Blaine wants to be a ‘destination city.’ It’s building a new $750M downtown to solidify its identity

When the National Sports Center came to Blaine, deputy executive director Neil Ladd said, nearby Davenport Street was still a dirt road.

The suburb, once known largely for sod farms and mobile-home parks, has since become the largest city in Anoka County and one of the fastest growing suburbs of the Twin Cities. Blaine has boomed with new business and housing and attracts millions of tourists each year, for sports and events including the PGA Tour’s 3M Open.

City leaders say it’s time for Blaine to further evolve.

Crews are knocking down buildings and moving dirt to make way for the new, $750 million downtown at 105th Avenue, near the sports center, with a baseball stadium, apartments, hotels, high-end restaurants, pickleball, parks and trails. City officials hope that entertainment hub will retain the visitors who now often go to Maple Grove for dinner and their hotel stay.

“The city now has a story to tell,” said Council Member Tom Newland. “We’re not just a little bedroom community or a place to pass through to get up Highway 65 or University Avenue. We can be a destination city.”

City leaders are seeking legislative approval this session for a special 3% tax in the district on food, lodging and event tickets. And after a decade of acquiring blighted warehouses and commercial buildings for the project, Blaine is buying the last of the property needed for its vision.

Many residents and business owners say they are excited about the development and feel Blaine is missing the amenities and upscale restaurants pitched in the plan. Others worry about the businesses that have had to move for the project and argue the city is catering more to tourists than residents.

“When you think of Blaine, this district is what you’ll think of,” Council Member Chris Massoglia said.

Many credit the National Sports Center, which opened in 1990, for sparking Blaine’s growth spurt.

It quickly became the most-visited amateur sports complex in the state, and now draws more than 4 million visitors a year, hosting major soccer tournaments, ice sports and golf events. The city continued its streak when in the 1990s Blaine was chosen as a PGA Tour stop, and has since attracted more sporting events, bringing in a total of 7 million visitors annually.

Within the past decade Blaine surpassed Coon Rapids as the county’s largest city, at about 73,000 residents. City leaders are quick to say development has been gradual. They want to maintain their suburb’s character and aren’t fighting to be the largest city.

Erik Thorvig, city community development director, said residents' needs have changed along with the community: “They don’t want to drive to Maple Grove or Roseville for restaurants and entertainment.”

Council Member Jess Robertson said the undertaking is viewed among city leaders as a once-in-a-lifetime “legacy project.”

Since 2016, Thorvig said, the city has bought aging warehouses and other buildings on the site for $14 million. It sold the land to the project developers, Elevage and Bader, for nearly $11 million in October.

Along with the acquisition costs, tax increment financing and other incentives, Thorvig said the developers and private equity are covering the bulk of the project cost.

A major piece of Blaine’s new development? More sports.

Blaine and Anoka County approved a tax abatement for the National Sports Center to add $12 million worth of artificial turf fields, which Ladd said will go into service once the snow melts. He hopes the fields will help attract a Major League Soccer event.

The first phase of work also includes a hotel, a restaurant, a food hall, a fieldhouse with golf, pickleball and other activities, and parking. After that will come apartments, offices and more hotels and food options.

Lori Higgins, president of the MetroNorth Chamber of Commerce, said more housing will be key to attracting and retaining businesses.

Officials want the hub to have year-round events, including ice skating in the park and winter festivals.

“This is the type of development that will bring people from all over the metro to Blaine to see the great amenities we have,” Mayor Tim Sanders said.

Business has already picked up in the district.

“I’ve lived in Blaine for 25 years and we haven’t had any fine dining,” developer Mike Breese said. “The city wasn’t ready for this when I moved here. But it’s matured and the east side of Blaine has really changed, with higher household incomes and a variety of people who are here now and really needed something like this.”

Scooter’s Coffee opened up nearby, and Breese said a new fitness and wellness facility and more commercial tenants are on the way.

But work on the broader development has forced some businesses to move.

The city recently bought a 1970s industrial building that housed several businesses, for nearly $1.9 million, using bonds backed by tax increment financing to pay for it.

Some of the old tenants said they are struggling after having to move.

Thomas Rodriguez, owner of Garage Doors Plus, said it cost him more than $5,000 to move his business, which he would like the city to reimburse. He was lucky enough to find a new location about 5 minutes away.

“I’m pretty sure they don’t want business to leave Blaine. But when you see the almighty dollar coming across, I guess money talks,” he said.

Blaine officials said the offers on acquired properties were above market value. Spokesman Ben Hayle said every property acquisition has been different, with some owners negotiating for tenant moving costs and others not.

“Once the city takes ownership, we work with the existing tenants to provide as smooth of a transition as possible,” he said.

Council Member Chris Ford said leaders are working to balance the needs of residents across the city amid the massive project.

Rodriguez, who lives on the west side of the city, said with all of the growth around the sports center, “the talk of the town is if you’re on the east side of Highway 65, you’re in Blaine-Edina. If you’re on the west side, you’re in Blaine-tucky.”

Council members said the 105th Avenue project, nearly centrally located, should benefit all of Blaine. And the $195 million project to reconstruct Hwy. 65 should improve access on both sides of town.