FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 27, 2017
CONTACT: Clare Cloyd
clare.cloyd@ci.stpaul.mn.us
Mayor Coleman announces plan for reuse of former police training facility for job growth
Plan calls for 219 new jobs and investment in permanent park improvements
SAINT PAUL – Mayor Chris Coleman today announced that a recommendation will soon be forwarded to the Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) Board of Commissioners for consideration, regarding potential commercial reuse for the former downtown Saint Paul police training facility, located at 100 10th Street East.
Built in 1925, the police training facility, previously known as the Public Safety Annex, will be vacated by the Saint Paul Police Department by the end of the year, as they relocate their operations and move to a training facility located at 600 Lafayette Road.
Earlier this year, the City began accepting offers to redevelop the building as a center for jobs, modern office space, and other commercial uses, including limited retail.
“This is an incredible opportunity to preserve a building with a rich history and build out vibrant green space, while also attracting hundreds of new jobs,” said Mayor Chris Coleman. “It’s a win for Saint Paul.”
The city is positioned for accelerated job growth with efforts such as the recently announced initiative, Full Stack Saint Paul. This strategy calls for increasing the number of technology and innovation sector jobs in Saint Paul by 2,000 through 2020. Another goal focuses on development of high quality office space to support the outlined job growth.
“By marketing this property for sale, we asked the private development market if there was a viable option for redevelopment to support the City’s business and job growth goals,” said Jonathan Sage-Martinson, Department of Planning and Economic Development director. “What we heard is a resounding ‘yes’ in the form of an exceptionally strong proposal from The Ackerberg Group.”
The current private development proposal, submitted by The Ackerberg Group, includes an estimated addition of 219 jobs and a capital investment in the adjacent park space—Pedro Park. The proposal also includes a privately-funded 20-year commitment to ongoing maintenance and operations of the park space. The City is also exploring utilizing proceeds from the sale to help fund permanent improvements to park space on the block.
“Our history has focused on urban investments and developments, and we pride ourselves on being a value creator in local communities,” said Stuart Ackerberg, Chief Executive Officer of Ackerberg. “We appreciate the opportunity to be considered for this project, and we are extremely excited to reposition this building into an amazing property that will make both the community and the City of Saint Paul proud.”
“The current proposal, including an up-front capital investment and ongoing commitment, moves us one step closer to realizing permanent improvements to the park space on this block,” said Mike Hahm, Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Director.
The staff recommendation to award “tentative developer status” to The Ackerberg Group, allowing the developer to conduct additional due diligence to further refine their proposal, will go to the HRA Board for formal consideration later this fall. If tentative developer status is awarded, the next step would include negotiation of a development agreement, which will also need approval by the HRA board. The proposed sale of the building would be preceded by public hearings at the HRA Board and City Council.
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