesses saying they are a blight.”

He suggested that the city at least be allowed to take down the blue cafe structure on Main Street and replace it with sod and market it as open space.

Steve reminded councilmembers that the stucco house on Quamoclit was purchased by the city in order to push Tower Boulevard east to tie up with Commerce Boulevard. “We wanted a foot in the door when the other properties were purchased.”

Councilmember Kim Roden said, “These properties were purchased a long time ago and they’ve stayed there through good [economic] times and bad. We might be doing the businesses here a service by removing them. Maybe we should sod over them and create green space, continuing a pattern of trying to improve the downtown.”

Councilmember Tim Amundsen commented on the combined purchase price of the buildings. “We’re into this for $800,000 currently,” he said. “The city cannot and should not be in the process of development. How much more do we lose by tearing them down? Looks like the report says it’s $150,000 in TIF money -- or $276,000 in today’s dollars -- on the two Quamoclit buildings.”

Administrator Sarvi said the TIF dollars would most likely be used to improve city streets and other city infrastructure.

Tim continued, “We gambled with the $800,000 and didn’t win. Now we’re going to gamble with $276,000. Part of what we’re supposed to do here is spend money appropriately.”

As for taking the old houses down so future developers can see how nice the property could be, Tim said, “Developers have the ability to see through those houses if they want to put something there.”

He made a motion to authorize staff to get quotes of removing the buildings, “so we have some more facts to make a decision ... The Business Development Committee has given us their opinion, but this could be $300,000 built on top of the $800,000.”

Councilmember Kim Roden suggested the city could get some “economies of scale” if the city-owned buildings were removed along with the upcoming demolition of the old Victoria Creamery building.

Click here to continue City Scoop.