Cities Civil and Municipal July 2024 Public Sector

East Bethel, Minnesota – Anoka County

July 29, 2024

East Bethel, Minnesota

Welcoming New Opportunities

A City Embracing Change While Preserving Small-Town Charm

Positioned along the bustling Highway 65 corridor in Anoka County, East Bethel is a city embracing transformation. Historically a bedroom community, strategic investments in infrastructure are opening the doors to new businesses and residential developments, bringing new vibrancy to the city. As it welcomes these opportunities, East Bethel remains committed to balanced growth, ensuring a harmonious blend of progress and Minnesota charm.

“Part of the growing pains of that infrastructure investment is that the city will be facing more requests than ever before for development,” describes City Administrator, Matt Look. “But with that comes the opportunity to be selective in terms of our development. What do we want coming? What do we want it to look like? How do we plan for, and manage, that? Those are the opportunities that the city is going to capitalize on.”

Infrastructure Investments Paving the Way for Development

East Bethel’s growth is linked to significant improvements along Highway 65, as Aaron Berg, Community Development Director, highlights, “Our 2040 comprehensive plan has been geared towards the major development of the city taking place at that focus. It’s at the southern end of our city, closest to the larger metropolitan city of Minneapolis.” He explains that as growth moves northward, land in the first and second-ring suburbs of Minneapolis is scarce, and to find available land, developers are now looking towards East Bethel.

“The city is actively pursuing ways to improve and expand the minimal infrastructure we do have,” Berg emphasizes. “We are dedicated to working through our comprehensive plan as well as looking at rezoning options to expand existing business parks, to entice businesses to relocate and or start here in East Bethel. We are also looking for opportunities to use city-owned land for development in an attempt to bolster available housing stock.” He adds that the city is actively pursuing legislation for a bonding bill to enhance water treatment and wastewater facilities which would service a potential new business park, noting, “The city continues to work towards improving the corridor area for future growth and or retention.”

Look points out that Anoka County exports 70% of its labor force, which includes expertly skilled technical workers. He relays, “A little-known secret is that a lot of the machine tool shops in Anoka County produced parts for the F-35 jet. These are highly trained technical laborers and we want to keep them within the Anoka County area, specifically East Bethel. So, making it feasible for machine tool shops or industrial manufacturers and the like, to call this home, improves the quality of life for our residents.”

The city is also actively collaborating with the Minnesota Department of Transportation on traffic-related improvements along Highway 65. These efforts include the construction of grade-separated interchanges and the removal of stop lights that contribute to traffic accidents.

“We know that businesses are not going to want to essentially sit in a parking lot out on the highway when they need to get their goods and services to market. So those investments are critical,” Look underscores.

Broadband connectivity is another area of focus, with state and federal grants aiding the expansion of high-speed internet in underserved areas, in partnership with telecommunications company Midco. “What’s the connectivity? -That’s one of the number one questions we receive for housing development,” Look acknowledges. “As people are working from home more often these days, that’s a top priority for them.”

Business Expansion and Attraction

Designing Earth Contracting, a long-standing business in East Bethel, has expanded by completing a state-of-the-art 19,000-square-foot facility, which Berg notes is visible from the highway 65 corridor. “And It’s pretty state of the art. There is not another industrial building like it here in the city of East Bethel. It is going to be a great addition to the community, as they intend on expanding employees, and they are a more metropolitan company,” he says. Their previous location has been acquired by Matt’s Plumbing Solutions, a commercial plumbing company relocating to East Bethel to expand its operations, bringing further employment opportunities to the city.

Additionally, Nexus Family Healing, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, has reopened a youth psychiatric treatment facility in East Bethel, which was previously closed. The company has agreed to a PILOT (payment in lieu if taxes) program that involves an annual payment to the city instead of a tax payment. “The city now has some additional revenues coming in, while assisting them in reopening and maintaining the facility,” Berg reports. “So, there are now additional jobs as well as taxable goods being purchased for the ongoing care of those clients at the treatment center.”

Strategic Residential Development

A significant residential project underway is the development of 212 rental townhomes, and an additional 242 single-family homes are set to begin construction on an adjacent property in the coming months. “This is a proposal to redevelop one of our privately owned golf courses,” expands Berg. “It has cleared the preliminary plat stage, and the developers are in the final plat preparation and anticipate beginning construction in 2025. Due to the wetlands and water features on the golf course, the developer has environmental work they still need to complete.”

Along with urban growth, East Bethel is also welcoming careful development in its rural areas and has three different projects planned or in the works, each bringing 12 to 21 homes. “These lots feature two to two and a half acre lots with a single-family home, multi-car garage, the more desirable rural feel lots that people who are escaping the inner city, and relocating to our community, are looking for,” Berg acknowledges.

The community features numerous wetlands, which Look says contributes to higher property values in these areas. “You’re not going to have people building houses on top of you,” he suggests. “From a natural standpoint, the city is well positioned, because we have these open spaces already established within the community.” To further capitalize on this, East Bethel is focusing on the expansion of trails and connections through county and city roads, maintaining the community’s charm and residential appeal.

Parks and Recreation Amenities

To enhance and preserve the quality of life that East Bethel residents expect, a park dedication fee is collected for every new development or new lot created by the subdivision of land. The city itself spans 48 square miles, with parks scattered throughout. Berg recounts, “We utilize the funds from the newer developments that may not have an identified city park, and we dedicate those funds to improve and or expand the existing parks already defined in our parks plan.”

East Bethel’s parks and recreation opportunities are diverse and cater to both passive and active uses, as the city’s layout includes both scenic wetlands and beautiful topography. “Having a balance between the two is important so that people can get out and recreate. As Minnesotans, we get out a lot,” boasts Look. “People love it. People who move here generally don’t leave here. It’s a unique community that when people find it, it’s kind of the best-kept secret.”

Berg shares that Coon Lake, a 1,481-acre lake with a public beach and boat launch is a popular attraction that brings people into the East Bethel community. The Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, a 5,600-acre research area owned and managed by the University of Minnesota, is another draw to the area. The Reserve offers hiking and cross-country skiing, in addition to educational opportunities for local schools.

He conveys, “The reserve was dedicated in 1942. They’re researching how the effects of human pressures change our planet’s ecosystems. There are three different biomes within this reserve area, a deciduous forest, a coniferous forest, and the prairie grasslands. Hiking trails and walking trails that can be accessed by the public to view how their research is being conducted and how each biome is being affected by human interaction with the environment.”

The Future is Bright

As East Bethel continues to leverage its ideal location along Highway 65, Berg relays, “We have the connectivity to send goods and materials, we can receive supplies, and we have land available for development. So, we’re going to continue to work toward rezoning and or honing in on the expansion of business parks so we can recruit more business and industry, capitalizing on our position.”

Look echoes this focus on fostering growth, adding that low tax rates and a welcoming environment are also priorities. In summary, he asserts, “The future is sunny with a guaranteed growth of expansion opportunities. Knowing that this is coming, we want to be positioned appropriately so that we can respond efficiently and professionally, and help businesses locate here and call this place home.”