Johnson Boat Works site redevelopment passes first test

It's one approval down and two to go for a local developer who wants to build apartment buildings, a restaurant and a community room on the former Johnson Boat Works property in White Bear Lake.

The Minneapolis-based Lander Group revealed plans for its $19 million "Boat Works Commons" project last month during a public hearing and meeting of the White Bear Lake Planning Commission. That was the first step of a three-step process to gain permission to build on the city-owned property. The City Council will review and discuss the plans when it meets on Wednesday.

"Nothing is imminent," said City Manager Mark Sather, who noted that there still are major details to be worked out before the city agrees to sell the property and any work can begin.

The main concerns center on the number of housing units that would be allowed on the 1.6-acre site and how much parking would be necessary to accommodate residents and visitors. The city also is conducting a parking study to assess the effect that the development might have on adjacent properties and businesses, and to determine how much additional parking in the area might be needed. Ideally, the plan also would preserve the sailboat building and sailing history of the area, Sather said.

The Lander Group's proposal calls for multiple structures that would house up to 89 apartment units, a 3,600-square-foot full-service restaurant, a public meeting room, surface-level parking and a parking deck with room for up to 225 vehicles and 15,000 square feet of community green space. So far the city likes what it sees, but it still has questions concerning parking, housing density and the height of some buildings that could rise to four stories.

The project is still fluid, but "I'm hopeful we can do the project," said developer Michael Lander, who attempted a development on the property five years ago. "We are excited to be in a beautiful community, and this creates an opportunity to deliver the community vision and respond to what they want. We are hopeful that talks will result in an agreement of what can happen there."

White Bear Lake has been looking to redevelop the property on the 4400 block of Lake Avenue S. since it bought the land for $1.8 million in 1998, when the Johnson Boat Works Co. closed. The city has not determined a fair market value for the property. If a sale takes place, the city will retain ownership of the lakefront property and city-run marina, which grosses $380,000 a year for the city, Sather said.

Over the next few months, Sather said the city and the Lander Group will flesh out details for the project that could spur development in the Marina Triangle, a 12-acre area near a shopping center and bounded by Hwy. 61, White Bear Avenue and the lake.

"This would set the standard," Sather said. "It will provide housing, a nice public space along lakefront, and we could extend the regional trail through there and do some public improvements on the waterfront."

The project would use $15.5 million in private money and a $3.5 million grant from the Metropolitan Council to be used for storm water upgrades, demolition of the Boat Works building and improvements to the marina.

The project is designed to allow White Bear Lake to provide housing to meet the changing demographic and lifestyle needs of city residents. "This creates an opportunity to deliver the community vision and respond to what they want," Lander said. "People who live here will be able to walk to the grocery store or take a short bike ride or walk to downtown White Bear Lake. This is offering a multi-mobile lifestyle in a suburban non-core-city context."