Fridley is Growing!

This blog post was provided by Julie Trude, LWV ABC Vice President.  We will add a link to the video from this session when it is available.  

Left photo: Scott Hickock, Community Development Director for City of Fridley, with Gretchen Sabel, LWV ABC President
Right photo: INCOMPARABLE in Fridley City Hall lobby is formed from the letters of Columbia Arena which sat at the site of Fridley City Hall (2019) from 1968 to 2015.   
Photos by Julie Trude

Fridley is Growing!
 
Scott Hickok, the Community Development Director of Fridley, shared vital information on Fridley’s growth in population and tax base at Fridley City Hall on October 19 for our October in-person program.
 
As you drive the major corridors in Fridley, including University Ave., Highway 65 and East River Road, you have been observing change with the construction of several modern apartment complexes and townhomes.  Near the North Star Commuter Rail Station, Taylor developed a new complex with a swimming pool and activities building, 265 new units of which 100 were set aside for seniors (and a few of those offering rent assistance based on income). The former Holly Center site offers another new apartment with 260 units and 10,000 square feet of commercial space. This private redevelopment alone, is valued at $60 million, a substantial increase from the old retail center.
 
A former FMC site was a costly site to prepare with environmental clean-up. The city assisted in the site preparation and Hides developed 1.7 million square feet of new industrial space on East River Road. These projects, among others, have added one-half billion dollars of taxable property value to Fridley in the past 5 years! That is a huge transformation for an aging first-ring suburb. A fun project included development of “Forgotten Star,” a local brewery, re-using the former smoke stacks from a destroyed FMC building.
 
The new housing options plus turnover of existing housing stock has increased Fridley’s population and reduced the average age of its residents. The 2021 Morris Leatherman random sample survey revealed that over 45% of Fridley’s households are headed by an adult under age 30. Fridley is a community of many one-level homes that allowed residents to age in place, skewing their population to older residents until recently. Today only 18% of all residents are at or over the age of 65.
 
Fridley has become more diverse as it population grew. The 2020 census shows a population of 29,590; growth of 8.75% since 2010. Fridley is now the 4th largest city in Anoka County. The census also reports that 42.7% of this population is listed as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous & People-Of-Color), while 57.3% of the population is white and Latina (11.1).
 
Fridley’s resident satisfaction survey indicated high satisfaction and positive attitudes towards the community and neighbors. Most indicated they liked living close to family or a job, the city feels safe and offers a small-town feel. In fact, 98% of resident feel safe in their community, have regular contact with neighbors, and those surveyed state there is a high level of acceptance to newcomers of diverse backgrounds.
 
The major area of concern seemed to be neighborhood parks, even though satisfaction was at 90%, a drop from 95% in a previous survey. As a result, another study is occurring that seeks resident involvement in local park upgrades and potential amenities as 91% agree the appearance of parks affects the value of homes.