Save "The Rock" - Sandstone,MN

02/21/2024

The City of Sandstone/Economic Development Authority is working with developer Meghan Elliott (Jillpine) to redevelop the iconic Historic Sandstone School for housing. A Community Involvement/Engagement Plan has been created that includes information about our community engagement, the proposed redevelopment project, some history of the building, a summary of past efforts to plan for and redevelop the property, information on hazardous materials and abatement, environmental reports, and the proposed clean-up activities.

The document is available for review at www.sandstone.govoffice.com/ click on “Latest News”. We welcome all questions and comments; please direct them to:

Kathy George
City Administrator
City of Sandstone
119 – 4th Street; PO Box 641
Sandstone, MN 55072
[email protected]

The City of Sandstone is a resilient community that builds on its natural and cultural assets. Located conveniently between the Twin Cities and Duluth; nestled in between fields, forests and water there is something for everyone. Welcome to our community!

08/31/2021

The City of Sandstone has a preliminary developer who might be interested in working to redevelop The Rock in Sandstone.

They are asking for a list of individuals who MIGHT be interested in living at The Rock, should it be redeveloped into apartments.

Attached is a very short survey. If you or anyone you know may be interested in living at The Rock, please pass this onto them.

Return the survey to Kathy George at City Hall. Her email is [email protected]

08/30/2021

We are excited to be working with Meyer Group Architecture and look forward to seeing the project move forward.

Thank you to the City of Sandstone, EDA for selecting Meyer Group Architecture, New History & IMEG Engineering to undertake Phase 1 of the historic Sandstone School Restoration. Phase 1 submittals begin this Fall to the Minnesota Historical Society and State Historic Preservation Office.

This project is dear to me as I attended school here from 5th to 9th grade. “The Rock” as we affectionately called it now has a great chance of survival as a mixed use project. Sandstone School was the first masonry building constructed between the Twin Cities & Duluth.

05/18/2021

Thank you all for your input. The Parks & Recreation Commission voted to approve the image that had the most likes from the original post, and that winner is:

04/22/2021

We need your help!😀

01/27/2021

It looks like we’re overdue for an update. We have several things going on:

1. Redevelopment of The Rock – our project did not get funded in 2020 from the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency to redevelop the original 1901/1910 portion of the building into affordable apartments. We are gearing up the team to work on the 2021 application and have high hopes for this round of funding.

2. The City has been working with a team from LHB to consider new spaces for the Library, Old School Arts Center, and the Sandstone History and Art Center. After looking at several options that involved using the 1-story elementary portion of the building, consensus was to move next door to the Rock to create a new building to house these three entities. The State has funded it’s Library Construction Grant program – which is GREAT news, because they do not fund that program every year. So, we are working on the application for that program and digging into plans and designs for this new building. Very exciting!!

3. Members Co-Operative Credit Union donated their property across the street from The Rock to the City for a new City Park. The park will be named Panther Park in honor of the Sandstone Panthers. Super excited about this. If anyone has any graphics of the Sandstone Panther logo, please share. We would like to incorporate the logo into marketing and signage as we work to develop this park. The plan is to create a new playground, a new basketball court, and relocate the skatepark to this location. The New Playground Task Force will roll up their sleeves and get to work on plans and fundraising.

Kathy George
City Administrator

03/25/2020

City Administrator, Kathy George has been hard at work on "The Rock". The following is a brief update from her about the work being done:

Planning work continues on the redevelopment of The Rock. The developer (Community Housing Development Corporation – CHDC) and the architect (LHB) are working on various layout options for the building. The City is also compiling a list of all the recommendations made through various community meetings that were held over the past several years. This list will be used not only to help City leaders prioritize projects, but we will also be conducting one last community outreach effort to fulfill a requirement of Minnesota Housing Finance Agency (MHFA) for a Community Development Initiative Plan, which is needed to support The Rock redevelopment project. So, this outreach effort will have two goals – review and prioritize all of the various recommendations made by the community since 2014 AND help to create the plan required by MHFA. It’s a win-win-win. More to follow…

12/24/2019

Progress continues on the redevelopment of this historic, beautiful building. The City recently put out a request for proposals (RFP), looking for an experienced developer to work with us on this adaptive reuse project. The goal is to submit a funding application to the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency in June, 2020. We have received two proposals in response to our RFP. The City Economic Development Authority (EDA) plans to conduct interviews of these two developers on January 10th. Stay tuned for more updates…

12/18/2019

Request for Proposals: Adaptive Reuse of "The Rock"

The Sandstone Economic Development Authority (EDA) is seeking proposals from experienced developers to participate in the adaptive reuse of THE ROCK in Sandstone, Minnesota. The vision is to redevelop the first level for the Sandstone Public Library and the Sandstone History and Art Center, and redevelop the second and third levels as affordable housing. The EDA wishes to engage a proven developer of affordable rental housing with experience in adaptive reuse of historic buildings in a collaborative approach to working with the community.

Selection Process
RFP Distribution November 22, 2019
Optional Site Visit December 9, 2019 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Submittal Deadline December 20, 2019
Evaluation of Submittals January 3, 2020
Interviews January 10, 2020
Selection January 22, 2020

RF document can be found one the city's website at the below link.

The Sandstone Economic Development Authority (EDA) is seeking proposals from experienced developers to participate in the adaptive reuse of THE ROCK in Sandstone, Minnesota. The vision is to redevelop the first level for the Sandstone Public Library and the Sandstone History and Art Center, and rede...