Downtown
The City Council recently approved two agreements, formally securing nearly $1.3 million in grant funding for the Main Street Rogers redevelopment project. Grant funds were awarded by the Department of Employment & Economic Development and Metropolitan Council. Those monies will help offset expenses related to property acquisition, building demolition, on-site storm water improvements, and construction of on-site pedestrian improvements, plazas and greenspaces. Developer Duffy Development has applied for additional grant funding through Hennepin County, and working to secure the necessary financing, including tax credits.
The project will bring new housing and commercial space to the corner of Main Street and John Deere Lane. It will feature a 40-unit active living seniors (55+) apartment building with space for a new senior center, and a 66-unit workforce and market rate apartment building. If the project gets the green light, construction would not likely start until Spring 2021.
Planning Work Supports Vision For Downtown Revitalization
The Downtown Rogers redevelopment project proposed by Duffy Development is not the only ongoing work focused on long-term downtown reinvestment. City staff are currently working on two projects aimed at reenergizing Downtown Rogers. The Main Street Streetscape Plan is focused on redesigning the look and feel of Main Street from County Road 81 to Rogers Elementary School by improving pedestrian access and creating places for active and passive enjoyment. The City is also updating its Downtown Master Plan. This Plan is a tool to guide efforts aimed at downtown revitalization. To learn more about both projects visit: www.rogersmn.gov/planning/downtown.
Downtown Planning
The downtown redevelopment project proposed by Duffy Development is only part of the ongoing work focused on downtown reinvestment. City staff are currently working on two projects aimed at re-energizing Downtown Rogers.
The recently approved Rogers 2040 Comprehensive Plan places a renewed emphasis on Downtown Rogers as an important community asset – vital to the local economy and community gatherings. The traditional feel of Main Street presents a unique opportunity for the downtown to fulfill a dual role as a social district for community gatherings and hub of activity for commerce and residential living. That is accomplished through both new public and private investment.
Rogers Main Street Streetscape Plan
The Rogers Main Street Streetscape Plan is focused on redesigning Main Street from County Road 81 south to Rogers Elementary School. A main emphasis of the he streetscape plan is to create spaces for people and connect those spaces to businesses and residences in the downtown area. Generally, the plan includes new public spaces for downtown and other physical enhancements to improve and encourage pedestrian activity by calming traffic on Main Street. The Streetscape Plan is a critical support tool for the Downtown Master Plan.
The streetscape plan shows the corner of Main Street and Church Avenue as a central gathering place for the community.
Downtown Master Plan
The other planning effort focuses on updating the Downtown Rogers Master Plan, originally adopted in 2015. The underlying objective of the Master Plan is to guide revitalization and redevelopment of Downtown Rogers, thereby re-igniting its importance as a community asset, especially for small business. The Master Plan and 2040 Comprehensive Plan, together, seek to re-energize Downtown Rogers by capitalizing on existing assets, notably several existing buildings original to the early years of Rogers, and using new infill development to further support the vision for downtown. A major part of the Master Plan update will include a study and strategy regarding the potential investment in those older buildings, where possible, notably the rehabilitation of storefronts. Reinvesting in existing downtown buildings is important to ensure an area enticing and affordable for small business.
A rendering to show the restored storefront of the old State Bank of Rogers building.
The City received a $50,000 Hennepin County Corridor Planning grant to complete the planning work. The grant helped the City hire WSB to work on the Main Street Streetscape Plan and Community Design Group to update the Downtown Rogers Master Plan.