The city of Grand Marais is seeking proposals from qualified developers to purchase and redevelop the 12,000-square-foot municipal building and adjoining city property.
Grand Marais city councilors discussed the potential project at their Feb. 27 meeting.
The building houses the city offices, municipal liquor store, Cook County/Grand Marais EDA office, AEOA office and the Cook County Chamber of Commerce. A recent evaluation of the structure determined it would not be cost effective to renovate the building.
Because the property is located in the heart of downtown, council thought it would be wise to explore private commercial development of the site before making a decision about the location of a new city hall and/or a new liquor store.
Some considerations identified for considering evaluating potential private development include: . Increasing the current density of the site. Fully utilize the site. Create significant property value that supports the local services provided to the site. . Any new building should be pedestrian oriented with a minimum of 30 percent of the building façade at street level that is transparent and encouraging interaction with the users. . A wide variety of uses are allowed in the current downtown waterfront zoning, including retail, bar and restaurant, services, lodging, civic, arts, and cultural uses. Residential is a conditional use above the first floor. . Create an energy efficient space to minimize future operating expenses; contribute to the community goal of carbon neutrality by 2040 through efficiency or the use of renewables. . Should a private bid be received, the builder will be encouraged to use sustainable construction techniques and materials. . The developer will offer a fair price for the property that recognizes the value of the location and the value of the development to be provided. If the developer has the desire to keep any of the current tenants in a new development, they should make known the expected terms.
Proposals are due at the City of Grand Marais by March 29, 2019, before 4 p.m.
In other city business, council reviewed several Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) right of way offers for city property that MnDOT needs so it can make the planned Highway 61 improvements in 2021.
Council approved a temporary easement for a small piece of land near the library. A sharp eye will be kept on the nearby rose garden that is maintained by the garden club to make sure the construction work doesn’t harm the flowers.
Next, council approved a temporary drainage easement for the culvert near Lund’s Cabins on the south side of the road.
Two requests for permanent drainage easements in the recreation park were tabled for further discussion. One is located at the Community Connections corridor between North House Folk School and the Rec Park and one is at the drainage pond west of the entrance.
Council will look into how giving up those permanent easements might affect the city’s ability to improve its stormwater drainage in those two spots. MnDOT is also asking for temporary construction easement that will be placed on the south side of the highway. These easements will be discussed at an upcoming council meeting.
Other matters before the council were:
. The second reading of Ordinance 2019-01 to change Creechville RC to R-1 was read, and the zoning is now R-1.
. Kay Tavernier resigned from the park board for personal reasons, and the city will look for a replacement.
. Two applicants were received for the planning commission opening, Phil Oswald and Michael McHugh. After reviewing applications, the board appointed McHugh to the planning commission.
. Grand Marais fire chief Ben Silence and assistant fire chief Aaron Mielke presented a draft of the Standard Operating Procedures for the fire department. The new 56-page draft was very detailed and was developed over several years by the department, then reviewed and modified by the staff, and then studied and modified by the city attorney.
In addition to helping the fire department operate even more efficiently, the SOP can help to lower the department’s insurance services score (ISO) which is used by insurance companies to reduce—or raise—home insurance prices.
Silence said the fire department will work with Tom Nelson, who is in charge of the city’s water plant, to flush fire hydrants this spring, and replace unusable hydrants this summer or as soon as they can.
Last, Chief Silence reported that the fire department had 18 members and could always use more members. Contact Ben or city hall to learn more about this opportunity.
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