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2001 Public/Private Partnership Awards MAYOR NORM COLEMAN, CITY OF
SAINT PAUL AWARD OF EXCELLENCE When Norm
Coleman first took office as Mayor of Saint Paul in 1994, he faced an urban
city in decline. Downtown had lost half the value of its taxable property and
businesses were leaving the city at an alarming rate. The market value of the
World Trade Center built in 1987 for $96 million had eroded to $50 million.
That theme was repeated throughout the city, and it was obvious the need to
restore economic and social vitality would require the participation and
support of the private sector. The need for
vision and leadership was critical, and 3M was proud to be one of twelve
founding members of the Capital City Partnership in 1996. Mayor Coleman hosted a breakfast for the
CEOs of the largest corporations, described the challenge, and told them that
City Government couldn’t do the job alone. He proposed bringing together the
resources and leadership of the private and public sectors, as well as the foundation
and non-profit community through the Riverfront Corporation to work in
partnership to achieve a community vision for Saint Paul. Since that time,
the participation of business in the Capital City Partnership has grown to over
50 CEOs, and its president John Labosky has been instrumental in working with
Patrick Seeb, president of the Riverfront Corporation to establish a joint
vision called “Saint Paul on the
Mississippi Development Framework.” Key involvement and support by 3M in
these two organizations has resulted in major planning and funding initiatives. The first phase
priority has been to bring commercial tenants back to the urban core. The focus
created an environment that is attractive to businesses both physically and
financially, while working to retain and attract existing and new companies.
Prime examples were the expansion of Minnesota Life and Lawson Software
bringing 1000 jobs downtown, filling two city blocks with new offices, parking,
and street level retail. Second, the
Partnership worked to ensure that the historic arts and culture of the
community would thrive by building a new $100 million Science Museum on the
downtown side of the river. Most recently, the Partnership helped celebrate the
life of Charles Shultz, a native of Saint Paul, by developing a “Peanuts on
Parade” program that drew tens of thousands of visitors this summer to view 101
five foot tall Snoopy statues dressed in a variety of themes. That response was
overwhelming, and the project raised money for a permanent memorial as well as
scholarships for youth in the arts. Saint Paul as an
entertainment destination was key to the third phase. The Partnership played a
key role in underwriting the City’s successful effort to lure a NHL franchise
back to Minnesota, the State of Hockey. The Minnesota Wild began its inaugural
season this fall in a new $175 million arena. This venture has already
generated millions of dollars in private investment including new or renovated
bars, restaurants and hotels. Together, the new arena, convention center and
Science Museum will bring over three million new visitors to the downtown area
annually. The fourth
phase, now in the planning and initial building stage, is to increase available
mixed-use housing in the downtown core. The Partnership supported the Mayor’s
high profile commitment to more housing by working with the business community
and developers to outline the “urban villages” that are the goal of the vision.
Recently, U.S. Bancorp announced plans to locate an office complex on the now
vacant West Side Flats, a polluted area that has resisted development for
decades. This investment will leverage the creation of over 700 units of
housing. And finally, the
fifth phase will bring a critical mass of retail back to the downtown core. The
Partnership and the Mayor recognized a need to evaluate the goals by conducting
a market survey to determine the evolution of retail services over the next few
years. While the first four phases are
being completed, the influx of workers, residents, and visitors to downtown
will support the retail envisioned. 3M has provided
volunteer expertise, product donations, and well over $1 million in funding of
the innovative Design Center of the Riverfront Corporation and the marketing of
the vision and plans through the Capital City Partnership. The Design Center
provides a collaborative forum for guiding development projects to ensure long
term accomplishment of the design principles of “The Framework.” By providing community calendars and supporting
community events to engage the citizens in planning and celebrating
accomplishments, and funding a unique 3D Quick Time Virtual Reality planning
and marketing tool, 3M has been instrumental in moving Saint Paul toward a
better future. The result of this initial commitment by 3M and eleven other corporate
partners has been a dramatic strengthening of the urban core, The evidence is
record high absorption rates the past few years, and new retail, restaurants
and attractions such as the new state-of-the-art hockey arena, and renewed
confidence in Saint Paul. This unique public/private/non-profit partnership has
generated what both local newspapers have hailed as a remarkable renaissance in
Minnesota’s Capital City. |