Blaine BizConnect - Spring 2022

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Business Retention and Expansion Visits.......................................................2

Master Plan Studies Move Forward Northtown and 105th Avenue Studies will be Completed Soon The City of Blaine has been working to develop master plans for two significant areas of the City. These master plans will be completed soon and will guide future development in these areas.

2021 Economic Devlopment Annual Report...........................................................3

Northtown Area Study The Northtown area is ready for significant change and the new master plan that will guide that change is nearly complete. The master plan was created with input from mall ownership, other property owners, residents, businesses, developers, and the City Council. The master plan will detail a vision that could take decades to accomplish but will also provide a road map to short term improvements that could become reality in the next five years.

105th Avenue Study

Development Spotlight: Sanctuary Business Center.................................4

The area on the north side of 105th Avenue near the National Sports Center has been identified by the City Council as a future “city core”. The vision for this space is a walkable entertainment district with amenities that will capitalize on the NSC and be a destination for residents and visitors. The master plan will be completed in April and then staff and the City Council will design appropriate zoning for this area. Discussions with developers have begun and there is a lot of momentum to create a dynamic new space for all of Blaine to enjoy.

City of Blaine 10801 Town Square Drive NE Blaine MN 55449

POSTMASTER: TIME SENSITIVE MAIL

DATED MATERIAL PREPARED BY THE COMMUNICATIONS DIVISION

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POSTAL CUSTOMER

PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID TWIN CITIES, MN Permit No. 32324

For more information on the studies, visit BlaineMN.gov/NorthtownStudy or BlaineMN.gov/105thAvenueRedevelopment.

City Holds First Virtual Town Hall via Facebook Live On February 24, the City of Blaine held a virtual town hall on Facebook. The topic for the first town hall was development. Community members were encouraged to submit questions for discussion and invited to comment on the live event with additional questions. Questions were fielded by Mayor Tim Sanders, Ward 2 Councilmembers Jess Robertson and Julie Jeppson, City Manager Michelle Wolfe, Community Development Director Erik Thorvig, City Planner Sheila Sellman, and moderated by Communications Director Ben Hayle. If you missed the town hall you can still watch it at BlaineMN.gov/DevTownHall.

The next Facebook Town Hall topic is traffic, Highway 65, and road construction. It will be held on May 19 at 7PM. You may pre-submit questions to Communications@BlaineMN.gov.

mn.org

3-438-7315

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Business Retention and Expansion Visits 2021 Recap

Community Development 10801 Town Square Drive NE Blaine MN 55449 763-784-6700 Erik Thorvig Community Development Director 763-785-6147 EThorvig@BlaineMN.gov Ruth Tucker Economic Development Specialist 763-717-2778 RTucker@BlaineMN.gov Shelia Sellman City Planner 763-785-6198 SSellman@BlaineMN.gov

In 2021, city staff and elected officials visited 45 business and non-profits within the community. Many of these visits included one-on-one conversations in which the city gathers information from companies to become aware of expansion needs and anticipated business growth, address any needs or concerns businesses have, and offer city assistance and support where possible. It also provides an overall wellness check on Blaine’s business community and identifies any challenges businesses are facing. Businesses are not obligated to provide information with the City noting that some responses include no data or did not respond. Below are the results of the 2021 Business Retention and Expansion interviews.

40

Businesses Interviewed

70%

Headquartered or Only Location in Blaine

10% 35%

Michelle Wolfe City Manager 763-785-6120 MWolfe@BlaineMN.gov

Home Based Businesses

Stay Connected

Socio-economically Disadvantaged or Veteran Owned

Receive Emergency Communications BlaineMN.gov/CivicReady

Businesses Struggling with Recruitment

NotifyMe®

Connect with your community and sign up for topics that interest you BlaineMN.gov/NotifyMe

Social Media Facebook.com/ BlaineBizMN Twitter.com/ BlaineBizMN YouTube.com/ CityofBlaine

60%

24

Companies Interviewed Received CARES Act Grant Funding from the City of Blaine • 46% used funds for payroll • 42% used funds for rent/mortgage • Other uses included employee benefits, overhead, building improvements, investments in software to allow flexible working options, purchasing PPE, and purchasing other supplies

What do businesses like about Blaine?

