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VICTORIA RECEIVES $164,503 GRANT TO ASSIST GROCERY STORE DEVELOPMENT Councilmembers gave Holly Kreft, the city’s Planner and Community Development Director, a round of applause and accolades on Thursday evening, September 25th, because of yet another successful grant application awarded to the City of Victoria through her efforts, this grant very large, $164,503. According to Holly, “The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (commonly called DEED) supplies the redevelopment grant.” “It is fairly competitive,” she reported. “There were twelve applications this year and we were one of five communities to be awarded a grant. The dollar amount is determined based on a 50% match, so for us we used the abatement and demolition of the homes on Quamoclit and the city’s portion of the assessments.” What is the stated purpose of the grant? “To provide gap financing for redevelopment projects in blighted areas. Our specific grant was for public infrastructure costs as part of the redevelopment for Fresh Seasons.” According to DEED’s website, “The project in Victoria is expected to create 38 jobs and increase the tax base by $37,261.” According to DEED’s website, other cities receiving grant money, which totaled $2 million, included North Mankato (for redevelopment of a former Marigold Dairy site), Norwood Young America (for redevelopment of an Oak Grove milk processing site), Minneapolis (for developing a YWCA), Minneapolis (for redeveloping a residential site into a four-story condo with 31 affordable units), Roseville (for redeveloping a trucking facilities site into office and mixed use space), St. Paul Port Authority (for redeveloping an industrial site into commercial space).
VICTORIA RECEIVE $64,000 TO ASSIST WITH PLANNING ACTIVITIES The City of Victoria will receive a $64,000 grant through 1,000 Friends of Minnesota to help offset planning costs. Said Holly Kreft, City Planner, “The city was successful. This will help with planning activities over the next five to six years.” The City of Victoria applied for this grant and had expressed a willingness to participate in this project for all of six years. The city will receive the $64,000 in four payments in the first two years. In the third year the city must be willing to spend at least $6,000 of its own money toward a project. As Holly reported, “The city has a number of projects, including first updates to the Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Ordinance, as required by the Met Council, and then master planning of key growth areas including the Marsh Lake Hunt Club and the Business Park planned at County Road 10 and 11.” According to the report, funding comes from the McKnight Foundation for multi-year projects called Community Growth Options, and the funding is administered by 1,000 Friends of Minnesota. The City of Victoria was one of five communities to receive funding. The other four cities were Norwood Young America, Corcoran, Becker, and Princeton. The three firms from which the city much choose to assist with planning efforts include Bonestroo, Community Growth Institute, and Municipal Development Growth. There are other city obligations with regard to the grant. The city must participate in at least one 1,000 Friends workshop, submit reports, be willing to share planning models with other cities, and maintain accurate accounting data. Stated Councilmember Jim Paulsen about the successful grant application, “This is a colossal achievement. Holly and the staff should all be commended. Previous councils have also contributed to this success, by showing the Foundation our parcels of land and how we were planning for institutions like schools and parks.” “It’s quite commendable,” agreed Councilmember Kim Roden. “We’re in a good place,” said Councilmember Richard Tieden. “It’s very encouraging.”
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