The City of Excelsior is considering two proposals for prominent developments in its downtown. One is for the development of the Port of Excelsior into a Pavillion resembling what once stood there, and the other is for the redevelopment of the Pizza Hut building which is being rumored as a proposed boutique hotel.
Excelsior has a long reputation as a place where development and redevelopment of property can be a hassle-laden process. Relatively strict guidelines for things like building heights and a vocal base of residents who deeply value the history and character of the city create an approval process which requires patience. Over the years, some developers have walked away from the commissions or Council feeling personal design preference was too often injected into the debate.
With both of these projects, however, the developers are asking for alot. In the case of the Pavillion, there would be the loss of lakefront views and the selling of prime lakefront property that is currently open space. With the proposed hotel, although details are sketchy, we are hearing there would be a significant height variance requested (as much as 20 feet). The new Council, while showing signs of being redevelopment friendly, is faced with proposals that are anything but routine or incremental.
If one or both of these proposals are ultimately denied by Excelsior's Council, nobody can accuse them of being anti-development based on these projects alone. The developers are asking for much more than a nominal setback variance or a slightly unusual building facade. They are asking for the City to grant them the authority to make major changes that would redefine the city for generations, using major exceptions to agreed-upon development codes which have been guiding development up until now. While we are not advocating for or against either project at this time, we believe Excelsior's Council is well-served to tread carefully and gather all the input before moving ahead.
Excelsior Facing Future-Shaping Decisions (Editorial)
Shorewood Liquor Stores Sell For $720,000
The Shorewood Liquor Store sale grossed approximately $720,000, before sales fees and severance to displaced employees. Part of that sale price also included existing inventory.
Assuming the profits from continuing operations would have been approximately $40,000 per year, the sale suggests that the stores had a return on equity of approximately 5.5%. The city can now use the sale proceeds to generate the same rate of return in a much more passive and predictable manner.
A Star Tribune article about the sale can be found here.
Recommended Listening
Regardless of your political persuasion, I found today's MPR Midday broadcast on the "State of the Republican Party in Minnesota" interesting. As we've explained before, the South Lake area has been a microcosm of the Republicans' weakening trend in the state.
The underlying issue is the balancing of political principle (a Conservative thing) and campaign success (a Republican thing).
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/01/23/midday2/
Bridge Collapse: Litigation Begins
Many victims of the Minneapolis bridge collapse are getting ready to sue the State, companies involved with bridge repair and oversight, and the City of Minneapolis.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080122/ap_on_re_us/bridge_collapse_legal
Press in the Sun Sailor
This blog was mentioned in the Sun Sailor as one of Excelsior's "online street corners". We appreciate hitting the radar of established news sources like the Sun Sailor. The editorial can be found at http://www.mnsun.com/articles/2008/01/19/opinion/ex17mike.txt. The editorial also makes mention of another area blog which we didn't previously know about, http://excelsiorvoters.blogspot.com/.
Editor Mike Hanks made a good point in his piece, that readers should use their judgment when reading posts from anonymous, upstart sources. Even though we are one of those anonymous, upstart sources, we concur with Hanks. The more of your reputation you put at stake when writing, the more accountable you are for your opinions. Being an anonymous blog puts little at stake for the blog publisher, except the internal conscience that what you are writing is true and accurate.
We have chosen to keep this blog anonymous for a couple reasons. First, the intention is for this to be a community forum, not a personal editorial outlet (although editorial element has snuck in to posts a bit more than was originally intended, but hey -- slow news days). Second, we've never thought it really mattered, as the author(s) hold a low profile in the area (non-business-owners, non-office-holders).
We appreciate making the printed word, and can appreciate Hanks' call to use judgment when reading online sources, or any news source for that matter. There is no substitute for watching a city council meeting for yourself, attending a candidate forum in person, or doing your own research on municipal and civic issues. Hopefully we give you one more angle to consider when arriving at your own conclusions.
Best Breakfasts on the South Shore
Lake Minnetonka has several excellent breakfast spots surrounding it, but unfortunately for us on the South Shore they tend to be clustered in Wayzata. Sunsets and the Original Pancake House, just to name two, are reliable and high quality places that are sometimes worth the drive.
But for those of us who prefer to keep our business closer to home, there are a couple smallish breakfast places that have every bit the quality of our neighbors to the north. Here is the South Lake Tonka Blog's first ever breakfast joint honor roll:
1. Beanhaven Cafe, Minnetonka Blvd, Deephaven. This small eatery at near Chowen's Corner offers a creative breakfast menu with high quality food every time. The speciality seems to be omelettes (there are many to choose from) and other egg dishes, but you won't go wrong with something as simple as french toast. If the place has a downfall, it is the limited seating capacity -- there is room for 30-35 max and it is not oncommon to have quite a wait for a table. However, as with many neighborhood places, the small size is also what gives it its charm.
2. 318 Cafe, Water Street, Excelsior. In what was voted the Best Neighborhood Eatery in a recent Twin Cities publication, 318 continues to create tasty and unique dishes for all three meals. Breakfasts are excellent, with high quality and a step-up in thoughtfulness from your basic pancake and sausage menu. The scrambled egg sandwich and breakfast burrito are personal favorites. This author also believes they serve the best coffee in the area. They open a little late for early risers -- 8am Mon-Sat and 11am Sun -- but if that suits your schedule you won't be disappointed in the food.
Both are excellent choices!
