Sartell Approves Purchase Agreement With Ryan Companies for Former Verso Paper Mill Site

(KNSI) – The City of Sartell has taken its first step toward selling the former Verso paper mill site.

The Sartell City Council voted 4-0 Monday to approve a purchase agreement with Ryan Companies for about 20 to 22 acres of the Mill District site along the Mississippi River. Council Member Jed Meyer was absent.

Nikki Sweeter, Sartell’s Director of Engagement and Experiences, says people shouldn’t expect construction anytime soon. “They haven’t identified any specific user. That really is what they’re kind of taking this time to do, is just to see what the site can handle and kind of go from there.”

Ryan Companies now has one year to study the property, and extensions could stretch the process to about two years. During the first year, the company can back out for any reason. Sweeter told KNSI the site is far from shovel-ready, with a lot of concrete and environmental issues to work through.

Ryan Companies would pay $1.10 per square foot of land that can be developed. Depending on the final survey, that comes to between about $958,000 and $1.05 million. Removing the concrete left over from the mill is estimated to cost $2.1 million, which raises the question of who would pay for it.

“Ryan Companies has, in the purchase agreement, has agreed to buy the site as is. That means all of the lovely concrete you see there would become theirs,” said Sweeter.

Sweeter explains the city factored the cleanup cost into the asking price, which is why the price is lower than a property this size would normally sell for. If the sale goes through, Ryan Companies will decide whether the concrete needs to come out and will pay for the work. The city would use the same approach with any future buyer.

The site is zoned light industrial. Many people had hoped for apartments, shops and restaurants there, but Sweeter says limited access to the site has made that difficult. Ryan Companies is also building the Niron Magnetics plant, and according to Sweeter, a business that complements Niron could be an option.

The city plans to keep about four acres along the river, including the historic white building just north of the dam. Sweeter says the city hopes it could become something like a restaurant that people can reach by trail or by boat. A new trail on the site is set to open next summer.

Before the sale can close, Ryan Companies will need city approvals, a rail crossing agreement with BNSF and utility commitments from Xcel Energy. Sweeter calls Monday’s vote step one of a long process.

___