Opportunity Site Phase 1 Development
In 2018, the City of Brooklyn Center awarded a Preliminary Development Agreement to Alatus LLC for a portion of City-owned property in the southwest corner of the the Opportunity Site, at the intersection of Bass Lake Rd and Shingle Creek Parkway. In 2019, Alatus’ focus narrowed to a smaller 15-acre area of the Opportunity Site for a multi-site mixed use project. To learn more about the project team and proposed programming, click the below links.
Phase 1 Development Approval
In August 2022, City Council approved the land use and site design proposal for the Phase 1 development site. Phase 1 includes 15 acres of mixed-use private development, including hundreds of market-rate and affordable housing units, a small business incubator, and an event center. Accompanying these will be public investments — a new major multimodal public roadway, and a regional stormwater pond system.
This approval doesn’t yet begin new development, however, as the development team and city will need to finalize the legal development agreement and community benefit terms. Those discussions are ongoing and anticipated to be presented to Council in the coming months.
Entrepreneurial Market Plaza
One anticipated public benefit from the Phase I development is a proposed small business incubator, called the Entrepreneurial Market Plaza (EMP). The EMP will be centrally located within the Phase I development site, and intends to offer small businesses affordable office and retail space, while providing the public with a market place style retail destination. Architectural and Programming design is currently underway. See below for past project work, and check back for project updates!
Phase 1 Engagement Resources
The Opportunity Site Pilot Project development team is hosting regular meetings as part of the city’s Community Engagement Pilot Program. Key materials from these meetings are located below, and will be updated regularly as they become available.
Community Engagement
In January 2021, following engagement guidance from City Council, the City engaged NEOO Partners, a firm skilled at place-based, community-driven development strategies, to conduct engagement for Phase III of the Opportunity Site. This engagement sought to:
- Provide tools for deeper levels of transparency between the public, City staff, and the City Council;
- Clarify the roles and responsibilities of City Council, City staff, selected Community Partners, the public, and any prospective development partners towards development efforts within the Opportunity Site.
The goal of this phase was to develop a high level of project transparency and create a shared engagement vision to ensure that a robust, comprehensive, and meaningful public process happens, and that residents, stakeholders, and City Council are all aware of the anticipated community benefits from private investment on the Opportunity Site.
Engagement Approach
In March 2021, NEOO Partners presented to the City Council a community-based engagement strategy that would empower community partners to define the engagement tools and strategies that work best for reaching their particular communities, while clearly defining the role and responsibility of the City Council, its staff, and consultant team in this effort. The City Council confirmed this approach for Phase III engagement for the Opportunity Site. Engagement materials are located below:
Environmental Review
The Phase 1 development proposal required an Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) to be completed, which reviewed and documented expected environmental impacts of the project. After the initial analysis was completed, the draft EAW went for the required 30-day public review from April – May 2022, to allow for the general public and public agencies to review and comment.
A virtual neighborhood meeting was also hosted by the development team on April 26, 2022 that walked through this specific EAW, including what it is and how to submit comments during the 30-day period.
Neighborhood Virtual Meeting Flyer
The final EAW, all public comments, and official responses can be found at the below links. Results of the EAW, summarized in an official document called the Finding of Fact and Record of Decision, determined that further environment assessment is not necessary for the project.
Final Phase 1 EAW
On June 13, 2022, City Council passed a resolution officially declaring that based on findings of the EAW, no additional environmental impact assessments are required.
For more information about the EAW process and the steps involved to complete it, click the below link to download and view the May 24th, 2021 City Council presentation (please be aware that the file size is large, so it may take a few minutes to download):