Anoka County fight over new jail devolves into legal dispute over parking ramps vs. garages

Anoka County is taking the city of Anoka to court — over a parking ramp. Or maybe it’s a parking garage?

And the argument over which term to use, and whether such a structure is allowed, is only part of the lawsuit filed Nov. 7.

The legal fight is the latest sign of how strained the relationship between county and city officials has become as they struggle to compromise on building a new jail downtown. The stalemate has caused friction for years, with heated debates over how large a facility the county really needs, and the city lobbying the Legislature to allow the jail to move elsewhere. Meanwhile, more tensions between the county and city have surfaced.

In its lawsuit, Anoka County accuses city officials of denying plans for a parking ramp over concerns that it is a precursor to the jail project. The county alleges the city “looked for ways” to reject the downtown parking ramp, which would serve county government buildings, including by debating where “parking ramps” versus “parking garages” are permitted.

“The City’s general antagonism toward the County and its disagreement with the County’s other pending land use applications do not constitute valid grounds for denying” the parking ramp, the suit reads.

City officials denied the project because they said it did not fit Anoka’s plan for the downtown business district, that parking ramps are not an allowable use there, and due to traffic and environmental concerns.

Other frustrations have been building between Anoka County and its county seat. Anoka Mayor Erik Skogquist recently criticized Anoka County officials for previously refusing to fund the Northstar Commuter Rail, which is now slated to close this winter, a process the city is trying to slow down.

Skogquist said in an email that, “personally, I’m disappointed that Anoka County seems to have recently established a pattern of suing other levels of government when they disagree with the decisions of other elected officials.”

In a statement, county officials said the lawsuit against the city, “was not Anoka County’s preferred path” but that “the county has no choice but to pursue legal action against the City of Anoka following the denial of a permit for the construction of a much-needed parking ramp.

“Unfortunately, the city delayed action, changed the rules midstream, and ultimately denied the application based on what we believe are unfounded and unjustified reasons.”

Anoka County officials say they need to replace the deteriorating and overcrowded jail downtown. They cite regular water pipe breaks, inmates sleeping in the gym or halls when there isn’t enough room, and the lack of needed services such as a mental health unit.

The county last summer advanced plans for a jail at the site of the current government parking garage on Jackson Street. It would extend north, requiring the city to close off part of Van Buren Street.

City leaders continue to oppose the plans, arguing the larger jail would encroach on its historic downtown and urging the county to either move the project elsewhere or scale it down. The city successfully lobbied state lawmakers to get permission to move the jail outside the county seat — but the county has rejected that idea.

In August 2024, the county submitted plans to the city for the five-level parking ramp. The county also sent in a separate application for a new jail.

In response, the city requested several additional reports and studies. The county argued the reports were not required for the parking ramp application, but complied anyway.

After going back and forth for months, in January, the city sent county officials a letter informing them a parking ramp is not an allowed use in the business district, the lawsuit says.

The city argued that zoning rules list “parking garages or lots” as permitted structures, but not “ramps.” The county would need to apply for a zoning amendment.

Anoka’s city code defined parking ramps and garages almost identically, the lawsuit says, and an application cannot be denied because of its title.

In August, the City Council revised its zoning definitions of “parking ramp” and “garage.” City officials said the changes added clarity to the city code by further defining a “parking ramp” as a structure with one or more floors and open to the public for a cost or for free.

The county’s parking ramp proposal, since it was submitted last year, must comply with the city code at the time it was filed. But new development applications will need to abide by the city’s new definitions of parking ramps and garages.

The county’s lawsuit says the city’s changes “would effectively prohibit the construction of a parking ramp if the application were submitted today under the current code.”

In September, both the city Planning Commission and City Council denied the parking ramp application.

“Anoka County appears to be trying to rationalize a back door approval for their jail expansion plans by first getting a separate approval for the adjoining ramp,” he said at a September meeting.

Anoka County is asking the court to direct the city to approve its application and issue building permits so construction on the parking ramp can begin in spring 2026, as well as damages for what it calls an infringement on its property rights.