HomeMy WebLinkAbout1976 05-25 St. Paul Chamber says 3M plant site decision was wise DISPATCH 8(E) St.Paul Dispatch Tues.,May 25, '76
St. Paul Chamber says3M
plant site decision was wise
By JIM BROEDE advantages to the company,the "WE MUST recognize," he downtown simply cannot ac-
Staff Writer desirability of a downtown lora- explained,"the fact that St.Paul commodate a development of
The 3M s choice the tion begins to fade." does not have available the sev- the scope proposed by the 3M
suburban Co.Co.s choice of the Martin also admitted that, eral hundred acres that a project Co."
areaubrfba a Oakdale-Lake
proposed newe Elmo "Our organization, quite natu- of this size requires." He pointed out that present
P prally,would be pleased to have The 3M Co. has 563 acres for levels of vehicular traffic have
and research park was a wise the 3M Co.locate in St.Paul or the complex at the northeast cor- "already overloaded our trans-
one,the St.Paul Area Chamber Ramsey County. ner of I-694 and Hwy.212. portation network and caused
of Commerce says. "BUT WE must respect the "It has been difficult enough pollution downtown.Even sub-
THERE HAS'been discussion fact that economic considera- (for St.Paul)to provide land for stantially increasing the vehicle
in recent weeks, particularly at tions must be important in any the comparatively small expan- o c c u p a n c y rates,which 3M
the Metropolitan Council staff decision on the location.A facil- sion of West Publishing Co.and hopes to achieve at Oakdale-
level, over whether or not a ity such as is proposed by 3M other similar expansion propos- Lake Elmo,would probably not
downtown St. Paul site or a cannot economically be placed als,"Martin stated. avert these problems."
closer-in suburb, would have in the center city." "It should be noted that suffi- Martin said it would be
been a better location for the Martin expressed the cham- cient acreage was not available "nice" if St. Paul acquired the
company's expansion facilities. ber's position on the location is- in St.Paul when the present 3M tax base from the 3M develop-
However,Amos Martin,exec- sue in a 9-page written state- Center was located in Maple- meet.
utive vice president of the St. ment addressed to Oakdale wood 20 years ago." But he added, "Tax base
Paul Chamber, said, "From a Mayor Peter Graske. Martin said the chamber had aside,any major development of
purely social point of view, a The chamber administrator met with 3M officials to discuss this type in the St. Paul area,
downtown location might be en- suggested that 3M's site selec- the development proposal and even outside St. Paul proper,
visioned to have some merits. tion decision was bawd on the site selection criteria. will have a very positive impact
From the point of view of the "physical considerations." "IT WAS concluded that on St.Paul's economy."