“Blaine continued our strong reputation as a community that’s welcoming development,” said Community Development Director Erik Thorvig. “Last year, we had a very big year with over $200 million worth of development and we’re seeing those same type of numbers in 2019.”
Thorvig said residential development rebounded after a softer 2018. He said the city will have approved approximately 300 new residential building permits for the year.
“I think that’s a combination of lower interest rates and builders wanting and seeing a demand in Blaine,” he said.
City leaders have long cited Blaine’s proximity (about a 25-minute drive) to downtown Minneapolis as a factor for home builders and buyers to want to locate in the city of more than 60,000 residents.
Thorvig also pointed to a variety of residential developments nearly completed beyond just the single-family homes being built. New developments in 2019 included the nearly-completed Legends of Blaine near 109th and Lexington Avenues, which is a senior living apartment-style facility. He also mentioned a new apartment building going up on the corner of 117th Avenue and Ulysses Street, with 138 units.
There is also a townhome project at University Avenue and 105th that Thorvig says proves developers want to offer as many options to those who want to live in Blaine.
He said residential rooftops always drive commercial development–including retail and dining options. A few fast food restaurants and gas station/convenience stores opened in Blaine in 2019.
“We’ve seen 11-12 projects of that scale, and these projects are about $1 to $2 million apiece,” said Thorvig. “So, if you have a 11, 12, 13, or 14 of these, those numbers start to add up. If you take a look at our total value in 2019, we’re at about $170 million worth of private investment in our community across the commercial, residential, and industrial sectors.”
As for industry, a few business expanded their footprints in the city, and the doors officially opened on Crown Iron Works’ new building after the company relocated from Roseville.
“They built an over $10 million building, bringing over 100 jobs to Blaine,” said Thorvig. “A lot of those jobs are over $100,000 (salaried engineering positions), so that was a nice new project in our community. We try to get at least one of those per year.”
As for 2020, Thorvig pointed to continued progress on the Hy-Vee grocery store location on Main Street near Blaine High School. He said site work continues and the company is still aiming to be completed in 2021.
Thorvig also hopes National Sports Center will have constructed its dome in time for some use this winter, after delays pushed back its opening later than expected.