• Top answers: Blaine is home and sense of community • Other frequent answers: happy with development/growth, safety • Less common answers: business friendly, connectivity, family oriented, sporting facilities and amenities, buying property location within the metro, growth in diversity (BIPOC community)

Is the rightWhat move needs to improve?* for your •business?

Top answer: 2021 property tax increases among industrial users

Other answers Open to• Business canincluded: help! City processes, more non-sports related events, better marketing of things to do in Blaine (things to do for visitors)

Our free, confidential advisors can assist you in *Note: Less half ownership the businesses answered this question. evaluating a purchase price, than comparing Is buying property vs. leasing costs, andwould connecting you to financing What businesses like to see in terms of development? resources. Open to Business can also often provide the right move • Business hotels gap financing to keep equity requirements manfor yourForbusiness? more information: • Improvements on Highway 65 ageable. Whether you are negotiating a purchase, www.opentobusinessmn.org • Creation of downtown area Open to Business can help!

BizConnect is office published OR call the Anoka County at 763-438-7315 twice refinancing a contract for deed, or just exploring • High-end grocer/retailers Our free, confidential advisors can assist you in annually by the City of Blaine and your options, Open to Business can help.

moreprice, information: evaluating For a purchase comparing ownership

distributed to all residents and OpentoBusinessMN.org vs. leasing costs, and connecting you to financing OR call the Anoka County office businesses. copies areoften available resources. OpenPast to Business can also provide at 763-438-7315 gap financing to keep equity requirements at BlaineMN.gov/Newsletter. manageable. Whether you are negotiating a purchase, refinancing a contract for deed, or just exploring your options, Open to Business can help.

The Community Development Department will continue the Business Expansion and Retention program through 2022. If your business is interested in participating in this program and providing input to the City, please contact Ruth Tucker at 763-717-2778.

Spring 2022

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Does My Business Need a Permit?

Construction season is upon us, and many businesses may be considering moving to a new location or making some updates to their existing location. It’s important to be compliant with city codes and ordinances and obtain all necessary permits for your project.

Certificate of Occupancy Any change in ownership or tenant of commercial/industrial buildings requires a Certificate of Occupancy be obtained. This program allows business owners and business tenants the opportunity to learn what is required to occupy their space in a way that provides a safe work environment and meets the rules and guidelines of the City and the Minnesota State Building and Fire Codes. It is specifically designed to try to avoid business location decisions that end up not working because of code related occupancy or use issues.

Learn more and apply for a Certificate of Occupancy at BlaineMN.gov/CO. Building Permits Building permits are required for changes to commercial/industrial spaces, including new walls, resurfacing parking lots, modifications to sprinkler systems, and more. Before making any changes, call the Building Inspections Department at 763-785-6170 or email Building@BlaineMN.gov.

Sign Permits Businesses are permitted to have one feather style sign or a 32 square foot banner (attached to the building) without a permit. New businesses may install temporary banners over existing signs without a permit. All other temporary signs require a permit and are limited to 8 weeks a year, or 10 weeks for new businesses. All permanent signage requires a sign permit. For more information, visit BlaineMN.gov/SignPermit.

Business Licensing The City of Blaine does not require business licenses, except for specifically regulated businesses, including tobacco, alcohol, massage, kennels, and amusement centers. To see if your business needs a license, visit BlaineMN.gov/BusinessLicensing.

For any additional questions regarding a business license, contact the City Clerk’s Office at 763-785-6122.

Blaine Business Council Do you want to connect with other Blaine businesses and hear about updates in the community? The Blaine Business Council is open to all Blaine businesses and is held quarterly at the TPC of Blaine. The meetings start at 7:30AM, no RSVP is necessary and we hope you can attend.

2022 Blaine Business Council Dates April 28 | July 7 | October 27

Home and Property Incentives Offered from the Blaine Economic Development Authority

For more information, visit the Metro North Chamber of Commerce at MetroNorthChamber.org

Are you a Blaine homeowner, own a rental property, or have employees who are looking to purchase their first home within the City of Blaine? The Blaine Economic Development Authority (EDA) has great incentives for improvement and down payment assistance.

Invest in Your Home or Rental Property Loans and grants from the City of Blaine Economic Development Authority are available for exterior improvements, security, ADA accessibility, and fire suppression for rental properties with up to 12 units.

