East Side residents want a say in 3M site development

A Ramsey County proposal to put a building on part of the old 3M Co. headquarters complex in St. Paul has raised some ire on the East Side.

Residents and community leaders say they didn't get a head's up about a plan to build an office building to house about 275 employees, including some from the corrections department, on six of about 45 acres soon to be purchased by the St. Paul Port Authority.

Rumors and frustrations -- ranging from not wanting parolees in the neighborhood to not having a say in how the site is redeveloped -- have been bubbling for a few weeks. Community leaders hope to settle some nerves during a public meeting tonight.

"This is a prime piece of real estate and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the community," said Ryan Kapaun, president of the District 5 Planning Council board. "It seems deals were being made before there was a community process. We want to make sure the community is at the table to have a voice."

He noted that there has been significant community involvement in what to do with the Ford plant in Highland Park when it shuts down and said the 3M land is just as important to the city.

Working on a plan

There's a lot of activity on the East Side these days as neighbors and the city struggle to fight against the blight of vacant buildings and loss of jobs. Those reasons make it critical for an open public process with the 3M site, Kapaun said.

"We are excited to work closely with the East Side neighborhoods on a plan to bring competitive-paying jobs with benefits to the site," said Port Authority spokesman Tom Collins. He pointed to two nearby Port Authority business centers that have more than 1,300 jobs and added that there are no current negotiations with the county or other parties for land.

The county says it was approached by the Port Authority and the city to see if there was a possibility for relocating workers to the site. The county wants to vacate the old West Publishing complex so it and the adjacent vacant county jail along the downtown riverfront can be put back into private, taxpaying hands.

The Port Authority needed some financial help with the purchase of the 3M land and putting a building there makes sense financially and for services, said Ramsey County Commissioner Rafael Ortega, chairman of the board's facilities committee.

That said, the county would look at other alternatives if the plan doesn't work for the neighborhood, he said.

The Port Authority buys and cleans industrial land with the goal of selling it for $1 to companies that promise to bring in high-paying jobs and significant tax revenue.

Past planning efforts, in concert with the Phalen Corridor project, have touted the need for creating jobs for residents. Community leaders say transferring existing jobs from a tax-exempt entity doesn't fit that vision or the Port Authority's desire for a "no net loss of industrial land" in the city.

Technically, the county would buy the land for $1 and donate $1 million to help the Port Authority with its purchase from 3M.

Another neighborhood concern has focused on the possibility of bringing corrections services to the site.

"To be perfectly honest, people aren't looking to have corrections on the East Side, and I'm supporting them," said state Rep. Tim Mahoney. "Elected officials and people who live here knock our heads to break down the stereotype that the East Side is a terrible place."

The meeting will be at 7 tonight at John A. Johnson Elementary School, 740 York Avenue.