Star Tribune
Rochester adopts controversial downtown historic district
ROCHESTER – Buildings over three downtown blocks here will soon be part of a new historic district, despite concerns from elected officials and building owners.
The Rochester City Council on Monday night approved creating a downtown historic commercial district in a 4-3 vote after almost three hours of discussions.
City officials have studied whether downtown should have a historic district for more than a decade. The issue came before council members in 2019, but was tabled at the time due to concerns over financial impacts to building owners.
About 32 properties near Broadway Avenue S. qualify for preservation, meaning owners would need to go through a review process before they make major exterior changes. The buildings represent some of Rochester’s oldest properties and have been a rallying point for longtime residents who seek to maintain the city’s history.
Yet owners have continually pushed back against the district, arguing it would mandate new rules and unfunded costs while giving the city more control over their properties.
The council tabled the historic district proposal again last year, asking city staff to find more financial incentives to help owners. City staff have proposed a $1 million revolving loan program where owners can borrow up to $200,000 for preservation projects at zero interest, but owners say that doesn’t offset the extra work.
“There’s nothing in this proposal for us to champion,” said Shawn Fagan, co-owner of Fagan Studios in one of the affected buildings. “There is no value in it for us property owners.”
Fagan said owners of 28 of the 32 properties signed a petition opposing the district, all of whom are concerned about the extra financial burden.
He pointed out another city proposal to abate 10% of property taxes on the properties for 15 years would only amount to a few hundred dollars in savings. John Kruesel, a property owner who runs an antique store near Third Street SW., urged the city to instead roll back taxes altogether to offset costs.
“Just forget all of these incentive packages that are miniscule and meaningless,” he said.
Owners have pushed for grant funding in the past, but City Administrator Alison Zelms said Monday the city couldn’t meet state requirements to offer the kind of money property owners sought. Council President Brooke Carlson and Mayor Kim Norton, who serve on Destination Medical Center’s agency board, said DMC officials would likely be able to offer grants to affected property owners but were waiting for the city to create the district before committing money.
“We need this district, we want this district and we want it to have proper incentives,” Norton said, pointing out a portion of the $205 million local sales tax extension voters approved last year could be used as well.
Several council members had reservations over the agreement, however. Norman Wahl compared the district to buying a car without knowing the price, while Kelly Rae Kirkpatrick called the process frustrating for the city and property owners alike to move forward without secured DMC funding.
Yet residents of all ages say the area’s character is meant to be preserved. Abe Stucky, 10, lives in an apartment near Cafe Steam and urged the council to take care of the buildings near his home.
“This block is a huge part of my childhood, and I want future generations to be able to experience this historic district,” he said.
Rain and potentially heavy snow are on tap Thursday around the Twin Cities, just before families set out for Halloween trick-or-treating.
Temperatures were expected to drop throughout the day, creating conditions for flurries. A winter weather advisory is in effect from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. covering the Twin Cities metro area and parts of south-central Minnesota. Steady rain drenched the Twin Cities on Thursday, making for a soggy morning commute.
“As colder air begins to move in this morning, the rain will transition to heavy snow from west to east with snowfall rates of an inch per hour at times into early afternoon,” the National Weather Service in Chanhassen said in a weather advisory.
The Twin Cities and surrounding areas could get between 2 and 4 inches of snow, according to the weather service. The winter weather advisory is expected to affect Anoka, Chisago, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, Washington and Le Sueur counties.
It’s unclear how much of the snow will actually stick, with warm surface temperatures likely leading to melting on contact in many areas.
“Exact totals will depend on snowfall rate, surface temperatures, and melting — which increases uncertainty with the snow forecast,” the weather service said in an early Thursday briefing.
“Thundersnow possible!” the weather service emphasized.
The good news for Halloween revelers is that the snow and rain are expected to wrap up in time for trick-or-treating, though temperatures will remain in the 30s with a sharp windchill.
An off-duty Washington County sheriff’s deputy caused a head-on crash while under the influence of alcohol and injured a couple in the other vehicle, officials said.
The crash occurred about 10:40 a.m. Sunday in Afton on Hwy. 95 at Scenic Lane, the Minnesota State Patrol said.
Campbell Johnston Blair, 58, of Hastings, was heading north in his Subaru Crosstrek, crossed into the opposite lane and collided with a southbound Ford Expedition, the patrol said.
Blair and the other vehicle’s occupants, 38-year-old Erik Robert Sward and 36-year-old Heather Lynn Sward, both of Lake Elmo, were taken to Regions Hospital with non-critical injuries, according to the patrol.
The patrol noted the alcohol use by Blair was involved in the crash.
Blair, who was driving a private vehicle at the time of the crash while off-duty, has been a deputy with the Sheriff’s Office since 2020 and is currently assigned to our Court Security Unit.
The Sheriff’s Office has been asked for reaction to the crash involving one of its deputies.
ST. CLOUD – On Tuesday, St. Cloud voters will be asked to make decisions on a new fire station and moving city elections to odd years, and — for those who live in Stearns County — how to fund a new county jail.
Here’s a look at the three referendum questions that are on St. Cloud-area ballots this year.
Ballot question: “Shall Stearns County be authorized to impose a sales tax & use tax of three-eighths of one percent to finance up to $325 million, plus associated bonding costs, for the construction of a justice center facility, consisting of law enforcement, judicial center and jail? The sales tax would be used solely to finance construction, upgrades and financing costs for the justice center and remain in effect for 30 years or until the project is paid for, whichever comes first. These services and facilities are mandated by the state of Minnesota to be provided by counties.”
Stearns County officials are planning to build a new $325 million justice center complex that includes a 270-bed jail, a judicial center with courtrooms, and a law enforcement center that houses the Sheriff’s Office. In the summer, Stearns County board members voted to move those facilities out of downtown and to a new location with more space. That site has yet to be determined.
The question before voters is how to fund that center.
County Administrator Mike Williams said a common misconception he’s heard at recent town halls is residents think voting “yes” gives permission to the county to build the facility, and if they vote “no,” the county won’t spend the money to build it.
“People [think they] are voting on the project — and they’re not. They’re voting on how we are going to fund it,” Williams said.
If voters approve the ballot question, the county will impose a sales tax to fund the project. If they vote it down, the county can instead pay for the project with property taxes.