Owner occupied homes are eligible for loans up to $50,000 for most home improvements and grants up to $7,500 for qualifying improvements to homes with an assessed value of $350,000 or less and at least 30 years old. To learn more about home improvement assistance, call 763-717-2751 or visit BlaineMN.gov/HousingInformation.

Down Payment Assistance Available Current Blaine residents or employees of Blaine businesses who are first-time homebuyers can receive up to $10,000 as a deferred loan paid back when the home is sold. For more information, visit MNCEE.org/ Blaine.

ConnextMSP Connects Young Professionals of Color with Twin Cities Businesses As businesses struggle with labor shortages while diligently working to create and implement strategies to create diverse and inclusive workplaces, GreaterMSP created a network to help remove barriers, build connections, and launch careers called ConnextMSP. According to their website connextmsp.org, “ConnextMSP was built to ensure that young professionals of color in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul region are recruited, hired, and supported by local employers as they launch their careers. It is a critical lever for advancing inclusive economic growth and building a 21st century workforce in our region.” ConnextMSP has already partnered with over 40 organizations across the metro and is looking to partner with even more who are committed to recruiting, hiring, and supporting an inclusive workforce. The network has over 2,500 young professionals across the Twin Cities metro. To get your workplace on ConnextMSP’s network and start connecting with young professionals of color, visit ConnextMSP.org and select “Join the Talent Network.”

2021Economic Development Annual Report The latest edition of the Economic Development Report is ready to view. This annual report provides a snapshot of the economic development activity in Blaine during the previous year.

To view the report online, visit BlaineMN.gov/EconDevRpt.

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Development Spotlight: Sanctuary Business Center The property at 10201 Xylite Street is being developed by Opus Development into a 137,400 square foot speculative office/warehouse building. The building is expected to be complete in the third quarter of 2022.

It allows space for up to four tenants and will have a clearance height of 32 feet, with 28 dock doors, and 2 drive-in bay doors. The property includes 20 stalls for trailer parking.

Demand for industrial space in the Twin Cities metro is high. Industrial buildings have been experiencing low vacancy rates, especially those with quick access to major interstates. The Sanctuary Business Center is currently one of three speculative industrial projects within the City of Blaine.

This property is now leasing through Cushman and Wakefield. With easy access to I-35W and how quickly speculative space is leasing, the City anticipates the Sanctuary Business Center to be an attractive property.

Register Your Business The City of Blaine uses the CivicReady emergency notification to push urgent messages out to the community.

Businesses are able to sign up to receive emergency notifications that are specifically for businesses.

Register your business online at BlaineMN.gov/RegisterBusiness.

Registered businesses will automatically be added to the CivicReady Emergency Business Notification System.

For more information about CivicReady, visit BlaineMN.gov/CivicReady.

State of Minnesota Helps Companies Export Their Products Through Counseling and Grants The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development’s (DEED) Trade Office is tasked with helping Minnesota based companies increase exports around the globe. The office provides one-to-one market or industry specific assistance to small and medium sized businesses who are new to exporting or looking to enter new markets. The office can assist Minnesota exporters with basic country background and information, market and industry research, trade leads, finding distributors or in market partners, export documentation, export regulations and compliance, and issuance of Certificates of Free Sale.

In addition, the Minnesota Trade Office has grant opportunities available for export training and international marketing opportunities through an SBA funded program called State Trade Expansion Program (STEP). The STEP program, created out of the 2010 Small Business Jobs Act, has helped Minnesota companies across the state find distributors and partners across the globe. Eligible Minnesota businesses can use the STEP grant for participating in trade missions, trade shows or industry-specific events, translation of marketing materials, development of foreign language websites, Gold Key or other business matchmaking services, company specific international sales activities and testing and certification, such as CE marking, required to sell products in a foreign market. Businesses must apply and be approved prior to incurring expenses for an event.

To learn more about the Minnesota Trade Office and the STEP grant, visit MN.gov/Deed/Business/Exporting.

BizConnect Online BlaineMN.gov/NotifyMe

Blaine BizConnect online is a monthly newsletter delivered right to your inbox that will keep you up to date on development happenings in the City of Blaine. From commercial to industrial to residential, Blaine is one of the fastest growing cities in the Twin Cities metro area and always has new and exciting projects on the horizon.

Sign up online at BlaineBiz.com/NotifyMe, choose BlaineBiz Update.