Bart Fischer is going home.

More than a decade after he got his start in municipal government as a graduate school intern, the 40-year-old Fischer is returning to Oakdale, but this time in the top position: as city administrator.

He couldn't be more excited.

"I guess you might say it's a homecoming for me," he said recently about his new job, which he starts April 6.

"I kind of knew what the culture was going in, so I knew it was a good opportunity."

Fischer, currently the city administrator in Falcon Heights, was selected by the Oakdale City Council last month to replace Craig Waldron, who stepped down in August after 21 years. Fischer previously served as assistant administrator in the cities of Newport and Chaska.

While the move to a new office is still a few weeks away, Fischer, who has a background in economic development, is already contemplating how he plans to make a difference.

"A lot of it for me, especially starting out, [will be] building the relationships with the business community," he said. "Working with developers on some of the developments that are currently going on and just continuing to build the city."

His other priorities include advancing plans for revitalizing decaying neighborhoods and making Oakdale a more appealing destination for families.

Fischer also said he plans to work with city officials on development of the Gateway Corridor, or the Gold Line, a bus rapid-transit line aimed at relieving high-traffic areas along I-94. The project, currently in its planning stages, is expected to be completed by 2022.

Commercial redevelopment in the city of nearly 28,000 has been an issue that officials have been grappling with for some time, said Council Member Bill Rasmussen.

"We're just about filled up in town here; we don't have any more vacant land left," Rasmussen said. "We need to be very careful how we develop [land], because that's the end of it for us."

One of the city's goals is to find a new tenant to take over the site that a Kmart occupied on 10th Street North near I-694 before that store closed in the fall.

"It will be important that that site is redeveloped quickly so we can continue to have positive growth there," said Council Member Kristen Cici.

Cici said she would like to see Fischer and the city focus on drawing younger families to Oakdale. Slightly more than half of the city's residents are 35 or older.

Fischer said he wants to promote Oakdale as a "great place to live, work and play" by putting an emphasis on revitalizing the city's aging housing. He also wants to take time to evaluate the city's infrastructure.

"A large part of that is engaging residents so they take pride in their community and take pride in their property," he said. "If the road is all cracked up and beat up, do we need to go in and redo the road? Do we need to go in and improve some of the public spaces?"

The city intends to unveil a neighborhood revitalization plan this year, said Mayor Stan Karwoski. It could include a volunteer initiative or a loan program for residents to improve their houses.

"We don't have any major problems, but we have some difficulties," said Karwoski, a former council member who was elected mayor in November to replace Carmen Sarrack, who retired. "As a new mayor, I'm excited to make Oakdale better, so it's kind of a good fresh start for both of us to work together."

Blair Emerson is a University of Minnesota student reporter on assignment for the Star Tribune