In Business e Spring 2016

The New Hope City Council recently

awarded Honest-1 Auto Care the Winter 2016 New Hope Outstanding Business Award. Honest-1 Auto Care is a full service auto re-pair company with 56 locations nationally, including 15 stores in Minnesota. New Hope Honest-1 owner, Randy Rada, purchased the for-mer automotive business at 7140 42nd Avenue three years ago. In presenting the award, the City Council noted the significant improve-ments Rada and his wife Susan have made to their property. They have completely remodeled both the interior and exterior of the building. They added an inviting lobby area com-plete with a kids play area, comfortable furniture, WiFi, and a big-screen TV. They also updated the exterior of the building and the landscaping, adding a perennial garden and an outdoor seat-ing area.The Council also recognized Honest-1’s contributions to the community. They support local schools and churches with cash donations and fundraising support. And, the New Hope store has been very successful. The store achieved the highest overall sales vol-ume of all of the Honest-1 stores in the nation in 2015.Randy Rada and New Hope Honest-1 Auto Care were nominated by Larry

Honest-1 Auto Care receives Outstanding Business Award

Allen, the regional operations manager for Honest-1 in Minnesota. The City Council presented a plaque to Rada at its February 8 meeting. The New Hope Outstanding Business Award is an award that recognizes the contributions of New Hope businesses to the community and encourages other businesses to rise to the level achieved by the award recipients. The award may honor a longstanding business, major contributions to the city, a major accom-plishment, outstanding maintenance or improvements, or a major expansion or relocation within New Hope.To learn more about Honest-1 Auto Care in New Hope, visit honest1ne-whope.com or call 763-200-5742.

One of New Hope's redevel-

opment goals is to encourage the reno-vation or replace-ment of outdated buildings in the city's industrial dis-tricts. The building at 9449 Science Cen-ter Drive was a per-fect example of an industrial building that was functionally obsolete. The blighted, out-dated building had been vacant and on the market for the last few years, but had generated little interest from poten-tial buyers. Industrial Equities, a devel-oper that owns and manages over three million square feet of industrial space in the Twin Cities metro, purchased the site in summer 2015. They demolished the old building in March 2016 and will be replacing it with a new, 45,000 square foot multi-tenant building.The new building will have a flexible layout to meet the needs of a wide array of potential tenants and will be one-story tall with 24 foot interior ceilings.

The City Council approved the devel-oper's site plan for the new building in July. In November, the Council approved Industrial Equities request for $250,000 in pay-as-you-go Tax Increment Financ-ing assistance from the city to pay for demolition of the old building, asbestos abatement, and soil remediation. The developer plans to begin construc-tion of the new building this spring. The Industrial Equities project is expected to increase the taxable market value of the site at 9449 Science Center Drive from $400,000 currently to $2.4 million when construction is complete.

Industrial Equities revitalizes industrial property

Frequent business code issues

There are a handful of common business code

violations that New Hope's in-spectors deal with, including:Businesses must obtain a BUCONew businesses are required to obtain a Business Use Certifi-cate of Occupancy (BUCO). The BUCO inspection ensures that each new business operation is safe, appropriately equipped, and meets building and fire code requirements for the type of operation planned. Both the business owner and the landlord of a commercial building are responsible for informing the city and obtaining a BUCO before operations begin.Signs are regulatedTemporary signs to promote a sale, an event, or for some other purpose, re-quire a permit. The length of time the sign may be displayed is limited. And, a business is limited to 10 temporary sign permits in a calendar year. Permanent signs also require a permit and must meet city standards.Window obstructionsWhile many businesses like to display things in the front windows of their store, no more than two-thirds of the total front window area of a store may be obstructed. It is important for police officers and others to be able to see into a store from outside.

Interior alterationsInterior alterations to a commercial or industrial building generally require a permit. Call the city's Inspection Divi-sion to discuss your plans before making alterations to the inside of your building.Exterior storageBusinesses may not store building or manufacturing materials outside. Equip-ment may not be stored outside within street view.Parking Vehicles and equipment stored at a business must be appropriately li-censed, in good repair, and parked on an approved surface.More informationFor more information about these and other city ordinances that affect local businesses, call 763-531-5127 or visit www.ci.new-hope.mn.us.

Honest-1 Auto Care was recognized for their building improvements, outstanding sales volume, and contributions to the community.

Industrial Equities is replacing a functionally obsolete industrial build-ing at 9449 Science Center Drive with a new multi-tenant building with a flexible design.

North Memorial opened a 14,740 square foot, state-of-the-art, primary care medical clinic at 8100 42nd Avenue in February. The clinic is the final component of the Hy-Vee development project.

Storage of inoperable vehicles, equipment, and other debris is not allowed in a commercial zoning district.

North Memorial Clinic Opens