With a new wastewater treatment plant serving the Hastings area planned to be open in 2027, City of Hastings officials are planning for a future in the downtown area without it.
The current wastewater treatment plant is on the north side of Second Street, just east of the railroad tracks on the edge of the downtown area.
When the current facility, built in 1955 is torn down, it will leave a large site, prime for development. However, a lift station will need to remain in place to reroute sanitary sewer flow to the new facility. Community Development Director John Hinzman presented a proposal to members of the Hastings Economic Development and Redevelopment Authority (HEDRA) at their meeting Thursday, April 11 to have that lift station located on city-owned land just north of Art Space on what is termed as Block 1.
Hinzman said that there are power lines across the site, and the lift station could be placed within the easement for those lines. That would still leave some of the Block 1 parcel to be open for development. “Our preference is to locate the site on the property north of Artspace,” said Hinzman. “Absence of the lift station on the current wastewater treatment site provides for a larger redevelopment site.”
The wastewater treatment plant is being relocated to north of County Road 54 and Glendale Road, just south and east of the United Heroes League site on Ravenna Trail.
The current wastewater plant operated by the Met Council has the capacity to treat 2.34 million gallons of wastewater daily. According to the Met Council’s 2040 Water Resources Policy Plan, the new treatment plant will “support the long-term sewered development of the southeast metro.”
“The 221-acre site will allow for future plant expansion, with a long-term service area that includes portions of Marshan, Nininger and Vermillion townships,” according to the Met Council.
The new plant will have the capacity to treat 10 million gallons of sewage per day.
The cost for the new project was estimated in 2022 as $145 million, including $21 million for the list station on the existing site and “conveyance of wastewater to the new site.” It also includes $3 to tear down the existing site to deed the land over to the city.
Hinzman said the project will involve utility work to move sewage to the new life station.
“There’s going to be some major utility work along Tyler Street and some of the other north south streets as you go down towards there. That’s being reviewed as we speak, and a timeframe being established,” he said.
Hinzman told HEDRA members that even with the 60-foot by 40-foot fenced in lift station, there would still be a portion of the Block 1 parcel available. Locating the lift station near the electric lines would be putting it where few other things could be developed.
“This property is encumbered. The potential of the north portion of this property developing something on its own have been quite limited. Going back almost 20 years now, and there hasn’t been a plan for development of this property. We contemplated the possibility of a small restaurant on this site here. That never really took place,” Hinzman. That (the lift station) would not preclude some stuff from occurring up here in this area. It would still leave the area to the south open for development. Another advantage that I see from it located on this site instead of the site next door is now we’ve got a much larger four-acre site that is free of encumbrances. That is going to be very desirable down the road for development.”
HEDRA Member Ben Anderson suggested that perhaps the lift station could be incorporated into a development on the entire parcel, making more room for development downtown.
“I’m just thinking the identity of Hastings is the riverfront, and I really would be disappointed in seeing something that’s not used on the waterfront. Even if we make it pretty with a fence, it just feels like not having some kind of public use right on the river, especially when we have four acres opening up,” Anderson said. “This can be within some other facility where Met Council has access to their own part of it.”
Hinzman said plans will come back to HEDRA for final review at some point. He clarified that Met Council would be leasing land from the city for the list station.
Hinzman also shared that Hastings was awarded the Minnesota Brownfields ReScape Innovation Award for The Confluence Development.
Construction projects are nominated for the honor on sites where environmental cleanup had to occur.
The nomination for the awards reads:
“ The Confluence is a 77-room hotel, restaurant, ballroom, and mixed-use property located along the Mississippi River in the City of Hastings, MN. The total project cost was $31 million dollars. The project resulted in a tax base increase of $64,469 dollars and created 55 jobs.
The site serves as the western anchor of the downtown, a national register historic district, and is also within the Mississippi National River Recreation Area. The project transforms a manufacturing building into a new public park, riverfront trail and commercial attractions open to Hasting’s citizens and visitors. Prior to redevelopment the site restricted access to the river and constricted movement along the city’s riverfront corridor.
Contaminants found on site included antimony, copper, lead, chromium, cadmium, arsenic, nickel selenium, TCE, Diesel Range Organics and a number of others. In addition, within the beams and floors PCB’s, Diesel Range Organics and heavy metals were found. The remediation required management of impacted soil and fill materials.
The City Council committed to this project over a 14-year period, creating a unique relationship with the project site. Over 30 Council and HEDRA members were involved in this project. None of the original City Council or Hastings Economic Development and Redevelopment Authority members were present through the entire project, requiring both bodies to relay the vision and benefits of the project over time. Give it up for The Confluence!”
