Columbia Heights residents had a first chance to look at what might happen to a 12-acre parcel of land on the shore of Sullivan Lake now that Medtronic has moved out.
A Jan. 9 open house at City Hall, at which city and development specialists looked at possibilities for the land, was attended by about 50 people.
Community Development Director Aaron Chirpich emphasized to the attendees that nothing is set in stone, and that the city at this point is trying to make the best of the situation in a number of ways.
Two concepts for land were on display, and each included both high density housing and townhome development. Other possibilities included expanding Sullivan Lake Park, and possibly putting in some retail development.
At present, the land is occupied by a large, empty Medtronic office building and a fairly massive parking lot. Medtronic moved its employees to its Fridley site and put the acreage up for sale in late 2022.
Chirpich said the value of the property is between $10 million and $12.5 million and that several developers have inquired about the land. He said it would not be feasible for the city to simply purchase the land.
Columbia Heights has hired HKGi, a Minneapolis planning and design firm, to oversee the preliminary work. Bryan Harjes, vice president with the company, went over possibilities for the acreage.
Harjes said development on the land may be guided by what’s possible. For instance, retail development may be limited because of less-than-ideal road access to the Medtronic site.
Likewise, single home development is probably not feasible because it would take about $2.5 million to construct each home. As one resident at the meeting noted, “Columbia Heights isn’t North Oaks.”
Still, Harjes said, there could be a mix of uses for the land, leaning mainly on residential. Both concepts shown to the public at the meeting showed a mixture of townhomes and higher density multifloor buildings. He said as many as 500 units could be constructed.
Chirpich said using the whole space for an expansion of Sullivan Lake Park was cost prohibitive for the city. He said expansion of the park and trails, though, was likely.
Zoning is a problem. “Medtronic moved there in 1979, and we had no expectation the land would be used for anything else,” Chirpich said. The parcel is zoned for commercial use and would have to be rezoned for housing or retail use.
Questions and comments from the public
included:
• Can the water quality of the lake be improved? (Yes.)
• Please don’t increase traffic on 53rd Street [Avenue].
• Could there be a new use for the Medtronic office building? (Probably not.)
• Will the city have enough
water available for all that housing? (Yes.)
• What was the property used for before Medtronic developed it 45 years ago? (Farmland and a gravel pit.)
• Why is the city considering improvements now, when residents who have lived there for 30 years have never seen any improvements?
Chirpich said the chance to develop the land could provide enough money to improve things like the storm sewers and other water problems. “This is an opportunity to fix things.”
He said it was likely the city would use tax increment financing (TIF), an economic tool in which the city uses the additional property taxes generated by a new development to pay for certain development expenses.
Residents have a chance to comment on this phase of the planning (by Jan. 23) by going to the city’s website and clicking on Medtronic Site Redevelopment Study.
The next step will be to go to the city’s planning commission with a plan and then bring it to the city council, probably in late spring or early summer.

One of two concepts for the redevelopment of the former Medtronic campus presented at the Jan. 9 open house. (City of Columbia Heights)

Bryan Harjes, vice president of the Minneapolis planning and design firm HKGi, left, and Aaron Chirpich, Columbia Heights community development director, took questions from the audience. Chirpich said redevelopment would give the city a chance to “fix things” such as storm sewers. (Al Zdon)