If a recovery rolls along one shovelful at a time, Brooklyn Center may be well on its way.
As heavy machinery hummed in the background Tuesday, dignitaries wielding golden shovels broke ground for a new FBI field office in the northern suburb. The $61 million project will give Brooklyn Center and the region a shot in the arm in a year that earlier saw the closing of the Brookdale shopping center after a long and painful decline.
The FBI complex is one of 35 new field offices the agency initiated after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It is on track to be the 23rd completed when it opens in January 2012.
Tuesday's ceremony, attended by Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Erik Paulsen, who represents Brooklyn Center in Congress, touted the project as an example of interagency cooperation and of success after a difficult financial market nearly killed it.
The FBI and the city each had something the other needed. The agency had congressional approval to seek out a new location; the city had land, 8 1/2 acres at the intersection of Interstate 694 and Minnesota Hwy. 100, a site that formerly housed a Days Inn motel. The city provided the parcel, worth about $3 million, looking at the jobs and potential economic development benefits it will generate.
Mayor Tim Willson noted that the complex will be next to another 5 acres available for redevelopment and said he views the project as a potential catalyst for investment all over the city.
In the short term, it will create more than 700 construction jobs for the region, according to the federal government. Additionally, because the three-building complex will be privately owned, by Las Vegas developer Molasky Group, it will remain on the city's tax rolls, supporting such things as schools, police and roads. It will be among the city's top 10 property-tax generators, said Gary Eitel, Brooklyn Center's business and development director.
The FBI has agreed to a 20-year lease, with annual rent of $6.4 million.