White Bear weighs options to develop prime lakefront site

For nearly 10 years, White Bear Lake has grappled with what to do with a stretch of prime lakeshore property that it owns at the gateway to the city along Hwy. 61 -- the former Johnson Boat Works site.

The city has entertained proposals for condominiums, retail, restaurants, a park and a maritime museum, all of which has sparked some controversy. But in the past few months, there's been change in the wind.

This summer, the city applied for a $1 million grant to build a new "green" parking structure on the site that could be a cornerstone for development. This month, the City Council voted to run the popular marina on the site in a move to capture more of its profits. Last week, it held a special council workshop to revisit development prospects, in particular one by a local citizens group.

"After years of stutter-stepping, I'm optimistic that we're starting to move down the road of something happening," said White Bear Lake Mayor Paul Auger, standing along the glistening waters of the boat marina last week.

"I've seen ideas that had merit that I could have lived with in the past. But I've never seen anything that I could really embrace. I think we're getting closer."

No one is predicting the imminent arrival of construction crews at the boat works and marina site, tucked behind a shopping mall that about 35,000 drivers pass on Hwy. 61 every day. But most City Council members now agree on a couple of broad features of any new development, Auger said.

The city should continue ownership of the site, he said, which should be a destination for boaters, bikers and walkers. There should be a building that is a year-round draw for the public. A restaurant would be great if the owner doesn't want a public subsidy. Parking is critical.

The proposal on the table is one by a citizens group called the White Bear Lake Historic Preservation Foundation. Called Boat Works Square, it seeks the construction of a maritime museum, a community center with public meeting rooms, a two story parking structure and green space.

Harvey Mills, a foundation leader, said that his group doesn't oppose the library idea, but that it would drag development out even longer because the new facility isn't needed for a couple of years.

"It's time now to scrape the site and build the future," said Mills. "This is a fabulous site and the gateway to our community."

But a city financial analysis of the foundation plan shows that it would lose money.

Whether to build housing, in particular senior housing, on the site has been debated for years. In August, the council voted to halt discussions of housing options for six months as members consider other options.

"There's a long, rich, sailing and resort culture and people connect to that," he said.

While the fate of the 1.3-acre parcel of land remains in limbo, the biking and walking trails that lead up to it are getting a makeover. Bulldozers last week began tearing up the lakeshore bike and walking paths just south of the Boat Works site on Lake Avenue S. to make way for wider and more attractive trails.

The improvements will continue into the marina area next spring.

In the meantime, White Bear Lake officials are waiting to learn whether their application for a new parking structure is approved in November by the Metropolitan Council. If the city gets a go-ahead, "then the council will have to sharpen its pencils," Auger said.

But even if the council gets a red light, it will continue to face conflicting demands from the community. Some residents insist the city should sell the land to a private developer; others believe it's an important community asset.