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Effort to redevelop Crystal Airport takes off
October 22, 2004—The Northwest Corridor Partnership [NOTE: as of 2005, renamed the Bottineau Boulevard Partenrship] announced that it will pursue the closure of the Crystal Airport and the conversion of the 430-acre site to house a mix of industry, business and housing. The 15-member partnership is a public-private leadership organization mobilizing resources for transit and redevelopment along Hennepin County Road 81, one of the fastest-growing corridors in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. "It's time to start the discussion," said Hennepin County Commissioner Mike Opat, who chairs the partnership. "The need for the airport has all but vanished, and the site’s potential value for local communities has never been greater. We've looked at this chance for years, and now it's time to move forward." Opat and other members of the partnership, including leaders in the cities of Crystal and Brooklyn Park, home to the airport, say that redevelopment of the airport site will be a years-long process. "The surrounding communities and the county and the private sector have united to say, in no uncertain terms, that we should achieve a better use for the land," said Crystal Mayor Peter Meintsma. "Still, a project of this magnitude will take time to come together." The Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) designates the Crystal Airport as one of six reliever airports for the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport. The MAC's data suggest that sufficient general aviation capacity exists at the area’s other airports. Patrick Peters, Crystal’s community development director, said that the airport's redevelopment is contemplated in the city’s comprehensive plan. "It seems anachronistic to continue to operate a general aviation airport that is surrounded by single family neighborhoods. "The airport, at more than 400 acres, represents the largest tract of underutilized property within the County Road 81 corridor, and we need to think about it as the key redevelopment opportunity that it is, something that will encourage reinvestment and build support for an important bus rapid transit system." Peters said. The Northwest Corridor Partnership's economic development efforts include the creation of a bus rapid transit service along County Road 81. |
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