Aw, shucks: Olmsted County shoots down two more Ear of Corn tower site proposals

ROCHESTER – The Ear of Corn water tower site will remain in public hands for the foreseeable future.

After calling for development proposals earlier this year, the Olmsted County Board on Tuesday shot down the two bids developers had submitted in the latest round of requests. The move took place during a closed session.

County officials declined to speak on the bids themselves, saying only that there were no future plans for the site right now. But board members said neither bid was lucrative enough or sufficiently in the public’s best interest to garner much support.

“I’d be surprised if we do any movement in the next five years on it unless someone approaches us out of the blue with an idea that really resonates with the commissioners,” Board Chair Mark Thein said Wednesday.

The board’s decision Tuesday night marks the latest setback in the county’s quest to redevelop and sell the land it first bought in 2019 for $5.6 million.

Originally part of Graham Park and the Olmsted County fairgrounds, the 11-acre site housed a food cannery starting in 1929, with the beloved 151-foot Ear of Corn water tower built in 1931.

The cannery was around for decades — several companies owned it before Seneca bought it in 1982. County officials bought the property in anticipation of a bus rapid transit line project that has since moved into the heart of downtown.

The Ear of Corn tower benefitted from the sale, as county officials renovated it and the city of Rochester last year declared it a local landmark. Any future real estate deal must include a promise from the developers to maintain the tower.

County officials have had less luck with the property itself, situated east of Broadway Avenue S. between Hwy. 14 and Graham Park.

Developers put forth four projects as part of a call for bids in 2022; the board ultimately chose to work with local firm Titan Development on a mixed-use housing and commercial project that could have included a grocery store and pharmacy. Talks broke down in December 2022, and the board chose not to sell the property, directing county officials to wait for two years before trying again.

Titan came forward earlier this year with a proposal to buy part of the site, but that went nowhere as the county put forth another request for proposals.

Commissioners appear to be deadlocked on how best to use the property. Some favor selling it as commercial space, while others would like to see it remain public land or perhaps rejoin Graham Park.

Thein said commissioners did come to consensus Tuesday that neither of the latest bids fit the site.

“We’re balancing the benefit to the coffers— how much money we get from the property — compared to public benefit for use of the property,” he said.