Item Description:
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Authorize conveyance of Tract L of the Lake & Hiawatha Redevelopment Project to Metropolitan Council; Neg Agmt A2613383 with Metropolitan Council allowing Metropolitan Council to temporarily lease Tract O of the Lake & Hiawatha Redevelopment Project for construction purposes
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Resolution:
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BE IT RESOLVED, that the Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority authorizes conveyance to the Metropolitan Council of Tract L, Registered Land Survey No. 1896, consistent with Minn. Stat. § 465.035; and that following review and approval by the County Attorney’s Office, the Chair be authorized to sign the deed, and the Executive Director be authorized to sign all related documents on behalf of the Authority; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Executive Director be authorized to negotiate License Agreement A2613383 with Metropolitan Council, temporarily leasing Tract O, Registered Land Survey No. 1896, during the approximate period of May 1, 2026, through December 31, 2027, to Metropolitan Council for construction staging purposes; that following review and approval by the County Attorney’s Office, the Executive Director be authorized to sign the agreement on behalf of the Authority; and that the Controller be authorized to accept and disburse funds as directed.
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Background:
Resolution 14-HCHRA-0043 authorized acceptance of Hennepin County capital funding and various agreements for the acquisition and development of property located at the southwest corner of East Lake Street and Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis (the “Redevelopment Project”). The Redevelopment Project included construction of the South Minneapolis Regional Human Services Center, a public plaza, and multiple phases of privately developed multifamily housing.
The property the Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HCHRA) acquired for the Redevelopment Project included approximately 3,000 square feet of land adjacent to the Blue Line light rail transit (LRT) tracks and viaduct which was surplus to HCHRA’s needs for the Redevelopment Project. This area was designated as “Tract L” in Registered Land Survey No. 1896 when the title registration process for the Redevelopment Project was completed. A prior HCHRA Resolution (19-HCHRA-0023) authorized conveyance of Tract L to the State of Minnesota, which was the owner of the adjacent LRT property at that time. HCHRA did not transfer Tract L, however, and in the intervening years, the state transferred ownership of the LRT tracks and viaduct to the Metropolitan Council. This action, then, would authorize conveyance of Tract L to the Metropolitan Council for continued public use as LRT infrastructure.
HCHRA also owns Tract O of the Redevelopment Project, an approximately 42,000 square foot surface parking lot which is planned for future redevelopment. Metropolitan Council has requested a temporary lease of Tract O for construction staging activities related to its planned substantial renovation of the Lake Street/Midtown Light Rail Station. License Agreement A2613383 would lease Tract O to Metropolitan Council to use for construction staging purposes for an approximately eighteen-month period, during which period Metropolitan Council would be responsible for security and maintenance of the property.
Current Request: Authorization to convey Tract L of the Lake and Hiawatha Redevelopment Project to the Metropolitan Council, and to negotiate License Agreement A2613383 with the Metropolitan Council for its temporary use of Tract O of the Lake and Hiawatha Redevelopment Project.
Impacts/Outcome: This action will allow the HCHRA to convey surplus property to Metropolitan Council for ongoing use as light rail transit track infrastructure and will support improvements to the Lake Street/Midtown Light Rail Station to be constructed by the Metropolitan Council.
recommendation
Recommendation from County Administrator: Recommend Approval