While Beanhaven and 318 are the only two that make our honor roll as true breakfast places, there are a few places that serve good Sunday breakfast or brunch. Hazellewood Grill on Hwy 19 in Tonka Bay and Maynard's on Minnetonka Blvd. in Excelsior are both worth a Sunday try. Additionally, the Cottagewood General Store serves excellent cinnamon rolls on summer weekends, but can't be classified as a true breakfast place.
For those who prefer an economical if not exciting breakfast, Hilltop Restaurant just off Hwy 7 in Excelsior offers quick, basic, and cheap eats in the morning. In the same category is Perkins in nearby Chanhassen. These places are nowhere near the two that made our honor roll in terms of food quality, but will provide your breakfast fix in a pinch.
The bottom line? Beanhaven and 318 are excellent neighborhood places, but one has to believe there is also room for another choice in the South Lake area without taking business away from the established eateries. It might be a new entrant, or it might be a place like Hazellewood expanding their hours to become a daily breakfast place.
Five Questions in the Race for Ramstad's Seat
The race for Jim Ramstad’s 3rd Congressional District House Seat should get more interesting in the next four to six weeks. As Minnesota wraps up its role in Super Tuesday (February 5), focus will shift from Presidential politics to local politics. For the first time in nearly 20 years, the 3rd District will have a wide-open race for voters to participate in. While the Democrats have gotten out of the blocks with three serious candidates, the Republicans have yet for anyone to officially enter the race, although it is said that Erik Paulsen, State Representative from Eden Prairie, is committed to the race and raising funds.
As this gets more interesting, here are my five questions as it pertains to this race. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.
Is Jim Ramstad Officially Out? He has announced his retirement and reiterated it at least once. However, more than one pundit watching the 3rd District just gets the feeling that he is not at peace with his decision. Call it collective intuition, but until he emphatically denies any interest in returning or endorses another candidate, there is going to be a buzz that he may not yet be out. Republican leadership in Washington would just as soon have a more conservative vote coming from the district, but if it is between a moderate Republican vote and a Democratic vote, they would jump at the chance of having Jim back.
When Will We See Activity on the Republican side? The answer to this may very well hinge on the answer to the first question. To-date, we know that Erik Paulsen is raising funds and working the Republican network for support. We also know that, while he hasn’t yet formally announced, Paulsen is scheduled to be on TPT’s Almanac in two weeks as a Republican candidate. While Paulsen has a history of effectively serving his Eden Prairie Constituents, he is hardly the only effective Republican public servant in the area and we would be surprised if there isn’t at least some behind-the-scenes activity from other potential candidates attempting to gauge if they could make a run.
If Paulsen Is The Only Republican Candidate, How Much Of a Money Advantage Does That Give Him? While the three Democrat candidates, Terri Bonoff, Ashwin Madia, and Jim Hovland split an estimated $400,000 of available funds in the most recent quarter (Hovland’s numbers aren’t yet in so we’re estimating), the rumor is that Paulsen collected that much himself. While you could argue that it is encouraging for Democrats to raise as much as Republicans in this historically right-leaning district, the spending side of the equation gives Paulsen a huge advantage if he has a non-competitive caucus and primary season. Campaign rules allow people to give once for the primary and once for the general, whether or not the candidate actually had to spend any money to get the nomination.
This Could Become a Blue Seat In 2008, But Could It Ever Be A “Safe” Blue Seat? There is no doubt that with the national anti-Bush sentiment, unhappiness with the Iraq situation, and strength of Democrat Presidential candidates giving the party a wave to ride, this could be a year that we see the 3rd District go Democrat. But could it ever be a “safe” seat for the Democrats like it has been for the Republicans? History would tell us that the 3rd likes a moderate Republican, but Ramstad didn’t lose much face in the district when his votes swayed to the left. Regardless of the temporary political environment, the 3rd likes a Congressperson who thinks for themself but is a “limited Government” person at heart. For that reason, this seat would be difficult for a Democrat to hold long-term unless he or she was extremely moderate, and we’re talking at least a 40 on the National Review’s 1-100 point scale (100 being the most conservative).
Does It Really Matter? As we’ve written before, there is a very good chance that Minnesota loses a congressional seat in 2010. That means that the new Congressperson would serve one term before potentially having to run against a popular incumbent from a neighboring district.
3rd Congressional District Fundraising
The Oct-Dec 07 fundraising numbers are in, and two DFL candidates posted very strong fundraising. State Sen. Terri Bonoff and Attorney Ashwin Madia both raised in excess of $100,000.
No reports are yet available from the other two known candidates, DFLer Jim Hovland and the GOP's Erik Paulsen.
This confirms that there will be no shortage of Democratic money making its way into this race. It also confirms that the Republicans can't wait too long before a candidate or candidates become visible, or Congressman Ramstad officially changes his mind and gets back into the race.
This blog maintains its belief that a strong Independent candidate, particularly one who could be partially self-financed, could have a real chance in this district. This is especially true if the party bases decide to nominate candidates who are off-center on the issues. We hope more people come forward to get into this race, as it would be good for the voters for this race to open up even more.
Arctic Fever on Jan 19 in Tonka Bay, Excelsior, and Shorewood
Shorewood, Tonka Bay, and Excelsior will host "Arctic Fever", a winter festival on January 19. Details can be found at http://www.arcticfever.net.
It is great to see a civic festival attempting to fill the gap that often occurs between Christmas and the May timeframe when things begin to pick up again around the lake. It is also nice to see three South Lake villages coordinating on a community event like this.