The Hastings City Council will vote Monday on whether to transfer ownership of a historic manufacturing building to a local developer who plans to build a 100,000-square-foot hotel, event center and apartment complex.
City officials and the businessmen behind Confluence Development want to transform the old H.D. Hudson Manufacturing building — the last vestige of a once-booming industrial area along the Mississippi River — into a mixed-use project called Great River Landing.
"This will bring a newness to an old, dilapidated site and turn into something that will be a gem in the city," said Mayor Paul Hicks.
"It is a substantial step toward completion of a strong vision for revitalizing our riverfront," said Melanie Mesko Lee, Hastings city administrator. "This is probably the largest single property footprint that we'll address."
H.D. Hudson Manufacturing, based in Chicago, made industrial sprayers at the Hastings site for decades.
The city bought the 3.8-acre property west of Hwy. 61 in 2010 for about $3 million, but "tremendously complicated" environmental issues have delayed progress, Mesko Lee said. Fixing those problems cost the city $2.7 million, though it has received several grants toward that total. It plans to sell the property to Confluence for $1.
If the City Council approves the sale Monday night, Confluence plans to close the deal in late January. After the transfer, the building will still need more environmental work. Confluence will finalize plans and obtain building permits by summer's end, with completion of the project expected by the end of 2019, Mesko Lee said.
Council members will also vote on several other measures Monday night, including whether to approve a parking agreement between the city and the developer. Plans call for a nearby bank to become a parking ramp with free public parking.
Improving the riverfront area has been a major focus for the city for nearly a decade, Mesko Lee said.
"It definitely needed a face-lift," she said.
Erin Adler • 612-673-1781
