CCM 04/27/2015 (2)
Chapter 4, Economic and Redevelopment Plan Page 29 2018 Amendment
EXHIBIT A
Moore Lake Area
The Moore Lake Shopping Center area posed another opportunity in the City for a walkable downtown.
The only form of public transportation in this 90 acre area is limited bus service along Central Avenue,
but recreational trails and sidewalks exist in the area leading to Moore Lake Park. The Moore Lake
Shopping area needs improved landscaping along the medians and right of ways. The Only Deals site
needs updating. It could be combined with the site of the former Shorewood restaurant on Moore Lake
and redeveloped into a mixed use site with fine dining on the lower level and condominiums overlooking
the lake and park above. The area on the west side of Highway 65 contains a vacant Sinclair gas station
site, which is non-conforming in size, and has sat vacant for years. The bowling alley site needs updating.
If the senior condominium projects, which received approvals for the corner of Mississippi and Central,
do not receive financing and lose their effective status, the City should continue to pursue high density,
senior housing for these corners due to the demand for this type of housing in Fridley.
Northstar Transit Oriented Development
While University Avenue between
rd
53 Avenue and Mississippi Street is
currently solely designed for
automobile traffic, it is one of the
main public transit areas in the City.
th
The southbound bus stop at 57 and
University is the last stop before the
morning express route buses rush
downtown, making it a quick, 15-
minute commute to work in the
central city. Bus stops are also
st
heavily used at 61 and Mississippi
Street on University Avenue. The
Northstar Commuter Rail Station is
just west of University Avenue at
st
61 Avenue. The Hyde Park
neighborhood, in the heart of this
area contains affordable rental and
homeownership opportunities for the surrounding industrial workforce.
Three of Fridley’s largest employers have facilities within a mile of the Fridley Northstar Station. One of
Fridley’s major commercial intersections, University and I-694, is also in this area. The Fridley Market
site in this corner has been going through extensive redevelopment by the private owner, providing new
retail opportunities and jobs for the area. In addition, a 25.5 acre, vacant, site at the corner of I-694 and
East River Road has potential to provide new jobs in the area. The site had been master planned for mixed
use development, however, after several years, the developer has been unable to find a suitable
commercial user, with excess commercial space available metro wide, and multiple market rate
residential developers have expressed concerns over market limitations. While the City continues to
preserve space across this site for a railroad crossing to connect the Northstar TOD area to the Fridley
Market site, the City is considering removing the parcel from the Northstar TOD Zoning District and
allowing the site to return to its pre-2005 industrial use. The City has found that it is not reasonable for a
site like this on a corner of an interstate and a County highway to meet the TOD setback and screening
requirements. Yet preserving the bridge connection will ensure that this site can still serve as a key multi-
modal access point in the Northstar TOD Area. All of these components make this 355 acre area a great
opportunity for transit oriented development (TOD).