A groundbreaking ceremony yesterday (Aug. 18) begins what is expected to become more than $57 million in redevelopment in a long-blighted area of Bemidji. The city broke ground on Sanford YMCA Bemidji, a 60,000-square-foot wellness center anchoring a broader transformation of the downtown Rail Corridor.
The $35 million facility is being named in recognition of a $10 million gift from Sanford Health, the largest single donation to the project. A $5 million contribution from the Nielson Foundation and roughly 40 other private donors helped the campaign reach its $25 million fundraising goal earlier this year.
Bemidji’s Rail Corridor (image courtesy of Greater Bemidji) is a 13-acre former industrial brownfield along the Mississippi River that sat contaminated and largely unused for decades. State cleanup grants totaling $1.5 million funded remediation of the site, paving the way for private investment that local officials say wouldn’t have happened otherwise.
In addition to the YMCA project, Alexandria, Minn.-based GoodNeighbor Properties has proposed a $22.5 million, 98-room Marriott hotel, event center and restaurant for a parcel just south of the corridor’s Mayflower Building.
The redevelopment efforts recently secured federal funding for a new “Gateway Park,” along the site. Housing is also expected to be developed in the area, though a project has yet to be announced.
Serious redevelopment discussions for the corridor began in 2018. Greater Bemidji has been the catalyst for the work done thus far.
The YMCA building is expected to open in 2027. It was designed by JLG Architects, a Grand Forks, N.D., firm with a network of Midwest offices. Minneapolis-based Kraus-Anderson is building it.
(Source here.)
