III.1. 325 Blake Road Update and Information Sharing; Elverum
MEMORANDUM
TO: Honorable Mayor and Hopkins City Council Members
FROM: Kersten Elverum, Director of Planning & Development
DATE: March 16, 2021
SUBJECT: 325 Blake Road Update and Information Sharing
Purpose
The purpose of the presentation at the March 16, 2021, City Council meeting is to
provide an update on the 325 Blake Road redevelopment process and conduct a
listening session with the Hopkins City Council by HDR, the MCWD’s consultant for the
four acres of land the District will retain.
Staff will highlight the collaborative process with the Minnehaha Creek Watershed
District (MCWD) and convey to the community how they can be involved in the project
moving forward.
Summary
The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) owns the property at 325 Blake
Road, often referred to as the Cold Storage Site due to its previous use. The MCWD
purchased the property in 2011 as a key piece of the Minnehaha Creek Greenway
restoration which will include 109 acres of a connected corridor of restored creek and
habitat through St. Louis Park and Hopkins, providing more opportunities for the public
to view and access Minnehaha Creek while improving water quality. The project site is
Planning & Economic
Development
next to the creek, Cottageville Park, the Cedar Lake Regional Trail and the Blake Road
LRT station on the Green Line.
Of the site’s 17 acres, The MCWD will retain four acres to treat polluted stormwater that
flows into the creek from approximately 270 acres of surrounding area and to restore
more than 1,000 feet of creek frontage. The remaining 13 acres will be sold to transform
the rest of the industrial site into a transit-oriented neighborhood.
The City of Hopkins and the MCWD have come together to identify the vision for the
redevelopment of the site and entered into a Cooperative Agreement that outlines the
process that will be used to select a developer and work with the community to design a
transformative project that meets multiple goals of the City and community.
The listening sessions conducted by HDR are the first in a series of engagement
opportunities with the community. Additionally, there will be a survey for the community
to complete, an opportunity to be involved in a listening session and community
meetings with HDR and eventually with the developer selected to develop the remaining
13 acres.
Attached is the agenda and questions that will be posed by HDR during the listening
session.
Next Steps
Next steps will include hearing from the broader community through a survey, listening
session and public meetings on the improvements to the natural environment while
continuing through developer selection and additional community engagement on the
13-acre private development.
325 BLAKE ROAD
RESTORATION &
REDEVELOPMENT
Hopkins City Council Listening Session
March 16, 2021
Agenda
1. Welcome and Introductions
2. Purpose of the Session
3. Background: Design Team’s Understanding
4. Vision
• What makes the Blake Road corridor special? How might successful redevelopment along the
corridor contribute to City residents’ quality of life?
• How does the 325 Blake Road Restoration and Redevelopment fit into the goals, mission, and
vision of the City’s Comprehensive Plan? How would you like to see this project serve your
strategic goals for the community?
5. Goals
• Imagine it’s 2040. You look at the project site and conclude that the effort was a huge success
for the City and its residents. How can you tell?
• What features or design elements contribute to the site’s success?
6. Key Issues
• What practical challenges lie ahead? Are there uncertainties to settle or priorities to balance
before the vision for 325 Blake Road can become reality?
• What one or two key hurdles would you advise the design team to keep in mind from the start?
7. Priority Outcomes
8. Next Steps