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Cleveland "circling" This entry was posted on 11/10/2007 10:26 AM and is filed under uncategorized. SPicy is back in town and back on the beat – and spending a lot of time reviewing analysis of the elections on cityhallscoop.com. It was nice that someone took the time to write-in SPicy for a spot on the city council. It certainly does give one something to think about.(SPicy will leave it to you to figure out the details) But what has SPicy's mind really spinning is what seems to be the dwindling hopes that something will ever be built on the site that is known to many as Cleveland Circle. Others just know it as the big, empty space across the street from the Xcel Energy Center that is owned by the city. In July of this year, City Center Retail, LLC was given tentative developer status by the St. Paul Housing and Redevelopment Authority to move forward with plans for the project. The Mayor even released a statement to highlight the significance of the agreement. For Immediate Release July 25, 2007 Mayor Coleman Releases Statement on Tentative Developer Status for Seven Corners Gateway Site (Saint Paul) – Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman released the following statement today on the designation of City Center Retail, LLC as the tentative developer for the Seven Corners Gateway Site downtown."The Seven Corners Gateway Site is one of the prime development opportunities in Saint Paul. As the Penfield and the Farmers Market Flats projects continue to show the promise of bringing new residents to downtown Saint Paul, we are committed to bringing development to Cleveland Circle that will expand the West 7th entertainment corridor into the heart of downtown. The designation of a tentative developer for this site is a great step forward in our development agenda and our efforts to make Saint Paul the Most Livable City in America." SPicy is now hearing that this "great step forward" may actually be more of a massive stubbing of the "development toe." The developers were supposed to have submitted by October 31 more information related to the development plan for the site. Halloween came and went without anything happening. A skating rink for the Minnesota Wild had been rumored to be part of the project but SPicy has heard the team is no longer part of the project. Other buzz in the development "community" is that City Center was looking for other retail partners for the project – after original reports that City Center Retail planed a Niketown-like sporting goods store and a boutique hotel for the site.While some think SPicy has an issue with current leadership in Saint Paul, the reality is SPicy and fans of this site want this city to succeed. Saint Paul needs a big project to break ground to re-establish the energy and positive momentum downtown. Cleveland Circle is the best place for this to happen. The first Mayor Coleman and Mayor Kelly were not able make anything happen. This Coleman has a chance to be the one that can finally move something beyond "tentative" and "plans include" to "reality." But the time for leadership and action is now. This same group claims credit for the surging downtown momentum generated by The Penfield and Fitzgerald Park. And now we are looking at what could be a downtown, community focused, "non-development trifecta." SPicy hopes this is unfounded alarm. Yet it's never a good sign when deadlines pass and potential partners in a project move on to other ideas. The city wanted to break ground immediately after the RNC convention next year – a goal that appears to be in jeopardy.The good news is there may be something we can celebrate next year. SPicy is hearing that the Capital City Partnership has an exciting idea to build on the energy from the RNC convention. John "Mr. St. Paul" Labosky is apparently getting ready to roll-out a program to sell and decorate elephant statues next summer. Until next time - |
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