By Anne Holzman
The announcement in early June that the University of Minnesota would close and sell the Les Bolstad Golf Course set off conversations all over the north metro. But no place was more intensely interested than the city of Falcon Heights, within whose municipal boundaries the golf course lies.
The news did not take the city entirely by surprise. The Falcon Heights City Council adopted a Snelling and Larpenteur Corridor Development Study last November which noted that the university had floated the property as an “opportunity site” that might soon come up for sale.
The property is designated Area 1 in the study, with two options for laying out a mix of residential, commercial and public use (green space) zones. If not rezoned, the current public land designation would revert automatically to single-family residential.
The area to be sold includes the driving range and holes south of Larpenteur, which the corridor study did not anticipate. Not included in the sale are the golf training area, the Elizabeth Lyle Robbie stadium or the campus radio tower and station. Ramsey County owns the area occupied by Gibbs Farm.
The golf course parcel to be sold is 141 acres, a significant fraction of Falcon Heights’s territory. The small city, which also includes the state fairgrounds and university research fields, struggles with a limited tax base.
Ramsey County and Roseville Public School District 623 also stand to benefit from an expanded tax base depending on development choices.
“We have a lot of work to do to figure it out,” Falcon Heights City Administrator Jack Linehan told the Bugle shortly after the news broke, “but we have the proactive work we’ve done as part of the corridor study… that will help guide development.”
The city of Lauderdale lies along the border of the Bolstad course. Though it does not contain any of the land up for sale, Lauderdale residents and businesses will be affected by development there, especially along the city’s eastern edge on Fulham Street. City Administrator Heather Butkowski said they’ll rely on “a good relationship with Falcon Heights” to channel any concerns.
The day after the sale plan was announced, the Lauderdale City Council welcomed Ramsey County board representative MaryJo McGuire for a routine report that turned to a discussion about the golf course sale. She noted the county owns roadway bordering the site and therefore will have “a seat at the table” for planning.
City council member Jeffrey Dains asked, “Could the county purchase some of the land as a park?” He noted that the northwest corner of the county does not have much park space.
McGuire admitted that’s “a popular idea” but said the interest in expanding the tax base “might supersede a park.”
Lauderdale Mayor Mary Gaasch said that while Falcon Heights holds sole authority in zoning the site, she expects Lauderdale residents will participate in opportunities for public comment.
Gaasch also noted the state Legislature has been looking at proposals to limit public comments on proposed developments. She wrote in an email to the Bugle, “If citizens would like to have a say about development in their own community, they need to let our legislators know that it is critical we keep this public feedback.”
Anne Holzman is a freelance writer who covers city government news for the Bugle.
Photo cutline: Submitted photo from University of Minnesota golf course.
